"We have had big problems in southwest France for many years, but also now in Italy and Germany." Last year, about 30 percent of Europe's 13.6 million hives died, according to Apimondia figures. Losses reached 50 percent in Slovenia and as high as 80 percent in southwest Germany. With 35 percent of European food crops relying on bees to pollinate them, it poses a big threat for farmers, said Ratia.

Mystery has surrounded the recent decline of bee numbers, but most keepers blame modern farming methods and the powerful new pesticides used on crops like sunflower, maize and rapeseed. Two main factors were responsible for weakening bee colonies: insecticides and the parasitic mite Varroa, says Apimondia's scientific coordinator Gerard Arnold. Once weakened, the hives are then decimated by viruses and other diseases.

Earlier this year, the European Union voted to phase out the most toxic pesticides after years of wrangling, but many bee-keepers feel ignored by politicians. The honey industry's concerns are drowned out by the interests of the giant corporations that produce the pesticides, said Apimondia's Ratia. "Politicians are more susceptible to the big lobbying of the chemical industry," he said. "We beekeepers can talk and talk, but we don't receive much consideration."

The financial crisis began as turmoil in one small segment of the US mortgage market. Within months it had morphed into a global meltdown affecting almost everyone on earth. "THE SPEED AT WHICH THESE EVENTS UNFOLDED WAS UNPRECEDENTED," said the World Economic Forum's 2009 report on global risk. "It has demonstrated just HOW TIGHTLY INTERCONNECTED GLOBALISATION HAS MADE THE WORLD AND ITS SYSTEMS." Disease, too, can spread faster than ever before. Modern air travel means that any contagious outbreak can be worldwide in a matter of days. In the past, it would have taken months or years. The more complex and efficient a system, the faster and wider any contagion can spread.

The complexity that makes financial shocks more potentially dangerous also means that pandemics can wreak greater havoc. Analysts point out that when the Black Death plague hit Europe in the 14th century, killing around a third of the population, society did not collapse, because economic and social systems were relatively simple and so insulated from shocks. By contrast, a plague that hit the Roman empire in the 2nd century, with a similar death rate, caused chaos - Roman society was much more complex and economically advanced.

In its 2007 report on global risks, the World Economic Forum imagined the consequences of a simultaneous pandemic and global liquidity crisis - a scenario that was purely speculative then but which now seems eerily prescient. The result, it said, would be "a backlash against globalisation, which in turn compounds the hit on global demand". Across the world, it said, INCREASED MILITARISM AND AUTHORITARIAN TENDENCIES WOULD RESHAPE GLOBAL GEOPOLITICS. The events of the next few months may show just how accurate such a scenario could be.

She said she accepted the public did not want such sensitive data kept on a single database or under the control of the state. SHE STILL INTENDS TO MONITOR THE PUBLIC'S EVERY INTERNET CLICK AND PHONE CALL, however, except that the data will be stored by the service providers. Miss Smith's change of policy raised immediate questions about the future of similar schemes such as the Contact-Point children's database, the £12billion NHS patient computer system and the ID cards National Identity Register.

There is still widespread concern about the revised £2billion plan. According to a consultation document published yesterday, every internet and phone company will have to allocate an ID to each customer. They would then have to store alongside that ID details of every phone call made and text message sent and every click on the internet - including visits to social networking sites such as Facebook - for a minimum of 12 months. The actual content of calls and emails would not be kept.

Police, security services and other public authorities could request access to the data as part of investigations. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: 'The big problem is that the Government has built a culture of surveillance which goes far beyond counter terrorism and serious crime.

The WHO has raised its alert level from three to four, two steps short of declaring a full pandemic. Mexico earlier said it believed 149 people had now died from the swine flu, though only 20 cases are confirmed. The US, Canada, Spain and Britain have confirmed milder versions. The WHO's decision to raise the alert level to four came after an emergency meeting of experts, brought forward by a day because of concerns over the outbreak.

