Ten leaders are holding talks at African Union (AU) headquarters in the Ethiopian capital to try to agree a common stance ahead of a UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen in December. Experts say Africa contributes little to the pollution blamed for warming, but is likely to be hit hardest by the droughts, floods, heatwaves and rising sea levels forecast IF CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT CHECKED.

The draft resolution, which must still be approved by the 10 leaders, called for rich countries to pay $67 billion annually to counter the impact of global warming in Africa. It said there had been serious limitations on Africa's ability to negotiate in the past because of a lack of a coherent stance on global warming by African governments. "The negotiating team need to be backed with the political weight at the highest level in the continent to ensure that the African voice on climate change negotiations is taken with the seriousness it deserves", the document said.

Franks said there was not enough evidence that Obama is not an American citizen. He did say there was a lot of conflicting evidence of Obama's citizenship and that he was considering filing a lawsuit, the only congressman to do so. Franks asked why the President did not simply produce a birth certificate.

Franks, a global warming skeptic, is pal of 'Focus on the Family' founder James Dobson and served as a high-ranking aide to former Arizona Governor Evan Mecham, who was removed from office and canceled the state's Martin Luther King Jr holiday while Franks was on the payroll.

A similar suit has already been dismissed by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

His angry rhetoric came on the heels of a rant on Friday, when he told Daily News columnist Errol Louis that he is a victim of an "orchestrated" media campaign to push him from office. HE CLAIMED PRESIDENT OBAMA IS NEXT ON THE TARGET LIST.

Without addressing the merits of Paterson's complaints, a "sympathetic" Mayor Bloomberg blamed the governor's rants on frustration. "He's got roughly 14 months left to go, and if I were him I would do what I think he is doing - try to be the best governor he can," Bloomberg said. Meanwhile, a new Siena Research Institute poll taken before the governor's comments Friday showed his job approval rating at a meager 23% and his favorability rating at just 32%.

Then, late last year, policymakers who had been behind the curve finally started to use most of the weapons in their arsenal. That effort worked and the free-fall of economic activity eased. There are three open questions now on the outlook. When will the global recession be over? What will be the shape of the economic recovery? Are there risks of a relapse?

There are also now two reasons why there is a rising risk of a double-dip W-shaped recession. For a start, there are risks associated with exit strategies from the massive monetary and fiscal easing: policymakers are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they take large fiscal deficits seriously and raise taxes, cut spending and mop up excess liquidity soon, they would undermine recovery and tip the economy back into stag-deflation (recession and deflation). But if they maintain large budget deficits, bond market vigilantes will punish policymakers. Then, inflationary expectations will increase, long-term government bond yields would rise and borrowing rates will go up sharply, leading to stagflation.

Another reason to fear a double-dip recession is that oil, energy and food prices are now rising faster than economic fundamentals warrant, and could be driven higher by excessive liquidity chasing assets and by speculative demand. Last year, oil at $145 a barrel was a tipping point for the global economy, as it created negative terms of trade and a disposable income shock for oil importing economies. THE GLOBAL ECONOMY COULD NOT WITHSTAND ANOTHER CONTRACTIONARY SHOCK IF SIMILAR SPECULATION DRIVES OIL RAPIDLY TOWARDS $100 A BARREL.

In summary, the recovery is likely to be anaemic and below trend in advanced economies and THERE IS A BIG RISK OF A DOUBLE-DIP RECESSION.

Among the everyday sayings that have been quietly dropped in a bid to stamp out racism and sexism are "whiter than white", "gentleman's agreement", "black mark" and "right-hand man". The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has advised staff to replace the phrase "black day" with "miserable day", according to documents released under freedom of information rules. It points out that certain words carry with them a "hierarchical valuation of skin colour". The commission even urges employees to be mindful of the term "ethnic minority" because it can imply "something smaller and less important".

The National Gallery in London believes that the phrase "gentleman's agreement" is potentially offensive to women and suggests that staff should replace it with "unwritten agreement" or "an agreement based on trust" instead. The term "right-hand man" is also considered taboo by the gallery, with "second in command" being deemed more suitable.

