Despite a new President, VLADIMIR PUTIN REMAINS IN OVERALL CONTROL. No decision of any significance for the Russian people, or the rest of us, will be made in the foreseeable future without the say-so of Medvedev's unsmiling master.

Despite the fact that Putin's Russia is increasingly autocratic and irredeemably corrupt, the man himself - THEIR BORN-AGAIN TSAR - IS OVERWHELMINGLY REGARDED AS THE ANSWER TO THE NATION'S PRAYERS. Putin boasts that since he came into office investment in the Russian economy has increased sevenfold (reaching $82.3 billion in 2007) and that the country's GDP has risen by more than 70 per cent. It is almost solely down to Russia's vast reserves of oil and gas. Ex-President Putin is regarded as the answer to the nation's prayers. When Putin came to power, the world price of crude oil was $16 dollars a barrel; it has now soared to more than $120 dollars - and no one knows where or when this bonanza will end.

SO WHERE HAS ALL THE OIL WEALTH GONE? According to Transparency International - a global society which campaigns against corruption - Russia has become a world leader in the corruption stakes. Foreign analysts estimate that no less than $30 billion a year is spent to grease official palms to oil the wheels of trade and commerce. Almost every NATIONAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATION IS NOW CONTROLLED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY THE STATE, and the same applies to every newspaper of any influence. THE STRUCTURE OF THE STATE - the alliance between the Kremlin, the oligarchs, and the security services - IS AWESOMELY POWERFUL.

THE KREMLIN'S GROWING RAPPROCHEMENT WITH BEIJING (the adversaries of a generation ago are now not only major trading partners, but conduct joint military exercises) SHIFTS THE BALANCE OF POWER IN THE WORLD. And as life on earth becomes less and less secure, with evermore people competing for a dwindling supply of vital resources, RUSSIA, AS AN ENERGY GIANT, IS ONCE AGAIN A BIG PLAYER ON THE WORLD STAGE.

Chile's National Emergency Office, ONEMI, said heavy ash kept shooting from the volcano in southern Chile as it generated small tremors. On the ground, heavy flooding hit the area around Chaiten as falling ash swelled rivers, overflowing their banks."There's been additional volcanic activity that we're really worried about," regional governor Sergio Galilea told reporters.

The Chaiten volcano, 760 miles (1,220 km) south of the capital Santiago, started erupting on May 2 for the first time in thousands of years, spewing ash, gas and molten rock into the air. The government on Wednesday declared the town of Chaiten, only six miles (10 km) from the erupting volcano, off-limits for three months and reported that about 90 percent of the town had been flooded by the Blanco and Raya Rivers.

No deaths have resulted, but thousands of people have been evacuated within a 30-mile (48-km) radius, including the 4,500 residents of Chaiten. The column of ash above the volcano, kept aloft by the pressure of constant eruptions, rose as high as 20 miles (32 km) early in the eruption but has since fallen back to about 4.5 miles (7 km).

The move, WHICH WILL FLOOD THE MARKET WITH AN ESTIMATED 1.5 MILLION TONNES OF HIGH-GRADE AMERICAN RICE THAT IS SITTING IN JAPANESE SILOS, comes amid continuing rice export restrictions by some of the world's biggest suppliers and rioting in countries where the population cannot afford the price increases.

Senior government sources in Tokyo told The Times that Japan had received permission from Washington to begin exports from ITS GIANT, BUT LARGELY HIDDEN, MOUNTAIN OF UNWANTED AMERICAN RICE to countries that need it most. The exposure of the vast Japanese rice surplus has emerged as ONE OF THE CHIEF IMBALANCES OF WORLD RICE MARKETS AND AN EFFECT OF THE COMPLEX AND WASTEFUL LATTICE OF RULES, SUBSIDIES AND PACTS that have knocked global agriculture markets so badly out of kilter.

Rice experts say that the move could defuse temporarily one of the principal catalysts of the food-price crisis - the perception that the world is running out of rice - and the panic and hoarding that has accompanied it. With commodities traders sniffing that a US-Japan deal was imminent, rice FUTURES ENDED THE ASIAN TRADING WEEK IN A DRAMATIC NOSEDIVE AS THE PROSPECT OF A SUDDEN SUPPLY SURGE and bullish harvest forecasts routed speculative money from the market.

