What they found makes uncomfortable reading for those who thought they understood the basics of biology, but it does provide tantalising hints of new ways to fight disease.

This, the most detailed study of DNA, is a landmark in genetics research, for the more scientists understand the details of how our bodies work, the easier it will be to fix them when they go wrong.
The analysis was led by Dr Ewan Birney, a computer scientist at the European Bioinformatics Institute, near Cambridge, who said the work "poses some interesting mechanistic questions". IN LAYMAN'S LANGUAGE, THIS IS AN ADMISSION THAT BOFFINS ARE BAFFLED.

Indeed, Dr Birney said scientists might even have TO REVISE WHAT THEY MEAN BY THE TERM "GENE". "It is really challenging our dogmas," he said.

The most striking finding is that much of the "junk" DNA is not rubbish but crucial for staying alive. Instead of finding that just 1.5 per cent of the genome is critical in cells, most of it appears to be active. Using a computer metaphor, junk DNA seems to be the cell's "operating system" running the genes.

This could have major implications for the use of animals in research, said Dr Birney. "It means, for example, THAT HOW THE KIDNEYS WORK IN MICE AND HUMANS IS NOT THE SAME - not all of those bits of biology will use the same DNA; that is, remain the same between different mammals."

IN OTHER WORDS, LAB MICE MAY DIFFER IN SOME RESPECTS FROM US, WHICH IS A MAJOR SHIFT FROM THE CURRENT POSITION THAT, AT THE GENETIC LEVEL, WE ARE PRETTY MUCH BIG, TAILLESS RODENTS.

To reveal more secrets, the team now plans to finish the job with another £50 million. After four more years, they will probably prove the first law of biology: LIFE IS ALWAYS MORE COMPLICATED THAN YOU THINK.

Full article:- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/06/19/scigenome119.xml&page=1

"When the Americans say that military action in regard to the nuclear issue has not been put aside, Iran can also say that it will not put aside oil as a tool," Iran's OPEC governor, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, told Iran's Sharq newspaper.

Washington says it wants a diplomatic end to a row over Iran's nuclear ambitions but has not ruled out force if that route fails. Iranian officials say they do not want to use oil as a weapon but have also said they might do so if pushed.

Asked what would be the impact if Iran stopped its oil exports, Kazempour Ardebili said: "Definitely the market will be faced with a new shock and oil prices will increase strongly."He added that prices would climb above $100 a barrel. Although Iran is OPEC's No. 2 oil producer, it has to import about 40 percent of its domestic gasoline needs to meet domestic demand for fuel because it lacks refining capacity.

The water on Lake Superior is so low that he couldn't put his docks in the water this year. Where he used to see water, he now sees sandbars. Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake, has dropped to its lowest level in 81 years. The water is 20 inches below average and a foot lower than just a year ago. The dropping levels have had serious environmental and economic consequences. Wetlands have dried up. Power plants run at half capacity. Cargo ships carry partial loads. Boaters struggle to find a place to dock.

The changes can be seen all along the 2,800-mile shore of Lake Superior, the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes. The water has receded, sometimes 50 feet or more, from its normal shoreline.Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are at low levels, as well, although not quite as extreme.

A drought and warm weather are the immediate cause of the drop in water levels. In the past year, precipitation was 6 inches less than the average of 31 inches. The lake's southern shore had a green Christmas in 2006. The ice and snow pack that usually cover the lake arrived late, allowing water to evaporate. The Edison Sault Electric power plant in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., will operate at less than 50% capacity this year because its water flows have been slashed as a result of the low lake levels, the company said. That pushed the company to buy high-cost power elsewhere and increase rates.

Cargo ships run partly empty, especially those that carry heavy materials such as coal and iron ore. On a recent trip, the 1,004-foot freighter James R. Barker had to leave 7,000 tons of coal behind, so the boat would draft 26 feet under water, instead of 29 feet.

Away from shore, Lake Superior is doing fine. A 19-inch drop doesn't make a big difference in a lake that is 1,330 feet at its deepest. The fishing has never been better. Alexander says he's catching huge amounts of trout and whitefish. For now, he's waiting, like everyone else, for the water to rise. "It seemed normal last October," Shalifor says. "Then it dropped and never came back."

Eighteen years after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill him, A GOVERNMENT MINISTER IN PAKISTAN SAID YESTERDAY THAT RUSHDIE'S RECENT KNIGHTHOOD JUSTIFIED SUICIDE BOMBING.

