Instead all those giving evidence in court would make a secular pledge which it is thought would make it fairer and more relevant for people to help them understand the importance of what they are saying. The proposals are to be debated this month by the Magistrates’ Association, and if agreed will be put forward to the Ministry of Justice.

Ian Abrahams, a magistrate from Bristol, said he had often seen people shrug their shoulders when presented with the religious oath, not caring that they are being asked to swear on the bible.

Under his proposals all holy books of all religions would be removed and people would instead read an affirmation promising “very sincerely” to tell the truth.

Backed by Tory and Labour Eurosceptics, he is set to force a Commons vote on the issue in five weeks’ time.

If he wins, it would mean Parliament will rule that the referendum should be fast-forwarded to next October. Mr Cameron reacted with fury when he learned of the proposal last night – and immediately vowed to stop it at all costs. Downing Street made it clear the Prime Minister will refuse point-blank to accelerate the referendum.

In a defiant response, a No 10 spokesman said: ‘We will not allow this amendment to be passed under any circumstances. The PM will not let it stand.’ Aides would not say how the PM intended to veto the amendment but he is prepared to withdraw the entire legislation if Mr Afriyie wins. And he may simply defy the parliamentary vote. It sets the scene for an extraordinary confrontation when MPs vote on the issue on November 8.

A senior Government source said: ‘This is a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Prime Minister’s referendum plan. It is simply not possible to renegotiate our membership of the EU in under 12 months.’ Windsor MP Mr Afriyie, who earlier this year was accused of plotting a Tory leadership bid, has even named the exact date he wants the referendum: October 23 – the anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein, the turning point in the Second World War.

Mr Afriyie, a self-made millionaire, will tomorrow table an amendment to the legislation which paves the way for the 2017 vote in an attempt to bring it forward to 2014. The rebel, who says Britain should cut its ties with Brussels unless key powers are returned, claims he has ‘widespread support’ from Tory and Labour MPs.

It is therefore right to ask, “Is Germany taking its responsibilities seriously for its neighbors in the East, the Middle East and the southern Mediterranean? What contribution should Germany make to winning the emerging powers as partners in the international order? And if we seek a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, what role are we prepared to play in crises in far-off regions?”

Behind his myriad phrases about “freedom”, “peace” and “prosperity”, Gauck made his real concerns abundantly clear. In future, Germany should participate far more actively in military interventions. “Our main interest,” according to Gauck, is “to preserve the political and military order and make them fit for the future, especially in confusing times.” Gauck’s speech emphasized that the next government — regardless of its eventual composition — will pursue a much more aggressive foreign policy.

What is the political significance of Gauck’s speech? It shows that the period of Germany’s relative foreign policy reserve after the Second World War is over. Against the background of a return of the euro crisis and the intensification of class antagonisms in Germany and internationally, Gauck is committing the ruling elite to pursue Germany’s geo-strategic and economic interests by military means once again.

According to personnel in charge, "Combined Endeavor" serves as a "blueprint" for "real missions" - such as the one in Afghanistan. A mobile IT network was deployed that can link the military bases of the occupation forces in any war zone and ensure battlefield "Information Dominance." New software, allowing the NATO countries' artillery units to share data in "combating enemy targets," was also tested.

The training included not only NATO members, but also nations, such as Austria and Ireland, which are formally neutral, as well as East European and Asian countries of the "Partnership for Peace" coalition. By including so-called outposts via satellite, "Combined Endeavor" stretched from Iceland all the way to Georgia - thus revealing its anti-Russian orientation.

Up to 160,000 new jobs could be created in Germany, should a planned free trade zone between the US and the 28-member European Union become a reality, the Bertelsmann study claimed Friday. The survey, which was compiled together with the Munich-based Ifo economic research institute, suggested almost all industries would experience a boost due to the zone, which would cancel many current trade restrictions.

Negotiations on the transatlantic free trade zone will resume on October 7, but experts have warned talks may last for several years because of the complexity of the issues involved. The US and the EU together account for over a third of the global annual trade volume and 45 percent of the world's total economic output.

Germans are ruled by a central, democratic federal government, use one currency and have a unified, capitalist, free-market economy. After two decades of the richer west pumping money into the five states which once made up East Germany, some positive results are being felt there. Life expectancy, for example, is now approaching that of the west and the eastern states have recently experienced a modest economic upswing.

