Both have taken legal action against each other over subsidies given to two major aircraft companies, Boeing and Airbus. Both groups have been supported by billions of pounds of state-backed funding since they were created in order to help them develop new planes. Germany, France and the UK have paid £11 billion to Airbus in subsidies, it is alleged.

An eight-year legal battle has been fought at the World Trade Organisation over the legality of the payments. Now America has asked for permission to slap billions of pounds of sanctions on exports coming from Europe – including British produce. By doing so, the US hopes to pressure the EU into reversing its payments to Airbus. The US today took a crucial next step towards imposing sanctions by demanding the creation of a panel to investigate whether the EU has obeyed the WTO’s ruling to stop paying subsidies.

If the EU has not, then America may be given permission to impose sanctions up to the value of £6.25 billion. But when choosing which products to tax, America will target those goods it thinks will do the most damage to our economies – meaning the entire burden could fall onto Britain’s exports. The US is accusing the EU – taken as a whole – of paying £11 billion of subsidies to Airbus.

But industry insiders say the futures of both companies – Airbus and Boeing – are conditional on state-backed funding. It is inevitable, they say, that both the EU and the US will be found guilty of the charges. Sanctions will only be averted if both parties to call off the legal battle and hold talks over government subsidy levels.

Israeli officials say they are braced for tens of thousands, and military sources said the army and policy have been instructed to act with maximal restraint while doing what is necessary to protect the country’s borders and citizens. The security forces have been ordered to protect themselves and bystanders, to prevent any cross-border incursions, however brief, and to deny activists “a media victory,” Israel’s Channel 2 news reported Thursday night. In protests at the Syrian border last year, more than 100 activists broke through the border fence and entered Druze villages in the Golan Heights; one man even made his way to Tel Aviv.

Diplomatic officials sounded relatively unworried by the planned protests, although one source acknowledged that there was no way of knowing what might unfold on the Syrian and Lebanese borders, because Israel has no dialogue with anyone in authority on the other side of either of those lines. Several hundred anti-Israel demonstrators are also planning protests in front of Israeli institutions worldwide.

In Jerusalem, access to the Temple Mount for Friday prayers will be limited to adult worshipers, and police have called in extra forces. Police deployments in hotspots nationwide are also being reinforced. Sources expressed concern at the prospect of violence in and around the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem as well as on the outskirts of Jerusalem, at known flashpoints such as the Kalandiya checkpoint.

The message was an April Fool's day joke that was intended for internal consumption only but was leaked yesterday, as are most genuine documents on the euro's survival. New talks were needed, the "communique" said, and should include Pope Benedict XVI, as Sovereign of the Vatican City State, which uses the euro. "The presence of His Holiness the Pope affords an opportunity to pray for divine intervention to save the euro. This is now seen as the most credible strategy," concluded the spoof press release, crafted by one of Mr Van Rompuy's aides.

The press office of the Council of EU, whose official letterhead was used for the joke statement, is not said to be amused after receiving calls asking about the "April 1 summit". "I'm glad someone thinks this is a laughing matter, but it's no joke for us," said one official. EU officials are working on proposals aimed at averting a new phase of the eurozone crisis. They will be discussed by finance ministers in Copenhagen today amid a row over increasing the size of the eurozone bailout fund to €1 trillion.

The extra cash, fiercely resisted by Germany, is needed because of a growing risk that Spain, one the euro's biggest economies, will suffer a Greek-style debt crisis this summer. Nigel Farage, the leader of Ukip, said: "Divine intervention might be more effective that the intervention of the European Central Bank, but an all seeing, all knowing God would be wise to keep out of the euro." The reference to the Pope and the power of prayer has entertained Mr Van Rompuy's staff because he is an austere Catholic who goes on retreat to a Trappist monastery where his brother-in-law is a monk.

Ministers have rejected retailer claims their advice caused "panic buying". Conciliation service Acas says it hopes talks will take place shortly after Monday, making Easter strikes unlikely, correspondents say. Some 90% of UK forecourts are supplied by the Unite union's 2,000 or so members, who are calling for minimum standards of working conditions and pay.

Anticipating a strike they describe as "completely wrong", ministers had called for motorists to keep their cars "topped up" but urged people not to queue. On Thursday, Energy Secretary Ed Davey said people "just need to do the sensible thing... get a full tank of petrol, not a half-tank."

That's a 78% increase compared to a decade ago, according to the report. Since 2000, the CDC has based its autism estimates on surveillance reports from its Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Every two years, researchers count how many 8-year-olds have autism in about a dozen communities across the nation (the number of sites ranges from six to 14 over the years, depending on the available funding in a given year).

In 2000 and 2002, the autism estimate was about 1 in 150 children. Two years later 1 in 125 8-year-olds had autism. In 2006, the number was 1 in 110, and the newest data - from 2008 - suggests 1 in 88 children have autism. Early recognition of signs of autism - a neurodevelopment disorder that leads to impaired language, communication and social skills - is vital because it can lead to early intervention, says Dr Gary Goldstein, an autism specialist and president of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.