Many institutions have urged their workforce to be mindful of "gender bias" in language. The Learning and Skills Council wants staff to "perfect" their brief rather than "master" it, while the Newcastle University has singled out the phrase "master bedroom" as being problematic.

Marie Clair, spokeswoman for the Plain English Campaign, said: "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS HAS GOOD INTENTIONS BUT THINGS CAN BE TAKEN TO AN EXTREME. What is really needed is a bit of common sense."

Manhattan Chief US District Judge Loretta Preska rejected the central bank's argument that the records aren't covered by the law because their disclosure would harm borrowers' competitive positions. The collateral lists "are central to understanding and assessing THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE MOST CATACLYSMIC FINANCIAL CRISIS IN AMERICA since the Great Depression," according to the lawsuit that led to yesterday's ruling.

The Fed has refused to name the borrowers, the amounts of loans or the assets put up as collateral under 11 programs, saying that doing so might set off a run by depositors and unsettle shareholders. Bloomberg LP, the New York-based company majority-owned by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, sued November 7 on behalf of its Bloomberg News unit.

"When an unprecedented amount of taxpayer dollars were lent to financial institutions in unprecedented ways and the Federal Reserve refused to make public any of the details of its extraordinary lending, Bloomberg News asked the court WHY US CITIZENS DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW," said Matthew Winkler, the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News. "We're gratified the court is defending the public's right to know what is being done in the public interest."

Mr Bernanke has been praised for taking action to bail out failing banks, which Mr Obama believes has limited the effects of the economic crisis. Mr Bernanke's four-year tenure comes up for renewal in January.

In remarks prepared for the announcement, Mr Obama said Mr Bernanke had helped prevent a repeat of the Great Depression. "Ben approached a financial system on the verge of collapse with calm and wisdom, with bold action and outside-the-box thinking that has helped put the brakes on our economic free-fall," the president is expected to say.

"Our auto industry is showing signs of life. Business investment is showing signs of stabilizing. Our housing market and credit markets have been saved from collapse. Taken together, all of these steps have brought our economy back from the brink. They are steps that are working," he will say.

This increase is detailed in a Treasury document which was quietly released by the Government just before the summer break. Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally was quoted in the News of the World and the Express saying "WITH THE POPULARITY OF THE EU AT AN ALL-TIME LOW IN BRITAIN, IT IS ­ COMPLETE MADNESS THAT WE ARE PAYING MORE THAN EVER INTO ITS COFFERS. The EU budget is riddled with fraud and waste - it hasn't had its accounts signed off in 14 years. And despite this, British taxpayers are being asked to cough up more and more every single year."

"The full impact of Tony Blair's amazingly bad deal is still to come, as our contributions are set to increase even more in the coming years. Meanwhile, we continue to get less back in EU funds per head than any other country. Let's hope the next British government talks a tougher game in Brussels and gets us a fairer deal." Lorraine also appeared on Suntalk radio, speaking on the subject.

Meanwhile, a leader in the Sunday Telegraph argued that, "THE EU IS HARDLY VALUE FOR MONEY."

Anthony Coughlan, Director of the National Platform on EU Research and Information, said that the Commission's intervention is "THE BRUSSELS COMMISSION BEHAVING AS A POLITICAL PARTY and engaging directly in the Irish referendum campaign". He added, "The commission is using the EU taxpayers' money, partly financed by Irish taxpayers, through the medium of its website to help support the Yes campaign."

Calling for a "clean" debate on the Lisbon Treaty, Canon Ellis added: "It is not fair to suggest that the Lisbon vote is about being at the heart of Europe or about being good Europeans. THAT KIND OF MORAL BLACKMAIL IS NOT 'FAIR PLAY'. The referendum is only about the Lisbon Treaty and its provisions for the EU. Is this how the EU should be? That is the question for voters."