The collapse came as think-tanks and food experts called on Japan and the US to urgently unwind one of the biggest "invisible" distortions in global rice markets: a quirk of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules that obliges Tokyo to buy rice it does not need and that eventually rots in storage. THE WTO RULE, ITS MANY CRITICS SAY, EFFECTIVELY TURNS MILLIONS OF TONNES OF HIGH-GRADE AMERICAN PRODUCE INTO FEED FOR JAPANESE HOGS AND CHICKENS.

Traders gave warning, however, that many of the factors that propelled rice prices to their recent highs remained in place. THE CYCLONE IN BURMA HAS EFFECTIVELY TURNED THAT COUNTRY FROM AN EXPORTER TO AN IMPORTER OF RICE, AND EXPORT RESTRICTIONS IN INDIA AND VIETNAM REMAIN IN PLACE.

IT WAS BUSH'S SECOND PERSONAL APPEAL THIS YEAR TO KING ABDULLAH, head of the monarchy that rules this desert kingdom that is a long time prime U.S. ally and home to the world's largest oil reserves. BUT SAUDI OFFICIALS STUCK TO THEIR POSITION THAT THEY WILL ONLY PUMP MORE OIL INTO THE SYSTEM WHEN ASKED TO BY BUYERS, something they say is not happening now, the president's national security adviser told reporters.

"Saudi Arabia does not have customers that are making requests for oil that they are not able to satisfy," Stephen Hadley said on a day when oil prices rose above $127 a barrel, a record high. "What the Saudis wanted to tell us was we're doing everything we can do ... to meet this problem, but it's a complicated problem."

The Saudi oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, announced that the kingdom decided on May 10 to raise production by 300,000 barrels at the request of customers, including the United States. He said that increase was sufficient. "SUPPLY AND DEMAND ARE IN BALANCE TODAY," he told a news conference.

President Bush has never been known for his eloquence, but his comment earlier this month that INDIA'S GROWING MIDDLE CLASS was demanding "BETTER NUTRITION AND BETTER FOOD, AND SO DEMAND IS HIGH, AND THAT CAUSES THE PRICE TO GO UP" was neither particularly mangled nor, at first flush, offensive. In the days since, though, India's most nationalistic politicians, newspapers and television pundits have expressed outrage, calling Bush's comment rude and insensitive because it suggests Indians are to blame for recent global food price increases and implies they should eat less. "U.S. EATS 5 TIMES MORE THAN INDIA PER CAPITA" blared a headline in the Times of India above a typical story outlining the massive disparities between the amount of grains, meat and vegetables the average American and average Indian consumes.

There's no doubt that China and India's growing middle classes are consuming more and different types of food. As people get richer they tend to eat more meat and dairy products, for instance, and that's exactly what's happening in China and India. That growing demand will naturally push up prices over the long term. But it's debatable whether the huge price run-ups in the past few months for staples such as rice and corn can be pinned on China and India alone.

Short-term factors - such as the huge BOOM IN BIOFUEL production and the skyrocketing COST OF FUEL that has pushed up FERTILIZER AND TRANSPORT PRICES - play a big part too. But to pretend that tens of millions of Chinese and Indians who are joining the middle class every year have no impact on demand for food is silly. Many Americans overeat, but a growing number of Indians do as well (even if the national calorie intake is still relatively small). That's a problem for both countries' general well-being and health, but it's not the main issue in rising food prices.

THE KEY IS NOT DEMAND, BUT SUPPLY. Agricultural production in places such as India has not kept up with the incredible social changes under way in the country's cities and towns. The green revolution of three decades ago helped keep the country from starvation, but since then PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN INDIAN AGRICULTURE HAS HARDLY MOVED.

Dan Toole, the South Asia regional director for the United Nations Children's Fund, said "WHAT'S NEEDED IS MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN FARMING, more assistance for the hundreds of millions of Indians who are malnourished, and for the government "to somehow get beyond the policy and into the implementation."

And if the commercials seem more pervasive than ever, that's because they are. DRUG MAKERS SPEND NEARLY $5 BILLION A YEAR TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE HEARING ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTS ? a sound investment considering that every $1,000 they spend translates to 24 new prescriptions, according to the House Commerce Committee. Drug ads are, not surprisingly, meant to sell products, not scare consumers off, SO THEY'RE NOTORIOUS FOR CAREENING QUICKLY THROUGH THE OBLIGATORY LIST OF THE MEDICATION'S RISKS.

The FDA states that DTC commercials must present a "fair balance" of the benefits and side effects of a drug, but it's obvious most don't. It's commonly understood by psychologists ? and ad makers ? that if a person is presented with a list of things, HE OR SHE IS MORE LIKELY TO REMEMBER ITEMS AT THE BEGINNING AND AT THE END OF THE LIST THAN ITEMS JUST PAST THE MIDDLE.

