The radical Islamic cleric Abu Qatada has been taken into custody by UK police, with the Home Office confirming that it is planning to deport him to Jordan. Home Secretary Theresa May met with the King of Jordan in March to discuss the deportation measures and, though Qatada's legal team may appeal the procedure, it is looking likely she and King Abdullah the 2nd will get their wish. If so, it marks the end of the line for one of radical Islam's most well known figureheads, a man once said to be the right hand man of Osama Bin Laden and a powerful and influential player in the Al Qaeda hierarchy.

It also opens up questions about the spread of radical Islam in the United Kingdom and whether or not this deportation measure will actually make the country safer from terrorist attack. On the one hand, Qatada has a long and detailed history linking him to extremist beliefs and support for terrorism. Yet in recent years, those connected with Qatada have claimed he has softened in both the extremity of his politics and the influence he holds over UK jihadists. Plus, perhaps most importantly, Qatada has never been tried nor found guilty of any offence in the UK. Could his deportation direct more UK Muslims towards belief in violent attack on Western ideals?

One of the factors that has stoked the fires of Islamic fundamentalism in the UK is the (rightly or wrongly) perceived notion that the nation, and the West in general, is against the Muslim community. Human Rights lawyer Aamer Anwar has claimed measures like the deportation of Qatada will add to this belief. "The UK asserts the right to try suspects for the gravest crimes anywhere in the world in our courts,” Anwar told the BBC. “It's about time that the government exercised that prerogative.”

Lucas Papademos, the Greek Prime Minister, has called for a general election in the country for May 6th. The election will bring to an end the 6 month reign of economist Papademos who was installed in November to help take control of the chaotic Greek economy. It will be the country's first election since 2009 and, more importantly, since Greece's economic downturn which has prompted protests and riots across the nation, widespread unemployment and the potential sinking of the entire Eurozone.

It also marks the first time since the fall of the military junta in 1975 that Greece's two leading political parties, Pasok and New Democracy, will not be the clear favourites to take charge. Though they have ruled the two party system in that time, opinion polls see both major parties at all time record lows of popularity and, with the election just weeks away, it is questionable that they can make up the ground. Both Pasok and New Democracy lost integrity throughout the economic crisis due to their support for unpopular austerity measures and their perceived ties to the corrupt big businesses that many blame for the crash.

So who does that open the door for on May 6th? Well certainly there is likely to be a strong showing from the political left with both the Communist Party of Greece and the Coalition of the Radical Left now as popular as Pasok in opinion polls. The recently formed Democratic Left have also emerged, mainly due to their opposition to austerity. In fact any party which preaches anti-austerity in the coming weeks is likely to curry favour in Greece and that may prove problematic.

It is the murder case that has rocked Chinese society and raised, once again, highly uncomfortable questions about government power in the world's most populous nation. Gu Kailai, the wife of Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai, was arrested last week for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, with her husband dismissed from his government duties. The investigation to come looks set to uncover a fairly grisly tale of extreme abuse of power and violent corruption.

It all began in November last year with the death in Chongqing of Heywood, who had been working and living in China since the early nineties. The official verdict was alcohol poisoning, a finding which puzzled his friends and family as Heywood did not have a reputation as a drinker. Heywood did however have long standing personal and business ties to Bo Xilai and his wife Gu who ran one of the country's most powerful and profitable law firms.

Despite the initial attempts by authorities to dismiss the case, the vague and conflicting nature of the details meant it simply would not lie still and, after Chongqing Police Chief and ally of Bo Xilai, Wang Lijun was reshuffled as part of a corruption crackdown, yet more attention was poured on Heywood's death. Things came to a head in March with the dismissal of Bo from his role with the party and a demand from the British government that the case be re-investigated.

Since then disturbing details have come to light. Heywood, it has been confirmed, was not killed by alcohol but by the ingestion of potassium cyanide. There are allegations of an extra marital affair between Gu and Heywood . Heywood's wife Lulu claims that Gu came to see here, flanked by heavily armed officers, two days after her husband's death demanding that she bury Heywood without an autopsy. Details of Heywood's business dealings with the family have emerged showing just how close and problematic their ties may have been.

The concept of a free press is one which is the subject of much disagreement and difference around the world. With their close-to-unbounded liberty of information and travel patterns, a free press can go to virtually any location, be it warzone or disaster site, and be granted access. Though there are certain exceptions to this unspoken rule, it remains the norm. Although their primary job is to sell their newspaper or attract viewers to their TV channel, this freedom can, nonetheless, contribute a good deal to the health and general well-being of those around them. 

There are several ways in which the press can do this. For example, reporters have been known act as whistle-blowers when it comes to various controversial governmental issues. Reporters were instrumental in uncovering the cover-up that the Nixon administration engaged in – what came to be known as Watergate. Several reporters from the Washington Post were, in fact, heavily involved in uncovering the knowledge of the break-in and its subsequent sweeping-under-of-the-rug by several government agencies. This resulted in perhaps the greatest US government scandal of that century, and exposed the fundamental dishonesty of President Nixon.

The humble hedgehog is one of the most harmless animals alive. There are never headlines proclaiming HEDGEHOG MAULS CHILD in the newspapers, despite the incredible array of spines that they carry around on their backs. But experts are worried that the hedgehog species may be in danger of extinction.

Conservationists are urging the public to participate in a survey on hedgehogs – their hibernation and feeding habits in particular – to examine whether the species is endangered. In particular, experts are worried that the impact of global warming might be having an effect on the hedgehog's hibernation habits. The study builds upon original research conducted 40 years ago by Dr Pat Morris, who successfully proved that temperature affects when animals emerge from hibernation.