Yet major clefts remain between the Ossis and Wessis, particularly in terms of living standards, employment and income. Government figures show families living in the east still have a long way to go before they reach the living standards normal in the west of the country. According to last year's annual government report into the state of German unity, average household incomes are a fifth lower than those in the west, with the former divide also evident in figures comparing growth, GDP and productivity.

Many Germans still feel the scars of over four decades spent living and working under radically different systems. Politicians are still calling for a process of “inner reunification” aimed at not only addressing the economic differences between east and west, but also mutual understanding between Germany's two halves. Studies in 2009 to mark twenty years since reunification showed that a third of all West Germans had still never visited the east and 10 percent of East Germans had still never set foot in the west.

According to a paper recently published by the foundation, the meeting - the first of its kind since 2003 - should assist in significantly enhancing the military clout of European countries. Given the fact that European military budgets are continuing to shrink and the previous rudiments of closer cooperation ("pooling and sharing") have not really taken hold, new measures must be introduced.

Under the slogan, "Insular Solutions," the foundation pleads for the integration of the armed forces of a few states, first, at the regional level, to then make further attempts to consolidate these at the EU level. This concept is not only aimed at wearing down existing national resistance to the possible weakening of national arms industries, but also to weaken the British-French military alliance founded in November 2011 - seen as an obstacle to German military predominance in the EU.

Referring to US President Barack Obama’s statement that “America is exceptional” because it stands up not only for its own “narrow self interest, but for the interests of all," Correa said: “Does not this remind you of the Nazis’ rhetoric before and during World War II? They considered themselves the chosen race, the superior race, etc. Such words and ideas pose extreme danger,” President Correa said on RT Spanish’ Entrevista program.

As for cases of espionage in Latin America and the subsequent criticism from regional leaders, Obama said the US will try to respect the sovereignty of those countries “in cases where it will be possible.” At the recent UN General Assembly, Brazil launched a blistering attack on US espionage, saying it “is a breach of international law.” President Correa said the US will keep violating other countries’ sovereignty, but this will eventually change.

“What Plato wrote in his [Socratic] dialogues more than 2,000 years ago is true. Justice is nothing other than the advantage of the stronger. They are strong, that’s why they will continue lying, violating other states’ sovereignty, and breaching international law. But one day this unjust world will have to change,” Correa said.

Last week, in an act of symbolism that will not be lost on the world’s 483 million Catholics, Pope Francis visited the shrine to his namesake, St Francis of Assisi, and said he wanted a church more in the image of the humble saint. “Eight hundred years have passed and times have changed but the ideal of a missionary and poor Church is still more than valid,” he said.

Francis was accompanied by eight cardinals, with whom he spent three days last week discussing a radical programme of reform for the Vatican. This first Jesuit Pope, and first Latin American pontiff, has said the Roman Catholic Church is too focused on preaching about abortion, gay people and contraception and needs to become more merciful. He wants a less hierarchical church and one that is less centred on the Vatican.

He has also appointed a glamorous PR adviser, Francesca Chaouqui, a former management consultant with Ernst and Young, to represent a papal committee charged with overhauling financial administration.

According to a report on Friday in the Maariv daily newspaper, Netanyahu made the comments in closed meetings with the heads of American Jewish organizations. Netanyahu reportedly repeated his position and that he is ready for a historic compromise with the Palestinian Authority, but added that “the problem was, and still is, their refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.”

The Prime Minister, according to Maariv, also said that the Palestinian Authority’s ongoing incitement against Israel was another significant obstacle to the possibility of reaching an agreement. The comments indicated that the parties have so far only discussed the possibility of reaching a permanent settlement to the conflict, while the possibility of an interim agreement is not on the agenda.

The peace talks between Israel and the PA resumed this past summer following US Secretary of State John Kerry’s shuttle diplomacy. Kerry asked both sides to keep the details of the negotiations secret in order to give the process a chance to work and, while Israeli officials have remain tight-lipped about the talks, PA officials have made several leaks to the press.

Yet even as he spoke these words, José Manuel Barroso, the President of European Commission, was asked by the Telegraph in Brussels about the possibility of renegotiation of competences at EU level. Barroso’s response was a straightforward snub to Mr Cameron and a wholesale rejection of the very idea. Any fundamental discussion about the renationalisation of EU competence “was doomed to failure”, Barroso said. "What is difficult, or even impossible, is if we go for the exercise of repatriation of competences because that means revising the treaties and revision means unanimity. From my experience of 10 years, I don't believe it will work."

I admire Mr Barroso’s frank honesty. Yet again, we see European politicians telling the truth about the realities of the EU while the Prime Minister tries to mislead. Which part of "No" does Mr Cameron not understand?