While drug makers abide by the law and present important side effect information, it's no surprise that they NEARLY ALL FOLLOW THE SAME FORMAT: putting benefit information in the first half of the commercial, side effect information just past the middle, then benefit information again at the end. THAT'S A FEATURE COMMON TO MOST DRUG ADS: THEY LEAVE YOU CONFUSED ABOUT THE INFORMATION.

THE SYSTEM BURNS AS FORECLOSURES MOUNT, INVENTORY BLOATS, AND HOME PRICES DROP, GUARANTEEING ANOTHER UGLY STORM OF BANK LOSSES IN MORTGAGE BONDS. The ultimate determining factor right now is home prices, which are accelerating down. WALL STREET SEEMS UNWILLING EVEN TO MENTION HOME PRICES, preferring to talk about bank liquidity concerns having been addressed. EXCEPT THAT BANK CAPITAL IS STILL NEGATIVE.

THE INSOLVENT US$-BASED ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL SYSTEM has a long way to go before any recovery can be claimed. The four primary pillars of the federal budget deficit, the trade and current account deficit, the bank insolvency, and the rising tide of negative equity homeowners, these scream of ongoing need for remedy. All forms of remedy involve monetary inflation.

The current approach has been careful and directed. The next steps will be much more broad and systemic IN THE FACE OF DESPERATION TO AVERT COLLAPSE. BEWARE OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE toward mortgages. BEWARE OF CIVIL DISTURBANCES. Beware of open scuffles at gasoline stations. Beware of POSSIBLY FOOD RIOTS IN POOR NEIGHBORHOODS.

Being the newest Third World nation, the UNTIED STATES will see food riots similar elsewhere in the world. THE SYSTEM INSIDE THE US IS MOVING TOWARD CHAOS. An inflationary recession does that. Job loss and rising prices make for a nasty cauldron for emotions. The only known plan will be to produce enough inflation to keep the system running. THE IMPLEMENTED CURE WILL PLANT SEEDS FOR FURTHER CRISIS ONE YEAR FROM NOW, AND GUARANTEE A SEVERE CHANGE VIA DISRUPTION.

ANYONE SELLING AIR WEAPONS IN NORTH WALES MUST REGISTER WITH POLICE BY NEXT MONDAY or face the consequences under tough new laws. Calls were made for a crack down on airguns after a series of incidents across the region in recent years where people and animals were hurt or killed. But one gun shop owner said he had not been told of the changes to the law, despite requests to the government for clarification. Ian Okell, owner of Dragon Field Sports in Wrexham, said THE REGULATION OF GUN SHOPS WOULD NOT TACKLE THE REAL PROBLEM - THAT OF THE ILLEGAL GUN TRADE.

From October 1, anyone selling air weapons by way of a trade or business must be registered with the police as a firearms dealer, under changes to the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. Gun traders must buy a £150 registration, lasting three years, from the Firearms Licensing Department of North Wales Police. Anyone failing to do so may face a maximum £5,000 or 12 months' imprisonment.

Mr Okell said he was sent a consultation document outlining proposed changes to the law 18 months ago, but had not heard anything since. He said: "It was full of ridiculous suggestions, saying things like all gun shops must have blacked-out windows, as if we were porn shops. It's been a shambles."

With a top speed of 125mph, it's a roadster that could put a smile on the face of any hardcore petrol-head. Which is ironic, really, since the one thing this car doesn't need is petrol. This sports car is, in fact, the world's first high-performance electric vehicle. It can accelarate from 0 to 60mph in 3.9 seconds, making it faster off the mark than a Lotus and almost on a par with a Ferrari. The "Tesla" is styled on a Lotus Elise.

Designed in California, funded by a gang of dotcom billionaires, and already the most eagerly sought-after car among image-conscious Hollywood stars, it has been hailed as a true automotive landmark. The batteries have a lifespan of 100,000 miles, and their components are able to be recycled or reconditioned. The Tesla will take you 200 miles or more at a cost of 1p per mile.

In the U.S., the Tesla is retailing for $100,000 (£50,000); but over here, you'll have to fork out 99,000 euros (£78,000). Their designers are already working on a four-door sedan, followed by a smaller version which will sell for a distinctly more affordable $30,000 (£15,000). It's sobering to think that while oil prices today are hovering around $120 a barrel, futures traders in New York are already doing deals on the basis that the price will have reached $200 a barrel by December.

