Army drivers are being trained to deliver fuel to petrol stations in case of a walkout by tanker drivers. Unite said there had been "unrelenting attacks" on drivers' conditions. In an interview with the BBC's Hardtalk programme, the general secretary of Unite, Len McCluskey, refused to rule out the possibility that any strike would be held over Easter. About 2,000 drivers at seven distribution depots took part in the ballot in what was the first national industrial action campaign for more than 10 years.

One of the companies involved, Hoyer, said its safety standards were very high. A Hoyer spokesman said: "Hoyer has one of the highest health, safety and training standards in the petroleum distribution sector." The firm said that pay and conditions for Hoyer drivers were among "the best in the industry", adding that the company's drivers earned on average £45,000 a year.

Hoyer said Unite had walked away from discussions designed to settle the dispute. The UK has 7,900 petrol stations. Widespread protests against fuel prices in 2000 caused disruption across the UK. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said the government had "learnt the lessons" of the past and stood "ready to act" in case of a walkout.

The daily Express reports:- The Unite union has not given a date yet but it is widely expected to be during the Easter weekend beginning on Good Friday, April 6.

The plant closures were hailed as a victory by activists who had argued that the product was unappetizing, but tempered their jubilance due to the temporary loss of about 650 jobs at a time when the economy was showing signs of recovery. Rich Jochum, corporate administrator for the South Dakota-based company, said that the temporary closure could become "a permanent suspension."

"This is a direct reaction to all the misinformation about our lean beef," Jochum told Reuters. The closures are because of the recent outcry by food activists over its lean finely textured beef, Jochum said. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) and industry experts say the meat was safe to eat. Jochum said the company would continue to address the public's concerns, and blamed media reports and an organized campaign for "bullying" retailers into discontinuing the use of the beef product.

BPI, founded in 1981, began as a processor of frozen beef products. In 2001, the company emerged as a key player in the nation's ground beef industry after federal regulators approved the firm's process of using ammonia in the beef processing to remove food-bourne pathogens such as salmonella and E.coli O157:H7. The product is made out of scraps and fatty trimmings that, for years, typically had been sold off to make pet food or cooking oils because it was too difficult to remove the meat and was somewhat susceptible to contamination.

"Both are very small (under 10 meters) and pose no risk," the scientists wrote in a Twitter update. The first object, called asteroid 2012 FP35, came within 96,000 miles (154,000 km) of the Earth when it passed by earlier today, the scientists wrote. Asteroid 2012 FP35 is just under 30 feet (9 meters) wide, making it about the size of a tour bus.

The second asteroid is dubbed 2012 FS35 and crept even closer to Earth, coming within 36,000 miles (58,000 km) when it whipped by the planet. Asteroid 2012 FS35 is even smaller than its predecessor; at nearly 10 feet (3 meters) wide, it's only the size of a small car.

NASA's Asteroid Watch project is part of the agency's Near-Earth Objects program based at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. NASA scientists and other teams of astronomers regularly scan the sky for larger, potentially dangerous asteroids in order to determine if they pose a risk of impacting the Earth.

A team of scientists led by geochemist Zunli Lu from Syracuse University in New York state, has found that contrary to the ‘consensus’, the ‘Medieval Warm Period’ approximately 500 to 1,000 years ago wasn’t just confined to Europe. In fact, it extended all the way down to Antarctica – which means that the Earth has already experience global warming without the aid of human CO2 emissions.

At present the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) argues that the Medieval Warm Period was confined to Europe – therefore that the warming we’re experiencing now is a man-made phenomenon.

According to The Independent, both a Monsanto source and a Monsanto spokesperson revealed that the aspartame creation process did in fact involve genetically modified bacteria. “We have two strains of bacteria – one is traditionally modified and one is genetically modified,” said the source. “It’s got a modified enzyme. It has one amino acid different.” The process of genetic modification is one that leads to unpredictable consequences. When manipulating the very genetic coding of an organism, of which we do not even fully understand, it is foolish to think that there will be no adverse reactions. Genetically modified food has already been linked to sterility, infant mortality, and allergies.

“Increasingly, chemical companies are using genetically engineered bacteria in their manufacturing process without telling the public,” said Dr Erik Millstone, of Sussex University and the National Food Alliance. Today we see that companies are hiding the fact that their products are genetically modified more than ever before. With the FDA allowing genetically modified salmon to go unlabeled, and new genetically modified potatoes creeping in, the people are under a heavy health assault.

It is truly astounding that genetically modified ingredients have found their way into such a wide variety of products over the last few years, despite research highlighting its negative effects. The ultimate way to take a stand against genetically modified food is to simply not purchase it. Non-GMO is the fastest growing retail brand, which is a clear message to food manufacturers. Big brands will have to change their ingredient list if they want to maintain sales.