The question of blasphemy in The Satanic Verses, Rushdie's 1988 tale of a prophet misled by the devil, remains a deeply sensitive issue in much of the Muslim world and the author's inclusion in the Queen's Birthday Honours last week has inflamed anti-British sentiment.

Gerald Butt, editor of the authoritative Middle East Economic Survey, told The Times: "It will be interpreted as an action calculated to goad Muslims at a time when the atmosphere is already very tense and Britain's standing in the region is very low because of its involvement in Iraq and its lack of action in tackling the Palestine issue."

The Organisation to Commemorate Martyrs of the Muslim World, a fringe hardline group, offered a reward of $150,000 (£75,000) to any successful assassin. Forouz Rajaefar, the group's secretary general, said: "The British and the supporters of the anti-Islam Salman Rushdie could rest assured that the writer's nightmare will not end until the moment of his death and we will bestow kisses on the hands of whomsoever is able to execute this apostate.

Ijaz-ul-Haq, the Religious Affairs Minister, told the assembly in Islamabad that the award of the knighthood excused suicide bombing. "If somebody has to attack by strapping bombs to his body to protect the honour of the Prophet then it is justified," he said.

On Valentine's Day in 1989 the spiritual figurehead of the Iranian revolution pronounced on Teheran radio that:
"The author of The Satanic Verses, which is against Islam, the Prophet, the Koran, and all those involved in its publication who were aware of its content, are sentenced to death."

In Britain, the subsequent hate campaign helped to politicise and radicalise a generation of young British Muslims. The taxpayer is believed to have spent more than £10 million protecting Rushdie.

"I expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza," said Sheik Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadia Salafiya, an Islamic outreach movement that recently announced the opening of a "military wing" to enforce Muslim law in Gaza.

"Jihadia Salafiya and other Islamic movements will ensure Christian schools and institutions show publicly what they are teaching to be sure they are not carrying out missionary activity. No more alcohol on the streets. All women, including non-Muslims, need to understand they must be covered at all times while in public," Abu Asqer told WND.

"Also the activities of Internet cafes, pool halls and bars must be stopped," he said. "If it goes on, we'll attack these things very harshly." A Hamas-run council in the West Bank came under international criticism last year when it barred an open-air music and dance festival, declaring it was against Islam.

In response to the uproar, Hamas chief in Gaza and former foreign minister Mahmoud al-Zahar told WND in a recent interview: "I hardly understand the point of view of the West concerning these issues. The West brought ALL THIS FREEDOM to its people but it is that freedom that HAS BROUGHT ABOUT THE DEATH OF MORALITY IN THE WEST. It's what led to phenomena like homosexuality, homelessness and AIDS."

"It is wrong to think that in our Islamic society there is a lack of rights for women. Women enjoy their rights. What we have, unlike the West, is that young women cannot be with men and have relations outside marriage. Sometimes with tens of men. This causes the destruction of the family institution and the fact that many kids come to the world without knowing who are their fathers or who are their mothers. This is not a modern and progressed society," al-Zahar explained.

The terror chieftain told WND the West can learn from his group's Islamic values. "Here I refer to what was said in the early '90s by BRITAIN'S PRINCE CHARLES at Oxford University. He spoke about Islam and its important role in morality and culture. HE SAID THE WEST MUST LEARN FROM ISLAM HOW TO BRING UP CHILDREN PROPERLY AND TO TEACH THEM THE RIGHT VALUES."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promised "full assistance" to the Palestinian Authority and emergency humanitarian aid to Gaza via the UN. The EU is assessing ways of resuming direct aid, while Israel said the new cabinet was a "genuine partner". Mr Abbas sacked the previous government after Hamas seized control of Gaza.

Speaking in Washington, Ms Rice congratulated Mr Abbas' choice as Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad. As a result of his appointment, she said, the US would resume diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians, suspended since Hamas came to power after winning elections in January 2006. She criticised Hamas, which she said had tried to impose an extremist agenda on the Palestinian people.

Earlier, in a 15-minute phone call with President George W Bush, Mr Abbas said the time was now right to push for new peace talks. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is to meet Mr Bush in Washington on Tuesday, said he considered the new Palestinian government a "genuine partner". And speaking at an EU meeting in Luxembourg, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni confirmed that up to $800m (£400m) of frozen tax revenues held by Israel would now be transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

Reserves in the Mahogany exploration well were far greater than the 250 million barrels than the firm had earlier forecast, it said.

