Mayor Michael Nutter's administration is extending it two weeks, until the regular school-year curfew takes effect. His spokesman Mark McDonald said the curfew is sending "a very strong message. It's a success, a relative success," McDonald said Monday. "We will pick up any child who violates the curfew. We are enforcing it. And going forward we are enforcing it." There have been few major problems the last few weeks since the curfew was put into effect, McDonald said. Last weekend, there were 32 youths picked up for curfew violations, according to police.

The special summertime curfew applies to all children under age 18, with a handful of exceptions, such as youths traveling to jobs. The regular school-year curfew starts September 6. Under that city ordinance, youth ages 13 to 17 are subject to a 10:30 pm curfew on weekdays and a midnight curfew on weekends; children up through age 12 have a curfew of 9 pm on weekdays and 10 pm on weekends. In one mob attack last month, a man ended up in the hospital with broken teeth and a wired jaw after a group of teenagers attacked him downtown. Hours later, a crowd of young people assaulted four other men. An 11-year-old boy was among the four young people arrested in the case.

Last weekend, a group of opponents gathered to call the new curfew illegal and racist, saying economic development was needed to solve the problem. Earlier this month, on the first weekend of the new curfew, a teenage girl was stabbed while walking home from a city-sponsored bowling party in the Juniata neighborhood, an event where Nutter had appeared earlier.

New York prosecutors on Monday filed a motion to drop the charges against Strauss-Kahn after losing faith in the credibility of his accuser, a 32-year-old hotel maid from Guinea. The case could be formally dropped at a court hearing on Tuesday. Francois Hollande, the leading Socialist candidate for the 2012 elections after Strauss-Kahn's arrest in May, seemed to hint in a radio interview that the former French finance minister might once again play a role in government.

"Whatever has been said, a man with the abilities of Dominique Strauss-Kahn can be useful to his country in the months and years to come," Hollande, the frontrunner among six candidates for the Socialist primary, told France Inter radio. A survey released last month showed that two-thirds of French people do not want Strauss-Kahn to be a candidate.

There is also no way to know whether this draft or something similar will emerge as the final governing document for a new Libyan regime. As both the Morning Bell and Washington in a Flash noted today, Heritage Fellow Jim Phillips recently pointed out that Islamist forces "appear to make up a small but not insignificant part of the opposition coalition," and must be prevented "from hijacking Libya's future." Parts of the draft Constitution allay those fears, while others exacerbate them.

Much of the document describes political institutions that will sound familiar to citizens of Western liberal democracies, including rule of law, freedom of speech and religious practice, and a multi-party electoral system.

But despite the Lockean tenor of much of the constitution, the inescapable clause lies right in Part 1, Article 1: "Islam is the Religion of the State, and the principal source of legislation is Islamic Jurisprudence (Sharia)." Under this constitution, in other words, Islam is law. That makes other phrases such as "there shall be no crime or penalty except by virtue of the law" and "Judges shall be independent, subject to no other authority but law and conscience" a bit more ominous.

The US has also promised $25 million in non-lethal aid to the Libyan Transitional National Council, half of which the Defense Department has already on MRE's (military lingo for Meals, Ready to Eat). The military delivered 120,000 Halal MRE's to Benghazi in May and a second shipment that included medical supplies, boots, tents, uniforms, and personal protective gear in June.

While Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appears to be on the way out, NATO says flight missions over Tripoli will continue, with the US playing a role in helping to keep a tight window over the area that's been in effect for weeks. Over the past 12 days, US planes have flown 391 sorties from a total of 5,316 since April 1, according to figures provided by the Defense Department. That total includes 1,210 airstrike missions over the same three and a half month period. The US has also conducted 101 Predator drone strike missions in Libya.

One significant offset to the cost of US involvement in the flights worth noting is the sale of military equipment to allies also involved in the cause. Pentagon officials say the sale of ammunition, replacement parts, fuel, and technical assistance to allies since March has totaled $221.9 million.

Analysts said that with further US monetary stimulus looking likely, gold prices could rise even further. "For the time being investors are happy looking at gold as a safe haven in these troubled times, and will continue to do so until we see something positive and sustainable." said Darren Heathcote of Investec Australia. Analysts said demand for gold was also being driven by speculation that the US Federal Reserve may announce new stimulus measures in a bid to boost the economy.

Central bank governors from across the globe are scheduled to gather for their annual meeting at the Jackson Hole summit later this week. There is growing speculation that Ben Bernanke, the governor of the US central bank, may announce fresh stimulus measures in his speech at the summit. "The idea for QE2 was conceived during the Jackson Hole summit last year," Ong Yi-Ling of Phillip Futures told the BBC. "So the markets are hoping similar measures could be announced at this year's speech and that is spurring demand for gold."

