In areas of north Essex it is possible to buy a gram of heroin, which, depending on your body's reaction, could be enough for four hits of the drug. Colchester has been labelled "brown town" by local addicts because of how easy it is to get hold of heroin.

The latest figures from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction show the average street price for heroin is roughly £25-£40 per gram across the continent - four times more than the price you could get it in Colchester.

Katie Santos from Essex charity Open Road said she believed the price of heroin was directly linked to how much it is used. She said: "If people are using drugs and they can get them cheaper than a pint or cheaper than a meal than they're gonna use them. It's a frightening situation in the sense that it can cause so much damage to people very quickly."

It says new dealers often take the place of those arrested and can bring new problems such as violent turf wars. The Home Office said: "Harm reduction underpins every element of our approach to tackling this complex issue." The commission cites the example of the US city of Boston, where murder rates fell when police offered not to prosecute gangsters for dealing drugs if they stopped killing each other.

It said in the UK's entrenched drugs markets arrests can lead to damaging unintended consequences. For example, the arrested dealer may be replaced by someone who is more violent. Or if a backstreet, city-centre hot spot is shut down, dealers may move to a suburban area where the impact and fear imposed on the community is much greater. And arresting one king-pin drug dealer also raises the possibility of creating a power vacuum with the resulting turf war and spike in violence.

Under the guise of counseling "patience," Mr Gates again conveyed President Barack Obama's emphatic thumbs down on military force. The public outcome of Mr Gates's visit appeared polite but inconclusive. Yet Iran's progress with nuclear weapons and air defenses means Israel's military option is declining over time. It will have to make a decision soon, AND IT WILL BE NO SURPRISE IF ISRAEL STRIKES BY YEAR'S END. Israel's choice could determine whether Iran obtains nuclear weapons in the foreseeable future.

Mr Obama's approach to Tehran has been his "open hand," yet his gesture has not only been ignored by Iran but deemed irrelevant as the country looks inward to resolve the aftermath of its fraudulent election. The hardliner "winner" of that election, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was recently forced to fire a deputy who once said something vaguely soothing about Israel. Clearly, negotiations with the White House are not exactly topping the Iranian agenda.

The Food Standards Agency who commissioned the report said the findings would help people make an "informed choice". But THE SOIL ASSOCIATION CRITICISED THE STUDY and called for better research. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine looked at all the evidence on nutrition and health benefits from the past 50 years.

Among the 55 of 162 studies that were included in the final analysis, there were a small number of differences in nutrition between organic and conventionally produced food but not large enough to be of any public health relevance, said study leader Dr Alan Dangour. Overall the report, which is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found no differences in most nutrients in organically or conventionally grown crops, including in vitamin C, calcium, and iron. The same was true for studies looking at meat, diary and eggs.

Differences that were detected, for example in levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, were most likely to be due to differences in fertilizer use and ripeness at harvest and are unlikely to provide any health benefit, the report concluded. Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association said they were disappointed with the conclusions. "The review rejected almost all of the existing studies of comparisons between organic and non-organic nutritional differences."

"Although the researchers say that the differences between organic and non-organic food are not 'important', due to the relatively few studies, THEY REPORT IN THEIR ANALYSIS THAT THERE ARE HIGHER LEVELS OF BENEFICIAL NUTRIENTS IN ORGANIC COMPARED TO NON-ORGANIC FOODS."
"Without large-scale, longitudinal research it is difficult to come to far-reaching clear conclusions on this, which was acknowledged by the authors of the FSA review. ALSO, THERE IS NOT SUFFICIENT RESEARCH ON THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES ON HUMAN HEALTH," he added.

WORLDWIDE, THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY 311 DEATHS DIRECTLY ATTRIB­UTED TO SWINE FLU, AND IN MANY OF THOSE CASES, THERE WERE OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CREATED COMPLICATIONS. The global total of 70,893 reported and con­firmed cases is itself suspect, BECAUSE IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL ONE VIRUS FROM ANOTHER. Associated Press reported on July 17 that Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sibelius recently SIGNED AN ORDER GRANTING LEGAL IMMUNITY TO VACCINE MAKERS WHO MIGHT BE SUED OVER "UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES" THAT ARISE FROM THEIR VACCINES.

A TOP GOVERNMENT SCIENTIFIC ADVISER in England is also a paid member (£116,000) of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF GLAXOSMITHKLINE. Professor Sir Roy Anderson was one of the first "scientists" who cried "Pandemic!" in April. Since then, he has been working TV and radio to tout the effectiveness of anti-virals to fight Swine Flu (but not dis­closing his financial arrangement with GSK, of course.) Baxter Labs, a major vaccine maker, fortuitously FILED A PATENT FOR THEIR H1N1 VACCINE ON AUGUST 28, 2008 - MONTHS BEFORE THE FIRST KNOWN OUTBREAK!