"Based on evidence to date, ultimate reserves are likely to be materially in excess of previous estimates, with some high potential zones still to be drilled," said Tullow chief executive Aidan Heavey. He said it was one of the biggest oil discoveries in Africa in recent times, but warned it could be up to seven years before the oil started to flow.

Ghana's President John Kufuor told the BBC that the discovery would give a major boost to Ghana's economy.
"Oil is money, and we need money to do the schools, the roads, the hospitals. If you find oil, you manage it well, can you complain about that?

It began building a "Green Great Wall", a 700-km (435 mile) barrier of trees and enclosed grassland which will stretch across Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Shanxi provinces by 2010. Desertification is no longer just a problem for China and the thick yellow dust of the sand storms now reaches as far as South Korea, Japan and at times even the United States and Canada.

Fuquan is in Duolun county, some 350 km north of central Beijing and close to the site of 13th century Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan's summer place Xanadu. By 2000, overgrazing, deforestation, wind erosion and drought meant nearly 90 percent of Duolun county was affected by desertification.

Since then, 2.63 million trees have been planted, farmers have been forced to switch from wheat to grass production and all grazing has been banned in the worst affected areas. In other parts of his county, better soil conditions have enabled the planting of apricot trees, but it is mostly poplars that now populate an area with 385 mm of annual rainfall.

"The trees we have planted, poplars, can grow very well in these conditions," he said. "There has been no situation where trees have died in the drought. This is not like the Gobi desert where if there is no irrigation, the trees will die." Zhang said the battle was not won but THE FIRST GOAL OF STOPPING THE DESERT MOVING SOUTH HAD BEEN ACHIEVED.

"As far as I know, the encroaching situation has been curbed," he said. "Desertification has been going on since the 1970s. The project only began in 2000. It takes a long time to prevent and control the sand fully. We have a long way to go."

Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus promised the pope to sound out Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II about prospects for a groundbreaking meeting between the two.Chrysostomos told reporters that he would pursue his offer to help organize a possible meeting when he meets with Alexy, at the patriarch's invitation, on July 13 in Moscow.

Chrysostomos said Benedict's background as a theologian with a good grasp of Orthodox theology would help the process of reuniting the two churches, which split nearly 1,000 years ago. Despite "centuries-old divisions, diverging roads and despite the hard work of closing painful wounds, the Lord has never ceased to guide our steps on the path toward unity and reconciliation," Benedict said at a ceremony after the two men held private talks for more than 30 minutes.

Both men also had a two-hour lunch together. In a joint signed statement, they pledged to "intensify the search for full unity among all Christians." Benedict described the archbishop's visit as a "very useful initiative to make us progress toward the unity desired by Christ."

Scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have been monitoring the situation closely since the swarm of earthquakes began around 2:15 a.m. As of 4:30 a.m., nearby residents felt the rumble with 10 of the earthquakes reaching a magnitude greater than 3.

"We're on alert," said Mardie Lane, park ranger for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. "This is definitely something new and intriguing. We're all just watching."The biggest earthquake was 4.0 - enough to shock nearby residents but not large enough to trigger a tsunami warning", said Barry Hirshon, geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The document is expected to be published within the next few weeks. Known as a motu proprio, signifying that it is the Pope's personal initiative, it reflects Benedict XVI's thinking on the subject since long before he was elected pontiff.

While, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he repeatedly expressed sympathy for those Catholics who felt nostalgia for the traditional Latin rite which dated back to the Middle Ages, although when it came to discipline he took stern action against the ultra-conservative Catholic splinter group led by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who rejected the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and for whom the use of the Latin Mass was a banner.

The question of whether to use a vernacular or Latin Mass has political implications for Catholics everywhere, and the text of the motu proprio has been the subject of intense discussions among Vatican officials for many months.

Papal power

- The Pope's support for the Latin Mass is only in a personal capacity. He is not speaking " ex cathedra," which means that what he says is infallible and that his followers are obliged to obey his words.

- Papal infallibility must meet strict conditions and is something that belongs to the pontiff alone.

- Even decisions that bear his signature are not infallible unless he issues them himself

Source: Catholic Encyclopaedia

But, from the security of her home, the 58-year-old former secondary school teacher has co-ordinated a relentless campaign to name and shame gay Roman Catholic priests.

