Live Action released new undercover footage today showing two Planned Parenthood clinics, in Maui and Honolulu, advising undercover investigators on how to procure a sex-selective abortion of her baby girl because she wants a boy instead. Officials with the group say Planned Parenthood claims publicly to condemn sex-selective abortion but continues to provide them to women who request them.

The Planned Parenthood Maui Clinic worker counsels Live Action’s undercover journalist to wait for a late-term abortion to double-check that the baby is actually a girl before killing her. Then, another worker at Planned Parenthood Honolulu makes sure the woman signs up for QUEST, Hawaii’s taxpayer-funded insurance, which will pay for her elective, late-term, sex-selective abortion.

After decades in which Washington has been the region's dominant outside player, deploying its military to guarantee the flow of oil and its diplomatic muscle to advance peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the pro-democracy demonstrations of the Arab Spring appear to have changed the equation.

President Barack Obama's early hopes of brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal have foundered. And US blunders in Iraq, where violence persists nine years after a US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, have also eroded US credibility, Middle East analysts said.

"When questions become ones of life and death, people are less interested in what the United States has to say," said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington."We have had a long relationship with the Egyptian military and when it comes to existential issues, they will listen politely but they strongly believe that they understand both their population and their national interest better than well-meaning Americans," Alterman added.

Thirty-three-year old Liu Yang flies with Commander Jing Haipeng, 46, and fellow flight engineer, Liu Wang, 42. It is China's fourth manned mission and another opportunity to see how far the Asian nation has developed its space technology. It follows on from last year's unmanned Shenzhou-8 outing which completed successful rendezvous and docking manoeuvres at Tiangong. That gave Beijing authorities the confidence to put astronauts on the current flight. After Saturday's lift-off from the Jiuquan spaceport, Shenzhou-9 worked through a series of engine burns to take it higher and closer to the orbiting space lab.

Monday's docking was an automated procedure; computers - not the crew - were in charge of events. A suite of radar, laser and optical sensors aligned Shenzhou with Tiangong. The capsule's thrusters then drove it into the space lab's docking ring. The union happened at an altitude of about 340km (210 miles). Ms Liu operated a handheld video camera to record the moment of docking.

Washington is painting the alleged shipment as being in breach of the Syrian arms embargo, with a view to affecting the ship’s insurance cover.

The MV Alaed is a multipurpose twin-deck cargo vessel operated by Russia’s FEMCO Group. It is allegedly making its way to the conflict zone in Syria via the North Sea after picking up helicopters from the Russian Baltic port of Kaliningrad. The current European Union arms embargo against Syria, imposed in May last year, suggests a ban on the "transfer or export" of arms and any related "brokering" services, including insurance.

The American government is presumably trying to use this legislation to force the vessel's London-based insurer to withdraw its cover. This would make it difficult for the ship to dock legally in ports and could force it to return the cargo to the port of origin. Interestingly, all the media sources refer to “Mil Mi-25” helicopter, suggesting a single source of information. No such model, however, has ever been produced by the Moscow chopper-maker Mil Helicopters.

The party claims to have won 52.5 per cent of votes cast, based on a count of 97.6 per cent of the country’s 13,100 polling stations. Khaled Qazzaz, a Muslim Brotherhood official, said Shafik had 47.5 per cent of the votes counted. "There is no way Shafik can win," Qazzaz said, speaking at the headquarters of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. The party’s website says it will shortly announce "the first statement of the first elected Egyptian president."

Approximately 50 million Egyptians are eligible to vote, but the turnout appears to be lower than in the first round, when 46 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots. Over 20 million votes have been counted so far, Qazzaz said, with around 10.5 million going to Mursi, compared to 9.5 million for Shafiq.

At the same time, there are numerous accusations of ballot-rigging from the rival candidate’s headquarters, where officials say they do not recognize the results announced by their rivals. "We are expecting the official results from the electoral commission,” Shafiq’s representative told the Egyptian Al-Hayat network.