Colin Whitehead of Fat Prophets added: "If they push through with more stimulus, gold could rise even further." He explained that a fresh stimulus package would mean that the US would have to print more money to boost liquidity in the markets, which in turn could see the US currency weaken further. "The underlying driver of gold prices is the depreciating US dollar value," he said, "so the more money they print, the stronger gold gets."

Mr Spencer said at the weekend: "This tax would destroy the City and cost the Exchequer billions, BUT IT WOULD BENEFIT BRUSSELS. Companies like Icap will simply move elsewhere outside the EU if Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel push ahead with this silly tax." At the Paris summit Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy said they planned to introduce the tax as part of their response to the sovereign debt crisis.

Mr Sarkozy said: "The French and German ministers will table a joint proposal at EU level next September for a tax on financial transactions. This is a priority for us." The details were scant but traders reacted with alarm, selling stock exchange and bank stocks that could be impacted by the tax. A report by Open Europe found that the plans by Germany and France to introduce a financial transaction tax (FTT) could raise a total 80.9 billion euros (70.7 billion pounds) - of which 58.3 billion euros would come from UK-based businesses.

The think tank said that total EU financial transactions amounted to 830 trillion euros and a tax could be imposed at the rate of 0.1% for bonds and shares and 0.01% for derivatives. Mr Spencer added: "THIS IS ANOTHER CYNICAL THREAT BY SARKOZY WHO KNOWS THIS TAX WOULD OVERWHELMINGLY HIT LONDON as this is where trillions of dollars are traded each day in foreign exchange, equities, commodities and derivatives markets. It would also be a huge fillip to New York and other centres like Singapore. It could only work if adopted globally."

Martin Callanan, leader of the Conservative MEPs, called on David Cameron to "state categorically that the UK will reject any plans" for the tax. Last week, Treasury sources signalled that Britain would be prepared to veto such a tax if Paris and Berlin succeed in bringing the plan to a vote among 27 EU members. The Treasury agreed with protests from UK financiers and politicians that the tax would end up harming the economy. "Any financial transaction tax would have to apply globally, otherwise the transactions covered would simply relocate to countries not applying the tax," a spokesman said.

They had been secretly armed during the six-month civil war, waiting for the key moment to strike. The rebels fought in isolated parts of the city, taking on snipers and other gunmen loyal to Gaddafi's regime. But they couldn't succeed alone, needing substantial outside help. This is when the rest of the rebel plan fell into place. First, a group of around 200 fighters slipped into Tripoli by sea, travelling from further down the coast in Misrata.

They joined rebel forces that had already engaged pro-Gaddafi forces in the city's eastern Tajoura district. The key advance, however, came from the west. Rebel fighters struck out from the town of Zawiya and quickly captured Jaddayim and Mayah. In the most decisive step, they then seized the base of the Khamis Brigade - one of the best-trained and equipped units in the Libyan military, commanded by a son of Gaddafi. Hundreds of rebel fighters captured the base - 16 miles from Tripoli - facing only minimal resistance.

They hauled up stockpiles of heavy weapons and ammunition and then proceeded on to the city itself. Remarkably, the rebels faced no more resistance.

Gaddafi's forces - under siege from not only the west but also the south and east - had literally melted away and the rebels were greeted as heroes as they advanced ever closer to the centre. Rebel leaders revealed that the assault - a stunning combination of popular uprising and armed advance - was clearly planned from the start. Adbel Hafiz Ghoga, a senior official with the rebel National Transitional Council, said: 'There is co-ordination with the rebels in Tripoli. This was a pre-set plan. They've been preparing for a while. There's coordination with the rebels approaching from the east, west and south.'

And it seemed even politicians in key Nato countries abroad were, to some extent, aware of what was coming. Britain's Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said yesterday morning: 'Our understanding has always been that there would not be an uprising in the capital until people were fairly sure on the ground that there would be some support available from those outside. Clearly there are forces that have been waiting in Tripoli for the opportunity to express their opposition to the regime.'

Whether they have nerve to use those means if necessary, and whether they can overcome deep rifts to act in unison and with overwhelming force, is another matter. It would help if China and other reserve powers stopped sniping from their clay towers. They will suffer just as badly, or worse, if the dam breaks.

Perhaps oddly, I am not as uber-bearish as some at this juncture. It is far from clear to me that the US is crashing into a second slump. While the Philly Fed's manufacturing index for August was catastrophic at minus 30.7, it is a twitchy index. Paul Dales at Capital Economics says it flashed false warnings in 1995 and 1998. The US Conference Board's leading indicators are more reliable. They are signalling sluggish growth.

Andrew Haldane, the Bank of England's financial stability chief, says global banks have raised equity by $500 billion since the bubble burst. They have slashed assets by $3 trillion, and halved leverage ratios from 40:1 to a long-run average of 20:1. "UK and US banks' cash ratios are at their highest levels for several decades," he said.

