But his ideas seemed to run counter to a suggestion by the prime minister to dissolve the Islamist organization, the target of a crackdown by the army-backed government last week. The authorities declared a state of emergency and killed hundreds of people in raids on Wednesday on two protest camps set up in Cairo to demand Mursi's reinstatement.

The capital's frenetic streets, unusually empty in the past few days, were returning to normal on Sunday, although the army kept several big squares closed and enforced a curfew overnight. At night, soldiers standing by armored personnel carriers man checkpoints and vigilantes inspect cars for weapons.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso urged all sides to show restraint and prevent further violence, saying the EU would urgently review its relations with Egypt and act accordingly. The crackdown has, however, drawn messages of support from wealthy Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia, which have long feared the spread of Brotherhood ideology to the Gulf monarchies.

The UN says the reasons are not fully clear. The UN agencies, the Kurdish regional government and NGOs are struggling to cope, correspondents say. It comes as UN chemical weapons inspectors arrived in Damascus on Sunday on a much-delayed mission. The team will visit three sites over two weeks, including the northern town of Khan al-Assal which is at the centre of allegations of chemical weapons use.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says this is one of the biggest single waves of refugees it has had to deal with since the uprising against the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.

One question is, why this sudden rush for the Iraqi border in this remote corner of Syria? In many areas, the Turkish border is much closer, but the Turkish authorities seem to be much less receptive to new arrivals than they were in the past. Conversely, the leadership in Iraqi Kurdistan seems to have decided to play a more prominent role in dealing with the fallout from the Syrian crisis.

He also compared ‘emergency powers’ adopted by EU leaders during the euro crisis to Adolf Hitler’s suspension of democracy in 1930s Germany. His remarks came in interviews with controversial US Right-wing radio host Alex Jones.

They were broadcast last year and little-noticed at the time but are still available online. Speaking against the backdrop of massive public protests in Greece over being forced by Brussels to implement huge spending cuts, Mr Farage said the way southern European nations were ordered around was ‘a recipe for revolution’. He added: ‘I see the suffering of people in the Mediterranean reaching a real crisis point and I think the danger that Southern Europe faces is there could be a spark and that spark could lead to something akin to violent revolution.’

'The whip hand is now so firmly with the bureaucrats – they hold all the cards – that possibly violence is the only way out of this.’ Last night, Mr Farage stood by his remarks and denied they were inflammatory. He said the ‘last thing’ he wanted was people resorting to violence but insisted: ‘As far as the Mediterranean is concerned, I think it will be a violent end.’

That's almost three times greater than previous estimates. Obesity - particularly preventing it in children - has been a priority for First Lady Michelle Obama, whose "Let's Move" program focuses on teaching kids about the importance of staying active and eating healthy, non-processed food.

At least five percent of children and teenagers in the US are considered seriously obese, according to the latest report from the Robert Wood Foundation. Extreme obesity - which is defined as being more than 100 pounds overweight - is on the rise in the US.

It’s easy to forget that just a couple of miles down the road is the heavily fortified frontier that cuts this contented little peninsular off from the rest of the continent. But as far as the locals are concerned, this is their patch of soil. They say they will never be forced to hand it over to the vast, brooding nation to which they are attached by a narrow bit of land. That would be, well, completely undemocratic.

‘We are Spanish to the death!’ says retired fisherman Andre Leon, 77, sitting beneath a tree in the centre of Ceuta, the resolutely Spanish territory on the northern tip of Morocco, where he was born and bred. It’s a nice enough spot, with ancient monuments and air-conditioned shopping plazas. And it neatly illustrates the ocean-going Spanish hypocrisy to be found on either side of the 18-mile stretch of water separating Europe and Africa.

For, just across one of the world’s busiest seaways, we find the 30,000 British citizens of Gibraltar enduring threats, siege conditions and even physical abuse from a clapped-out Spanish regime mired in a slush-fund corruption scandal. The centre-Right People’s Party hopes to divert the attentions of a disgusted Spanish electorate by shouting the oldest war cry in the book: ‘Give us back Gibraltar!’