The Socialist Party (PF) has won 300 seats, surpassing the 289 seats required for total control of the 577-member National Assembly after Sunday's run-off. Nicolas Sarkozy's center-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) secured 207 seats. France's far-right National Front has returned to parliament for the first time since 1998, according to AFP reports, but its anti-immigrant and anti-EU leader Marine Le Pen has lost her bid for a seat by a handful of votes.

The outcome of both rounds of France’s parliamentary elections suggests that President Francois Hollande will now be able to implement his tax-and-spend policy with relative ease. But how likely is it that he can achieve economic growth instead of belt-tightening?

The first two blasts occurred within minutes of each other and targeted two churches in the city of Zaria in Kaduna state. A third blast hit a church in the city of Kaduna about half an hour later, said Kaduna State police chief Mohammed Abubakar Jinjiri.

He also said security at the three churches had prevented the suicide bombers from ramming explosive-filled cars into the buildings, which were filled with worshippers and thus would have caused significantly more casualties. It was the latest in a string of Christian-Muslim clashes in the state of Kaduna, which is known for its religious tensions.

Forty-four senators, both Republicans and Democrats, have addressed [Mr] Barack Obama in a letter stating that Iran must immediately take steps to shut down the Fordow facility, freeze the enrichment of uranium above 5 per cent and ship uranium already enriched above 5 per cent out of the country.

“On the other hand, if the sessions in Moscow produce no substantive agreement, we urge you to re-evaluate the utility of further talks at this time and instead focus on significantly increasing the pressure on the Iranian government through sanctions and making clear that a credible military option exists,” the senators stressed. “As you have rightly noted, ‘the window for diplomacy is closing.’ Iran’s leaders must realize that you mean precisely that.”

The third round of the negotiations between Iran and five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, known as P5+1, is scheduled to start in the Russian capital on Monday. The world powers will try to ease the tensions and secure an agreement to prevent a pre-emptive military strike against Iran by Israel. The negotiations come less than two weeks before Iran faces the imposition of a European oil embargo and American banking sanctions which could severely damage its economy.

The delegation from the Syrian Free Army is meeting with US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and the State Department’s expert on Syria, Fred Hof, according to a report by debkafile, an Israeli news website, which is considered to have strong ties with the intelligence community.

The Syrian rebels have brought with them two lists for American approval. One is that of targets in Syria they want to attack to hurt President Assad’s government. The second is a list of heavy weapons they need to carry out the attacks, which they want to get from the US, the report says. Debkafile says the Obama administration is very close to giving the green light to shipping off the weapons, most of which have already been purchased by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The US is also close to deciding on the format of its own military operation in Syria, which the site’s source described as “Libya lite” – a small-scale version of the no-fly zone and air strikes carried out by NATO forces in Libya, which resulted in the toppling of its leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Earlier top US military brass told American media that the Pentagon has finalized contingency plans for a possible operation in Syria.

A German-Saudi contract for purchase of some 300 brand new modern tanks was on the table since at least last year. Hover the Gulf monarchy wants more hardware, Bild newspaper reports. There is still resistance in the German federal government to selling military hardware to Saudis. The Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry both oppose it due to security and human rights considerations.

The Economy Ministry advocates the deal, which would give a boost to domestic defense producers Krauss-Maffei Wegman and Rheinmetall, especially as the demand for armor from the German army shrinks with its ongoing restructuring. The initial contract for 300 tanks is already ready for signing, but still requires consent from a council of eight German ministers and the Federal Chancellor, who has to approve any export of military technology from the country. So far Germany was reluctant to sell heavy arms to the Gulf nations.

Bild says Spanish firm General Dynamic/Santa Barbara would produce the tanks under a license, if the deal is finally given the green light. Saudis would like to have it sealed before the holy month of Ramadan starts on July 20.

