The stock climbed 13 percent, valuing Beijing-based PetroChina at HK$3.36 trillion ($434 billion), compared with General Electric's $420 billion. Asia's biggest company is closing in on Exxon Mobil Corp.'s $518 billion value.

The rally, part of a record year for Chinese stocks, underscores PetroChina's key role in supplying oil to the world's fastest-growing major economy. U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett sold more than half of his stake in PetroChina this year. The stock has soared 14-fold since its 2000 public share sale.

During her stay in Pretoria last weekend, the German Chancellor acknowledged that not only German firms are hoping to profit from the billions in investments for this major event. German police have already begun instructing South African security forces for this huge sports spectacle. The Air Force is also involved, sharing with South African officers their "experience" from the 2006 soccer world championships in Germany.

At the time, the German defence minister initiated preparations for fighter planes of the German Air Force (Bundeswehr) to illegally shoot down hijacked passenger liners. THE EXERTION OF INFLUENCE ON THE POLICE AND MILITARY IS PART OF A LONG TERM EFFORT TO SET UP PRETORIA AS A STABILIZING FACTOR FOR WESTERN INTERESTS IN AFRICA - IF NECESSARY ALSO MILITARILY. This is why, Germany and the EU have been delivering military equipment to South Africa for years, causing the South African disarmament efforts of the 1990s to end in failure

As Chancellor Merkel announced in Johannesburg, Berlin will continue to support the South African government in its preparations for the soccer World Cup, "wherever possible". Berlin has declared it's willingness to share its "experience" in implementing such an major event with South Africa. BUT THIS SO-CALLED SUPPORT WILL MOSTLY BE BENEFITING GERMAN BUSINESSMEN AND POLITICAL STRATEGISTS, IN WHOSE PLANS SOUTH AFRICA IS ACCORDED A PROMINENT POSITION.

More than 500 German enterprises hold majority shares in joint ventures and have invested 4, 2 billion Euros in the country. The bilateral trade volume attained eleven billion Euros in 2006 and will reach twelve billion this year.

The German economic effort, relentlessly pursued since 2005, has been crowned with success. A German architectural firm is planning the construction of three new soccer stadiums in South Africa. An IT enterprise in Hamburg will supply the technology needed by the security forces, which not only will be equipped but also trained by Germans. German police are preparing the South African repressive forces for this sports event.

The two countries' military cooperation is part of the German design to make South Africa, the strongest economic and military power south of the Sahara, the stabilizing force of the African continent, at least of its Southern sector. The German government and the EU consider this to be the "criteria for a 'strategic partnership'".

Besides its military cooperation, Berlin is providing arms for the South African armed forces, to be able to take the leadership in African Union (AU) military deployments. "German arms exports to South Africa considerably grew between 2001 and 2004", reports an expert analysis: "According to the German government, South Africa was the second most important in 2003 and in 2004 and in 2005 the most important buyer of German military equipment" outside the Western industrial countries. In 1999, Pretoria concluded supply contracts with arms industries in the EU amounting to approximately seven billion Euros: 52 fighter planes - 24 Hawk aircraft and 28 Gripen fighters from British company BAE Systems, 30 helicopters (Agusta), as well as 4 frigates and 3 submarines (Blohm and Voss, HDW, Thyssen, Ferrostaal). After western military experts attested serious deficiencies in the South African Armed Forces airlifting capacities, necessary for continental interventions to restore order, South Africa ordered 8 A400M military airlifters from the German French Airbus corporation in 2005.

SOUTH AFRICA'S HIGH MILITARY EXPENDITURES ARE IN CERTAIN "CONTRADICTION TO THE PERSISTENT DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS INSIDE THE COUNTRY, PARTICULARLY SINCE THERE IS NO REAL EXTERNAL THREAT TO SOUTH AFRICA," as observers see the situation: "The trend toward disarmament in the 1990s has been transformed into a process of remilitarization in the past few years." The German hegemonic policy encompassing the African continent is taking effect.

Brent was up $1.25 at $81.80 by 8:06 a.m. EDT, off highs of $81.93, while U.S. crude was $1.17 up at $84.88, off highs of $85.19.

The Israeli Arab minister said the work should be coordinated with the Wakf Islamic Authority, and that the decision did not reflect a desire to promote the diplomatic process.

The excavation, which was part of a project to build a new footbridge near the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate to the entrance of the Temple Mount, was halted in June after violent protests and riots by Muslims who claimed the work would damage the nearby Al Aksa mosque. International and Israeli engineers who inspected the site said there was no danger of damage to the structure, which is at least 60 meters away from the dig.

Under the law, Ministerial Committee decisions cannot be carried out for at least two weeks following an appeal by a government minister.