WHO PANDEMIC ALERT PHASES
Phase 1: No viruses circulating among animals causing infections in humans
Phase 2: Animal influenza virus causes infection in humans, and is considered potential pandemic threat
Phase 3: Influenza causes sporadic cases in people, but no significant human-to-human transmission
Phase 4: Verified human-to-human transmission able to cause community-level outbreaks. Significant increase in risk of a pandemic
Phase 5: Human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. Strong signal pandemic imminent
Phase 6: Virus spreads to another country in a different region. Global pandemic under way

Prof Douglas Kell says investment in the UK alone needs to be increased by £100m if farmers are to produce sufficient food to meet global demand. "This is happening now," he told BBC News. "Last year, in Indonesia and Mexico, there were food riots." Prof Kell leads the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. He envisages further unrest if there is not a major effort to develop agricultural science.

Professor Kell's warning follows a statement made by the UK government's chief scientific adviser, Professor John Beddington, in which he said that demand for food and energy would jump 50% by 2030 as the population topped 8.3 billion. Changing temperatures and rainfall patterns resulting from climate change would mean that farmers had to grow different, possibly completely new, varieties of crops, he argued. He also warned that a changing climate could lead many crop-eating insects to migrate. AT PRESENT, 30-40% OF ALL CROPS ARE LOST DUE TO PEST AND DISEASE BEFORE THEY ARE HARVESTED.

New methods of sequencing the genomes of plants mean that scientists now have the ability to identify key genes that might improve food production. Modifications could make them more resistant to pests or increases in temperature, scientists say. "There is a significant likelihood that without investing in the science to deliver higher crop yields, we will not have the kinds of food levels we need to ensure food security," Prof Kell said. The onus was on the UK because it led the world in this field, he told BBC News. "The UK has a particularly strong science base in plant and microbial science and that puts us in a particularly good place to help us feed the world."

The 6.0-magnitude quake was centered near Chilpancingo, about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southwest of Mexico City or 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the resort of Acapulco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Televisa television network quoted Mexico City officials saying there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake rattled nerves in a city already nervous about a swine flu outbreak suspected of killing as many as 149 people nationwide. "I'm scared," said Sarai Luna Pajas, a 22-year-old social services worker standing outside her office building moments after it hit. "WE MEXICANS ARE NOT USED TO LIVING WITH SO MUCH FEAR, but all that is happening? THE ECONOMIC CRISIS, THE ILLNESSES AND NOW THIS? IT FEELS LIKE THE APOCALYPSE."

Co-worker Harold Gutierrez, 21, said the country was taking comfort from its religious faith, but HE TOO WAS GRIPPED BY THE SENSATION THAT THE WORLD MIGHT BE COMING TO AN END. "If it is, it is God's plan," he said, speaking over a green mask used to ward off swine flu.

"The more people who vote Conservative on June 4, the more pressure there will be on Gordon Brown to hold the referendum he promised," Conservative leader David Cameron told a news conference. Cameron, widely expected to win the next general election, said he would keep up his opposition to the Lisbon Treaty even if it had come into effect by then.

"IF IT IS IN FORCE, WE WILL NOT LET MATTERS REST THERE," he added, signalling a harder line on European integration than that of the Labour government. CAMERON SAID THE CONSERVATIVES WOULD HOLD A REFERENDUM AND RECOMMEND A "NO" VOTE if the treaty had not been implemented by the time they got into power. Cameron said the treaty represented a transfer of power from Westminster to Brussels.

The Lisbon Treaty is intended to streamline decision-making in the 27-nation EU and would give it a long-term president. The British parliament has approved the treaty which replaces an EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD PROMISED A REFERENDUM ON THE EU CONSTITUTION, but says it does not need one on the treaty.

Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan said they would quarantine visitors showing symptoms of the virus amid a surging global concern about a possible pandemic. World stock markets fell as investors worried that the deadly outbreak could go global and derail any global economic recovery. Airlines took the brunt of the selling.
The virus was suspected in up to 103 deaths in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak with more than 1,600 cases suspected, while 20 cases were confirmed in the United States and six in Canada.

