Thundering explosions could be heard miles from Tungurahua, which is on the Andes cordillera 84 miles southeast of Ecuador's capital, Quito. A state Geophysics Institute scientist monitoring the volcano from a nearby observation post said by phone that incandescent boulders were landing up to 1.2 miles beneath crater level. 'The smallest blocks are that size of an automobile while the biggest reach the size of a truck, which cause impact craters up to 10 meters (33 feet) wide as they hit the flanks,' the scientist, Silvana Hidalgo, told The Associated Press.

Civil defence officials reported an intense shower of ash east of the volcano, including in Banos, a tourist destination three miles away that is popular for its hot springs. The volcano has been active since 1999. At least four people were killed and thousands evacuated in eruptions in July and August of 2006.

Mr Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, says he is incensed to have discovered that Eurocrats are planning to roll out a new Arc Manche 'transnational emblem' across England. The logo is described by its designers as a 'series of concentric circles symbolising the flow of projects... and bridges between territories'.

It includes the word Interreg, a contraction of inter-regional - the name of a 1-billion-pounds-a-year EU initiative to reduce the influence of national borders and increase cooperation between countries. The design will be emblazoned on EU 'vanity projects' in the cross-Channel area, including:

* A 7.6 million pounds network of 'cross-Channel' cycle lanes.

* A 5.5 million pounds scheme to pay for circus clowns to perform throughout the Arc Manche region.

* A 2 million pounds programme of cross-Channel 'contemporary art' tours.

Mr Pickles said he had inherited the plans from the Labour Government. 'Labour has been conspiring with European bureaucrats to wipe England off the map,' Mr Pickles said. 'Massive amounts of taxpayers' money is being wasted on vanity projects. I intend to fight these plans, stop this waste and protect England's national and local identities from EU empire-building.'

His outburst comes just days after the EU demanded an extra 682 million pounds a year from British taxpayers, taking the UK's annual contribution to the EU budget to more than 10 billion pounds - the equivalent of 400 pounds for every household. Downing Street called the request 'ludicrous' and accused EU officials of having lost touch with reality.

It is a match of potentially far greater importance than that made on Friday in London's Westminster Abbey. But enthusiasm has so far been in short supply. Following the Wednesday announcement of the agreement reached in Egypt between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party and its Islamist rival, Hamas, the global reaction has been one of caution and reserve.

And Israel, which seems to have been taken off guard by the announcement, has reacted with particular skepticism. Abbas, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, must choose "between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas." President Shimon Peres called the alliance a "grave mistake," and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Abbas "must understand that it is not possible to be a partner with terrorists without being a partner to terror."

The Egypt-mediated plan seeks to end four years of hostility between Hamas, which has control of the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, which rules the West Bank. It envisions the creation of a joint caretaker government to pave the way for elections next year. Many observers have noted that the alliance appears to be an effort to pave the way for the hoped-for United Nations recognition of a Palestinian state later this year. US-backed peace efforts came to a screeching halt last autumn once Israel resumed settlement construction following the expiration of a moratorium.

Two weeks of growing unrest - sparked by rising food and fuel prices - have gained fresh impetus after the violent arrest of the opposition leader Kizza Besigye on Thursday. Critics say President Yoweri Museveni, in power for 25 years, is losing his grip. They claim his wildly disproportionate crackdown on Besigye's "walk to work" protests smacks of panic and is sowing the seeds of popular revolt.

Some point to the political earthquakes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and wonder if the aftershocks could reach tyrannies south of the Sahara. Already there are pockets of unrest from Burkina Faso to Senegal to Swaziland. Even South Africa, reputed anchor of the continent, is tormented by deadly protests over poor public service delivery.

In Uganda there is an inchoate revolution struggling to be born. Protests have spread to several towns, leaving seven people dead and hundreds in jail. The riots, in which roads have been barricaded with burning tyres and vehicles pelted with rocks, mark a new level of defiance. Facebook and Twitter, which the government unsuccessfully tried to block, are reverberating with dissent. Museveni's heavyhanded attempts to put out the fire only appear to be fanning its flames.

Commodity prices could be the spark in a Ugandan tinderbox of resentment over corruption and neglected public services. Museveni has refused to copy neighbouring Kenya by cutting taxes on fuel. And with unfortunate timing his recent re-election campaign is estimated to have cost $350 million (210 million pounds) with a further $1.3 million (781,000 pounds) allotted to his inauguration ceremony, while a bill for new military fighter jets stands at $740 million (445 million pounds).

Cairo Mayor Judson Childs issued a mandatory evacuation order for the city of 2,800 residents late Saturday afternoon hours after meeting with Major General Michael Walsh, the Army Corps of Engineers officer tasked with deciding whether to blow a hole in the Birds Point levee in Missouri, downstream from Cairo, to relieve pressure on levees along the dangerously high Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Walsh, who toured Cairo's levee area, described the boil that has been growing since it was first spotted Tuesday as the largest he had ever seen, the Southeast Missourian newspaper reported.