"There have been studies - double-blinded studies - to show that behavioral early intervention changes the outcome for children," Goldstein says. "How much of that increase is a result of better tracking and how much of it is a result of an actual increase, we still don't know. We know more about autism today than we have ever known," he says, "but there is still so much we don't know and wish that we knew."

Sadly, a "world without nuclear weapons" is a fantasy that will not be possible any time soon. Nuclear weapons technology is getting into more hands with each passing year, and geopolitical tensions are rising all over the globe. If the United States did not have nuclear weapons, anyone with just a handful of nukes would constitute a massive threat to our national security.

An overwhelming strategic nuclear arsenal helps keep us safe because every other nation on the planet knows that it would be national suicide to attack us. If you take that overwhelming strategic nuclear arsenal away, the entire calculation changes. Many out there claim that even if the US only has a few hundred nuclear warheads that it will be more than enough to be an effective deterrent.

If an enemy knows that we only have a few hundred warheads, and if they know exactly where those warheads are located for verification purposes, then a first strike which would take out the vast majority of our operational warheads becomes very plausible. That is why what Obama wants to do is so incredibly dangerous. If he reduces our strategic nuclear arsenal down to almost nothing, the odds of a nuclear first strike against the United States someday go up dramatically.

The pace appears to be accelerating, with nine attacks so far this year and at least five this month, including a strike last week near the terrorist hotbed of Zinjibar. Up to 30 militants were killed in three separate missile strikes on the town, witnesses said. Nationwide the figures are comparable to those in Pakistan, where America has struck on 10 occasions this year, despite a fierce public reaction.

Research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism at London's City University has found that as many as 516 people have been killed in the Yemen attacks - mostly suspected members of al-Qaida's local ally al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). As many as 104 were civilians.

The majority of the attacks were carried out by the CIA or US special forces command from a base in nearby Dijbouti but American officials refused to confirm any details. President Obama has made plain his determination to go after AQAP, which he has described as "a network of violence and terror". It has attracted a number of US citizens to its cause, including the radical cleric Anwar al Awlaki. Despite multiple reports of US military action in Yemen, the US rarely acknowledges its secret war.

The bases could therefore be attacked with greater precision, as the EU decided Friday - in spite of warnings that this could lead to a further escalation of the conflict in Somalia. Geo-strategic considerations are at the core of the militarization projects, being promoted by the Bundeswehr. The Indian Ocean has become extremely important in global policy and it will play a pivotal role in future conflicts with China. Under no circumstances should the "new momentum in the greater region of the Indian Ocean" be neglected, warns the director of the SWP. Military strategists are underlining the importance of a strong naval presence in the ocean between Africa and Southeast Asia.

The appeal of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) for new militarization projects corresponds to the decision taken by the EU's foreign ministers last Friday, to combat piracy also on shore in the future. According to this decision, not the pirates themselves, but their weapons, vessels, fuel and even food supplies should be attacked and destroyed. This should be permitted "on shore," but the military seeks to avoid clarifying, what exactly is meant by "shore," and what is being targeted.

These regulations are of particular importance to Germany, not only because of the endorsement by Berlin's foreign minister, but also because of the prominent role the Bundeswehr is currently playing in the EU Operation Atalanta. The Bundeswehr had just dispatched its combat unit logistical support vessel "Berlin" to the Horn of Africa - "not as a logistical support vessel, but as a combat unit," the German Armed Forces underlined.

The "Berlin" is therefore carrying more personnel than usual - military police and a so-called boarding team, but also two "Sea King" helicopters. These helicopters are equipped with machine-guns, to be used against alleged piracy infrastructures, in line with the EU's decision. "Particularly the Bundeswehr, at this point" can launch these attacks, writes the press, "because it has the appropriate helicopters in the theater of operations."

This aim was not helped by economic measures which "unfairly burden" Cuba's people, he said. Earlier, Pope Benedict met Cuba's revolutionary leader and former president, Fidel Castro, and celebrated Mass in front of vast crowds in Havana. The Pontiff made his parting comments in the airport in Havana, in the presence of the current president, Raul Castro.

He said all Cubans should be able to share in "forging a society of wide horizons, renewed and reconciled. No-one should feel excluded from taking up this exciting search by the limitations of their basic freedoms, or excused from this by indolence or a lack of material resources - a situation which is worsened when restrictive economic measures, imposed from outside the country, unfairly burden its people," he said. The US trade embargo, known as the blockade or "el bloqueo" in Spanish, was introduced soon after the 1959 Revolution.

Earlier, Pope Benedict met the revolutionary leader and former president. The meeting was described by a Vatican spokesman as "animated and cordial", with the two men even sharing a joke about their ages. According to the spokesman, Federico Lombardi, they discussed Church liturgy and the inability of science to solve all future challenges.

