Three Kassam and Grad missile attacks that were followed by Israel Air Force retaliation, made it clear the so-called "ceasefire" was unlikely to become reality. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Gaza's ruling Hamas terrorist organization that Israel will not tolerate continued attacks. This did not prevent the firing of a fourth Grad Katyusha missile, also aimed at Ashkelon, which missed the mark at midday and exploded in an open area.

Hamas is testing the revolutionary Israeli anti-rocket system, Iron Dome, to learn how it works and find its weak spots, security sources estimated Sunday, as terrorists continued to fire rockets at Be'er Sheva and Ashkelon. IDF sources told Arutz Sheva's Haggai Huberman that by massive firing of rockets Hamas is trying to determine which areas are protected by Iron Dome and how effective the system is. It will also be gauging the angle at which Iron Dome fires its anti-missile missiles, and more. Both Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva are protected by Iron Dome batteries, which have intercepted at least eight terrorist rockets in the past few days.

On Friday night (Sabbath eve), the Iron Dome battery at Be'er Sheva blocked two rockets that had been fired at the city. The second Iron Dome battery currently deployed has thus far intercepted six missiles that were on their way to hit Ashkelon. The Iron Dome system currently protects the municipal centers near which it is stationed. It does not fire at missiles that its computer identifies as being en route to more sparsely populated regions.

The controversial theory could help explain why church attendances are falling in many western nations, including the UK, and why the elderly make up such a large proportion of many congregations. In Britain, only 15 per cent of people go to church at least once a month - and with over-65s accounting for more than a quarter of regular churchgoers, churches are desperately trying to reach a younger audience.

The Church of England, for example, has in the past resorted to radio adverts featuring rap-style poems and using a slogan that described Christmas as a 'bad hair day' for the Virgin Mary. But the researchers behind the latest study say that rather than putting all their energy into trying to make religion trendy, churches would do better to try to recruit more pensioners, who have more to gain from religion.

The theory comes from a team at St Andrews University and the University of East Anglia who applied some of the principles of economics to the psychology of churchgoing. Costs, such as impact on social life and bank balance, were weighed against benefits, such as a ticket to the afterlife, at different stages in life. The results of this cost-benefit analysis led the researchers to conclude that as living conditions improve and lives get longer, young people simply have too much to lose by going to church year after year.

The promise of life after death, however, leaves the elderly with a lot to gain. Researcher Dr Elissaios Papyrakis said: 'We show that higher life expectancy discounts expected benefits in the afterlife and is therefore likely to lead to postponement of religiosity, without necessarily jeopardising benefits in the afterlife. For this reason, religious organisations should be prepared to accept and attract a "greying church", with membership skewed towards the older generation, particularly in countries which have high life expectancy.'

The agreement will reduce government spending by $38.5 billion over the next few months - and by hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming decade. This is real money. And as Stanford University economics professor John B Taylor observed, "Reducing discretionary spending in 2011... will help establish credibility and show that government can actually take needed actions, not just promise to take them."

But the agreement is far from perfect, and we need to do much more if we're serious about creating new jobs, fixing our spending-driven debt crisis, and ending the uncertainty that continues to plague our economy. That's why this week, we'll advance our fight from saving billions of dollars to saving trillions of dollars as we turn our full attention to the GOP budget outlined by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, Republican for Wisconsin, aptly titled "The Path to Prosperity."

His comments will be seized upon by the Conservatives as proof that Labour played a part in the economic meltdown. They come as the Treasury prepares to receive a review into how Britain's banks should operate in the future. The Independent Commission on Banking (ICB), led by Sir John Vickers, is expected to recommend significant reforms to make it less likely that banks take unnecessary risks and to encourage greater competition.

Mr Brown, who has been criticised for no longer attending the Commons to take part in economic debates, made his remarks while addressing a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, at the weekend. It was the first time he had commented explicitly on the system of regulation that he masterminded during Labour's first term in power. He focused on the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which he established in a surprise move on his first day as chancellor in 1997. It was widely criticised during the financial crisis for failing to predict and manage the turmoil.

