Under the new law, children's products with more than 600 ppm total lead cannot lawfully be sold in the United States on or after February 10, 2009, even if they were manufactured before that date. The total lead limit drops to 300 ppm on August 14, 2009.

The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children's products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children's products, such as THRIFT STORES AND CONSIGNMENT STORES, ARE NOT REQUIRED TO CERTIFY THAT THOSE PRODUCTS meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.

The US business magazine Forbes estimates that the 25 richest Russians alone have lost nearly €180 billion during the current global economic crisis. Abramovich, who invested his money primarily in the holding company Evraz, lost a staggering amount of money on the London Stock Exchange within just six months as Evraz's value plummeted from €28 billion to just €3.2 billion.

Russian steel baron Alexei Mordashov, who has a stake in the German travel giant TUI, lost €18 billion. Aluminum czar Oleg Deripaska, who was once the richest of them all with an estimated pre-crunch net worth of €23 billion, would be teetering on the brink of bankruptcy if the state had not granted him a €3.5 billion loan.

An internal intelligence assessment, obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, says the high visibility of the event, the presence of dignitaries and the significance of swearing in the country's first black president make the inauguration vulnerable to attacks.

What concerns analysts most, the report says, is the potential use of improvised explosive devices, a hostage situation or suicide bombers. While security will be tight around the U.S. Capitol, the joint FBI and Homeland Security assessment says nearby hotels, public gatherings, restaurants and roads could be vulnerable to some kind of attack.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said security concerns during inaugurations have been elevated since the 2001 terror attacks. "I think it will be the most security, as far as I'm aware, that any inauguration has had," Chertoff said in an interview with the AP. Chertoff also said there is no specific intelligence pointing to terrorist plots during the event.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, leading a two-day conference with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the future of capitalism, said the crisis has shown that no country can go it alone on economic policy. "In the 21st century, there it is no longer a single nation who can say what we should do or what we should think," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the system "cannot continue as it is" and called for better-regulated financial markets. European leaders will meet in Berlin before the G-20 summit in London to decide a common approach as global leaders gear up for a second meeting on the global financial crisis, Sarkozy said.

Measures will be taken at the G-20 meeting in London on April 2, Sarkozy promised, saying "we cannot accept the status quo." He called for closer cooperation on economic policy, saying: "We should discuss how each of us is managing his currency, his interest rates."

But organisation Christian Voice has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority saying they break rules on substantiation and truthfulness. The adverts contain the slogan: "THERE'S PROBABLY NO GOD. NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE."

But Stephen Green, national director of Christian Voice, said: "There is plenty of evidence for God, from people's personal experience, to the complexity, interdependence, beauty and design of the natural world. But there is scant evidence on the other side, so I think the advertisers are really going to struggle to show their claim is not an exaggeration or inaccurate, as the ASA code puts it."

Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, said: "I've sought advice from some of our key people here, but I'm afraid all I've got out of them so far is peals of laughter. I am sure that Stephen Green really does think there is a great deal of evidence for a God (though presumably only the one that he believes in), but I pity the ASA if they are going to be expected to rule on the probability of God's existence."

The stringent regulations has caused a stir among retailers, especially used clothes stores, because it may result in thousands of children's clothes being declared unsafe and having to be thrown away, warned Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops.

Among the possible sources of lead are buttons and charms on clothes and appliqués added to the cloth, pointed out Charles Margulis, communications director of the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland. He cited an incident in Minnesota where a child died after swallowing a lead charm on his sneaker.

Store owners from children's clothing to handmade toys warned that if the law will be strictly implemented they might have to close their business and file for bankruptcy. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which will enforce the law, said Monday it will consider exempting clothing and toys made of natural materials such as wool or wood.

Clothing and thrift trade groups say the law is flawed because it was rammed through Congress too quickly. By deeming that any product not tested for lead content by February 10 be considered hazardous waste, they contend, stores will have to tell customers that clothing they were allowed to sell February 9 became banned substances overnight.

Germany's failure to sell all of its debt is significant for all EU governments and the eurozone in particular because German government bonds are seen by investors as the "benchmark of the area", the WSJ notes.