Sand boils occur when high-pressure water pushes under flood walls and levees and wells up through the soil behind them. They're a potential sign of trouble. City clerk Lorrie Hesselrode described the boil as "kind of like Old Faithful," the famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. "There's so much water pressure it forces the water under ground."

The river is expected to crest in Cairo at 60.5 feet - a foot above the local record high - by Tuesday morning and stay there through at least Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. A flood wall protects Cairo up to 64 feet, but the corps fears that water pressure from the lingering river crest could compromise the wall and earthen levees that protect other parts of the city.

But, as indicated by the Treasury Department, Chinese ownership of US Treasury securities peaked in October 2010 and has declined in each of the four most recently reported months. At the end of October 2010, China owned 1.1753 trillion in US Treasury securities. That dropped to $1.1641 trillion by the end of November, $1.1601 trillion by the end of December, $1.1547 trillion by the end of January, and $1.1541 trillion by the end of February 2011.

The $1.1541 trillion in US debt owned by the mainland Chinese as of the end of February equaled about 12 percent of the publicly held portion of the US debt and almost 26 percent of the publicly held portion of the US debt that was owned by foreign interests.

Nato has confirmed the air strike, without denying or confirming the reported deaths. A Nato spokesman said the strike had hit a "known command-and-control building in the Bab al-Aziziya neighbourhood. All Nato's targets are military in nature... We do not target individuals," said Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard in a statement.

He said that he was aware of reports that members of Colonel Gaddafi's family had been killed, but made no further comment. "We regret all loss of life, especially the innocent civilians being harmed as a result of the ongoing conflict," said Lieutenant-General Bouchard.

Her apparently miraculous cure is part of the case for the beatification, the last stage before sainthood. Among those in Rome for the event is Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe. A Roman Catholic, he was given special permission by the EU to fly to Italy despite being the subject of a travel ban. The presidents of Poland and Mexico are also among some 90 heads of state and other dignitaries due to attend the beatification. The event is expected to draw at least half a million people, including large numbers of pilgrims from the late pope's native Poland.

St Peter's Square has been transformed for the occasion with a giant video screen showing Pope John Paul II's life story and a massive photograph hung from the white colonnades, the BBC's Duncan Kennedy reports. The late pontiff's coffin has already been exhumed from the crypt below St Peter's Basilica to be placed in front of the altar. After the Mass, it will be moved to a different part of the basilica.

It comes as members of the country's army units have reportedly clashed with each other over the crackdown on protesters in the city of Deraa - the heart of the popular uprising. More than 500 people have been killed across Syria - about 100 in Deraa alone - since the revolt against President Assad began in mid-March, according to human rights groups.

Ausama Monajed, a spokesman for a group of opposition figures in Syria and abroad, said the clashes among the troops have occurred since President Assad sent the army into the city on Monday. He said: "There are some battalions that refused to open fire on the people. Battalions of the 5th Division were protecting people, and returned fire when they were subjected to attacks by the 4th Division." The 4th division is run by the president's brother, Maher.

The Syrian government has denied there have been clashes between army units. The reported infighting in Deraa does not indicate any decisive splits in the military. But the development is being seen as significant because President Assad's army has been seen as a bastion of support for the regime. The Assad regime has been heavily criticised internationally and the US is considering tightening sanctions against the country.

European governments will discuss the situation on Friday

Egypt's new Foreign Ministry heads plan to normalize ties with Iran, according to spokeswoman Mena Bakhoum. "All the world has diplomatic ties with Iran with the exception of the United States and Israel," she said this week. "We look at Iran as a neighbor in the region that we should have normal relations with." Iran is currently perceived as neither enemy nor friend, she added. During anti-regime protests in Egypt, Iran encouraged protesters and expressed hope that a "new Egypt" would become part of an Islamic revolution in the Middle East. Iran has since called for stronger ties with Egypt.

Gulf regimes have expressed concern over Cairo's warmer ties with Iran. Bakhoum also announced that Egypt intends to completely open its border with Gaza. She termed the one-time blockade on Hamas "shameful." Egypt previously put in place a blockade of Hamas more stringent that Israel's, as Israel allowed humanitarian goods to enter through its borders. However, over the past two years Egypt has increasingly allowed people and goods to pass through its border with southern Gaza. Israel has relaxed its policy as well, but continues to forbid the import to Gaza of weapons or dual-purpose materials.

Most of the weapons in Gaza are believed to have entered the region via smuggling tunnels under the Egyptian border. Israel has relied on Egypt to fight smuggling and the weapons trade in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt showed its new approach to Hamas during talks for Palestinian Authority unity held with Hamas leaders and leaders of the rival Fatah faction. Hamas representatives were invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and met with senior leaders, including interim head of state Mohamed Tantawi.