Her newsletter , Catholic Truth, has so far confronted up to a dozen priests about their alleged homosexuality and has named at least four as being gay or allegedly associating with gay men.
But what Ms McKeever calls her "great work of charity" has not met with universal approval. The Archdiocese of Glasgow has labelled her group as "self-appointed heresy hunters" and accused her of harassment.

Worse, she recently had to call the police after receiving package after package of hard-core pornography.

Ms McKeever, who intends to expose all priests"unconscionably living a double life", told The Times in a telephone interview that she had been forced to take action because of an "unprecedented moral crisis" in the Catholic Church". She was not prepared to have her photograph taken. She said: "THE CHURCH HAS ALWAYS TAUGHT THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS CONTRARY TO ITS TEACHINGS. HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE CATHOLIC FAITH ANY MORE SO THEY SHOULDN'T BE IN THE CHURCH".

"I would prefer the bishops to tackle this but, because they are not doing that, we feel it is our duty to let fellow Catholics know what is going on."

In his final appearance before the Commons liaison committee, Mr Blair said he wanted a deal to "amend" existing EU treaties. "If people want an agreement this week we have got to go back to a conventional amending treaty," he told MPs. And he set out the areas where he said he would not compromise at the summit, which will be his final major engagement before stepping down as prime minister.

"First, we will not accept a treaty that allows the charter of fundamental rights to change UK law in any way.

"Second, we will not agree to something that replaces the role of British foreign policy and our foreign minister.

"Thirdly, we will not agree to give up our ability to control our common law and judicial and police system.

"And fourthly, we will not agree to anything that moves to qualified majority voting something that can have a big say in our own tax and benefit system. We must have the right in those circumstances to determine it by unanimity." He added: "If we achieve those four objectives I defy people to say what it is that is supposed to be so fundamental that could require a referendum."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is currently chairman of the EU, is expected to push this week for a new treaty preserving the bulk of the constitution. She is expected to lobby for the EU to have a "single legal personality," a legally-binding charter of fundamental rights and more majority voting in criminal law and foreign policy.

A yearlong probe revealed the corporation especially partial in its treatment of single-issue politics such as climate change, poverty, race and religion, according to the London Times. "It concludes that the bias has extended across drama, comedy and entertainment, with THE CORPORATION PANDERING TO POLITICALLY MOTIVATED CELEBRITIES AND TRENDY CAUSES," the paper said.

The report cites the danger of BBC programs being undermined by the liberal culture of its staff, who need to challenge their own assumptions more. "There is a tendency to 'group think' with too many staff inhabiting a shared space and comfort zone," says the report. It notes staff tend to mimic each other's common left-leaning values.

A seminar on staff impartiality held last year is documented, WITH OFFICIALS ADMITTING THEY WOULD BROADCAST IMAGES OF THE BIBLE BEING THROWN AWAY, BUT NOT THE KORAN FOR FEAR OF OFFENDING MUSLIMS. The report also warns that celebrities must not be pandered to and allowed to hijack the BBC schedule, according to the London Telegraph.

It also offers 12 new principles for the corporation to adopt to safeguard objectivity, including: "Impartiality is no excuse for insipid programming. It allows room for fair-minded, evidence-based judgments by senior journalists and documentary-makers, and for controversial, passionate and polemical arguments by contributors and writers."

A BBC spokeswoman said: "This report is about looking forward and how we are going to face the challenges of impartiality in the modern world."

As WND reported in October, an internal BBC memo revealed senior figures admitted the national news agency was guilty of PROMOTING LEFT-WING VIEWS AND ANTI-CHRISTIAN SENTIMENT. The admissions of bias were made at the impartiality summit. MOST EXECUTIVES ADMITTED THE CORPORATION'S REPRESENTATION OF HOMOSEXUALS AND ETHNIC MINORITIES WAS UNBALANCED AND DISPROPORTIONATE.

According to senior Israeli military sources, the plan calls for 20,000 troops to destroy much of Hamas's military capability in days. The raid would be triggered by Hamas rocket attacks against Israel or a resumption of suicide bombings.

Barak, who is expected to become defence minister tomorrow, has already demanded detailed plans to deploy two armoured divisions and an infantry division, accompanied by assault drones and F-16 jets, against Hamas.

A source close to Barak said that Israel could not tolerate an aggressive "Hamastan" on its border and an attack seemed unavoidable. "The question is not if but how and when," he said.