Yet try to point out Spain’s own string of post-colonial possessions on the African coast, such as Ceuta — clearly visible on Gibraltar’s horizon — and the response is a furious outburst of sanctimonious shrieking, table-thumping and general spilling of Rioja. ‘That is completely different,’ declares Spanish officialdom, citing a 15th-century legal technicality.

Fukushima operator TEPCO wants to extract 400 tons worth of spent fuel rods stored in a pool at the plant’s damaged Reactor Number 4. The removal would have to be done manually from the top storey of the damaged building in the radiation-contaminated environment.

In the worst-case scenario, a mishandled rod may go critical, resulting in an above-ground meltdown releasing radioactive fallout with no way to stop it, said Consolo, who is the founder and host of Nuked Radio. But leaving the things as they are is not an option, because statistical risk of a similarly bad outcome increases every day, she said.

Right now, the Beaver Creek Fire has burned 145 square miles, and has forced 2,250 homes into a mandatory evacuation order. Another 7,700 homes are under what is known as pre-evacuation, giving them time to pack up essential belongings and get ready to go at a moment's notice if the fire grows closer. A total of nearly 10,000 homes are impacted by the massive fire that a public information officer termed "a beast."

The large, unpredictable fire is burning through both sage and pine trees toward the resort areas of Hailey, Ketchum. The area, known around the world as Sun Valley is anything but sunny - socked in by a thick layer of soot and ash. More than 800 state and federal firefighters were dispatched to the blaze in the affluent resort region. Crews from around the state and across the nation are working together to battle the nation's number one fire priority.

Hundreds of people died and thousands were wounded on Wednesday when police cleared out two protest camps in Cairo set up to denounce the military's overthrow of Egypt's first freely elected president on July 3 and to demand his reinstatement. The Health Ministry puts the death toll at 578. The Brotherhood says the government is hiding a much bigger number.

Dozens of armored vehicles will close off streets around part of northeastern Cairo where Islamists had staged protests demanding Mursi's reinstatement, the state news agency said. Military vehicles manned by soldiers could be seen in central Cairo, where checkpoints with barbed wire were set up.

Deeply polarized Egypt has been bracing for further confrontation expected after Friday prayers between members of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood and the army-backed government. The Brotherhood called for a nationwide march of millions to show anger at the ferocious security crackdown on Islamists. After protesters torched a government building in Cairo on Thursday, the authorities said security forces would turn their guns on anyone who attacked the police or public institutions.

Now, with the crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members by the Egyptian army, Islamist fanatics are taking out their frustrations on Coptic Christians. In the past few days, there has been a spate of attacks on Christian businesses, homes, and churches. As of Wednesday morning, according to local witnesses, at least 18 churches had been destroyed, and fires and riots were continuing to spread in Christian areas, the witnesses said.

Much of the information about what is going on in Egypt is coming from social media, where admittedly some of the information could be biased, as anyone can post information that suits their agenda. But if correct, the reports paint a picture of total devastation of the community, with little to no protection provided by authorities to churches.

Using the hashtag #EgyChurch, Egyptian users of Twitter and other social networks broadcast messages like “Can't keep up with the number of churches, Christian businesses, and affiliates being attacked by 'peaceful' Muslim Brotherhood,” “It's clear the Copts are having their churches burnt,” and “This is quickly becoming the worst sectarian catastrophe we've seen in our lifetimes.”

Recently, Fox News interviewed a self-described beach bum named Jason Greenslate who was very open about the fact that he has no problem sponging off of all the rest of us. When he was asked if he ever had any interest in actually getting a job, his response was “not whatsoever”.

Instead, he says that his job is to “make sure the sun’s up and the girls are out” and he would rather spend his days partying. Of course every American should be free to live their own lives as they see fit, but the problem is that Jason Greenslate is using food stamps to help support his lifestyle. In fact, he took Fox News into the gourmet section of a local supermarket where he purchased sushi and lobster with his EBT card.