The source of the River Thames has dried up after the UK experienced the lowest recorded rainfall in March since 1929. The Thames head spring in Trewsbury Mead near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, has stopped flowing after the driest March in more than 80 years. It was fed from deep underground and joins with the River Churn to make up the waters of the Thames that stretches for 215 miles (346 km).

But a stone placed in the meadow three miles south of Cirencester to mark the source of the infamous river is as dry as a bone. Experts are warning that the lack of rainfall is likely to lead to hosepipe bans and the possibility of droughts through the summer. The parched start to spring has left rivers across England and Wales 'exceptionally low' for the time of year, putting wildlife at risk and raising the prospect of hosepipe bans.

Forecasters say this month is on course to be one of the warmest and driest on record - and follows the driest March in 60 years.

At least 13 rivers are experiencing the kind of low levels seen in April only once every 20 years.

Ranchers were struggling to feed and water cattle, and farmers were left to watch their crops shrivel into the dusty soil. Some experts estimated that PRODUCERS WERE GIVING UP ON AS MUCH AS 70 PERCENT OF THE STATE'S WHEAT ACREAGE. "There are some scary things going on in Texas," said Brian Fuchs, climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, which released its weekly drought analysis Thursday morning.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association said this week that the drought appeared to be the worst since at least 1967. Lost agricultural production in Texas was estimated to top $3 billion, which compares with $4 billion in losses in 2006 and $3.6 billion in 2009. The dramatically lower-than-normal amount of moisture in the soil has caused widespread crop failures, including to the state's hard red winter wheat crop.

Texas is a key production area for wheat. The losses there and in parts of the US Plains hit by drought will aggravate already short supplies around the world. The drought in Texas and the Southwest comes at the same time that violent storms are spawning flooding and deadly tornadoes through parts of the Midwest and Southeast. The excessive rainfall has slowed the planting of corn in the Midwest and could threaten other crops like soybeans.

Under pressure from Ahmadinejad the intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi, a close ally of the supreme leader, stepped down on 17 April but was reinstated when Khamenei asked him in a letter to stay. The president has not publicly shown his support for that decision and on Wednesday he refused for the second time to chair a cabinet meeting in which Moslehi was present. Ahmadinejad also reportedly cancelled an official visit to the holy city of Qom prompting reactions among conservatives that "the president was sulking".

Under Iran's constitution, the president is in charge of appointing cabinet ministers who will hold the ministerial office after the approval of the parliament but an unwritten law requires all officials to abide by the supreme leader. Iran's opposition has speculated that Khamenei is worried about the increasing power of Ahmadinejad and especially his chief-of-staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei. Khamenei is believed to be particularly concerned about two key positions in the cabinet, the ministry of foreign affairs and the intelligence ministry, where he traditionally has influence. Ahmadinejad's administration is also accused of losing billions of dollars of Iran's oil revenues in recent years.

Khamenei has tried to play down his confrontation with Ahmadinejad in recent days. In an official visit to the southern province of Fars last Saturday, he praised the achievements made by Ahmadinejad's government and told the crowd he only intervenes in the government's affairs when he feels that "the expediency is ignored". He added: "I won't allow as long as I'm alive, an iota of deviation of this massive movement of the nation."

Even if rain were to fall at a normal rate for the remainder of the spring, the consequences of what has already happened in the Midwest will affect the way of life, property, agriculture and travel/shipping/navigation for weeks in the region. While the amount of evacuees currently numbers in the hundreds, it could soon number in the tens of thousands as levees are topped or breached and rivers expand their girth into more farming communities, towns and cities.

The flooding problem is not only for the major rivers in the long term, but flooding could repeat later this season for the smaller rivers feeding into the Mississippi and Ohio rivers as well as the multitude of small streams that feed into the rivers. The Black River flooded areas around Poplar Bluff, Missouri, while rising waters along a stream overtook the town of Johnson, Arkansas, early this week. A several-day stretch of rain-free weather is forecast by AccuWeather.com meteorologists to continue into the first part of the weekend. However, more rain and perhaps severe thunderstorms may return by early next week.

"There's a pretty good chance some of these were a mile wide, on the ground for tens of miles and had wind speeds over 200 mph," said Harold Brooks of the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklhoma. It may have been a single long-ranging twister that battered Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and then covered the 60 miles to Birmingham, Brooks said.

Most tornadoes are weak, so most reasonably built structures survive them. The typical tornado is on the ground for a couple of miles and is a couple hundred yards wide with half the wind speed of the storms that barreled through the region on Wednesday. It was the deadliest day for tornadoes since a series of twisters killed more than 300 people in 11 states in 1974, Brooks added. The death toll from Wednesday has surpassed 250 and is rising. The worst day in recorded history for storm fatalities is March 18, 1925, with 747 deaths.