Dr William Gray, a pioneer in the science of seasonal hurricane forecasts, told a packed lecture hall at the University of North Carolina that humans were not responsible for the warming of the earth. His comments came on the same day that the Nobel committee honoured Mr Gore for his work in support of the link between humans and global warming.

"We're brainwashing our children," said Dr Gray, 78, a long-time professor at Colorado State University. "They're going to the Gore movie [An Inconvenient Truth] and being fed all this. It's ridiculous."

At his first appearance since the award was announced in Oslo, Mr Gore said: "We have to quickly find a way to change the world's consciousness about exactly what we're facing." Mr Gore shared the Nobel prize with the United Nations climate panel for their work in helping to galvanise international action against global warming.

But Dr Gray, whose annual forecasts of the number of tropical storms and hurricanes are widely publicised, said a natural cycle of ocean water temperatures - related to the amount of salt in ocean water - was responsible for the global warming that he acknowledges has taken place. However, he said, that same cycle meant a period of cooling would begin soon and last for several years. "WE'LL LOOK BACK ON ALL OF THIS IN 10 OR 15 YEARS AND REALISE HOW FOOLISH IT WAS," DR GRAY SAID.

During his speech to a crowd of about 300 that included meteorology students and a host of professional meteorologists, Dr Gray also said those who had linked global warming to the increased number of hurricanes in recent years were in error.

He cited statistics showing there were 101 hurricanes from 1900 to 1949, in a period of cooler global temperatures, compared to 83 from 1957 to 2006 when the earth warmed. "The human impact on the atmosphere is simply too small to have a major effect on global temperatures," Dr Gray said.

He said his beliefs had made him an outsider in popular science. "IT BOTHERS ME THAT MY FELLOW SCIENTISTS ARE NOT SPEAKING OUT AGAINST SOMETHING THEY KNOW IS WRONG," HE SAID. "BUT THEY ALSO KNOW THAT THEY'D NEVER GET ANY GRANTS IF THEY SPOKE OUT. I don't care about grants."

Father John Hayes, 71, was quizzed for more than an hour after commenting on the case of a Muslim girl who went to court over her wish to wear a full veil in class. A sergeant and community support officer turned up without warning at his presbytery after an allegation was made to a Scotland Yard 'hate crimes' unit.

The inquisition in Hornchurch, East London, PROMPTED A FURIOUS ROW ABOUT POLICING PRIORITIES. IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS THERE HAVE BEEN FIVE MURDERS, 33 RAPES, 424 ROBBERIES AND 2,267 BURGLARIES IN THE LOCAL POLICE BOROUGH OF HAVERING. Yet, despite being accused of turning a blind eye to the inflammatory remarks of some Muslim preachers of hate, the Met still found time to quiz Mr Hayes.

Last night the priest said his 'offending' remarks had concerned Shabina Begum, who, represented by Cherie Blair QC, claimed unsuccessfully that it was her human right to be allowed to wear her jilbab, a loose gown, in class.

The decision to quiz Mr Hayes has infuriated many Met officers. A source at the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: "What happened is a gross error of judgment and possibly even an abuse of power. The senior officer who decided on this course of action should be called to account. It is yet another example of the political correctness which is blighting the Met. It is plain bonkers."

Numbers are at an all-time high, posing serious health risks to humans and pets. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, which can lead to paralysis, blindness or even death for humans, and lameness, heart and kidney problems for pets.

According to figures from the Health Protection Agency, there were 768 reported cases of Lyme disease last year, compared with 292 in 2003, a 263 per cent increase. Hampshire has been worst hit in the past 12 months, with more than 220 cases reported. Salisbury Plain, Exmoor, Dartmoor and the South Downs are also regarded as danger areas.

The first sign of Lyme disease is a ring-shaped skin rash, which spreads out within 30 days. Other common symptoms include tiredness, headaches, joint pain and flu-like symptoms. The HPA estimates that 1,000 to 2,000 Lyme disease cases go unreported each year. Vets say that dirty homes are also contributory factors to the increase in parasites.

Sabrina Stroud, business manager for animal healthcare brand ProMeris UK, which carried out the research, said: "Climate change and the damp summer have created the prefect breeding conditions for these potentially lethal parasites. Now is not the time for complacency."

Exactly 20 years after "Black Monday" - which saw Wall Street plunge 22.6pc - ECONOMISTS HAVE WARNED OF EERIE PARALLELS WITH THE TENSIONS VISIBLE ON GLOBAL MARKETS TODAY.

- New kind of currency crisis with China the target
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Simon Derrick, chief currency strategist at the Bank of New York Mellon, says the collapse of the US dollar in the mid-1980s lay behind the ructions that led to Black Monday - modern times' most dramatic one-day crash. The dollar had been sliding relentlessly for two years and was at risk of breaking down in a disorderly rout, much like today.

"The dollar was under severe pressure in October 1987. Interest rates were on the rise globally, the US trade deficit remained high and energy prices had been increasing on the back of tension in the Gulf," he said. These conditions are more or less in place once again.