The tornado destroyed 12 to 15 blocks in the southwest corner of Mapleton when it struck about 7:20 pm Saturday, Monona County Sheriff Jeff Pratt said. The tornado destroyed about 100 homes beyond repair, and has displaced an estimated 500 to 600 residents, he said. The tornado was on the ground for three and a half miles and measured three-quarters of a mile wide at one point, according to the National Weather Service office in Valley, Neb. The twister was measured to be on the lower end of an EF3, which carries wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph.

The tornado was one of several reported in Iowa. The weather service said it had confirmed a total of four smaller twisters that touched down near Early and Nemaha, damaging several homes. In Mapleton, the roof was blown off a high school, power lines were downed and homes and buildings were destroyed. Utilities also were damaged, and gas fumes filled the town, prompting officials to shut off service. Pratt said the gas service will remain off for the next two weeks, but electricity should be restored in the next day or so.

There has been no great boom and bust in Portugal. What has done the damage is a gradual process of loss of competitiveness in the country as wages have risen and tariffs on cheap exports from Asia into Europe have been reduced. Low growth in the economy has meant that the government has struggled to raise enough money through taxation to fund its spending.

Government spending has been relatively high, partly due to a succession of expensive projects, especially improvements to transport links intended to strengthen competitiveness. It meant that when the financial crisis came, Portugal had a great deal of debt, which suddenly became more expensive to finance. On Wednesday, Portugal held a bond auction to raise money for the government. It ended up having to pay such a lot to borrow money, even for only one year, that the government finally had to accept that it could not afford to pay its debts and ask for help.

Nato says its planes destroyed 25 government tanks on Sunday alone. The AU deal's main points are an immediate ceasefire, the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, protection of foreign nationals, and a dialogue between the government and rebels on a political settlement. "The brother leader [Colonel Gaddafi] delegation has accepted the roadmap as presented by us," Mr Zuma declared. "We have to give the ceasefire a chance," he said, after several hours of talks.

Mr Zuma is now returning to South Africa. His foreign minister and the other AU heads of state will travel to Benghazi on Monday. The British-based representative of the Libyan opposition leadership, Guma al-Gamaty, has told the BBC that they would look carefully at the AU plan, but that any deal designed to keep Colonel Gaddafi or his sons in place would not be acceptable. An AU official said the idea of Colonel Gaddafi stepping down had been discussed, but gave no further details.

"There was some discussion on this but I cannot report on this. It has to remain confidential," said AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Ramtane Lamamra. "It's up to the Libyan people to chose their leaders democratically." In all, the African Union mission comprised representatives from five nations: presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania, Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali and Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, and Uganda's Foreign Minister Henry Oryem Okello.

The five-strong panel was approved by the European Union to mediate in Libya. Our correspondent says that the AU team's plan for the two sides to work together in a transition to democracy looks to be a non-starter. He says neither side appears ready to make the compromises necessary for a ceasefire.

Livestock farming is one of the biggest causes of nitrogen pollution, it adds. It calls for changes in farming and more controls on vehicles and industry.

The problem would be greatly helped if less meat was consumed, the report says. Nitrogen is the most common element in the atmosphere and is harmless. It is the reactive form - mainly produced by human activity - that causes a web of related problems.

The 600-page report relies on experts from 21 countries and 89 organisations. It estimates the annual cost of damage caused by nitrogen across Europe as being 55-280 billion pounds. Reactive nitrogen emissions from agriculture are the most intractable as they come from many diffuse sources. The report says Europe needs nitrogen fertilisers for its own food security but blames many farmers for applying fertiliser carelessly to crops, so that excess nitrogen runs off to pollute water supplies. Run-off from animal manure also fouls watercourses, and the release of nitrous oxides from uncovered dung heaps pollutes the air.

