The price of a barrel of US light, sweet crude passed the previous high of $78.40 a barrel, reached in July 2006.

Prices have risen steadily in the past few weeks following disruption to output in Nigeria and the North Sea and set a new closing high on Tuesday. The latest rise was triggered by data showing a fall in US crude stockpiles.

Jamie Balfour-Paul, humanitarian policy adviser for Oxfam, welcomed the decision, but warned that force would not deliver the immediate help people needed because "it will not be in place for many months". To win agreement, the latest UK-French draft stepped back from earlier threats of new sanctions if the warring parties did not co-operate and deleted the right to the "seizure and disposal" of illegal arms. The force will monitor arms instead.

Speaking at the UN, Mr Brown called Darfur "the greatest humanitarian disaster the world faces today", with 2m displaced and 4m dependent on food aid.

The conflict, between forces backed by the Sudan government and rebel groups, has killed more than 200,000 people since 2003. "The plan for Darfur is to achieve a ceasefire, including an end to aerial bombings of civilians; drive forward peace talks [in Tanzania] and, as peace is established, invest in recovery and reconstruction,? he said.

The resolution calls for a force of up to 19,555 soldiers and 3,772 police, alongside 19 "formed police units" of 140 people each. Command and control will be provided by the UN but day-to-day decisions will be taken by an African general. The aim is for most troops to be African.

Drugs charities are increasingly starting up children's units - but have been shocked to find users of primary-school age. One even treated a child of six. The youngsters are thought to obtain cannabis and other drugs from older siblings or from school friends.

But doctors warn that cannabis, which can lead to depression and schizophrenia, may be particularly harmful for this age group. Few statistics have been published on the extent of cannabis abuse among primary schoolchildren. However, a report two years ago found 7 per cent of 12 to 13-year-old boys and 6 per cent of girls said they had taken the drug.

Last week a Government commissioned report said smoking a single joint of cannabis increased the risk of schizophrenia by 40 per cent. Using it regularly doubles the chance of mental illness.

European shares were down more than 2 percent, following similar losses in Japan and a 4 percent tumble in the rest of Asia. MSCI's main world equity index lost 1.4 percent and is now down around 6.5 percent in a week and a half. Safe-haven government bonds gained while the Japanese yen climbed and high-yielding currencies dropped on the unwinding of popular borrowing trades.

"These are unbelievable periods of volatility, it's pretty stressful," said one corporate bond trader in Frankfurt.

Investors have been jittery about the spread of trouble in the U.S. subprime -- or risky -- mortgage market to other debt, contagion which could cause large losses, drive up the cost of corporate borrowing and undermine mergers and acquisitions.

According to reports, in addition to the fighter jets, Teheran also plans to purchase a number of aerial fuel tankers that are compatible with the Sukhoi and capable of extending its range by thousands of kilometers. Defense officials said the Sukhoi sale would grant Iran long-range offensive capabilities.

Government officials voiced concern over the reports. They said Russia could be trying to compete with the United States, which announced over the weekend a billion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

Despite Israeli and US opposition, Russia recently supplied Iran with advanced antiaircraft systems used to protect Teheran's nuclear installations. At the time, Moscow said it reserved the right to sell Iran weapons, such as the antiaircraft system, that were of a defensive nature.

The Sukhoi-30 is a two-seat multi-role fighter jet and bomber capable of operating at significant distances from home base and in poor weather conditions. The aircraft enjoys a wide range of combat capabilities and is used for air patrol, air defense, ground attacks, enemy air defense suppression and air-to-air combat.

After years of negotiations, the Indian Air Force in 1996 purchased 40 Sukhoi-30s and in 2000 acquired the license from the company to manufacture an additional 140 aircrafts.

The machines will compete in the UK Ministry of Defence Grand Challenge, a competition to find new technology to support ground troops in urban areas. Winning designs include a swarm of miniature helicopters and a host of sensor-laden unmanned aerial vehicles.

"Technology plays a huge role in our forces, It often makes the difference between success and failure - and sometimes life and death," said Defence Procurement Minister Lord Drayson on announcing the winners. "The challenge is to produce a semi-autonomous system that can detect, identify, monitor and report a range of physical threats in an urban environment."

