Chavez told tens of thousands of supporters late Friday he was putting Venezuela's oil field and refineries under military "protection" and would halt the exports "if this (referendum) is used as a pretext to start violence in Venezuela." Venezuela, an OPEC member, currently exports around 60 PERCENT of the two million barrels of oil it produces per day to THE UNITED STATES, WHICH RELIES ON THEM FOR 11 PERCENT OF ITS OIL NEEDS.

The 53-year-old president said Friday he wanted to reign "until 2050," if the people backed him. Changes to allow the government to take over the central bank and expropriate private property in the name of "economic socialism," and gag the media in times of emergency are also being proposed. Opponents, whose number has swelled in past weeks with the defection of some Chavez allies, say the reforms would amount to making Venezuela a Cuba-like communist state, with an elected 'dictator'. Chavez, who reveres Cuba's Fidel Castro, dismisses those ranked against him as 'traitors' acting to further US 'imperialism.' "A vote 'yes' is a vote for Chavez -- a vote 'no' is a vote for (US President) George W. Bush," he said. The United States is not the only target of Chavez's verbal broadsides. Recently, the Venezuelan president has accumulated international disputes.

Last month, Spain's King Juan Carlos told him to "shut up" at a summit. Stung by the opposition's adoption of the phrase in its campaign against the referendum, Chavez has demanded an apology -- failing which he said he might nationalize Spanish banks in Venezuela. He also fell out spectacularly with his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe, after the latter dropped him as a mediator in negotiations to release hostages held by leftist FARC guerrillas. Chavez said he would have nothing to do with Colombia's government as long as Uribe remained in power -- another potentially costly decision, given that Colombia supplies much of Venezuela's basic food supplies, including eggs, milk and chicken.

The investor, which specializes in acquiring distressed businesses, flagged its interest as German banks put the finishing touches to the second rescue of subprime casualty IKB in four months. Karsten von Koeller, who heads Lone Star's German business, said the global credit crunch was throwing up good investment opportunities in Europe's biggest economy and singled out IKB as a possibility.

Lone Star, which has snapped up portfolios with 12 billion euros ($17.7 billion) of credit so far in Germany, said IKB's 5 billion euro commercial property credit portfolio could be of interest. "The ongoing finance crisis has hit German banks, which makes restructuring in the industry necessary. That will provide us with new opportunities," von Koeller told Reuters.

The credit crisis, which started when higher-risk U.S. home owners were squeezed by falling property prices and rising interest rates, has shaken investor confidence and cost banks around the world more than $50 billion. Germany has taken an especially hard beating. Two of its banks nearly collapsed under the strain.

IKB, a formerly little-known lender to small businesses, has become a by-word in Germany for the subprime crisis. The government-led rescue of that lender is set to cost more than 6 billion euros. Regional bank SachsenLB was also saved by a last-minute rescue.

Steve M.Collins who has authored 5 books on the dispersion of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel shows through archaeological finds that indeed, there is proof that there were transatlantic voyages on a regular basis between the two hemispheres, and probably made by King Solomon's navy.

Sure, Israelis and Palestinians agreed to talk about the "final status" issues of creating a Palestinian state, with the U.S. urging them on. But the governments representing the two sides in Annapolis may actually be further apart on the substance of some of those issues than were their predecessors who failed at Camp David.

At Annapolis, the parties agreed to talk, again, about the issues of Jerusalem, the borders of a Palestinian state and the fate of refugees and water rights, setting the goal of reaching agreement by the end of 2008. The key statement in the declaration adopted at Annapolis, however, is in its concluding paragraph: "IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FUTURE PEACE TREATY WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ROAD MAP, AS JUDGED BY THE UNITED STATES." In other words, the discussions launched by Annapolis will simply flesh out a political "horizon" as an INCENTIVE TO IMPLEMENT PRESIDENT BUSH'S 2003 ROADMAP. And therein lies the problem.

THE ROAD MAP was adopted in 2003, after the Bush Administration was told that progress on the Israeli-Palestinian front was an essential precondition for the U.S. to win Arab support in Iraq. It, too, was launched with minor fanfare, as President Bush made what, at the time, were deemed historic calls for Palestinian statehood. BUT AS ANY KIND OF PEACE INITIATIVE, IT WAS STILLBORN.

The first phase of the Road Map required of the Israelis a freeze of the West Bank and Gaza settlements, and dismantle outposts built after March 2001. And it required that the Palestinians crack down on violence and dismantle "terrorist capabilities and infrastructure." Given that the U.S. - which is the arbiter of the Road Map, according to Annapolis - defines Hamas as a terrorist organization, that would presumably mean Abbas would have to dismantle Hamas.

At the same time, Roadmap required extensive institutional reform of the Palestinian authority, including "FREE, OPEN, AND FAIR ELECTIONS." Those were held, of course, in January of 2006, and THEY WERE WON BY HAMAS. SO PRESIDENT ABBAS IS HARDLY IN ANY POSITION TO IMPLEMENT THE ROAD MAP.