Agriculture produces 70% of the nitrous oxide emissions in Europe. New rules reducing nitrogen emissions from farms are introduced next year, but there are questions over whether these will be strict enough or properly enforced. The report says more careful application of fertiliser will benefit farmers by saving money. It will benefit the climate by avoiding the energy used to create the fertiliser.

Homeowners should look at City forecasts for interest rates when planning their budgets for the coming months, he said. Forecasts suggested rates would be 'getting up to somewhere around about 2 per cent next year' - four times the current 0.5 per cent rate. His warning came as a study revealed families were facing the biggest squeeze in household incomes since 1921.

A rise in interest rates could plunge millions of families with tracker mortgages into immediate financial difficulty. A family paying 635 pounds a month on a 150,000 pounds tracker mortgage, for example, would see repayments soar to 750 pounds a month if interest rates rise to 2 per cent. But Mr Sentance said that an increase was essential to curb spiralling inflation

He warned that Britain would face a 'more difficult situation' in the future if rates were left at historic lows for much longer. 'The job of the MPC is really to try to keep on top of things,' he said. 'And my argument is that we should already by now have raised interest rates a little bit to respond to some of these threats in the future.' Interest rates have been at 0.5 per cent since March 2009. But inflation is now more than double the Bank of England's target rate of 2 per cent.

Meanwhile, the study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research found families will be 910 pounds worse off this year. Household finances are being crushed by rising prices, fuelled by the VAT rise in January, and low wage rises. Economists say the impact is bigger than the depression of the 1930s in terms of the drop in spending power and living standards.

Speaking during a Halacha lesson in Jerusalem last week, the rabbi warned that Jews evading the mitzvah were risking "Kareth" - a supernatural punishment for transgressing Jewish Law. According to Rabbi Eliyahu, there is a halachic, legal and public possibility to offer a Passover sacrifice these days. During the lesson, he quoted senior rabbinical authorities, adding that Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalisher - one of the founders of modern and religious Zionism - had asked the Turkish sultan to allot an area on the Temple Mount for the erection of an altar for a Passover sacrifice.

The Safed rabbi went on to say that the Passover sacrifice could be slaughtered in front of the Dome of the Rock plaza, although the Temple no longer exists and the people of Israel are defined as "tameh met" (in a status of impurity which comes from contact with a dead body). In order to overcome the greatest obstacle, beyond the political problem, an altar must be erected, the rabbi said. He also called for the preparation of "priesthood clothes", which are the only ones in which Kohanim (priests) can perform their work at the Temple.

Addressing the legal aspect, Rabbi Eliyahu claimed that every person has the right to perform the commandment of his religion according to his own understanding. He added that petitions filed with the High Court of Justice against the sacrifice were accepted only because the police were unprepared to secure the ceremony.

"It's perfectly clear that if the public pressures its representatives in the government or in the Knesset, everything will change. If the judges have ruled that the police must secure simpler protests, why not the Passover sacrifice?" Eliyahu rejected the claim that it was impossible to resume the mitzvah publicly. Addressing the international diplomatic ramifications, he said, "We are being threatened that any movement on our part on the Temple Mount will launch the third world war... (But) we can free our souls of the horror of the gentiles, just like we freed ourselves before the Exodus."

Their belief is based on the centuries-old Hadith by Prophet Mohammad and his descendants, who have provided clear guidance as to the timing of The Coming. According to the Hadith, in the age of The Coming a revolution takes place in Iran. This is a key sign indicating that the reappearance is near, and serves as the initial preparation in the worldwide movement for The Coming of the last messiah. Based on this belief, the leaders of Iran see it as their duty to prepare the ground for The Coming.

One of the most important keys to securing the reappearance of the last messiah - as called for in the Hadith - is the annihilation of Israel, and the conquering of Beitol Moghadas (Jerusalem). They state with conviction that Islam will soon conquer the world, and that all infidels will be destroyed. The pursuit of nuclear bombs by the radicals ruling Iran is directly connected to this belief: war, chaos, and lawlessness must engulf the world to pave the way for Imam Mahdi's reappearance.