“Ideally, they want to hibernate just below freezing point,” Dr Morris said. High temperatures during hibernation can be a problem, because fat is used up quicker due to chemical reactions occurring at a faster rate in their metabolism. Warmer temperatures can also cause the hedgehog to wake too early, impacting upon fat reserves and food supply. Breeding times can also be affected, endangering the long-term survival of the mammal.

Hedgehog numbers have fallen greatly in the past fifty years, largely due to change in habitat. There are now estimated to be only around 1.5million of the creatures left in the country, compared to around 30million in 1950. Experts put this decline down to a change in habitat and an increase in urban areas where the hedgehog does not fare well, due to sterile gardens and impassable fences.

“A person who has sympathy for mankind in the lump, faith in its future progress, and desire to serve the great cause of this progress, should be called not a humanist, but a humanitarian, and his creed may be designated as humanitarianism.” Irving Babbitt

“We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate --- thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising." Maya Angelou 

“Art to me is a humanitarian act and I believe that there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to affect mankind, to make the word a better place.” Jeff Koons

“I support concrete and progressive immigration reform based on three primary criteria: family reunification, economic contributions, and humanitarian concerns.” Jeff Bingaman

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences that we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.” Marian Wright Edelman

“It's easier to be ignorant and say I don't know about the problem. But once you know, once you've seen it in their eyes, then you have a responsibility to do something. There is strength in numbers, and if we all work together as a team, we can be unstoppable.” Craig Kielburger

“Humanity should question itself, once more, about the absurd and always unfair phenomenon of war, on whose stage of death and pain only remains standing the negotiating table that could and should have prevented it.” Pope John Paul II

Given the amount of pollution that many common energy sources give off, many people are looking into different – or alternative – sources of energy. These include hydroelectric power – the electricity that can be derived from moving water – as well as exploring the possibilities inherent in nuclear energy – a potentially effective source. 

Another promising solution is solar energy, but in order to harness it, it is necessary to build solar farms, which are essentially solar panels arranged in large conglomerations – usually in rather sunny places. There are many across the world, particularly in parts of Europe and America, and plans for further development are constantly springing up.

Incidentally, the largest of these in existence has recently been opened in Andalucia, Spain. Unsurprisingly it's a huge development: the panels and all their accoutrements take up an area of roughly 210 football pitches and it has been estimated that over 350 million euros have been poured into the facility by its creators.

These solar farms are usually located in dry, flat areas, like deserts and plateaus. Andasol, in Andalucia, is no exception, being located on the plains of the city. This makes a good deal of sense, of course, given that being around mountain ranges and such elevations is perfect for catching the rays of the sun that generate the sought-after energy.

Apparently, there's no need to reach for your mittens and scarf just yet, even though it is almost mid-January. Scientists have claimed that the next ice age will be delayed due to higher levels of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge made the claim after studying the Earth's natural cycle. Their studies indicate that the planet's orbit around the sun cause an ice age to occur 11, 000 years after the previous one has ended. The arrival of the next ice age is already overdue by 600 years.   

An ice age is defined as a period in which global temperatures cool significantly, causing a growth in ice sheets and glaciers. So don't expect to see the return of the woolly mammoth. 

The scientists led by Dr Luke Skinner also revealed that the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere would have to fall below 240ppm (parts per million) before the ice age could begin. The current concentration level is approximately 390ppm. “[...] Even if emissions stopped now we'd probably have a long interglacial duration determined by whatever long-term processes could kick in and bring CO2 levels down,” said Dr Skinner. In fact, levels would remain artificially high for the next 1,000 years, preventing a global freeze.

The study is significant as it has the potential to impact upon several key arguments in the great Global Warming debate. It also has the potential to discredit the idea that increased temperatures are due to the Earth's natural cycle, and are not caused by man-made intervention. The Global Warming Policy Foundation responded to the study, saying that the results showed that increased carbon emissions were holding back a “global disaster”.

A man with a vision, a man with determination, a man who believed in his dreams, a man who pursued and conquered his dreams, a man with initiative and so much more. Steve Jobs will forever be an example of a man who did what he set out to do and exceeded even his own expectations. 

Here are some of his quotes that have inspired many:

“We don't get a chance to do that many things and everyone should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we've all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.”

“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes…the ones who see things differently - they're not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

“Your time is limited, so don´t waste it living someone else´s life. Don´t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”es who do.”

There has been a hot debate raging for the last few years on how important the livestock industry is to the battle against CO2 emissions. Various studies seem to prove that the meat industry is a major factor in gas emission pollution. One report concluded that up to 18% of emissions come from the Dairy industry (Livestock's Long Shadow, 2006). As for cattle raised for human consumption, another study states that meat consumption is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions that are heating up the earth (“Meat the Truth”, 2008). This includes clearing the land for food sources for the cattle, fertilisers, producing, raising, processing, and then transportation to market. It is also estimated that British meat consumption is over double the world average. So, what can we do?

Suggestions in several studies say that if each Brit ate just vegetables for one day each week, those statistics would be considerably lower. Of course, at the other end of the debate is the idea of giving up meat entirely, to save our earth. Still, some foresee there will always be meat-eaters, so another option is to support the cutting edge ‘cultured meat' pioneer venture. Cultured meat is meat that is grown using tissue engineering techniques. This is already being done in laboratories, and the effect on the environment would be startling positive: 96% less emissions than raising beef, 45% less energy needed, whilst land and water use would be lowered by 99%.