TO IMPLEMENT THE ROAD MAP, ABBAS WOULD NEED NOT ONLY TO ELIMINATE HAMAS IN THE WEST BANK, BUT WOULD ALSO HAVE TO REASSERT CONTROL OVER GAZA. And the Israeli security services know better than anyone how unlikely this is. Nor would it be easy for Olmert to rein in the West Bank settlers, given his own political weakness. Any attempt to envisage a peace process that excludes Hamas - which remains the majority party in the elected Palestinian legislature - gives that group incentive only to sabotage any progress.

Thus, THE PEACE PROCESS AS ENVISAGED BY ANNAPOLIS ESSENTIALLY REQUIRES ABBAS TO WIN A PALESTINIAN CIVIL WAR BEFORE ANY PEACE AGREEMENT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED. His prospects for doing so at all, much less in the space of 12 months, are slim at best.

A network of unelected institutions controlled by the highly powerful conservative Supreme Leader is countered by a president and parliament elected by the people.

For much of the last decade, Iranian politics has been characterised by continued wrangling between these elected and unelected institutions as a reformist president - and, at times, parliament - struggled against the conservative establishment. But with hardliners' regaining control of the parliament in 2004 and the presidency in 2005, all the organs of government are now dominated by conservatives.

Mr Solana will meet Saeed Jalili in London in talks correspondents say may determine whether the US and its allies press for more sanctions on Iran. The UN has demanded Iran suspend its uranium enrichment programme. Iran insists its programme is for peaceful purposes but some Western powers fear it is making weapons.

If Mr Jalili shows no inclination in his talks with Mr Solana to suspend Iran's enrichment activities, our correspondent says the stage would be set for a renewed push for UN sanctions. However, despite pressure from the US and its key European allies, Russia and China have been reluctant to press for new measures. Ahead of the talks, Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham did say that Mr Jalili would "present new ideas and initiatives" to Mr Solana.

However, on Wednesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted Iran was "a nuclear nation", adding: "After this, no-one can threaten the Iranian nation as we have all stood united so far and [the West] did not do anything." Mr Solana has appeared frustrated that his talks with Mr Jalili have been frequently delayed.

The Electoral Commission asked them to investigate after it emerged Labour received more than £650,000 from David Abrahams via middlemen. Gordon Brown said the donations will be returned as they were unlawful. Meanwhile, police are set to begin the second inquiry into the Labour party's finances in two years.

The Metropolitan Police has just completed the 19-month, £1.4m "cash-for-honours" investigation into party funding. That inquiry, which cast a shadow over Tony Blair's final months as prime minister, ended with no charges being brought.

The remainder escaped punishment altogether - or were let off with fines, community punishments, fixed-penalty notices or a slap-on-the-wrist. Even those criminals who were brought before a magistrate or judge were highly unlikely to be jailed. Only 74,000 were sent to custody - fewer than one for every 100 offences recorded by the Home Office's British Crime Survey.

The figures were revealed in the Government's annual account of how offenders are punished each year. It reveals a picture of ever more crimes being punished by cautions, on-the-spot fines and cannabis warnings - rather than the traditional court appearance.

Fewer than half - 47 per cent - of the 1.475million crimes which police managed to solve ended in a charge or summons. Instead, 350,000 escaped with a caution - an increase of 17 per cent. One in four burglars - 7,700 offenders - and 58 per cent of violent attackers, or 57,000 offenders, got nothing more than a caution. Twenty-eight per cent of sex offenders - including 24 rapists - were also cautioned. There was also a sharp increase in use of on-the-spot fines for crimes such as shoplifting, criminal damage and drunkenness.

The report, Criminal Statistics 2006, charts how each crime was dealt with over the past year. A total of 11,287,000 were logged by the British Crime Survey of householders. It includes offences not reported to the police. A total of 5,428,000 were recorded by officers, of which 1,475,000 were solved. Of these, only 47 per cent of offenders were charged or summonsed, the process which normally leads to a court appearance.

The total who actually appeared before a court was lower still, at 406,000, because cases were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service or discontinued. Some 303,000 reached the point where they were sentenced by judges or magistrates, of whom 74,000 were jailed.

Tests showed the powder contained 98.6 per cent uranium-235. It is considered weapons-grade if it contains at least 85 per cent uranium-235. The arrests heightened long-standing concerns that eastern Europe is serving as a source of radioactive material for a "dirty bomb", which would use conventional explosives to scatter radioactive debris.

Michal Kopcik, the vice-president of the Slovak police, said the suspects, who were arrested on Wednesday in eastern Slovakia and Hungary, had nearly 500g of uranium in powder form that investigators believe came from an unspecified former Soviet republic.

About 25kg of highly enriched uranium or plutonium is needed to fashion a crude nuclear device. But a fraction of that is enough for a dirty bomb - A WEAPON WHOSE MAIN PURPOSE WOULD BE TO CREATE FEAR AND CHAOS, NOT CASUALTIES IN THE MAIN.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Peer Steinbrück played down the impact on Europe's largest economy of the turmoil but said steps had to be taken to raise risk awareness.

