Since Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK it has rapidly spread, and the plant currently costs over £150m a year to control and clear.

But scientists say a natural predator in the weed’s native home of Japan could also help to control it here.

The insect will initially be released in a handful of sites this spring.

This is the first time that biocontrol – the use of a “natural predator” to control a pest – has been used in the EU to fight a weed.

Wildlife Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: “These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese Knotweed, will help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of treating and killing this devastating plant.”

Alien invaders

Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK by the Victorians as an ornamental plant, but it soon escaped from gardens and began its rampant spread throughout the UK.

It grows incredibly quickly – more than one metre a month – and rapidly swamps any other vegetation in its path.

It is so hardy that it can burst through tarmac and concrete, causing costly damage to pavements, roads and buildings.

But removal is difficult and expensive; new estimates suggest it costs the UK economy £150m a year.

However, in Japan, the plant is common but does not rage out of control like it does in the UK, thanks to the natural predators that keep it in check.

Scientists at Cabi – a not-for-profit agricultural research organisation – used this as their starting point to track down a potential knotweed solution.

They looked at the superweed’s natural predators – nearly 200 species of plant-eating insects and about 40 species of fungi – with the aim of finding one with an appetite for Japanese knotweed and little else.

After testing their candidates on 90 different UK plant species, including plants closely related to Japanese knotweed such as bindweeds and important crops and ornamental species, they discovered a psyllid called Aphalara itadori was the best control agent.

The little insect feeds on the sap of the superweed, stunting its growth.

Dr Dick Shaw, the lead researcher on the project from Cabi, told BBC News: “Safety is our top priority. We are lucky that we do have an extremely specific agent – it just eats invasive knotweeds.”

Following peer review by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and a public consultation, the UK government has now given the go-ahead for release of Aphalara itadori, under licence, in England.

The Welsh Assembly is expected to announce its decision on the psyllid soon.

The insects will initially be released on a handful of sites.

These will be isolated and, in addition to as having the superweed present, will also have UK species that are closely related to Japanese knotweed planted there to check that the psyllid only targets the invasive species.

Dr Shaw said: “In the early stages, a contingency plan is in place so that should, in the unlikely event, any unintended consequences be detected, we will be able to do something about it.

“Insecticide and herbicide treatment will be on standby for rapid response.”

If this phase is successful, the insect will be released at further sites, where it will undergo an intensive monitoring programme over the next five years.

Dr Shaw said: “On the localised sites, I would expect to see damaged knotweed this season.

“However, biocontrol is a long-term strategy – it could take five to 10 years to have a real impact.”

The government believes that if the plan is successful it will reduce the costs to the building and engineering industries of clearing the plant.

However, some critics say that it is impossible to be certain that the Japanese insect will only target the superweed and could attack other species once in the wild.

MetLife is paying $6.8bn in cash and $8.7bn in shares for American Life Insurance Company (Alico), which operates in more than 50 countries.

The announcement comes a week after AIG agreed to sell its Asian business AIA to UK group Prudential for $35.5bn.

AIG is seeking to repay $182.3bn of loans from the US government.

“This came quicker than expected – normally you’d expect a company to take a breather after a deal like the AIA sale,” said Antony Gifford, portfolio manager for North American equities at Henderson Global Investors.

“But MetLife already announced it was in negotiations on 2 February, while the AIA deal was still going on. Perhaps the timetable was driven by the US government.”

Global expansion

The speed of the deal may have come at the cost of a cheaper sale price: “This has turned out to be a more favourable deal to Metlife than we had expected,” commented Mr Gifford.

“We estimate that it will increase Metlife’s earning per share in 2011 by $0.50, or about 10%,” he added. “It will also give them access to businesses with a higher growth rate.”

MetLife is currently the largest life insurer in the US. The purchase of Alico will boost its presence in Japan, the Middle East, Latin America, and central and eastern Europe.

“From a strategic perspective, this will help Metlife become more international,” said Mr Gifford. “Metlife is quite a domestic-focused company compared to the other US life insurers.”

More sales?

The sales of AIA, and now of Alico, have allowed AIG to make the first significant repayments of the emergency funding it received from the US government during the financial crisis.

AIG was given an initial $85bn in September 2008 to prevent its collapse at the height of the turmoil in the global credit markets, subsequently rising to $182.3bn. As part of its rescue, AIG became majority-owned by the US government.