So with fiscal policy exhausted, the burden must fall on monetary policy. Here we have barely begun to use our atomic arsenal even at zero rates. As Milton Friedman taught us - though nobody in Frankfurt - it is a fallacy to think that low rates are loose. Zero can be extremely tight. That may be the case now with US Treasury yields signalling deflation and M2 velocity collapsing as it did pre-Lehman.

The ECB's Jean-Claude Trichet said "we do not do QE". Indeed, Germany forbids it. Not only has the Bundesbank forgotten that the Bruning deflation of 1931 destroyed Weimar - not the hyperinflation of 1923 - it is imposing its policy blunder on the whole currency bloc. The visible result of piling monetary contraction on top of fiscal contraction is to push the Club Med over the edge.

Remember what the world looked like when Franklin Roosevelt moved into the White House in March 1933 and shut down the US banking system. The front page of the New York Times on his first Monday in office announced: "Hitler Bloc Wins A Reich Majority, Rules Prussia"; "Japanese Push On In Fierce Fighting, China Closes Wall, Nanking Admits Defeat"; "City Scrip To Replace Currency"; "President Takes Steps Under Sweeping Law of War Time"; "Prison For Gold Hoarders".

That was a serious situation.

Ms Merkel told German television yesterday: "The markets want to force us into doing certain things - and that we won't do." She added: "Politics cannot and will not simply follow the markets." Eurobonds, or the issuance of bonds backed by all 17 members of the eurozone, would lead Europe "into a debt union, not a stability union", Ms Merkel said. She said she was committed to the "extremely difficult task" of forcing countries to cut debt and boost growth as the way out of Europe's sovereign debt crisis.

Traders had been hoping for Ms Merkel to soften her stance over eurobonds following the financial turmoil of last week.

Stockmarkets around the world plunged following indecision among Europe's leaders and fears they are losing their grip on the sovereign debt crisis. Fears that the unsolved problems would trigger another banking crisis spread across global markets and were compounded by worries about the US economy.

In London, the FTSE 100 shed 73 billion pounds in value in just one week. At the close on Friday it was hovering at 5,040 - just above the psychologically vital 5,000 mark. Yesterday President Barack Obama broke off to his holiday to concede that the economy was fragile. He said: "I don't think we're in danger of another recession, but we are in danger of not having a recovery that's fast enough to deal with what is a genuine unemployment crisis for a whole lot of folks out there." Mr Obama said concerns about the American recovery and "headwinds'" from the debt crisis in Europe were contributing to investor concerns.

Income from employment fell for the eleventh month running - August saw the steepest decline in take-home pay for nine months - while spending power continued to be squeezed by rising prices. Markit said these factors contributed to the sharpest reduction in savings since March 2009. Debt levels increased for the fifth consecutive month, and at the fastest pace since November 2010.

The gloomy outlook applied to all income groups, age ranges and regions monitored by the survey, but consumers in the north of England are suffering more than those in the south, the financial information company found. Tim Moore, senior economist at Markit, said: "With consumer spending accounting for around two-thirds of UK gross domestic product, this does not bode well for the second half of the year. It is likely that the UK economy will be increasingly dependent on external demand."

Although respondents were slightly less pessimistic than in the previous survey about the outlook for their finances in 12 months' time, 49% said they expected their financial position to worsen while just 27% anticipated an improvement. Markit said the pressure on purchasing power is unlikely to ease in the short term, with the Bank of England expecting inflation to reach 5% later this year as higher prices continue to filter through to household budgets. Fears over the eurozone crisis and the prospect of a double-dip recession are also hitting consumer confidence, Mr Moore added.

The remarks by Bashar Assad, who spoke during an interview with state-run television, came just days after the United States and its European allies called for him to step down, and hours after a diplomat said Assad's regime was "scrubbing blood off the streets" ahead of a UN visit. "I am not worried about the security situation right now, we can say the security situation is better," Assad said in his fourth public appearance since the revolt against his family's 40-year rule erupted in mid-March.

"It may seem dangerous, but in fact we are able to deal with it," Assad said. In a now-familiar refrain, Assad promised imminent reforms - including parliamentary elections by February - but insisted the unrest was being driven by a foreign conspiracy, not true reform seekers. Assad said President Barack Obama's calls for him to give up power had "no value." The opposition rejected Assad's remarks, saying they have lost confidence in his promises of reform while his forces open fire on peaceful protesters.

Assad warned against Libya-style military intervention, saying "any military action against Syria will bring repercussions that (the West) cannot tolerate." There have been no serious international plans to launch such an operation, in part because the opposition has said it does not want Western countries to interfere.