"There are going to be four categories of targets: an improvised explosive device; a sniper; some kind of four-by-four vehicle with a gun on it; and bunches of 'hoods' dressed in semi-military uniform carrying arms," said Mike Martin, chief judge of the challenge. One of the most innovative designs was proposed by a team from Swarm Systems. Its proposal consists of eight to 10 "dinner-plate sized" quad-rotor helicopters which would be able to fly in and out of buildings.

The winner of the competition will win the R J Mitchell Trophy, named after the "father of the Spitfire" WWII fighter plane and also funding from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The Saudi foreign minister told the visiting US secretaries of state and defence he would send an envoy to Iraq. Condoleezza Rice called it an important step and thanked Prince Saud al-Faisal. Prince Saud also said Riyadh supported and would attend a Middle East peace conference proposed by President George W Bush later this year.

Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic ties with Israel and correspondents say the conservative kingdom's presence at a peace conference alongside Israel would be a major diplomatic breakthrough. "We welcome this initiative," Prince Saud al-Faisal said at a news conference with Ms Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

"There is an international movement, Israel should respond to these pressures," the prince said. Before the tour began, the US offered a $20bn (£9.9bn) arms package to Arab Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, which is the world's biggest oil-producer.

Later on Wednesday, Ms Rice heads to Jerusalem for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. It is Ms Rice's first visit since the Hamas movement defeated Fatah to seize control of the Gaza Strip in June. Hamas denies Israel's right to exist, and its victory in Gaza deals a serious blow to Mr Bush's strategic vision of a two-state, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace.

They were part of a gang that launched the assault that triggered a heart attack in 67-year-old Ernest Norton, the jury was told. It was an "unnecessary, pointless and random attack" on a Sunday afternoon at Erith leisure centre, Kent, the court heard.

The gang shouted abuse at Mr Norton as he played cricket with son James, 17 on the outside tennis courts. When Mr Norton objected they bombarded him with rocks and wood. Hit at least twice, he collapsed and died.

"The defendants' youth is no defence," said David Fisher QC, prosecuting. "They were jointly responsible for this attack and jointly responsible for the death."

One witness said the stone was as big as "half a brick", the court heard. Some of the throwers were allegedly part of a gang known as The New Estate. A neighbouring householder saw the gang throwing missiles towards the courts, the jury heard. "She then heard one of the group shout, 'Oh, no!' and they ran away," said Mr Fisher, "As the boys ran past her house she heard one say, 'He's dead, he's dead.' He was panicking."

"Their youth is no defence," he said. "They were quite old enough to know that to abuse Mr Norton and his son was wrong and that to throw stones and pieces of wood at them was wrong... but it was their course of conduct, quite probably with others, that caused his death."

The fires have burnt at least 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) of land on the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Spain's Environment Minister Cristina Narbona called a state of "maximum alert" and ordered more water-bombing planes to help douse the fires. Hundreds of firefighters are working with planes to quell the blaze.

Local officials said that 5,200 people had been taken to safety on Gran Canaria and at least 5,700 people were evacuated from homes in Tenerife as the four-day blaze continued to burn. Meanwhile, officials in southern Portugal said a major forest fire that broke out on Monday had now been brought under control.

Wildfires have also affected Greece this summer amid a heat wave which has stretched across parts of Europe.

The rapidly growing number of people registered as violent criminals or sex attackers is threatening to overwhelm the police, probation officers and social workers who have to keep them under supervision.

The new study identified three key areas of concern:

- A "severe shortage" of approved accommodation for offenders;

- Insufficient treatment programmes and lengthy waiting times for them where they do exist;

- A lack of public funds to deal with the increasing caseload of offenders.

Figures published this year under the Freedom of Information Act disclosed that police forces had lost track of 322 registered sex offenders.

The aim is to boost regional defences against the growing power of Iran and to induce the Saudis in particular to cut back support for Sunni insurgent groups inside Iraq. Last night, top Bush administration officials headed to the Middle East to discuss details of the arrangements. The most controversial element - in the US at least - is the supply of advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia, including satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to fighter aircraft, as well as new navy ships, in a deal that could be worth $20bn.

In an attempt to reassure Israel, and head off opposition in Congress, Washington has promised the Jewish state a massive increase in military aid, to $30bn over the next decade, some 30 per cent more than over the past 10 years.The money will enable Israel to keep its traditional edge in hi-tech weaponry, even as the US helps its Arab rivals boost their own military forces. Some of it also will go to replace equipment lost by Israel in the 2006 war in Lebanon. Aid to Egypt over the period will be $13bn, another substantial increase.