AIG expects to raise $31.8bn in cash from the sales of Alico and AIA, which it can use to repay the government, including a $9bn investment in the company made by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

It will also receive shares and other securities as payment from Metlife and Prudential, which are currently valued at $19.2bn, and can be sold by AIG over time to raise further cash.

Mr Gifford added that one more sale by AIG may be in the pipeline, this time of its remaining Japanese assets to Prudential Financial Inc of the USA, which is a separate company from the UK’s Prudential group.

• AFTER Iran announced that its long-delayed Bushehr civilian nuclear plant will be operational within a few months, American diplomats will renew efforts to obtain further sanctions against the Islamic republic over its suspected efforts to build a nuclear bomb. Hillary Clinton, the American secretary of state, has been trying to persuade members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, which has been helping to build the Bushehr plant since 1995, to accept to a new round of sanctions against Iran. The country’s government refused to agree to a compromise plan for its uranium to be enriched in Russia.

• AMERICA’S vice-president, Joe Biden, tries again to untangle the knot that is Middle Eastern politics. He travels to the region on Monday March 8th and will meet the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt and Jordan in an attempt to encourage the resumption of peace talks. George Mitchell, Barack Obama’s envoy, is adding his weight to efforts reopen negotiations. A recent row over historical holy sites has not helped to warm relations, as Israeli archaeologists in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians see as their future capital, are intent on uncovering evidence of Jewish ties that could be used to undermine the Arab presence there.

• FRANCE’S legal system may grind to a halt on Tuesday March 9th as magistrates, prison officers and lawyers hold a strike to protest about reforms to the country’s legal system. The most controversial measure is a proposal to scrap France’s examining magistrates, politically independent and impartial investigators who are responsible for a small proportion of cases that go to trial. These magistrates have handled sensitive cases including investigations of two former presidents, François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, as well as corruption at state-controlled companies. The government wants to hand their powers to state prosecutors, answerable to the Ministry of Justice and, ultimately, the government.

• THE inauguration of Chile’s new president, Sebastian Piñera, on Thursday March 11th promises to be a sombre affair. The earthquake that struck the central-southern region of the country has left at least 800 people dead and 2m homeless. Mr Piñera, a conservative, made election promises to cut back the state and allow private enterprise to flourish. Such efforts may have to go on hold as he concentrates on basic programmes to rebuild infrastructure, telecoms, schools and hospitals.

The quake struck at about 8:20 a.m. (7:20 p.m. Wednesday ET) in a mountainous region about 25 miles northwest of Taitung, on the southeast coast, and 40 miles east of Tainan and Kaohsiung on the southwest coast.

The region includes Taiwan’s Maolin National Scenic Area.

The quake was followed by several aftershocks, the largest reaching a 4.8 magnitude. The initial 6.4 quake rumbled to the surface from 14 miles deep.

The Taiwan Ministry of Interior and the National Fire Agency said electricity was cut off near the epicenter but had no further information.

Residents in southern Taiwan reported cracks in some buildings and major bridges. Train service was also disrupted in some areas, Taiwanese media reported.

Residents in the capital Taipei, 155 miles to the north, also felt the shaking.

Earthquakes are not uncommon in the 13,892-square-mile island — about the size of the U.S. states of Maryland and Delaware combined — which sits across the juncture of the Eurasian and Philippine tectonic plates.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the same general region in December. The island took a double hit on December 26, 2006, when earthquakes of 7.1 and 6.9 magnitude hit eight minutes apart.

The largest recorded quake to strike Taiwan was an 8.0 magnitude quake in 1920, but the worst earthquake disaster stemmed from a 7.1 magnitude quake in 1935 that killed more than 3,200 people — followed by a 6.5 magnitude quake that killed more than 2,700 people three months later.

More recently, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,400 people in 1999.

The euro rose 0.6% to $1.3698, but was slightly lower against the pound at 90.70 pence.

On Tuesday, the currency fell to its lowest level against the dollar for 10 months amid continuing concerns over Greece’s debt crisis.

Persistent worries over Greece’s 300bn euro ($419bn; £259bn) debt have weighed on the European single currency.

The pound rose against the dollar, trading at $1.512.

Protests

The Greek government approved an austerity package of tax rises and spending cuts worth 4.8bn euros, hoping to convince financial markets that it can pay off its debts and persuade European leaders it is doing enough.