President Barack Obama said the threat of spreading infections is cause for concern but "not a cause for alarm." In Luxembourg, European Union Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou urged Europeans to postpone nonessential travel to the United States and Mexico "unless it is very urgent for them." Dr. Richard Besser, acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said the EU recommendation was not warranted. "At this point I would not put a travel restriction or recommendation against coming to the United States." A top German holiday tour operator said it was suspending charter flights to Mexico City.

"These are early days. It's quite clear that there is a potential for this virus to become a pandemic and threaten globally," World Health Organization spokesman Peter Cordingley told AP Television News, "But we honestly don't know," he added. "We don't know enough yet about how this virus operates."

Organized by Brad O'Leary, author of the new book, "Shut Up, America! The End of Free Speech," and Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, the group chose one attendee to be spokesman and chairman of the coalition – syndicated host Roger Hedgecock of San Diego. A daylong discussion today focused on what was described as the "imminent threat" of so-called "LOCALISM" requirements THAT WILL SUBJECT RADIO PROGRAMMING TO THE REVIEW BY PANELS OF COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS WHO WILL EVALUATE STATION CONTENT.

These panels will be empowered to make recommendations for programming changes and challenge at the Federal Communications Commission the license renewals of stations that don't heed their advice.
Also of concern to the hosts and producers gathered in the nation's capital was a decision last week by Clear Channel, the nation's largest owner of radio stations, to mandate the creation of local advisory boards by June at all of its properties. The move was seen as pre-emptive as the industry anticipates an FCC STACKED WITH BARACK OBAMA APPOINTEES will soon require stations to answer to panels of community activists.

The FCC is currently composed of two Democrat and two Republican commissioners. Obama has nominated a new chairman, Julius Genachowski, which would give Democrats a 3-2 majority once he is confirmed. Genachowski advocates creating new media ownership rules that promote a diversity of voices on the airwaves. In fact, Genachowski is credited with helping craft the Obama technology agenda, which states: "Encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation's spectrum."

"SUCH LANGUAGE IS BUREAUCRATESE FOR GOVERNMENT CONTROL," says O'Leary. "So-called 'public interest' requirements would put broadcasters at the mercy of local review boards. Such boards would, of course, be politically charged entities with the power to bar any broadcast content that is not deemed to be in the 'public interest' of the local community."

By demanding radio stations answer to local community watchdog boards to ensure programming is "balanced, fair, diverse, tolerant and serving the public interest locally," O'Leary says the rules and legislation being planned WILL ONCE AGAIN MAKE TALK RADIO ACCOUNTABLE TO POLITICIANS, POLITICAL ACTIVISTS AND BUREAUCRATS AT THE FCC.

A "flawed international monetary system is the institutional root cause of the crisis and a major defect in the current international economic governance structure," Li said, according to a statement. "Accordingly, we should improve the regulatory mechanism for reserve currency issuance, maintain the relative stability of exchange rates of major reserve currencies and promote a diverse and sound international currency system."

As the world's main reserve currency, US dollars account for most governments' foreign exchange reserves and are used to set international market prices for oil, gold and other currencies. As the issuer of the key reserve currency, THE UNITED STATES ALSO PAYS LESS FOR PRODUCTS AND CAN BORROW MORE EASILY.

Li did not name the dollar but in late March the People's Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said he wanted to replace the US unit which has served as the world's reserve currency since World War II. Zhou's remarks sparked uproar and concern since China has the world's largest forex reserves at 1.9 trillion dollars. China became the world's top holder of US Treasury bonds last September, and currently holds around 800 billion dollars, according to official US data. Beijing has voiced increasing concern over its massive exposure to the US dollar as the global crisis has steadily deepened.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napilotano says roughly 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu are being released from a federal stockpile so that states can get it if needed. The first death was in southern Oaxaca state on April 13, but Mexico didn't send the first of 14 mucous samples to the CDC until April 18, around the same time it dispatched health teams to hospitals looking for patients with severe flu or pnuemonia-like symptoms.