Prodded by Israel, the US has asked the Saudis to restrict the size and range of the satellite-guided armaments, and to keep them at bases well away from Israeli territory.

Butchers Pet Care could shelve plans for a factory in Coton Park, near Rugby, because angry Asian families have complained to their residents' association about pork smells drifting into their garden.

Muslim residents in the area also claim the pork will effectively "rain down" on their homes and gardens after the factory's 100ft chimney has pumped the meat extracts into the atmosphere.

The Coton Park Residential Association said they have received complaints from Muslims - who are directed to not eat pork by the Qur'an - and are taking the matter very seriously.

A pressure group says hidden salt in take-out meals and other processed foods means the nation is over-dosing on it on a daily basis. High salt consumption is linked to high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks and tens of thousands of early deaths every year.

CASH - Consensus Action on Salt and Health - looked at 156 readymade salads and pasta bowls from nine high-street retailers, three coffee shops and two fast-food outlets. The worst offender, according to the pressure group, was a Thai noodle salad from the chain Eat, which contained 4.4g salt per portion. That equates to almost three-quarters of the 6g recommended daily salt limit for an adult.

Around one in five contained more salt than is ideal for a single meal, while some had more salt than a Big Mac and small fries, which has 2.7g. Among these were two dishes from Morrisons - chicken and bacon pasta and tuna pasta. Classic salads with leaves, tomatoes and spring onions are naturally very low in salt. It is the dressings and extra ingredients such as bacon, ham and cheese that add the salt.

The Salt Manufacturers Association has challenged the healthrisk claims. They insist that a certain level of salt is needed to ensure that the body functions properly. They also argue that salt is an important preservative, while the public believe it improves the taste of many foods.

The uniforms replace the old baggy style that had changed little in the 20-odd years since China's economy began to take off, while a Beijing exhibition is showcasing many of the fruits of years of double-digit increases in defence spending, transforming a military long regarded as huge but vastly outdated. Yet it is the moves toward greater transparency that are the most striking, apparently motivated both by the demands of military modernisation and the need to calm nervous neighbours.

In recent years, increasing numbers of foreign observers have been permitted at PLA exercises. Drills and port visits have been held with the United States, French, Indian and other navies, and full-scale exercises held with Russia and other Central Asian states. An Australian government report said: "The pace and scope of its military modernisation, particularly the development of new and disruptive capabilities, such as the anti-satellite missile, could create misunderstandings and instability in the region."

David Shambaugh, an expert on the Chinese military at George Washington University in Washington, said the PLA "is making significant efforts to improve their foreign military exchanges, but still has a long way to go in the area of transparency. They still operate from a zero-sum mindset that the more information that is known about the PLA, the more insecure China is," he said.

DEFENCE spending for the PLA - the world's largest army - continues to balloon, rising 17.8 per cent this year to 351 billion yuan (£22 billion). That is similar to Japan, Russia and Britain but less than one-tenth of what the US military costs. However, the Pentagon says China's real defence spending may be much more, as the official budget does not include major weapons purchases and other items.

While China still lacks many big systems such as aircraft carriers, such budget increases have allowed the PLA to upgrade its equipment, buying planes, ships and submarines from Russia. China this year also claimed breakthroughs in its own defence industry. In January, it blew up one of its defunct satellites with a missile-launched projectile and unveiled its new Jian-10 fighter jet.

The new hardware has been accompanied by strategic thinking, with military journals talking about protecting the country's seaborne trade and energy supply routes, as well as blunting the US military's superiority in the Pacific.

In their first formal talks, Mr Brown and Mr Bush renewed pledges to fight terrorism and seek progress in Iraq.

But Mr Brown made clear that the UK would relinquish control of its fourth and final province in the south of the country, but did not give a specific date.

While Mr Brown told assembled journalists at Camp David that he would not "cut and run", he diplomatically put on the record his intentions to ease Britain's military role in the country. And he said any recommendation on the future role of the UK's 5,500 troops in Iraq could be put to parliament after British MPs return to work in October after a summer break.

Mr Brown and Mr Bush stood a few feet apart, not quite shoulder to shoulder, fielding questions about the meeting from several correspondents, who were clearly keen to see the leaders disagree over foreign policy.

But while both men carefully sidestepped the open trap, Mr Brown did not return any of the personal compliments paid to him by Mr Bush.

On Iraq, Mr Brown insisted that there were "duties to discharge and responsibilities to keep".