At his city-centre shop near the town hall, Dimitrios Kalkantzakos is one of the few Athens retailers seeing a boom in sales: up 60 per cent in the last year, he says. Mr Kalkantzakos sells guns. "People don't know what's going to happen," he said. "They're afraid." The street corners are stocked with waiting riot police. One of the few global currency trading platforms which operates at the weekend, Oanda, is closing today for the first time in its history.

This is the election that is supposed to decide whether Greece stays in the euro. Yet as it, and Europe, face what could be their Katrina moment, the dominant sense here is not of panic, or fear, or even hope - but of a country in suspended animation, grinding to a halt. The Athens Heart shopping centre, in the southern suburbs, is polished, full of big brands, and almost totally empty of customers. "We've had five sales all day," says Steryiani Vlachakou, the assistant in the Champion sportswear store. "It's been getting a lot, lot worse."

Nobody is buying anything. Nobody is selling anything. No bank is lending anyone money. The normal processes of commerce have slowed down or stopped. And even the election campaign isn't stirring the passions you'd expect. "From Monday, Greece is going to start working again," orated Alexis Tsipras, the leader of hard-left Syriza, at his final rally in Omonia Square last week. "The bankrupt memorandum [EU bailout agreement] becomes the past. On Sunday, with your vote in your hand, you are going to change your life. We can change the course of history!"

PRO-REFORM PARTIES WIN - Likelihood 5 out of 10

The centre-right "pro-European" New Democracy party emerges as front-runner but there is no outright winner. It forges a "national salvation" government with the socialist Pasok party, which also backs reforms in return for rescue funds from the EU, ECB and IMF. The coalition commits to the conditions of the latest €130 biliion bailout and terms are eased. Short-term stability could lead to more prevarication by Germany's Angela Merkel in dealing with greater EU fiscal unity. By delaying the crucial decisions, the eurozone staggers towards the next crisis.

WEAK PRO-EUROPE GOVERNMENT - Likelihood 8 out of 10

Reform-minded "pro-European" forces win power but by a slight margin. A government is formed, but is constantly undermined by anti-bailout far-left Syriza party which becomes bold as opposition grows on the streets. The government falls in the autumn when called to pass further belt-tightening measures. The EU, ECB and IMF are encouraged by some to turn off the cash tap at Greeks' failure to honour austerity pledges. A possible contagious collapse in confidence across Europe threatens UK with a two-year recession as trade with the continent dries up.

VICTORY FOR RADICALS - Likelihood 5 out of 10

Anti-austerity forces led by Syriza party emerge as the frontrunner. Syriza forms a government with Pasok and the Democratic Left. Another possible coalition partner is the populist rightwing Independent Greeks party after the orthodox KKE communist party rebuffs its overtures. Greece is on a collision course with foreign lenders as the government puts a brake on the EU-IMF dictated austerity and structural reform programme. Chaos erupts when creditors withhold loans and Greece is forced to declare bankruptcy. If Greece leaves the euro, Germany could be jolted into action and pursue fiscal unity in Europe, smothering any panic among other states. If the Germans don't act, it could lead to an economic armageddon.

POLITICAL DEADLOCK - Likelihood 2 out of 10

Neither New Democracy nor Syriza win enough votes to form a coalition government. After weeks of negotiations, it is announced that fresh elections must be held. The ECB, IMF and EU have no one to negotiate with. A disorderly default is likely as creditors lose patience.

As Greek voters go to the polls in elections that could determine the future of the eurozone, Zoellick told the Observer he was advising emerging nations to ready themselves for the consequences of events in the single-currency area.

The election of an anti-austerity government would spark the most serious crisis for the euro so far, following the apparent failure of a Spanish bank bailout last week. German chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday ruled out renegotiating Greece's bailout, saying the country must stick to its deals with international lenders. Unofficial polls suggest the conservative New Democracy party is ahead of the anti-austerity Syriza by four percentage points — though as much as 15% of the electorate remains undecided.

