Scientists studied the pollination of more than 40 crops in 600 fields across every populated continent and found wild pollinators were twice as effective as honeybees in producing seeds and fruit on crops including oilseed rape, coffee, onions, almonds, tomatoes and strawberries. Furthermore, trucking in managed honeybee hives did not replace wild pollination when that was lost, but only added to the pollination that took place.

"It was astonishing; the result was so consistent and clear," said Lucas Garibaldi, at the National University in Río Negro, Argentina, who led the 46-strong scientific team. "We know wild insects are declining so we need to start focusing on them. Without such changes, the ongoing loss is destined to compromise agricultural yields worldwide."

Pollination is needed for about three-quarters of global food crops. The decline of honeybee colonies due to disease and pesticides has prompted serious concern. Jason Tylianakis, at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, described them as "the species charged with protecting global food security".

“We witness very frequently the alienation of the ‘other’ in various countries instead of efforts to understand the culture and beliefs of the ‘other’,” Erdogan said. “Just like Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it becomes unavoidable that Islamophobia must be regarded as a crime against humanity.”

“Certain politicians’ defamation of a religion or a sect by mass communication tools only makes pre-conceived notions bigger and deepens the gap,” he added. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading Jewish International Human Rights organization, responded to the outrageous remarks saying, “Erdogan is exactly the type of bigoted politician he bemoaned in his speech.”

Argentina has been in both situations: something of a serial defaulter, it defaulted on or restructured its obligations in 1828, 1890, 1982, 1989, 2001, and 2005. And it’s going to default once again in 2013.

This time, however, is a little bit different. Argentina has both the willingness and the ability to pay its performing debt. It’s adamant, however, that it’s not going to pay $1.4 billion to Elliott Associates, a hedge fund which has been prosecuting a highly-aggressive litigation strategy against the country, based on the fact that it holds defaulted debt and refused to exchange that debt for performing bonds.

Depending on where you sit, Argentina’s refusal to pay off Elliott is either noble or foolish. But after two and a half hours of highly contentious oral testimony in federal appeals court today, it’s pretty clear that the US courts aren’t going to allow Argentina to stay current on its performing debt — not unless the country also writes a ten-figure check to Elliott. Which means that we’re headed straight for default, with almost no realistic chance of avoiding it.

There are those in the Church who well might exploit such ambiguities were the new pontiff to choose a very different path from that of his predecessor on, for example, the role of women in the Church or - rather less contentious - the promotion of the traditional Latin liturgy.

Papal status - very oddly, the Vatican, in conjunction with Benedict himself, has decided to make matters unnecessarily complicated. Many people expected that Papa Ratzinger would revert back to being Cardinal Ratzinger, which is what happened to two rival popes in 1415. Instead of that sensible solution, it has been announced he will be "Pontiff emeritus", dress in white and be called "Your Holiness" - hopelessly muddying the waters and making him appear a quasi, alternative pope.

The confusion gets worse. Benedict is keeping his private secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein. But Archbishop Gaenswein is also currently head of the papal household and therefore papal gatekeeper, though it is likely the incoming pontiff will make a new appointment. Benedict will continue to live in the Vatican. The new pope may well find such proximity uncomfortable...

Cardinal Pell, Australia's representative at next month's secret conclave to elect a successor, said Benedict XVI was a "brilliant teacher" but "government wasn't his strong point" in a candid interview on the eve of the pope's departure. "I think I prefer somebody who can lead the Church and pull it together a bit," Cardinal Pell said.

Australia's most senior Catholic cleric also said the 85-year-old pontiff's decision to resign – the first pope to do so since the Middle Ages – set a worrying precedent for the Church. "People who, for example, might disagree with a future pope, will mount a campaign to get him to resign," he suggested. Asked what he would be seeking in the next pope, Cardinal Pell said he wanted somebody "who'll maintain the tradition, both in faith and especially in morals, where it's under attack."

"I want somebody who is able to speak to the world," he said. "And also I would like somebody with strong pastoral experience in a diocese who is able to lift the morale of the Roman Curia, and perhaps provide a bit more discipline."

Over time this has been proven to be a complete and total lie considering all of their policies have been directed towards the American people instead of so-called foreign Al-Qaeda terrorists. They’ve left the border wide open, setup unconstitutional checkpoints at airports with naked body scanning devices and have even gone so far as to setup unlawful security checkpoints at bus stations, highways and train stations.

