But he claimed that as violence has become more prevalent in films, viewers have become desensitised to real-life crime - making the carrying of knives "almost an acceptable commonplace". His comments come as England is gripped by a wave of knife crime. In London alone, 17 teenagers have been stabbed to death since the New Year, while official figures disclosed earlier this month that a knife crime took place every four minutes in 2007.

Lord Attenborough said: "Thirty years ago if Gary Cooper pulled out a gun the audience would give a sharp intake of breath. Now the act of violence with a gun or a knife is the norm and we in the entertainment industry are partly responsible in making the presence of weapons such as knives almost an acceptable commonplace. So now knife crime is not thought of as something that is horrific and to be abhorred. It's part of normal existence."

Earlier this year censors approved the release on DVD of a group of "video nasties" which had been banned for 20 years, on the grounds that modern attitudes to on-screen violence are more relaxed.

A German television report on the availability of gene doping in China has stunned anti-doping experts shortly before the Beijing Olympics. In a documentary by ARD television, a Chinese doctor offers stem-cell therapy to a reporter posing as an American swimming coach. The report, filmed with a concealed camera, shows the doctor with his face blurred speaking in Chinese and offering the treatment in return for $24,000, according to a translation provided by the ARD television.

Still, keep this report in mind as China and its leaders glorify in the country's medal parade in a couple of weeks, as athlete after athlete collects gold. Think east German swimmer Kornelia Ender (Montreal '76) sprinter Ben Johnson (Seoul 1988), Ma's army (Chinese track coach Ma Junren, who had six of his athletes suspended in Sydney 2000 for doping), and Marion Jones, the US track star who "dominated" her events in Sydney and is now serving a six month jail sentence for lying to federal agents about her steroid use.

The anti doping cops can't keep up with advances made in delivery systems, shielding agents and, most importantly, the stem cell based gene tweaking, which is now the cutting edge of this stuff. For all of the above, China's a one stop shop.

The Israelis, along with everyone else, are now counting on European-led diplomatic efforts to persuade the Iranians to halt their uranium-enrichment program. But they know diplomacy may fail, which is why a debate now rages in the highest circles of Israel's government and military: If the Europeans fail and the Americans remain reluctant to launch another war in the Middle East, should Israel strike alone against Iran?

When President Bush visited Israel in mid-May, senior Israeli leaders came away from talks confident that the U.S. would attack Iran if it refused to stop enriching uranium. Says one top Israeli military planner privy to Israel's discussions with the U.S. on Iran, "We were under the illusion during Bush's last visit that he was much more determined to order a military action." No longer.

Last week's U-turn, in which the Bush Administration sent a high-ranking State Department official to join the European delegation meeting Iran's top nuclear negotiator, and the proposal to open a U.S. Interests Section to handle consular matters in Tehran - which would be the first U.S. diplomatic presence in Iran since its embassy was stormed in 1979 - has stunned Israeli officials. So dismayed were the Israelis by the latest U.S. moves, one military source told TIME, that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert wrote to Bush complaining that Israel should have been forewarned about the White House's abrupt change of course towards Iran.

"If we're honest - we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart and forgotten our shared destiny," he said. At least 200,000 people heard the Democratic Party candidate make the only public speech of his world tour. His words were broadcast live in Germany, where he is a popular figure.

Mr Obama began his speech by paying tribute to the Berliners who held out against Soviet pressure during the blockade in 1948. Appealing for a renewed partnership with Europe, he identified terrorism, nuclear proliferation, trade barriers and climate change as global challenges.

Mr Obama's appearance had the air of a rock concert in the Tiergarten Park, a place that has become associated with huge feel-good football parties in recent years, the BBC reports. His rhetoric and unusual background have captured the imagination of a country which views its own politicians as rather dour and grey, our correspondent says.

The fast of the 17th of Tammuz, the day of the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, marks the beginning of the Three Weeks. The fast of the 9th of Av, commemorates the day of the actual destruction by fire of the Holy Temple, and is the last day of the Three Weeks. The three weeks is a period of mourning over these destructions.