The rebels reportedly captured Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, as the colonel himself vowed to fight on. International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he had been informed of the arrest. The court has indicted Saif al-Islam for torturing and killing civilians. Another of Colonel Gaddafi's sons, Muhammad, was speaking on the phone to al-Jazeera TV when he said the rebels were surrounding his home. Gunfire was heard before the line cut off. Government forces still control parts of the city, including the areas around Colonel Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia compound and near the hotel where foreign journalists are staying, south of the city centre.

Matthew Price, BBC News, Tripoli reports:- "The hotel where we and other foreign journalists are staying is still under the control of pro-Gaddafi guards, and we believe that they are now preparing to defend it from opposition forces. There's been an awful lot of firing going on in recent hours in the area."

"We believe there will some sort of rebel attempt to take the hotel because it's the place from which the Libyan information minister has been broadcasting his take on the conflict - it's also the place from where Libyan TV has recently been broadcasting its nightly shows. So it's one of the targets of the opposition forces. What's happening here is in sharp contrast to what's happening three miles - or 5km - down the road in Green Square, where there are jubilant scenes."

The new Masonic lodge is led by John Tully, a Metropolitan Police officer, who has given numerous interviews in recent days accusing the Prime Minister of "fighting violence, arson and looting on our city streets with sound-bites". Other founder members include officers from the Metropolitan Police, Essex Police, Thames Valley Police and from other forces including Northumbria, Dyfed Powys, South Wales, South Yorkshire and even a high ranking officer from the Royal Gibraltar Police.

The "Sine Favore" Lodge was opened despite the conclusions of a Parliamentary inquiry which warned of public fears that "Freemasonry can have an unhealthy influence on the criminal justice system". The inquiry followed questions about masonic involvement in the abandonment of an investigation into a shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland and with the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad, which was disbanded after evidence of police malpractice.

Masonic rules require members to do all they can to support each other, to look after each other and to keep each others' lawful secrets. New members of the so-called Brotherhood are blindfolded, a hangman's noose placed around their necks and they are warned their throat will be slit and their tongue torn out if they break their oath. Critics argue this could put them at odds with discharging their duty to serve the public.

The inquiry by the Home Affairs Select Committee in 1998 called for a public register of police officers who joined the Freemasons, although in the end the then Labour government proposed that officers could make voluntary disclosures about their membership. Few did.

"We are still the single best bet in the world, in terms of where to invest," Biden told a university audience in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, the southwest province that is the second and last stop of his visit to China. "Please understand that no one cares more about this than we do, since Americans own 87 percent of all our financial assets and 69 percent of all our treasury bonds," Biden said, answering a question about US debt.

"So our interest is not just to protect Chinese investment. We have an overarching interest in protecting the investment, while the United States has never defaulted and never will default. You're safe," he added.

Biden also used his speech to renew US calls for Beijing to do more to rein in North Korea and Iran, whose nuclear ambitions have alarmed the West. "The fact is, China and the United States face many of the same threats and share many of the same objectives and responsibilities," he said. But his key theme was, as it has been throughout his five-day visit to China, economic: that the United States can reverse its high debt and low growth, and that China should play a part by buying more American-made goods and services.

"The economy cannot be measured by the maximum profit but by the common good," Benedict told journalists on the plane taking him to Madrid for a four-day trip centered around the Roman Catholic Church's World Youth Day festivities. "The economy cannot function only with mercantile self-regulation but needs an ethical reason in order to work for man," he said. The Spanish economy is struggling to exit a recession which has left one in five unemployed, of which a large proportion are young people.

Disaffection over government spending cuts, a sickly economy and a lack of job prospects has spawned a protest movement named "Los Indignados" (Indignant Ones) whose young supporters occupied Madrid's Puerta del Sol square in May.

Benedict expressed his solidarity and support for young people faced with an uncertain jobs outlook, but warned of the challenges of consumerism and hedonism and the "widespread trivialization of sexuality" in a speech on his arrival at Madrid's Barajas airport. He reinforced his message later to the young pilgrims in Cibeles square, criticizing people who "create their own gods, believe they need no roots or foundations... letting themselves be led by the whim of each moment."

In a text of the speech released in advance on Saturday, Benedict had written that marriage must be between a man and a woman and called for the respect for life, in apparent criticism of Spain's legalisation of gay marriage and abortion. In Madrid's city center, gay activists staged a protest to defend same sex partnerships, the latest in a series of demonstrations against the visit. He quoted from the Bible definition of marriage in which "a man and a woman become one flesh" and also urged his listeners to be open "to the gift of life" within marriage.

Spain's legalisation of abortion on demand last year and gay marriage in 2005 have stoked tensions between Spain's Socialist goverment and the once overwhelmingly powerful Roman Catholic Church in the country.