Greece has pledged to reduce its deficit from 12.7% – more than four times eurozone rules – to 8.7% during 2010.

The measures include raising VAT to 21% from the current rate of 19%, and cutting civil servant bonus payments during holidays – which has annoyed union leaders.

But the austerity measures already proposed – such as freezing public sector pay, raising taxes and changing the pension system – have provoked huge street protests.

“The fiscal measures announced by Greece today should allow the government to ease the short-term pressure on its finances with a bond issue and may lead to firmer support from other countries,” said Ben May, European economist at Capital Economics.

Greece needs to sell bonds in the coming weeks. It has to raise 20bn euros in order to pay off maturing debt in April and May.

Greece’s Prime Minister George Papandreou is due to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Friday, in what could be a key meeting to decide what, if any, European assistance Greece receives.

He will visit France to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy soon afterwards.

European investigation

The European Commission announced that it intends to question banks and regulators over the role played by credit-default swaps in the Greek debt crisis, and how these financial instruments might be regulated in future.

Credit-default swaps are similar to insurance contracts, and allow banks and other institutions to buy financial protection against the risk that a borrower is unable to repay its debts.

However, the swaps have also been used by hedge funds to speculate against Greek debt, and make money if Greece’s standing in the markets deteriorates.

Despite the Commission’s concerns, the chairman of the Financial Services Authority, the UK’s financial watchdog, played down the importance of speculators.

Adair Turner said it is more important to keep the confidence of long-term buyers of Greek government bonds.

“It is important that even if we look at this issue we don’t overstate it,” added Mr Turner, who said that swaps speculators only comprised around 3% to 4% of outstanding Greek debt.

“A fundamental issue that can drive volatility on spreads on Greek bonds is a whole load of long investors not being willing to buy.”

Michelle Bachelet says 14,000 troops are now in the region, after dozens of people were arrested on Monday.

A BBC reporter in Concepcion says police are now posted on street corners in the city centre, but says that aid convoys are yet to reach the needy.

The death toll from the 8.8-magnitude quake now stands at 795, officials say.

Emergency workers also say 19 people are still unaccounted for.

‘Necessary measure’

A special air route is being set up to deliver aid from the capital, Santiago, to Concepcion, 430km (270 miles) away.

But security in the city remains a key concern after shops and homes were looted on Monday and police made large numbers of arrests.

The deteriorating security situation in Concepcion comes despite the influx of thousands of troops to reinforce local police.

“We can say that, according what we’ve been told from the area, the situation in Concepcion is under control today,” President Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday.

But, she added, authorities would take any “necessary measure” to stop renewed looting.

“Our principle objective is to go and help people tackle the emergency in the disaster zone.

“I want them [looters] to understand this and that they’ll receive rigorous legal action. We will not tolerate such actions.”

Many of the city’s 500,000 inhabitants are short of food and have seen their water and electricity supplies cut off.

Aid agencies have yet to reach Concepcion, reports the BBC’s Andy Gallacher, who has reached the city, and many people are still awaiting water, food and mattresses.

However, at least two police officers appear to be posted on every corner in the city centre, our correspondent says.

Some residents quoted by Reuters news agency said they were organising groups to defend their property.

Coastal destruction

Reports are also beginning to emerge of the scale of the devastation in other areas.

Up to 90% of the mud-and-wood buildings in the historic centre of Curico had been destroyed or damaged, and a hospital badly damaged, BBC reporters said.

Some coastal towns and villages were also hit by giant waves after the earthquake, with some reported to have been completely destroyed.

Reports from the town of Pelluhue suggested that a series of tsunamis swept through what was a tranquil seaside resort, destroying houses and claiming many lives.

The government admits that its attempts to provide aid swiftly have been hampered by damaged roads and power cuts.

The air supply route between Santiago and Concepcion will help the authorities send more than 300 tonnes of aid, including 120 tonnes of food, to the worst-affected area of the country.

Communication problems

International aid has begun arriving. Neighbouring Argentina is flying a field hospital over the Andes to Chile and has pledged half a million litres of much-needed drinking water.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva flew to Santiago and offered his nation’s support, as did US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Mrs Clinton took a consignment of satellite phones with her to Santiago after the Chilean government requested communications equipment alongside field hospitals and water purification units.