German proposals before the squeeze for increasing transparency had been "mocked" and sometimes deliberately misunderstood as an attempt to impose regulation rather than voluntary codes, Mr Steinbrück said, but were now winning support.

In a swipe at finance industry leaders, he said, "the quality of managers had proved a weakness. The snooty attitude that we have sometimes seen under the motto of 'we are cleverer than the others' ended in disaster".

Mr Steinbrück was critical of the management of Sachsen LB and IKB. "It is clear that the management . . . Didn't have the right management expertise. They had been unable to cope with the complexity of the products in which they were investing", he said. Crisis talks on IKB's future took place on Thursday but Mr Steinbrück said taxpayers would not foot a rescue bill.

The Bundesbank warned that financial market turmoil had noticeably increased macro-economic risks to the German financial system but the economy remained in good shape.

Gusts of up to 70 mph are forecast for England and Wales on Saturday night, while severe gales will continue to lash the country on Sunday. The windy weather, combined with heavy rain, will make driving conditions hazardous and will rattle chimney pots, loosen roof tiles and bring down trees. The blusterous start to December follows one of the driest Novembers in a century.

Barry Gromett of the Met Office, said: "On Saturday night and Sunday morning we are expecting gusts of up to 60mph inland, while exposed coasts and hills could see gusts of 70mph. The winds will be strongest in England and Wales - and it will be less windy in Scotland for a change. These are strong gusts - 70mph winds are knocking on the door of hurricane strength."

The pope praised the "positive spirit" behind the October 11 message signed by 138 top Muslims from around the world and sent to Christian leaders, said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in the letter sent in Pope Benedict's name.

The pope wanted to meet a representative group of the signatories at the Vatican, he added in the letter sent to Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, head of the Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman. "The Pope has asked me to convey his gratitude to Your Royal Highness and to all who signed the letter," Bertone wrote. "He also wishes to express his deep appreciation for this gesture, for the positive spirit which inspired the text and for the call for a common commitment to promoting peace in the world.

"Without ignoring or downplaying our differences as Christians and Muslims, we can and therefore should look to what unites us, namely, belief in the one God, the provident Creator and universal Judge who at the end of time will deal with each person according to his or her actions. We are all called to commit ourselves totally to him and to obey his sacred will."

The letter said the pope "was particularly impressed by the attention given in the letter to the twofold commandment to love God and one's neighbour." It recalled Pope Benedict's statement in August 2005 soon after he took office that "we must not yield to the negative pressures in our midst, but must affirm the values of mutual respect, solidarity and peace. The life of every human being is sacred, both for Christians and for Muslims. There is plenty of scope for us to act together in the service of fundamental moral values."

Some 138 Muslim scholars wrote to the German-born Pontiff and other Christian leaders last month, saying "THE VERY SURVIVAL OF THE WORLD ITSELF" MAY DEPEND ON DIALOGUE.

He warned of a "South African-style struggle" which Israel would lose if a Palestinian state was not established. Mr Olmert was returning from the Annapolis conference in the US where he and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas pledged to launch formal peace talks. The two leaders set a goal of reaching a peace deal with US support in 2008.

Mr Olmert said it was not the first time he had articulated his fears about the demographic threat to Israel as a Jewish state from a faster growing Palestinian population. He made similar comments in 2003 when justifying the failed strategy of unilateral withdrawals from Israeli-occupied land which holds large Palestinian populations. "If the day comes when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal voting rights, then, as soon as that happens, the State of Israel is finished," Mr Olmert is quoted saying in Haaretz newspaper.

There have been angry protests in the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas, and the West Bank since the summit. Expectations had been low as representatives of more than 40 countries and international agencies gathered in Annapolis ahead of Tuesday's conference. But in a joint statement concluded with only minutes to spare before the conference formally opened, the two sides agreed to launch negotiations for a treaty "resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception".

Both sides have said those "core issues" will include the thorny so-called "final-status issues" - the future of Jerusalem, borders, water, refugees and settlements - which have scuppered previous attempts at a peace deal.

Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, has been sentenced to 15 days in prison and will then be deported. She was also accused of inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs. Her lawyers will now appeal.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has expressed "in the strongest terms" the UK's concern at her detention.

Before the meeting, Mr Miliband said he was "extremely disappointed" the charges had not been dismissed and repeated his view that it had been an "innocent misunderstanding by a dedicated teacher. Our priority now is to ensure Mrs Gibbons' welfare, and we will continue to provide consular assistance to her," he said. "I have called in the Sudanese ambassador this evening to explain the decision and to discuss next steps."

Sudan's top clerics had called for the full measure of the law to be used against Mrs Gibbons and labelled her actions part of a Western plot against Islam. She could have faced up to 40 lashes if found guilty on all three charges against her. In September, Mrs Gibbons allowed her class of primary school pupils to name the teddy bear Muhammad as part of a study of animals and their habitats.