The Prime Minister thinks he is on an EU ship heading west, but in fact he is strolling westwards on board a ship that is heading east to "ever closer union". And it is Mr Barroso who is the captain, while Mr Cameron remains a muttering deckhand.

US officials had been due in Brussels next week to discuss the deal aimed at boosting bilateral ties. US President Barack Obama earlier cancelled his trip to Asia because of the shutdown. The US government closed non-essential operations on Tuesday after Congress failed to agree a new budget. Since then hundreds of thousands of government employees have not been working or paid.

The clip features House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland expressing gratitude to the police. His words are followed by over a minute of applause from Representatives. Representative Eric Cantor then remarks that lawmakers “really appreciate” the DC cops for their actions.

Essentially, lawmakers were expressing gratitude for the cops protecting them from the deadly threat posed by 34-year-old Connecticut resident Miriam Carey, a dental hygienist who the media is now trying to demonize as mentally unstable yet whose boss Dr Brian Evans said was a “happy” and “stable” individual. Friends described her as “friendly and dedicated.” Her former boss Dr Steven Oken said she was “always happy,” while neighbors said Carey was “a nice young lady, stable.”

As the mainstream media portrayed the incident as some kind of dramatic gun battle and car chase involving a deadly terrorist who had attempted to attack the White House, the truth began to emerge. Carey’s worst crime appears to have been driving erratically and freaking out at a checkpoint when police aimed guns at her head.

Contrary to initial media reports that Carey had somehow tried to breach sensitive White House property, the checkpoint was a temporary “outer perimeter” fence, making it quite possible that Carey was confused and frightened as to why she was being stopped in the first place. The temporary checkpoint may have been part of a drill that was running simultaneously. Perhaps cognizant of the fact that cops routinely shoot unarmed innocent people for no reason whatsoever, Carey panicked and tried to escape.

Scientists tell us that it is inevitable that it will erupt again one day, and when it does the devastation will be almost unimaginable. A full-blown eruption of the Yellowstone super-volcano would dump a 10-foot-deep layer of volcanic ash up to 1,000 miles away, and it would render much of the United States uninhabitable. When most Americans think of Yellowstone, they tend to conjure up images of Yogi Bear and “Old Faithful”, but the truth is that sleeping underneath Yellowstone is a volcanic beast that could destroy our nation in a single day and now that beast is starting to wake up.

The Yellowstone super-volcano is so vast that it is hard to put it into words. According to the Daily Mail, the magma “hotspot” underneath Yellowstone is approximately 300 miles wide… The Yellowstone Caldera is one of nature’s most awesome creations and sits atop North America’s largest volcanic field. Its name means ‘cooking pot’ or ‘cauldron’ and it is formed when land collapses following a volcanic explosion.

And now the area around Yellowstone is becoming increasingly seismically active. In fact, Professor Bob Smith says that he has never seen anything like this in the 53 years that he has been watching Yellowstone… Until recently, Bob Smith had never witnessed two simultaneous earthquake swarms in his 53 years of monitoring seismic activity in and around the Yellowstone Caldera. Now, Smith, a University of Utah geophysics professor, has seen three swarms at once.

So what is the worst case scenario?

Well, according to the Daily Mail, a full-blown eruption of Yellowstone could leave two-thirds of the United States completely uninhabitable… It would explode with a force a thousand times more powerful than the Mount St Helens eruption in 1980. Spewing lava far into the sky, a cloud of plant-killing ash would fan out and dump a layer 10ft deep up to 1,000 miles away. Two-thirds of the US could become uninhabitable as toxic air sweeps through it, grounding thousands of flights and forcing millions to leave their homes.

Can you think of another potential disaster that could accomplish the same thing?

Major new policies required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank law are just being put into place, and the agency is also trying to vote on pending rules before CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler departs at the end of the year. Right now, time and resources are precious for the country’s derivatives regulator, and the shutdown is depriving it of both.

“It’s coming at a time when the market really needs guidance and the agency at its most responsive, and instead, it’s potentially going to be at its least responsive,” said WilmerHale partner and former CFTC general counsel Dan Berkovitz.

Dodd-Frank greatly increased the CFTC’s responsibilities for overseeing derivatives markets, which played a major role in the 2008 financial crisis. Chief among the agency’s remaining tasks is forcing more derivatives transactions to be done on exchange-like trading platforms rather than through the private deals that prevented both regulators and markets from having much information about what was going on in this part of the economy. October was set to be a busy month at the CFTC.