“We stand ready to help in any way that the government of Chile asks us to,” said Mrs Clinton, adding: “The United States will be there to help when others leave.

After touring the disaster zone, Chilean President-elect Sebastian Pinera – who takes office on 11 March – said the situation was worse than he had expected.

“When we have a catastrophe of this magnitude, when there is no electricity and no water, the population… starts losing the sense of public order,” he said.

About two million Chileans are believed to have been affected by Saturday’s earthquake, the seventh most powerful on record and the worst disaster to befall Chile in 50 years.

The epicentre of the quake was 115km (70 miles) north-east of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago.

About 1.5 million homes in Chile have been damaged. Most of the collapsed buildings were of older design – including many historic structures.

One US risk assessor, Eqecat, has put the cost of repairing the damage at between $15bn and $30bn (£9.8bn – £19.6bn) or 10-20% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Windows users will be offered the choice as part of a deal Microsoft struck with the European Commission.

The agreement resolves a long running case in which the software giant was accused of abusing its market position.

A pop-up window will prompt people to choose and install one of 12 different browsers or let them stick with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

Install options

The browser choice software will be delivered as part of the Windows Update system Microsoft usually uses to distribute security patches.

Although the update has been prepared for Windows XP, Vista and 7, not all users will see it.

It will not pop up in front of those who already run a different default browser, such as Firefox, Safari or Chrome.

Users guaranteed to see it are those that have Internet Explorer (IE) set as their default browser and have taken the option to let Windows automatically download and install updates.

Those that have this option turned off will be prompted to download, install and run the software.

Those that have automatic updates turned off can go to the Windows Update site and run a “Check For Updates” to get it.

When it runs, the software will present users with a window that says in bold text “An important choice to make: your browser”. It also asks people to ensure they are connected to the internet.

Once the “OK” button is clicked, they will see a screen that lists the 12 browsers available.

The Opera, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer browsers are randomly ordered on the first section of this screen.

Another seven browsers, namely Sleipnir, Green Browser, Maxthon, Avant, Flock, K-meleon, and Slim, will be randomly ordered on the rest of the screen. They can be viewed by scrolling sideways.

Below each listing will be a button giving more information. Another button lets users install one of the browsers.

Alternatively, users can opt to ignore the selection and make a choice later. If they do this a shortcut icon will appear on the Windows desktop that gives access to the browser choice window at any time.

The choice screen will keep appearing until a user has made a choice.

Anyone wanting to stick with IE will be prompted to upgrade to the latest version.

Microsoft said that Windows 7 users who have fixed or “pinned” IE to their taskbar will have it unpinned by the update. Right clicking the icon for any browser will let users pin that program to the taskbar.

It is not yet clear what effect the browser choice will have on Internet Explorer’s market share.

Although exact estimates are hard to find, web stats firm Net Applications said IE is used by 62% market share. Its closest rival is Firefox at 24%.

Some fear the browser choice system will confuse people. Already some who have been confronted with the choice screen have been worried that their machine has been taken over or fallen victim to a virus.

The 3,000-year-old head of Amenhotep III – grandfather of Tutankhamun – was dug out of the ruins of the pharaoh’s mortuary temple.

Experts say it is the best preserved example of the king’s face ever found.

The 2.5m (8ft) head is part of a larger statue, most of which was found several years ago.

Antiquities officials say the statue is to be reconstructed.

“Other statues have always had something broken – the tip of the nose, or the face is eroded,” said Dr Hourig Sourouzian, who has led the Egyptian-European expedition at the site.

“But here, from the top of the crown to the chin, it is so beautifully carved and polished, nothing is broken.”

Vast empire

Egypt’s antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, described it as “a masterpiece of highly artistic quality”.

Amenhotep III ruled Egypt from about 1387 to 1348 BC and presided over a vast empire stretching from Nubia in the south to Syria in the north.

Scientists using DNA tests and CT scans on several mummies have identified him as the grandfather of Tutankhamun – the boy-king born of an incestuous marriage between Akhenaten and his sister, both the offspring of Amenhotep III.

The massive mortuary temple in Luxor was largely destroyed, possibly by floods, and little remains of its walls.

The 8.8 magnitude quake – one of the most powerful recorded – devastated central parts of the country, killing more than 700 people.