In 2012 they purchased 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition and just recently ordered another 21.6 million rounds of ammunition to add to their stockpile. The amount of ammunition that they have ordered is enough to wage a war for many years. Since they are not a military organization and they are based domestically here in the United States, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the ammunition is being stored in case they need to use it against the American people.

This is all happening at the same time Congress is attempting to shove through several gun control laws that would restrict the average American from purchasing firearms and ammunition. Since the Obama regime and the assorted control freaks in Congress are attempting to dismantle the second amendment on every front, it is entirely hypocritical to see them purchase such a large amount of ammunition.

There will be a day when the economic system completely unravels and when that happens, millions of Americans who are currently obsessed with bread and circus spectacles, reality television and other junk will immediately become aware of how badly they’ve been screwed. They will direct their anger and outrage towards the federal government and this is why they are preparing for war against the American people. The chances of a civil war happening in the United States is unquestionably becoming a more likely possibility by the day especially when there is zero possibility of any real change happening in Washington DC.

It meant, in other words, that people with severe impairments could look forward to more than a life spent staring at walls in under-resourced care homes. Which is as you'd hope. Anyone who is even vaguely human wants to know that certain support systems are in place. Suffering a serious injury and/or disability, which let's not forget, any of us might, is surely challenging enough without also finding that your human right to independence is in society's ever-burgeoning "can't afford it" category.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) absolutely insists that this isn't a cut – that "the ILF will be incorporated into local social care arrangements… to ensure fair, targeted support." It will be a cut, though. Anyone who says that councils will be able to finance these complex care packages in this appalling funding environment, with monumental care funding gaps, is dreaming.

Mr Steinbrück, the candidate for the Social Democratic Party, made the comments at an event in Potsdam on Tuesday that was part of a nationwide tour for his own campaign, said his spokesman, Michael Donnermeyer. During the event, Mr Steinbrück described former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as “a clown with a special shot of testosterone.” At another point, he extended his remarks to include Beppe Grillo — a former comedian whose Five Star Movement won more votes than any other party in the Italian elections that ended Monday — saying that “to a certain extent, I am upset that two clowns have won.”

German leaders have not sought to hide their dislike for Mr Berlusconi, who they say dragged Italy into the euro zone debt crisis. Before the Italian vote, several allies of Ms Merkel made clear in public remarks that they supported Prime Minister Mario Monti and his program in Italy. But Mr Steinbrück’s comments appeared to hit a nerve with President Giorgio Napolitano, who is overseeing the delicate negotiations to form a new government after the Italian vote failed to produce a clear governing majority in both houses of Parliament.

“We deeply respect Germany for its successes,” Mr Napolitano said Wednesday in a speech to the Italian community in Munich. “Germany was capable of resurrecting from its own ruins and rebuilding a new Europe together with Italy. We respect, but naturally we demand respect for our own country.”

His comments continued what has become a running dispute between Woodward, perhaps the country's best-known print journalist, and the Democratic White House over who is responsible for the across-the-board cuts scheduled to begin on Friday. Last week, Woodward [who first gained fame in the 1970s from exposing the Watergate scandal during the administration of President Richard Nixon] published an opinion piece in the Washington Post - where he is an associate editor - saying the administration was "wrong" to blame the cuts on Republicans.

On Wednesday he attacked Obama for drawing national security into the budget debate. "So we now have the president going out (saying) 'Because of this piece of paper and this agreement, I can't do what I need to do to protect the country.' That's a kind of madness that I haven't seen in a long time," Woodward told MSNBC on Wednesday.

Looking resigned to the $85-billion in "sequestration" cuts starting on Friday, government agencies began reducing costs and spelling out to employees how furloughs will work. Expectations were low that a White House meeting on Friday between Obama and congressional leaders, including Republican foes, would produce any deal to avoid the cuts.

Put into law in 2011 as part of an earlier fiscal crisis, sequestration is unloved by both parties because of the economic pain it will cause, but the politicians cannot agree how to stop it. A deal in Congress on less drastic spending cuts, perhaps with tax increases too, is needed by Friday to halt the sequestration reductions which are split between social programs cherished by Democrats and defense spending championed by Republicans.