The price of crude oil reached an all-time high of $84 a barrel last week on news of dwindling stockpiles, while US inflation has yet to subside. The producer price index surged in September - now up 4.4pc on last year.

The dollar has fallen below parity against the Canadian dollar for the first time since 1976. The global dollar index has dropped 9pc over the last year, touching an all-time low of 77.66.

Jim Baker, the former US Treasury Secretary, said Black Monday's trigger was an interest rate rise by Germany's Bundesbank, forcing the whole European system to raise in lockstep.

The move sparked fears that the US Federal Reserve would have to match with tightening of its own, or risk a further dollar slide and the start of an inflationary spiral. The Fed found itself hemmed in by world forces.

Economists' concern this time is that Asian and Middle East central banks and investment funds are losing their taste for US investments. This could knock away a key prop for the dollar. There is already evidence that Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and Qatar are drawing back. Europe is less likely to prove a trigger today. Even so, European Central Bank governors recently warned that inflation risks are rising, hinting at another rate rise.

John Lonski, Moody's chief economist, said the G7 club of major powers will take pre-emptive action. "I don't think that other central banks would allow the US dollar to collapse. IT'S NOT IN THE INTEREST OF THE WORLD ECONOMY TO ALLOW THE US DOLLAR TO ENTER A DOWNWARD SPIRAL," HE SAID.

In the end, the 1987 crash was a false alarm. After dropping 35pc from top to bottom over the early autumn, the Dow rallied as the Fed injected liquidity, reaching new highs in less than two years. A recent Fed study - A Brief History of the 1987 Stock Market Crash - said two key events on October 16 appeared to set off the storm: a move by the US Congress to end tax benefits for leveraged buyouts - threatening a spate of high-profile deals - and dire data on the trade deficit.

The Arab Israeli Hadash party lawmaker condemned the dig, which is being resumed after violent protests by Muslims pressured the government into halting the project.

Islamic religious leaders whipped their followers into frenzy by claiming the project would damage the walls of the Al Aksa mosque near the site, despite the fact that inspection by local and international experts found no evidence to back the claim.

The dig is being carried out in preparation for construction of a new footbridge leading to the Temple Mount to replace one that was broken and dangerous. The construction site is 60 meters away from the entrance to the Temple Mount and engineers have emphasized there is no danger to the mosque.

In a fierce attack on the Oxford professor and other leading atheists, he said: "There are specific areas of mismatch between what Richard Dawkins may write about and what religious people think they are doing."
He added: "There are few things more annoying than people saying 'I know what you mean'." Dr Williams described Prof Dawkins as a "lively and attractive writer" but said his arguments were not fully engaging with religion.

He suggested that Prof Dawkins, the author of the best-selling The God Delusion and a leading Darwinist, was a good scientist but a poor philosopher. "OUR CULTURE IS ONE THAT DEEPLY PRAISES SCIENCE, SO WE ASSUME BECAUSE SOMEONE IS A GOOD SCIENTIST, THEY MUST BE A GOOD PHILOSOPHER," he said in a lecture at Swansea University.

In a message to the critics, he said: "Don't distract us from the real arguments by assuming that religion is an eccentric survival strategy or irrational form of explanation." Dr Williams added that to see religion as a survival strategy was to misunderstand it. More than 1,000 people heard the lecture, both inside the auditorium and in overflow rooms nearby.

Prof Dawkins has been scathing in his assessment of Christian theology, which he has described as vacuous. In a Channel 4 programme, The Enemies of Reason, in August he said: "There are two ways of looking at the world - through FAITH AND SUPERSTITION, or through THE RIGOURS OF LOGIC, OBSERVATION AND EVIDENCE, THROUGH REASON.

"Yet today reason has a battle on its hands. Reason and a respect for evidence are the source of our progress, our safeguard against fundamentalists and those who profit from obscuring the truth. WE LIVE IN DANGEROUS TIMES WHEN SUPERSTITION IS GAINING GROUND AND RATIONAL SCIENCE IS UNDER ATTACK."

The virus had previously only been circulating among cattle, but it has now been found in two flocks of sheep on farms in Suffolk. Official figures handed to the World Animal Health Organisation reveal that about 60 infected animals have now been found.

SHEEP ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE VIRUS AND UP TO 70 PER CENT OF FLOCKS CAN BE WIPED OUT. Vets at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have also revealed that they expect the virus to continue spreading into December, RAISING FEARS THAT IT WILL REACH AREAS OF INTENSE SHEEP FARMING WHERE IT COULD DECIMATE THE INDUSTRY.

Fred Landeg, deputy chief veterinary officer, said: "We can expect to see more cases before the end of the midge season. There are now 36 premises known to be infected, clustered around the Ipswich and Lowestoft area. "Half of these have been reported by the farmers and the other half have been picked up by surveillance testing."