Troops are being deployed to help with rescue efforts and prevent looting.

A curfew is in force in some areas. Basic supplies are to be distributed as rescuers reach worst-hit areas.

“We face a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort,” Ms Bachelet told reporters on Sunday in the capital, Santiago.

The curfew, which began at 2100 local time (midnight GMT), applies in the region of Maule – where more than 541 are confirmed dead – and in Concepcion, Chile’s second city.

Both areas are being placed under special rules to speed up the delivery of aid.

The army has been sent to support police to prevent unrest in Concepcion, south of Santiago.

The mayor has said food is running out and the situation in the city is getting out of control. Supermarkets and chemists have been looted and thousands of people remain homeless.

Sleeping rough

Meanwhile rescue teams are still trying to reach dozens of people believed to be trapped in a collapsed block of flats in Concepcion.

Many Chileans are spending a second night outdoors, afraid to stay in damaged homes.

Reports say 350 bodies were found in the devastated fishing village of Constitucion – which was hit by both the quake and the tsunami it set off.

In the port of Talcahuano more than 20 boats were swept ashore and dumped in the streets by the waves.

The emergency measures announced by Ms Bachelet also include:

* Air force flights to deliver supplies to affected areas
* Free distribution of basic goods in Maule and Biobio regions – distribution points are yet to be decided
* Efforts to guarantee electricity distribution, as many areas remain without power

Officials say public transport services are slowly returning to normal. One metro line in Santiago is operating. Roads are passable, although with diversions.

The airport in Santiago has reopened. It had been closed because of damage to the terminal and control tower.

Aid offered

The epicentre of the quake was 115km (70 miles) north-east of Concepcion and 325km south-west of Santiago.

About 1.5 million homes have been damaged. Most of the collapsed buildings were of older design – including many historic structures.

About 90% of the historic centre of the town of Curico was destroyed. Many roads and bridges across the affected area were damaged or destroyed.

One US risk assessor, Eqecat, put the value of the damage at between $15bn and $30bn (£9.8bn-£19.6bn) or 10-20% of gross domestic product.

Responsibility for reconstruction will soon pass to President-elect Sebastian Pinera, who takes office in two weeks.

“It’s going to be a very big task and we’re going to need resources,” he said.

Chile did not initially request foreign assistance, but Ms Bachelet later said some offers of aid would be accepted.

She said Chile needed field hospitals, temporary bridges, water purification plants, damage assessment experts and rescuers to relieve those already working to find survivors.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center on Sunday lifted its Pacific-wide alert, after fears of high waves failed to materialise in many countries.

Gatorade is the latest major company to cut ties with the sportsman following Woods’s admission that he was unfaithful to his wife.

The drinks company, owned by PepsiCo, had already discontinued a Tiger Woods-themed drink, Tiger Focus. It follows AT&T and Accenture in ending deals.

However, Gatorade said it would continue its partnership with the charitable Tiger Woods Foundation.

Dropped

A spokeswoman for Gatorade said: “We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship… We wish him all the best.”

Its move comes just one week after the star made a frank public address to a select gathering at PGA Tour headquarters in Florida.

In his statement Woods apologised to his wife, friends and family, as well as to his fans.

“I was unfaithful, I had affairs and I cheated. What I did was unacceptable,” he said.

Woods, 34, told the hand-picked attendees he had spent 45 days in therapy and claimed he still had “a long way to go” to overcome his problems.

Distance

Gatorade is the third company to end its relationship with Mr Woods.

Communications company AT&T and corporate services business Accenture previously cut their sponsorship deals.

Male grooming business Gillette and luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer have also distanced themselves from him.

Carmaking giant General Motors (GM) said recently an arrangement that allowed Woods free access to its vehicles was over.

Wealthiest athlete

The world’s number one golfer did have an endorsement contract with GM’s Buick brand, but that ended in 2008.

Such arrangements made Tiger Woods the world’s wealthiest athlete, estimated to have earned £66m ($100) a year in endorsement deals before allegations of infidelity emerged in December of last year.

A recent University of California study suggested the total economic damage of the Tiger Woods affair to all involved parties could amount to as much as $12bn.

But sports equipment giant Nike, which pays Woods a reported $40m a year, has given its support.

And video game maker Electronic Arts is to go ahead with plans to roll out an online game featuring the golfer.