On Tuesday, Fukushima workers inserted a remotely controlled probe into Reactor Two to assess the damage. The device is equipped with a video camera, a thermometer, and a dosimeter – which registered radiation levels much higher than expected. The probe also discovered that the level of cooling water in the reactor is significantly lower than expected.

The other two melted-down reactors have not yet been examined, but some fear their condition could be even worse. The management of the Tepco company, which owns the plant, says the findings will not affect the process of cooling down the nuclear fuel. However, their assurances are unlikely to calm down local people, who are extremely concerned over radiation levels in the area.

A recent study by psychiatrists at Fukushima Medical University found that almost a quarter of Fukushima's residents hospitalized after last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami were diagnosed with a “psychiatric disorder” because of their fears over radiation. Tepco officials and Japanese authorities have been repeatedly caught lying about the real situation at Fukushima. Hence many locals live in constant stress over the possibility of radiation poisoning.

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is comprised of amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, amphibious transport dock USS New York, and amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall. It is also reinforced with an atomic submarine and a marine helicopter squadron. The group, which is “a versatile sea-based force that can be tailored to a variety of missions,” left port on Tuesday and is heading to the Gulf, the US Navy says.

Over 2,000 US Marines are to come on board Iwo Jima when the group makes a stop in North Carolina. Many of those marines are veterans of ground combat in Iraq and Afghanistan making their first shipboard deployment, dailypress.com points out. The US already has an amphibious group with an expeditionary marine unit in the Gulf region. The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group was deployed there in January, after Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route that allows the delivery of around 20 per cent of the world's oil.

Iran has repeatedly reiterated this threat over the last six months, while the US and its NATO partners kept increasing their naval presence in the region. The US is aware that Iran has enough resources to mine the strait within a relatively short period of time. General Michael Dempsey, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said earlier that the US must be prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force. In March, the US sent another four minesweepers to join those already deployed there, bringing the overall number in the region to eight.

Firefighters say the potentially lethal drought conditions caused by unusually warm spring weather sparked several wildfires including one at the country's largest cemetery. Large fires were reported across the south-east, and parts of North Yorkshire, Lancashire, Wales and Scotland. One blaze raged over 17 acres of the 500-acre Brookwood Cemetery near Woking, Surrey, with more than 40 firefighters battling to bring the flames under control.

It came amid warnings from fire chiefs that a lack of wet weather combined with dry conditions throughout the South East were the ''perfect recipe'' for wildfires. It comes after the biggest wild fires for years threatened homes and left this trail of devastation in South Wales. Fire crews who battled dozens of fires said the warm weather had left the grass "dry enough just to ignite itself".

It incurred net claims of £12.9 billion in the year, including £4.6 billion of catastrophe claims. Catastrophes during the year included flooding in Australia and Thailand, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the earthquake in New Zealand. "Make no mistake, 2011 was a difficult year for the insurance industry," said Lloyd's chief executive Richard Ward.

"I am disappointed that, given the exceptional level of catastrophes in 2011, insurance rates have not responded more positively." Lloyd's of London is a market, in which syndicates meet brokers and agree to take on particular risks. Its chairman said that the market was still in a strong financial position, but warned that 2012 would be another challenging year.

The landmark decision is binding on Ontario courts and sets up a final showdown at the Supreme Court of Canada next fall or in early 2013. Ontario Attorney-General John Gerretsen said on Monday that he intends to discuss appealing the decision with his federal counterparts. “Our main concern is that people feel safe in their communities, feel safe in their homes, and this kind of issue may very well need legislative action,” he said. The five-judge appellate panel said unanimously that prostitutes may set up brothels and hire staff to protect them.

They said that it is senseless to have a law that compels prostitutes to work in dangerous isolation, given that prostitution itself is legal. Nikki Thomas, executive director of SPOC, (Sex Professionals of Canada) told reporters that prostitutes will be normal citizens who file income taxes, purchase investments and quietly go about their work. “We are not going to have fire and brimstone and sex workers raining down from the sky,” she said.

The Environment Agency will today announce that parts of Yorkshire, the largest county, are officially in drought following the hottest March for seven years. That could mean 4.7 million households will be hit by hosepipe bans by the summer.

And experts warn the entire country could face similar water restrictions in a matter of weeks. Trevor Bishop, the Environment Agency’s head of water resources, said they were striving to balance the water needs of the community and of the environment.

He said: “We are working with businesses, farmers and water companies to plan ahead to meet the challenges of a continued drought.”

Wildlife experts warn that some species, including dragonflies and water voles, could lose their habitats. The official drought zone now includes parts of North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and South Yorkshire, as well as a whole swathe of the country stretching from Bournemouth on the south coast to Scarborough, affecting 27 million people. That is already more than half of England’s 52 million population.