"We are absolutely committed to the ratification of this treaty. It is fundamental to how we think, what our philosophy is. And if there were to be anyone - and I don't know of anybody, but take it hypothetically - who had a conscientious problem, they would have to consider that outside the context of my parliamentary party."

Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan warned yesterday that a No vote on the Lisbon Treaty would be a "step into isolation for Ireland." Lenihan, who made the comments after a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, said a No vote would damage the Irish economy.

As US President George W. Bush lavished praise this week on Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the latter broadcast on the TV station which he controls a stinging message: the US is "the greatest Satan in the world" - Palestinian Legislative Council Member Najat Abu-Bakr (Fatah), PA TV, March 3, 2008. The full 30-page PMW report examines statements made in the PA media over the past several years regarding the PA's affinity for countries such as North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, which are all openly anti-American.

"Significantly," the report warns, "the affinity that is felt for such geographically distant non-Muslim countries is precisely because these states publicly challenge and express loathing for the US." The report also examined statements showing PA officials' loathing for the United States, such as a Fatah legislator's recent claim that the US is "the greatest Satan in the world."

Among the statements quoted in the report:- "Allah, take hold of the Americans and their allies - Allah, count them and kill them to the last one and don't leave even one." - Ahmed Bahar, speaker of the PA legislative council, on PA TV in April 2007.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB), which oversees juvenile offenders in England and Wales, said it has commissioned a study to investigate the reasons. Commentators ascribed the increase partly to a rise in the total number of girls aged under 17 and partly to the police being more willing to take action against girls accused of crimes such as school fights. Boys still commit most youth crime but the YJB said offences by males fell two percent over the same period.

In its annual Workload Data research, the YJB reported that since 2006 young females - some as young as 10 - committed almost 60,000 crimes including theft, criminal damage, violent attacks, criminal damage and public order crimes. This was a 25 percent increase from 2003/2004, when more than 47,000 offences by girls were committed.

Research from the Design Council meanwhile, revealed that one in three of the young "hot product" victims were listening to music on headphones, talking, texting or playing on a games console when their property was snatched.

Britain's third-biggest bank said on Thursday the writedown for its investment bank arm Barclays Capital was net of a 700 million pound gain on the fair valuation of debt it carries on its own books. The bank had already said last month its first quarter profits would fall from a year ago as earnings at BarCap and its Barclays Global Investors fund management unit had been hit by financial market turmoil, but it has not disclosed the extent of the fall. The bank's profits in April, excluding BarCap, were above a year ago, it said

The initiative would punish water wasters and limit such activities as watering lawns and washing vehicles. And it would revive a controversial effort to recycle sewage water. The aggressive, multiyear proposal could do much to catch the city up to other Southern California communities that have launched advanced recycling programs. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's effort could cost up to $2 billion.

Just to meet a 15% increase in demand by 2030, officials say 32 billion gallons a year will have to be saved or recaptured - enough to cover the San Fernando Valley with a foot of water. Prohibitions during the 1990s drought - banning residents from washing driveways and sidewalks, letting sprinklers flood into gutters and watering grass in midday - would be enforced again, with additional restrictions. Other cities facing the same challenges, including Long Beach, have already moved to curtail residential and commercial water usage and punish waste. Orange County and other Southern California agencies are also recycling treated sewage water back into the drinking supply.

David Coffin, a Westchester Neighborhood Council member who tracks water issues, said the plan misses a larger point: controlling growth. "I don't think they're going to make any headway. They're adding 14,000 to 16,000 housing units a year in the face of water shortages. How are they going to supply all those people?"

"Pythons are likely to colonize anywhere alligators live, including north Florida, Georgia and Louisiana," said Frank Mazzotti, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor, in his two-year study.

The pythons thriving in Florida are mostly Burmese pythons from Myanmar that were brought over as pets and then turned loose in the wild. From 2002-2005, 201 of the beasts were caught by state authorities, but in the last two years the number has more than doubled to 418, Mazzotti said in his study published on the university website. The largest python caught so far in Florida measured five meters (16.4 feet) and weighed 70 kilograms (154 pounds).

Mazzotti said the serpents, despite their awesome size, are not poisonous, but are excellent swimmers and able to cover great distances in little time. Some, trapped and released with radio transmitters, swam 60 kilometers (37 miles) in a few hours. Highly adaptable, pythons prey on cats, dogs, hares, foxes, squirrels, raccoons and even alligators, allowing them to thrive in a variety of environments. After populating the Florida Everglades - a vast marshland - where it is estimated they number 30,000, the giant python is now spreading across the rest of the peninsula.