The Three Weeks, for the year 5768 / 2007-2008, begin on JULY 20, 2008 (17th of Tammuz), and continue through AUGUST 10, 2008 (9th of Av).

If the nine countries go ahead, it will be the first time the legal mechanism - allowing a minimum of eight EU states to present the European Commission with a demand for "enhanced co-operation" - will have been activated.

France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Luxembourg and Romania are set to implement the so-called enhanced co-operation procedure, while other countries - including Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Lithuania - are also currently considering joining the initiative, according to the AFP news agency.

Provided that the commission accepts the move, it then has to be approved by a qualified majority of the bloc's 27 member states. Enhanced co-operation is seen as one of the ways to avoid EU-wide paralysis, which may increasingly come into play if the EU fails to quickly overcome the Irish No vote and implement the new Lisbon treaty. BUT CRITICS OF THE PROCEDURE SAY THAT IT WOULD LEAD TO A "TWO-SPEED EUROPE."

Brussels' move is prompted by frustration at the US government over the slow pace of talks on granting all EU citizens visa-free travel to the United States. "No tangible progress has been made regarding the United States despite all efforts of the commission and individual member states," the commission said on Wednesday (23 July).

"Therefore, the commission will propose retaliatory measures e.g. temporary restoration of the visa requirement for US nationals holding diplomatic and service or official passports as of 1 January, 2009 if no progress is achieved."

At the moment, citizens from 12 of the 27 member states need a visa when travelling to the US - these include most of the ex-Communist countries that joined the bloc since 2004 as well as Greece. The visa issue has bubbled below the surface continually since the EU's major enlargement to the east four years ago. Travel arrangements between the two blocs is set to continue as a hot topic for the coming months.

Speaking with military forces in Helmand, Nelson says it is accepted that the problem is not just one of domestic insurgency: war is being waged on Afghanistan by Pakistan.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on Pakistan's border is arguably the most terrorist-infested zone in the world, and hosts substantial al-Qaeda camps. A failure on the sides of both Afghanistan and Pakistan to enforce border controls means that militant groups are free to cross it every day, with its sole significance for jihadis as a line beyond which NATO troops cannot chase them.

Therefore it is necessary to address Pakistan directly in resolving this problem. Both US Presidential candidates have expressed the need to target the FATA, although the idea of American incursions into Pakistani territory deeply unnerves Britain. As Nelson argues, accepting that the conflict now involves PAKISTAN, A COUNTRY WITH AN UNSTABLE GOVERNMENT AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS, IS A FRIGHTENING PROSPECT.

Agence Europe reveals that a new report from the European Commission has shown that the EU lost 1.4 billion euros in reported fraud and financial irregularities in 2007, compared with around 1.2 billion euros in 2006. This amounts to 6.5 million euros lost every working day.

The number of structural measures and Cohesion Fund irregularities reported rose by 19.2% (3,832 cases in 2007, compared with 3,216 in 2006). The estimated financial impact (828 million euros, or around 1.83% of commitment appropriations) was up by 17.7%. The Commission report reveals that suspected fraud has also increased - 208.9 million euros in 2007, compared with 188.93 euros million in 2006.

The article notes that for the first time, the report contains statistics on expenditure directly managed by the Commission. The estimated number of irregularities in this area came to 411, with an estimated financial impact of 33 million euros, 18.1 million euros of which was accounted for by 136 reported cases of suspected fraud.

However, French Trade Minister Anne-Marie Idrac stated that the EU would refuse to compromise on opening its markets for farm goods: "We can't go further; we won't go further on agriculture and we expect more open market access from emerging countries". UK Trade Minister Gareth Thomas told the programme that the EU had unveiled a 60% tariff reduction - but did not mention that the EU Commission admitted on Monday that this offer was in fact "nothing new", or that Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson had merely shifted the way the pre-existing tariff cut figure was presented. Mandelson conceded that the 60% cut was actually a "reiteration" of the EU's existing position.