Then, there is the mystery of the virus itself. Dr. Russell Blaylock, who con­tributed to my original article in The August Review, writes:- "THIS VIRUS CONTINUES TO BE AN ENIGMA FOR VIROLOGISTS. In the April 30, 2009 issue of Nature, a virologist was quoted as saying, 'WHERE IT GOT ALL THESE GENES FROM WE DON'T KNOW.' Extensive analysis of the virus found that it contained the original 1918 H1N1 flu virus, the avian flu virus (bird flu), and two new H3N2 virus genes from Eurasia. DEBATE CONTINUES OVER THE POSSIBILITY THAT SWINE FLU IS A GENETICALLY ENGINEERED VIRUS."

This savvy and somewhat STEALTHY STRATEGY ENABLED GOLDMAN TO PAWN OFF LOTS OF ITS SOON-TO-BE TOXIC MORTGAGES AND MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES on other institutions — forcing those foolhardy speculators to pay the price when the subprime market blew up.

And much to everyone else's chagrin, Goldman even made money off the housing meltdown when some of its hedges — specifically a bet that a subprime mortgage index would plunge — paid off handsomely. It appears Goldman is following A SIMILAR SCRIPT WITH US COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, THE NEXT BIG ASSET CLASS THAT MANY BELIEVE IS ON THE VERGE OF DISASTER.

Goldman recently reported owning $6.4 BILLION IN COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE LOANS. It also is holding some $1.6 billion in commercial mortgage-backed securities, or CMBS. That's a big retreat from where it was just two years ago. Goldman used to have a rather large footprint in the commercial real estate market, WITH SOME $16.27 BILLION IN LOANS AND $2.75 BILLION IN CMBS ON ITS BOOKS IN LATE 2007. And in a sure sign that Goldman expects A GOOD NUMBER OF COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BORROWERS TO DEFAULT, the firm says it marked down the overall value of its commercial mortgages portfolio by nearly 50 percent.

POPE BENEDICT XVI BELIEVES THE STUNT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CONTEMPLATED WITH A COPY OF THE KORAN. His anger over the show, organised by council-funded arts body Culture and Sport Glasgow, was expressed by a senior Vatican priest.

The adviser to the Pope said: 'It is disgusting and offensive. They would not think of doing it to the Koran.' Public complaints about the exhibit at the prestigious Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow have forced organisers to put the vandalised Bible on show in a locked case, while still allowing visitors to write comments on blank sheets of paper.

The Made In God's Image exhibit is the work of Glasgow artist Anthony Schrag. HE WANTED GAYS AND TRANSSEXUALS WHO FELT LEFT OUT OF RELIGION TO 'WRITE THEIR WAY BACK IN' TO THE HOLY TEXT. Mr Schrag worked with members of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in Edinburgh on the project. But MCC minister Jane Clarke said: 'I had hoped people would show respect for the Bible. I am saddened some have chosen to write offensive messages.'

Apparently speculation has worked out for Deutsche Bank. Thanks to Jain's good timing, CEO Josef Ackermann was able on Tuesday to announce A PROFIT FIGURE IN THE BILLIONS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR. The bank has also apparently set aside billions in reserves to pay bonuses to its investment bankers.

THE CASINO IS OPEN AGAIN, WORLDWIDE. Many investment banks are raking in massive profits once again, driving up risks and attracting talent with high salaries. It's as if nothing had happened, and as if it hadn't been PRECISELY THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR THAT BROUGHT THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM TO THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE last fall and then plunged the world economy into its worst crisis since World War II.

The collapse of the financial system was averted, but only through colossal public spending, as governments bolstered ailing banks with loan guarantees and equity injections and central banks pumped billions in liquidity into the markets. But now that the worst seems to be over, BANKS ARE BACK TO BEHAVING THE SAME WAY THEY DID BEFORE THE CRISIS. Even worse, thanks to government guarantees for the financial sector and cheap money from central banks, IT HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER FOR BANKS TO MAKE MONEY.

The People's Liberation Army's Third Guard Division gave journalists a tour of their living and dining quarters and a display of marksmanship and artillery firepower at their base, about an hour's drive north of Beijing. "I am confident this will give you more exposure to China, the PLA, and our men and women in uniform and A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF OUR SINCERITY, HOSPITALITY, OPENNESS AND FRIENDSHIP," said Senior Colonel Leng Jiesong.

Visits by foreign journalists to Chinese military facilities are rare. China has roughly doubled its military budget since 2006, according to official government figures that some overseas analysts say vastly downplay what Beijing actually spends. The build-up has prompted concern overseas about China's military ambitions and transparency, but Tuesday's base visit was the latest in a series of moves that state media has said are aimed at countering such worries.

As concerns have mounted over why China needs a high-tech military, the government has increasingly STRESSED THE NEED FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM FORCES. The Pentagon in recent years has raised concerns about China's development of CRUISE AND BALLISTIC MISSILES, its 2007 test of a SATELLITE-STRIKING WEAPON, an apparent rise in cyber-espionage by China's military, and other issues.

The Obama administration has questions it wants answered as well in such areas as China's long reliance on massive trade surpluses with the United States to bolster its domestic economy. Both sides are expected to wrap up two days of high-level talks Tuesday with a joint communique that will lay out a work plan that both sides will tackle in upcoming meetings.