The virus was confirmed to have spread out of the Suffolk area for the first time last week as cases were discovered in neighbouring Essex.

Representatives from the U.S. Treasury have organized conversations among top global banks, sources said, as financial institutions grow increasingly concerned that a certain type of investment fund linked to banks may have to dump billions of dollars of repackaged loans onto financial markets.

A fire-sale of assets could lift borrowing costs globally, trigger big losses from investors and force banks to further write down some holdings on their balance sheets. Such sales could trigger huge losses for banks, and in the worst-case scenario tip the U.S. or Europe into recession. The fund is the latest response to a global credit hangover after at least three years of easy credit that fueled massive mortgage lending in the United States and spurred record levels of leveraged buyouts.

"BANKS MADE UNWISE BUSINESS DECISIONS, AND NOW THEY'RE SCRAMBLING TO SAVE THEMSELVES," said Steve Persky, chief executive at Dalton Investments in Los Angeles, which has $1.2 billion under management. The U.S. Treasury is involved in the discussions, but taxpayer money is not expected to be used.

The Financial Services Authority, the U.K. market regulator, has suggested U.K. banks consider participating in the fund, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing a person familiar with the situation. BANKS INCLUDING CITIGROUP, MERRILL LYNCH & CO, AND UBS HAVE IN RECENT WEEKS ANNOUNCED BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ASSET WRITE-OFFS and are still struggling to sell off billions of dollars in loans that financed acquisitions globally.

"WE ARE COMING OFF THE GREATEST LENDING BUBBLE IN U.S. HISTORY. WE WILL FEEL ITS IMPACT FOR A VERY LONG TIME," said Robert Arnott, Chairman of Research Affiliates LLC in Pasadena, California, earlier this month.

Alan Johnson said the magnitude of the problem was becoming clear for the first time and "it is in everybody's interest to turn things round". Details have emerged of a government study which says half the population could be obese within 25 years. Ministers are drawing up a long-term action plan to tackle obesity.

But Mr Johnson said individuals also had to take responsibility for their own health as part of a "cultural and societal shift". He said: "There is no single solution to tackle obesity and it cannot be tackled by government action alone. We will only succeed if the problem is recognised, owned and addressed at every level and every part of society."

The Commons European Scrutiny Committee questioned whether the UK red lines offered any real safeguard, arguing in a letter to David Miliband that the UK could be corralled into accepting EU control over criminal justice.

The Committee said that the latest legal draft suggested the UK COULD ONLY REMAIN OUTSIDE THE JURISDICTION OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE FOR FIVE YEARS ON JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS ISSUES, and after that might face serious consequences if it decided not to accept ECJ jurisdiction.

The Committee also warned that if the UK did not accept the jurisdiction, all EU measures adopted so far would cease to apply, and Britain would risk incurring "A POTENTIALLY UNLIMITED FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY".

The "European Voice" reports that Commission officials are preparing to get round the UK's opt-out from ECJ jurisdiction over existing Justice and Home Affairs legislation by repealing current laws and replacing them with A NEW VERSION WHICH WOULD BE PASSED BY MAJORITY VOTING.

Earlier this month, Vice-Premier Chaim Ramon outlined his political plan for dividing Jerusalem, saying: "On the matter of the 'holy basin', as the area including the Temple Mount and other holy sites is being referred to - there will be a special authority that will include the expression of Israel's special interests and it will manage the holy sites - THE WESTERN WALL, THE JEWISH QUARTER AND THE OTHER JEWISH HOLY SITES IN THE JERUSALEM REGION WILL STAY IN THE HANDS OF ISRAEL FOREVER."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has refused to comment on the Ramon plan, though commentators compare the situation to when Olmert himself introduced the idea of unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza ahead of then-PM Ariel Sharon's open adoption of the policy. Ramon is a close friend and political ally of Olmert's.

On the eve of the Sukkot festival, just prior to his passing away, former Chief Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva of the Merkaz HaRav Kook religious-Zionist centre Rabbi Avraham Shapira signed a strongly-worded statement against the plan. "THE LAND OF ISRAEL BELONGS TO THE NATION OF ISRAEL AND WAS GRANTED TO US AS AN INHERITANCE BY THE CREATOR OF THE WORLD."

"Neither the Prime Minister nor anybody else has the right to give away areas, or even a grain, of the holy Land of Israel. The ENTIRE LAND OF ISRAEL, ACCORDING TO THE BORDERS OUTLINED IN THE TORAH - BELONGED IN THE PAST, AND BELONG IN THE PRESENT AND FUTURE, ONLY TO THE NATION OF ISRAEL, AND IT IS FORBIDDEN BY SEVERE TORAH PROHIBITION TO GIVE UP ANY OF THE TERRITORY OF OUR HOLY LAND."