As all eyes focus on Athens, Zoellick said: "Europe may be able to muddle through but the risk is rising." He added: "There could be a Lehmans moment if things are not properly handled." The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 proved to be the trigger for the deepest slump in the global economy since the 1930s, and Zoellick said developing countries needed to "prepare for the uncertainty coming out of the eurozone and the wider financial markets". He added: "It will be better if they can avoid piling up short-term debts that can come due in volatile periods and look to the fundamentals of future growth – infrastructure and human capital."

Joanna Stavropoulos is not proud of what she has done. "I had a guilty conscience when I withdrew my money from Greece," says the 43-year-old. Of course she knew what would happen if everybody does the same: Greece's banks would be threatened with collapse. But she says she had to think of her two-month-old daughter, Josephina, who is currently asleep on Joanna's shoulder. Increasing numbers of Greeks are following Joanna Stavropoulos' example and emptying their accounts. They are afraid that Greece may leave the euro zone and return to the drachma.

Stavropoulos is one of the few people who know very well what this scenario would look like in concrete terms. As a journalist and NGO worker, she has traveled all over the world, most recently in Haiti and Iraq. "I have been to countries where banks closed," she says.

She was in Argentina, for example, when the government declared a national default. She has also lived in Zimbabwe, where three-digit inflation destroyed the currency. Joanna is sure that Greece could face the same thing if it returns to the drachma.

"My country is going downhill," she says. There is still little sign of panic in Greece, and there has not been a stampede to the banks. Nevertheless, people are withdrawing hundreds of millions of euros from the banks every day. In May alone, outflows totaled €5 billion. According to official figures, €80 BILLION HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN SINCE THE START OF THE CRISIS.

Stavropoulos and her friends have a new strategy to deal with their daily expenses. "We charge everything to our credit cards," she says. If the Greek banks fail, they won't be able to collect the outstanding debts, she argues. "If they want to mess me around, I will do the same to them."

Finally, there is clarity. The Holy See has cleared things up and made the document accessible to all: a handout on checking whether apparitions of the Virgin Mary are authentic. Everything will be much easier from now on. The Roman Catholic Church has taken a step forward.

This "breaking news" from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) reveals the kinds of issues the Vatican is concerned with - and the kind of world in which some there live. It's a world in which the official Church investigation of Virgin Mary sightings is carefully regulated while cardinals in the Roman Curia, the Vatican's administrative and judicial apparatus, wield power with absolutely no checks and the pope's private correspondence turns up in the desk drawers of a butler.

It's a completely different apparition of the Virgin Mary that has pulled the Vatican and the Catholic Church into a new crisis, whose end and impact can only be surmised: the appearance of a source in the heart of the Church, a conspiracy against the pope and a leak code-named "Maria." Since the end of May, the pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, has been detained in a 35-square-meter (377-square-foot) cell at the Vatican, with a window but no TV. Using the code name "Maria," he allegedly smuggled faxes and letters out of the pope's private quarters. But it remains unclear who was directing him to do so.

Even with Gabriele's arrest, the leak still hasn't been plugged. More documents were released to the public last week, documents intended primarily to damage two close associates of Pope Benedict XVI: his private secretary, Georg Gänswein, and Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's top administrator. According to one document, "hundreds" of other secret documents would be published if Gänswein and Bertone weren't "kicked out of the Vatican." "This is blackmail," says Vatican expert Marco Politi. "It's like threatening total war."

Fear is running rampant in the Curia, where the mood has rarely been this miserable. It's as if someone had poked a stick into a beehive. Men wearing purple robes are rushing around, hectically monitoring correspondence. No one trusts anyone anymore, and some even hesitate to communicate by phone. It all began in the accursed seventh year of the papacy of Benedict XVI, with striking parallels to the latter part of Pope John Paul II's papacy. The same complaints about poor leadership and internal divisions are being aired outside the Vatican's walls, while the pope himself seems exhausted and no longer able to exert his power.