Sadly, he is just like millions of other young men in America today that seemingly have had the drive to succeed and to be independent totally sucked out of them. But what is the future of America going to look like if we continue to produce millions upon millions of young men that have absolutely no desire to make a living, get married and start a family?

The tremors were felt across central New Zealand, sending workers rushing from buildings in Wellington. Power cuts were reported and transport services briefly suspended. The website of the City Council in the capital, Wellington, advised people to be prepared for delays due to heavy traffic on the roads. Hundreds of people were said to be stranded as rail services were suspended.

Israel is not the odd man out. Only 369 million of the world’s 7 billion people drink water which is intentionally fluoridated. A mere 5% of the world’s people drink artificially fluoridated water. But 194,206,000 Americans drink fluoridated water. That is more than half of all people who drink fluoridated water worldwide.

Why does most of the world – including most rich, developed nations – avoid water fluoridation? As Time Magazine notes:

“What has also changed is how much toxicologists know about the harmful effects of fluoride compounds. Ingested in high doses, fluoride is indisputably toxic; it was once commonly used in rat poison. Hydrogen fluoride is regulated as a hazardous pollutant in emissions from chemical plants and has been linked to respiratory illness.

Even in toothpaste, sodium fluoride is a health concern. In 1997 the Food and Drug Administration toughened the warning on every tube to read, “If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a poison-control center right away.”

In 2004, a president was elected when religious voters surged from their pews to vote against the legal recognition of gay relationships. When it came to gay rights, religion was the enemy. A decade later, the story is very different. Congregations across the country increasingly accept, nurture, and even marry their gay brethren. Polls show majorities of major Christian denominations - including American Catholics, despite their church's staunch opposition - support legal gay marriage. Leaders of some of the most conservative sects, like the Southern Baptists, have moved away from the vitriolic rhetoric of yesteryear and toward a more compassionate tone.

Mormons march in gay-pride parades. A sitting Republican senator, a Methodist from the heartland state of Ohio, says the question was settled for him by "the Bible's overarching themes of love and compassion and my belief that we are all children of God." A new pope says, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

Gradually, and largely below the radar, religious Americans have powered this momentous shift. In 2004, just 36 percent of Catholics, the Christian sect most supportive of gay marriage, favored it, along with 34 percent of mainline Protestants; today, it's 57 percent of Catholics and 55 percent of mainline Protestants. Even among white evangelical Protestants, the most hostile group to gay marriage, support has more than doubled, from 11 percent in 2004 to 24 percent in 2013. "This debate has gone from a debate between nonreligious and religious Americans to a debate dividing religious Americans," said Robert Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, who has closely tracked the evolution in public opinion.

For faith leaders and LGBT activists alike, a reconciling, gradual but profound, is under way. "People have been told for decades that homosexuality is a sin, but they know really good LGBT people, and they don't know what to do," said Sharon Groves, director of the religion and faith program of the Human Rights Campaign. "We need to be going into those conservative religious spaces with messages like the pope - who am I to judge? Once people see the humanity of LGBT people, it is very hard to hold onto a vitriolic stance."

I suspect the Bible is included by default simply because it saves it being picked by every second guest, becoming a boring and repetitive bit of radio. It's like if you were able to choose two drinks to take with you: you'd quickly get fed up of people explaining why water is a good thing to have on a desert island, so you would just include it for everyone. It's not an obligation, it's a given.

This might come as a surprise to the NSS but this simply isn't about some kind of religious power struggle. The Bible is widely regarded as the most significant text in English literature, alongside the works of Shakespeare and perhaps Paradise Lost.

You don't have to be a confessing Christian to appreciate the Bible – anyone with a smidge of cultural awareness, historical or anthropological appreciation, or the humility to recognise powerful words even if they don't actively endorse one's current worldview can see that Scripture is a hugely important text, and has been for centuries.