Read Original article:- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/worlds-top-sweetener-is-made-with-gm-bacteria-1101176.html

Guido Westerwelle's goals sound impressive. The German foreign minister wants to encourage the Palestinians to work toward a two-state solution in negotiations, say ministry officials in Berlin, noting that this dovetails with "the efforts to support direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians." It sounds as if the German foreign minister were bringing about peace in the Middle East.

The reality will be more mundane when Westerwelle and some of his fellow cabinet members receive a group of their Palestinian counterparts for consultations in Berlin on Wednesday. At the meeting of the so-called German-Palestinian steering committee, the German government will pledge €72.5 million ($96 million) for education, police and development projects - more of a drop in the bucket than a major diplomatic offensive.

But the reason for this isn't just the difficult situation in the Middle East. It is also partly the result of disagreement between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Westerwelle over how the German government should respond to it. Their conflict, which is hardly secret anymore, weakens German foreign policy in one of the world's most dangerous regions.

The discord is also dangerous because Berlin could possibly soon find itself confronted with a more precarious situation. If Israel attacks Iran to prevent the country from gaining nuclear weapons, the German government will have to take a position quickly. And if that happens, Germany will not be able to afford a feud between its chancellor and its foreign minister.

“We are studying measures such as tracking and shooting down [parts] of a North Korean missile in case it strays out of its normal trajectory” and violates South Korean airspace, said Yoon Won-shik, a spokesman at the South's Defense Ministry. He described the launch as a “reckless and provocative act that undermines peace on the Korean peninsula.”

Japan has also rattled the saber, saying it will shoot down the missiles with AEGIS warships if the rocket threatens their country. The international community has condemned the launch amid calls from the US and South Korea to abort the mission immediately. According to a UN resolution, ballistic missile launches by North Korea for any purpose are outlawed. Both the US and South Korean military are currently monitoring the situation for developments. Recent reports say that the rocket has been moved to the village of Tongchang-ri and is prepping for launch.

US President Barack Obama has called on Beijing, North Korea's only major ally, to try and persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Talking on the sidelines of an international nuclear summit in Seoul, Obama said that China's actions of "rewarding bad behavior (and) turning a blind eye to deliberate provocations" were obviously not working.

Professor Nickell is one of the independent experts brought in by George Osborne, the Chancellor, to make sure Britain’s economic estimates are robust. Asked whether he thought the euro was likely to fail, he told the Treasury Select Committee the department itself did not "attach probabilities". “I go and look at William Hill and they actually have the odds of these sorts of things," he said. “Last time I looked, the odds of Greece not using the euro by the end of the year were of the order of 40 per cent.”

Politicians expressed astonishment that the Government’s independent forecasters are relying on the opinions of people who place bets. Andrea Leadsom, a member of the committee, had to double check she had heard the economist correctly. “Are you saying we should use the Office of Budget Responsibility and William Hill when checking the economic forecasts?” she asked. Mr Nickell, an Oxford University academic, replied: “William Hill gives you a good indication of the average view across people who are thinking about these things and putting their money where their mouth is.”

The Korean launch could be the test for a new intercontinental ballistic missile or a new launching pad — or possibly both. Some Western countries think the new technology belongs to a different country, most likely Iran. North Korea plans to conduct the launch in mid-April, on the day marking the 100th birthday of Kim Il-Sung, the nation’s founder. Recently the North Korean regime reached an agreement with Western powers, stating that it would suspend its nuclear program in return for food and other aid packages.

Pyongyang said the satellite is a peaceful one, and therefore doesn’t contravene the agreement, but countries across the globe, led by the US and Russia, are saying such a move is problematic and disruptive. Tensions between the two Korean countries are high, and South Korea threatened to shoot down the rocket if it entered its airspace. According to Yoav Limor, senior military correspondent for Yisrael Hayom and Channel 2, recent assessments by intelligence agencies now believe that placing another satellite in orbit is only a minor goal for North Korea, while the testing of new missile capabilities is the main objective of the planned launch.

Iran has missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, and in February Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon said Iran was testing a missile with a range of 10,000 kilometers.

The panel was chosen at a meeting of the upper and lower chambers in parliament which is itself dominated by Freedom and Justice, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, and by Nour, an ultra-conservative Islamist party.

Last week parliament voted that half the members of the panel should come from within its ranks – a move which was criticised by secular groups who fear that the constitution will reflect Islamist preferences rather than the broad range of opinion in Egyptian society. Six women and six Christians are on the list, but more than two-thirds of the members represent Islamists, according to local media.