This movie has been produced in Iran by an organization called Conductors of The Coming, in collaboration with the Iranian president's office and the Basij (Iranian paramilitary force). Also, reports indicate that Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, President Ahmadinejad's top adviser and chief of staff, was directly involved with this project. The movie was completed a few months ago and was recently screened for the high clerics by the Iranian president's office, with one of its high-ranking officials analyzing it.

Israeli forces killed a local Hamas commander in the southern Gaza town of Rafah bordering Egypt, as well as two of his bodyguards, in a targeted strike on a vehicle, medics said. Israel blamed the slain commander for a rocket strike on its port of Eilat launched from Egyptian Sinai some months ago. Five militants were wounded in a second air raid in northern Gaza. Another air strike at daybreak killed a further militant.

Cross-border violence has surged since Hamas militants fired an anti-tank rocket at an Israeli school bus on Thursday, wounding two people including a teenager, who was listed in critical condition. Israel has said it wants to teach Hamas a lesson for that attack, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday amounted to "crossing a line," adding that "whoever tries to attack and murder children puts his life on the line."

At least 18 Palestinian militants and civilians, including an 11-year-old boy, have been killed in retaliatory strikes on the Gaza Strip since Thursday, and 36 since the latest round of bloodletting began in earnest on March 20.

A Syrian rights group said at least 37 people had been killed in protests across the country on Friday."Syrian security committed (in Deraa) what could be called a crime against humanity," the National Organization for Human Rights said in a statement. "It fired indiscriminately on protesters and killed and wounded tens of them." State television for its part said armed groups had killed 19 policemen and wounded 75 in the city. The Interior Ministry warned it would not tolerate breaches of the law and would deal with "armed groups," state news agency SANA said.

Popular demonstrations calling for greater freedom, inspired by Arab uprisings that began in Tunisia and Egypt, have shaken Syria. Assad has responded with a mixture of force against protesters, gestures toward political reform and concessions to conservative Muslims, including closing Syria's only casino.

Commodities also gained as the dollar fell to the lowest level in more than a year against the euro. "Since the Libya unrest began, there's been a re-coupling of the inverse relationship between the dollar and oil," said Stephen Schork, president of the Schork Group Inc in Villanova, Pennsylvania. "The Middle East is being used as cover by speculators looking to send oil higher."

Crude oil for May delivery rose $2.49 to $112.79 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest settlement since September 22, 2008. Futures advanced 4.5 percent this week and are 32 percent higher than a year ago. Brent oil for May settlement increased $3.98, or 3.2 percent, to end the session at $126.65 a barrel on the London based ICE Futures Europe exchange. It was the highest settlement since July 30, 2008.

The European benchmark was at a $13.86-a-barrel premium over West Texas Intermediate, the oil traded in New York. London Brent, traditionally cheaper than WTI, has been higher than the Nymex grade since August because of ample US stockpiles. Since anti-government protests in Libya began February 15, oil in New York has increased 34 percent while the dollar has declined 6.6 percent versus the euro.

Many Asian central banks have been forced into waging wars to keep their currencies from appreciating because of the influx of investors to emerging markets. They sell waves of their own currencies into the market in an attempt to keep exports competitive. In return they often receive dollars. But with the Federal Reserve printing dollars and the greenback's value continually falling, the Asians sell those dollars in order to preserve the value of their reserves.

"Asia Pacific banks are renowned for their strict diversification" says Neil Mellor at BNY Mellon. "They hold a level with China in order to be competitive. Beyond that it's very strict ratios. They need to swap-out of dollars." When they sell dollars they often buy euros.

"China and Taiwan have tried looking further afield in their diversification, to the Australian and South Korean bond markets" says Mellyor. "But there are only two places that are deep enough to absorb reserves of this magnitude: the Euro Zone and the US. Whenever you see emerging markets perform well you will see the euro perform well."