Officials from both nations played down the prospects for any breakthroughs this week on the major issues that separate the two nations, including America's massive trade deficit with China. Critics have blamed the trade deficit over the years for the loss of millions of US manufacturing jobs. President Barack Obama opened Monday's discussions by declaring that the United States sought a new era of "cooperation, not confrontation" with China and that management of the US-China relationship would be a major factor in defining the history of the 21st century.

Geithner traveled to Beijing last month to assure Chinese officials that federal budget deficits, which have ballooned because of government efforts to deal with the recession and stabilize the financial system, would be reined in once those crises have passed. Many private economists have said THE CHINESE ARE RIGHT TO WORRY ABOUT A US BUDGET DEFICIT THAT IS PROJECTED TO HIT $1.85 TRILLION THIS YEAR, four times the previous record.

Senior ministers and commanders on the ground believe they have created the right conditions to open up a dialogue with "second-tier" local leaders now the Taliban have been forced back in a swath of Helmand province.

They are hoping that Britain's continuing military presence in Helmand, strengthened by the arrival of thousands of US troops, will encourage Taliban commanders to end the insurgency. There is even talk in London and Washington of a military "exit strategy".

Speaking at the end of the five-week Operation Panther's Claw in which hundreds of British troops were reported to have cleared insurgents from a vital region of Helmand province, Lieutenant-General Simon Mayall, deputy chief of defence staff, said: "It gives the Taliban 'second tier' room to reconnect with the government and this is absolutely at the heart of this operation."

The dead servicemen were set to be honoured a day after the government announced the end of a deadly offensive in southern Afghanistan and outlined a change of strategy there following a sharp spike in deaths. Foreign Secretary David Miliband signalled on Monday that Britain would back talking to moderate Taliban representatives in a bid to isolate militant insurgents who have killed 191 British troops since 2001.

A total of 22 have been killed this month alone after British forces went on the offensive in Operation Panther's Claw, just weeks before crucial presidential elections. The surge in troop deaths has sparked a political row over resources for troops in Afghanistan, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown forced to defend Britain's strategy after calls for more equipment and boosted soldier numbers.

But according to a poll in the Independent on Tuesday, THE MAJORITY OF BRITONS NOW THINK THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN IS "UNWINNABLE" AND WANT TROOPS TO BE WITHDRAWN IMMEDIATELY. There are about 90,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan helping local forces, with thousands most recently deployed to the south to try and secure the restive area ahead of presidential polls on August 20.

Mr Netanyahu has previously rejected such a freeze, saying "natural growth" of settlements must be allowed. Mr Mitchell is one of several senior US officials in the region pushing for a comprehensive Middle East peace deal. The Palestinians have said all Israeli settlement building on occupied territory must cease before talks can resume.

The informed view is that both sides are groping for a common ground that will allow THE AMERICANS TO SAY THEY HAVE FORCED A FREEZE IN SETTLEMENT BUILDING AND FOR THE ISRAELIS TO SAY THAT NORMAL LIFE CONTINUES. Officials from the Palestinian Authority say they are frustrated. There was a vague hope, in some quarters, that the PA might have won some fresh political ground from Israel ahead of the long-delayed Fatah conference, which is due to start a week today.

The figure only drops to 12% for those who remarry, researchers write in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour. They say we start adulthood with a "health stock" that is kept or eroded depending on our marital experience. Only those who are continuously married can expect the same rate of chronic health problems as the never-wedded, the study suggests.

Anastasia de Waal, of the think tank Civitas, said: "This research highlights the fact that whilst divorce has become much more common, IT CAN TAKE NOT JUST A TREMENDOUS EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL TOLL, BUT ALSO A HEAVY HEALTH ONE."

Christine Northan, a counsellor for Relate, said: "I'm not surprised by the findings. It's another reason to work hard to make marriages last, unless it is a very destructive relationship. She said a surprising number of people unconsciously look for someone like their first wife or husband and that the chance of a second marriage ending in divorce was two-fold."

The Chancellor met the chief executives of seven of the country's biggest banks in the Treasury yesterday along with Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, Baroness Vadera, Minister for Competitiveness, Small Business and Enterprise, Lord Myners, the City Minister, and senior officials from the Bank of England. Mr Darling presented the bankers with official data showing that THEY HAD FAILED TO PASS ON CHEAP LENDING FACILITIES TO MORTGAGE BORROWERS AND TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZE BUSINESSES. He is concerned that the banks are exploiting historically low base rates in order to beef up their profit margins.

Mr Darling told the financiers that Lord Myners would summon each of the banks to the Treasury over the coming weeks to comb through their lending books to ascertain how much they are charging for borrowing facilities. He warned them that the Treasury would be "looking over their shoulder" to monitor whether they were failing to offer loans at fair rates to businesses and mortgage borrowers.

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, a Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said: "BRITAIN IS STILL DEEP IN A RECESSION BECAUSE THE BANKS ARE NOT LENDING TO BUSINESS. Alistair Darling must stop playing Pontius Pilate and abdicating responsibility for the banks when HE HAS THE POWER AS A CONTROLLING SHAREHOLDER to compel RBS and Lloyds. If he fails to do so, thousands of sound businesses will go down, and hundreds of thousands of jobs will be needlessly lost."