The constitution is intended to provide a blueprint for the political order after former President Hosni Mubarak was removed from power by a popular uprising 13 months ago. It will decide contentious issues such as the relationship between Islam and the state and the role of the army in the post-Mubarak era. The charter will define the powers of the president and parliament and the rights of the Christian minority, which fears a rise in discrimination under Islamist rule.

Freedom and Justice has said it wants to reduce the powers of the president and increase those of parliament, while Nour, made up of ultra-conservative Salafis, has made it clear in recent months that it entered politics because it feared the role of religion might be diluted in the constitution. It wants to push for a strict adherence to Islamic law.

In the book’s opening pages, it is written that “it might be necessary to restrain her with strength or even to threaten her.” Later, its author advises that “the husband should treat the wife with kindness and love, even if she tends to be stupid and slow sometimes.” Page 45 contains the rights of the husband, which include his wife’s inability to leave “his house without his permission,” and that his wife must “fulfil his desires” and “not allow herself to be untidy ... but should beautify herself for him.”

In terms of physical punishment, the book advises that a husband may scold her, “beat by hand or stick,” withhold money from her or “pull (her) by the ears,” but should “refrain from beating her excessively.” Moderate Muslim voice Tarek Fatah says the shopkeeper should be charged for selling such a book. “I wouldn’t say it’s hate, but it is inciting men to hit women,” said Fatah, who identified the book’s author as a prominent Islamic scholar.

“This is new to you, but the Muslim community knows that this is widespread, that a woman can be beaten. Muslim leaders will deny this, but... ” Male dominance over women has been making headlines for some time, with the recent lengthy trial and conviction of the Shafia family.

Those caught watering their lawns and flower beds or filling paddling pools with a hosepipe after April 5 will be handed £1,000 fines. The measures follow several days of unseasonably warm weather across Britain, which saw millions flock to beaches and parks to soak up the sunshine over the weekend.

The highest temperature yesterday was at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, where the mercury rose to 73F (22.8C) – the hottest March temperature ever recorded in Scotland. Much of the country basked in temperatures over 68F (20C) – hotter than Barcelona and Nice – but forecasters said last night that the best of the weather is yet to come.

But those days are gone and the Church has taken a bigger role in Cuban society since the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1998, said 68-year-old Erick Osio, who remembers standing outside the cemetery chapel. "Things relaxed and that taboo ended. Everything has changed for religion in Cuba since then," said the retired army colonel who now works as a parking attendant. "John Paul began a different evolution here that opened things up for believers."

Fourteen years after John Paul's epochal trip to Cuba, Pope Benedict will come to the island on Monday after a three-day stop in Mexico, on a visit that was not predicted to be as groundbreaking, but has sparked hopes for more economic and political change among some Cubans.

He may have signaled more ambitious aspirations than expected, and jarred the Cuban government on Friday when he told reporters the Caribbean island needed a new economic model because communism had failed.

"Today it is evident that Marxist ideology in the way it was conceived no longer corresponds to reality," the pope said on the flight to Mexico, where he landed on Friday afternoon. "In this way we can no longer respond and build a society. New models must be found with patience and in a constructive way," he said, extending the Church's offer to help with a transition in one of the world's last communist countries.

They chanted anti-war slogans, and waved posters with messages such as “Talk, Don’t Bomb”. Demonstrators said they were afraid an attack on Iran could unleash a broader war with devastating consequences. “I don’t think we should attack Iran,” said Dalia Kraid, a protester. “If we strike, instead of preventing a nuclear war we might start one,” she added. Ifat Zvirin, another demonstrator, said: “We are afraid, like most of the people in the country who are against a war with Iran. We want all the Middle East to become a nuclear weapon-free zone, and that includes Israel.”

The Tel Aviv demonstration was small even by the standards of Israel’s much-diminished peace movement. However, as several protesters were quick to point out, the marchers appeared to be echoing widely-held concerns.

Recent opinion polls have shown that, despite the overwhelming concern over Iran’s nuclear programme, only a minority of Israelis are in favour of an attack. According to a survey published earlier this month by Dahaf, an Israeli polling institute, only 19 per cent of Israelis support a unilateral strike on Iran. The poll found that more than a third of respondents were against a strike under any circumstances, while 42 per cent said they would back a strike only as long as it was supported by the US.

"NATO and the United States should change their policy because the time when they dictate their conditions to the world has passed," Ahmadinejad said in a speech during a conference on Afghanistan's economy in the capital of neighboring Tajikistan. "Relations between NATO and Pakistan, their unsteadiness and instability, will only grow," he said.