Those teams noticed something strange: The flu was killing people aged 20 to 40. Flu victims are usually either infants or the elderly. THE SPANISH FLU PANDEMIC, which killed at least 40 million people worldwide in 1918-19, ALSO FIRST STRUCK OTHERWISE HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS.

The World Health Organization on Saturday asked all countries to step up reporting and surveillance of the disease, as airports around the world were screening travelers from Mexico for flu symptoms. Asked why there were so many deaths in Mexico, and none so far among the US cases, Cordova noted that the US cases involved children — who haven't been among the fatal cases in Mexico, either.

"THERE ARE IMMUNE FACTORS THAT ARE GIVING CHILDREN SOME SORT OF DEFENSE, that is the only explanation we have," he said. Scientists have warned for years about the potential for a pandemic from viruses that mix genetic material from humans and animals.

While the only deaths so far have been in Mexico, the flu is spreading with 20 cases in the United States and four in Canada, and possible infections also popped up as far afield as Europe and New Zealand. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg confirmed on Sunday that eight schoolchildren there had caught the swine flu virus, although the cases were mild and the illness did not appear to be spreading rapidly to the general population.

Another 12 cases have been confirmed in California, Kansas, Texas and Ohio, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the government would declare a public health emergency. Canadian health authorities said four cases were confirmed there. In New Zealand, 10 students from a school party that had been in Mexico were being tested after showing flu-like symptoms.

The World Health Organisation has declared the flu, of a type never seen before, a "public health emergency of international concern" and says it could become a pandemic, or a global outbreak of serious disease. A PANDEMIC WOULD DEAL A MAJOR BLOW TO A WORLD ECONOMY already suffering its worst recession in decades, and experts say it could cost trillions of dollars.

Speaking to NBC's "Meet the Press," King Abdullah described the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as the core problem of the region and solving it would help the US in dealing with Iran and combatting the appeal of radical Islamic groups like Al-Qaida.

"In the next 18 months, if we don't move the process forward, and bring people to the negotiation table, there will be another conflict between Israel and another protagonist," he said in the interview recorded in Washington on Friday. "If it's left to the players, the Israelis and the Palestinians by themselves, we're not going to get anywhere — it can only happen if there is an American umbrella with a determined American president," he added.

Jordan is one of two Arab countries that have signed a peace treaty with Israel and is a strong US ally in the region. The majority of the country's citizens are also of Palestinian origin, making it very interested in the ongoing peace talks.

Archbishop Martin affirmed: "EUROPE TODAY NEEDS A VISION FOR ITS FUTURE. Rather than lamenting a lack of recognition of the Christian heritage of Europe in recent political documents and events, European Christians have a new opportunity to bring to a Europe in search of hope and vision a challenging way of living the Christian message."

He noted that the "Christian community spread across the continent must be a focus on unity. As in the early Church," he added, "the Christian community which today lives and witnesses to the message of the resurrection can bring to Europe something of that spirit of sharing which marked the early Church."

"The future of European integration will not in the first place be the result of a treaty or of new political structures," asserted the prelate. He continued: "Europe needs to be nurtured by that spirit of 'unity of heart and soul' of which the first reading spoke. Europe must become a Europe of peoples; a Europe of peoples which are different yet capable of living together in unity and solidarity."

Since signing the Fundamental Agreement in 1993, which established diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Israel, the two sides have been negotiating the particulars of tax exemptions and PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR THE CHURCH, IN PARTICULAR FOR THE HOLY SITES. Talks stopped altogether in 2003 for several years, and began again in 2005.

While the negotiations have nothing officially to do with Benedict XVI's visit to the Holy Land, which will take place May 8-15, sources in the Vatican explain that Israel is interested in the good image the Pope's visit can give to the nation, and THE CHURCH IS INTERESTED IN CONSOLIDATING ITS PRESENCE IN THE HOLY LAND.