In Saturday's Irish Independent, Bruce Arnold criticised the Irish government's campaign strategy, arguing that the "BIGGEST MISREPRESENTATION OF FACTS ABOUT LISBON is contained in the Government White Paper."

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Alex Salmond, the First Minister, has confirmed that he would resign if the Holyrood vote went against him. The development comes after a weekend of fierce criticism from the United States of the decision on the ground of compassion to return al-Megrahi to Libya, where he was fêted as a hero on his return.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was appalled by the freeing of al-Megrahi, echoing the earlier attack by Robert Mueller, the FBI Director, who accused Scotland of "making a mockery of the rule of law" and giving "comfort to terrorists around the world". Threats by Americans to boycott Scottish goods and services on the back of the al-Megrahi decision are being taken seriously by the British Government.

The Daily Telegraph reports - Gordon Brown is under increasing pressure to break his "astonishing" silence over the release of the Lockerbie bomber, after it was disclosed he had discussed the issue with Colonel Gaddafi six weeks ago. Admiral Mike Mullen, the most senior US military officer, said he was "appalled" by the decision to free Megrahi. "THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A POLITICAL DECISION," he said.

Chancellor candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the center-left Social Democratic Party says that, if his party wins Germany's federal election, he wants to negotiate a "concrete schedule" FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF GERMAN TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN. Steinmeier, who is Germany's foreign minister, told Spiegel that, "as Chancellor I would push for us to develop plans with the new Afghan government to establish a clear perspective for the duration and end of the military engagement."

Steinmeier said he would push that agenda during negotiations over the extension of the Afghan Compact. The international aid treaty expires in 2010. Steinmeier said he would like to see more concrete targets for incrementally transferring responsibilities to the Afghan police and army. Steinmeier said his policy mirrored US President Barack Obama's goal of completing the mission in Afghanistan as fast and successfully as possible. "We also need to do that," Steinmeier told Spiegel. "The goal is to again transfer full control of the country to a democratically elected government as soon as possible."

However, Chief Executive Michael Izza warned against "underestimating" the challenges ahead for businesses. The institute predicts the UK economy will grow by 0.5% in the third quarter. Its forecast comes after the economy shrank by 0.8% in the second quarter of the year.

More than 1,000 chartered accountants were surveyed across England and Wales. "This quarter's Business Confidence Monitor suggests that the UK recession is at an end," said Mr Izza. "While there is no doubt that the UK economy is on its way to recovery, WE SHOULDN'T UNDERESTIMATE THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR BUSINESSES."

THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WAS UNDER STRAIN over new allegations linking UK trade interests with the freeing of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi on compassionate grounds - he has terminal cancer. US government sources urged Gordon Brown to end his silence and Opposition MPs demanded records of all meetings between ministers and the Libyan regime.

Security sources expressed concern that counter-terrorism co-operation with the US is in danger after the head of the FBI attacked Megrahi's release by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill as a 'mockery of justice'. Lord Mandelson was also under growing pressure as new links emerged between his associates and the son of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi. The Business Secretary has angrily denied there was a deal to free Megrahi, who was pictured this weekend at home with his family.

US families who lost loved ones in the bombing, which claimed 270 lives, are understood to be behind the boycott campaign. But many others in the US have been horrified at claims by Saif Gaddafi that Megrahi's case was 'on the table' in all recent trade talks. In a transcript of a conversation as they flew home from Glasgow, Mr Gaddafi tells Megrahi: 'YOU WERE ON THE TABLE IN ALL BRITISH INTERESTS WHEN IT CAME TO LIBYA, and I personally supervised this matter. Also, during the visits of the previous Prime Minister, Tony Blair.'

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Little Rock claims the farmers' crops were corrupted by the rice that was produced by Bayer.

The US Department of Agriculture announced in August 2006 that TRACES OF AN UNAPPROVED GENETICALLY ENGINEERED RICE HAD BEEN FOUND IN US SUPPLIES of long-grain rice. The lawsuit says Bayer and Riceland Foods Inc confirmed the traces in early 2006 but didn't tell farmers, the government or the public until July or August.