Mandelson's actions show that "the Commission is more interested in propaganda than in proposing real pro-development solutions on trade - perhaps this emphasis on spin is a tactic designed to pre-empt a breakdown in the talks this week, ALLOWING THE EU TO SHIFT THE BLAME ONTO OTHER NEGOTIATING PARTIES AND DIVERT MEDIA ATTENTION AWAY FROM ITS OWN INTRANSIGENCE."

The Irish Times reports that the EU Commission has reassured EU Member States that the single-farm payment is not threatened by reforms proposed in global trade talks taking place this week.

Mr Hague added that a Cameron administration would look to scupper the Lisbon Treaty if it had not already been ratified by all other states: "WE WOULD WITHDRAW RATIFICATION BY BRITAIN AND SUBJECT IT TO A REFERENDUM, IN WHICH WE WOULD RECOMMEND A NO VOTE".

Mr Hague said that the party are, '"very positive about many aspects of the EU", including its commitment to tackling climate change and opening markets, particularly in the services area, and joint foreign policy action on issues such as Iran. The paper suggests that Mr Hague is worried voters are being 'turned off' by the perception that the Conservatives are 'obsessed' by Europe and he therefore preferred talking about nuclear proliferation than the EU.

Rabbi Elyakim Levanon of Elon Moreh said at the conference: "This council needs to be not just an entity that elects Knesset Members or creates the infrastructure for election of the party's candidates. It must accompany the Knesset Members with consultation, advice and guidance."

The unification initiative calls on members of the splintered national-religious camp to learn to work side by side with other people who share their ideals but disagree on methods, priorities, nuances and style.

"Everyone lifts his flag and says - only this way!" Levanon explained the problem emotionally. "If the other deviate by a millimetre to the left or to the right they are not willing to listen. The others become the enemies of the vision."

Officials feared Dolly's rains still would cause flooding problems in the coming days, possibly overwhelming levees along the Rio Grande. Dolly, the second hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, dropped up to 12 inches of rain in the first few hours after coming ashore at the barrier island of South Padre Island, where it ripped off roofs, bent palm trees in half and left thousands of residents without power.

The full effect of the flooding might not be seen for days as rain dumped by Dolly's inland march flows back down the Rio Grande to coastal areas, Nielsen-Gammon said. Rain was falling as rapidly as 4 inches (10 cm) per hour and the worst flooding could occur on the Mexican side of the border, he said.

In Cameron County near the Mexico border, officials had expected up to 20 inches of rain. "That's going to do a number on our county," said Johnny Cavazos, the county's emergency management coordinator. He said levees holding back the Rio Grande held under similar conditions during Hurricane Beulah in 1967 but have "seriously deteriorated" since then.

The second-quarter loss was deeper than analysts had forecast and Ford shares fell by 15 percent. Its bonds also traded lower. Ford cautioned that it did not expect a U.S. economic turnaround until 2010 with oil prices remaining "high and volatile" and no relief for the high prices for steel and other commodities that have hit automakers hard.

In response to the sudden premium on fuel efficiency, the No. 2 U.S. automaker said it would retool truck plants in Michigan and Kentucky to make small cars in addition to an already announced conversion for a Mexican truck plant.

In addition, Ford will bring four previously unannounced small cars to North America, including a Mercury-branded derivative of its popular Focus. It also said it would double its hybrid output in 2009 and double its capacity to make fuel-saving four-cylinder engines by 2011.

A low number of healthy sperm is thought to be one of the major causes of male infertility. Researchers asked 99 men attending a fertility clinic whether they had eaten foods including soy milk, tofu, soy sausages or other soy products such as roasted nuts, drinks, powders and energy bars in the last three months.

They then excluded other factors which can affect fertility including age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol and caffeine intake and smoking. The findings, published in the journal Human Reproduction, show that the men who ate the most soy food, on average more than half a portion a day, had around 41 million fewer healthy sperm per millilitre less than men who did not eat soy.

Although they do not know the reason for the findings, the researchers, from Harvard University, believe they could be linked to a plant chemical present within soy which mimics the effects of oestrogen, the female sex hormone, on the body. The study also found that the link was particularly marked in men who were overweight or obese, who already produce more natural oestrogen than thin men.