Among those singled out are The Apprentice boss Sir Alan Sugar, pop producer Mark Ronson, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Labour peer Lord Levy. One terror expert warned that those listed should take the matter "very seriously". Mark Gardner, of The Community Security Trust (CST), said prominent Jewish individuals had been warned to beware of potential threats.

He said: "We sent out a security advisory note when the violence began and updated it today. It is a constant process of liaison between us and the community. Our community is conscious, very conscious of security and expects to hear from us at these times." Glen Jenvey, a counter terrorism expert who monitors suspected extremists using website forums, said some are being used to prepare a backlash. He told The Sun newspaper: "The website has been used by extremists. Those listed should treat it very seriously."

The aide says the CBO also sees a $703 billion deficit for 2010. The dismal figures come a day after President-elect Barack Obama warned of "trillion-dollar deficits for years to come." CBO's figures don't account for the huge economic stimulus bill that Obama is expected to propose soon to try to jolt the economy. At the same time, they do not reflect the immediate cost of the Wall St. bailout.

The shrinking economy has led to a sharp drop in tax revenues, which is largely responsible for the deficit, along with about $350 billion in spending so far for the Wall St. bailout. Obama and Congress are promising quick enactment of the economic recovery plan, which will blend up to $300 billion in tax cuts with big new spending programs and could cost up to $775 billion over the next few years.

'We are astounded to hear from a spiritual dignitary words that are so far removed from truth and dignity,' Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said. Cardinal Martino said: 'Defenceless populations are always the ones who pay. Look at the conditions in Gaza: more and more, it resembles a big concentration camp.'

In his interview with Italian online website Il Sussidiario he added: 'We need willingness from both parties because both are guilty. No-one sees the interests of the other only their own benefit. The consequences of this egoism is hatred for others, poverty and injustice. Those who pay are always the local people - just look at the conditions in Gaza.'

Cardinal Martino added: 'I condemn them (Hamas' rocket attacks). Israel certainly has the right to defend itself and Hamas needs to take this into account.' Pope Benedict has made several appeals for an end to violence in Gaza and up until the hostilities erupted had been planning to visit Holy Land sites in Jordan, Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank in May. However diplomatic sources in the Vatican said that the trip had now been put on hold

Parallels with the 1930s abound. But the tariff wars of the 1930s belong to a vanished world of fixed exchange rates, militarism and failed multilateralism. The tariff history of the 1930s is not a good parallel for today's world. The real risk is a more insidious undeclared trade conflict based on rises in applied rates, non-tariff barriers, bad faith, and an upsurge in trade defenses as countries try to "allocate" scarce demand and placate industries and workers under particular pressure.

The system is vulnerable to being "gamed". A dishonest state might introduce trade restrictions (especially non-tariff barriers or trade defences) that it knows or suspects will be found non-compliant, knowing it can gain the benefit of the added protection for 2-3 years before having to change, and suffer no penalty for the benefit it has dishonestly obtained.

Has this ever happened? Trade lawyers are paid very large sums of money to come up with convincing arguments for all sorts of protective measures designed to make them seem WTO compliant. As trade tensions escalate, there is really nothing to prevent more countries in more disputes acting in bad faith, introducing various non-tariff barriers, gaining 2-3 years worth of protection, and worrying about whether they are WTO compliant in 2012-2013, when the crisis might hopefully be past.

The principal of the Academy of Americas sent a letter to staff, parents and partners asking for donations of items "that are of the utmost importance for proper school functioning and most importantly for student health and safety."

In the letter, Principal Naomi Khalil cited budget constraints within the district as the reason why the school could no longer stock the items. The district is grappling with a more than $400 million budget deficit and is on the verge of being assigned an emergency financial manager by the state. The letter asks for toilet paper, paper towel rolls, trash bags and 60, 100 or 150-watt light bulbs.

"We realize that the economic situation is stressful for our entire community, but we are asking for your collaboration," wrote Khalil. "We thank you for your cooperation and we hope that as a school community we can pull together to guarantee the best possible educational environment for our children."

The half percentage point reduction brings interest rates below 2% for the first time since the Bank of England was founded in 1694. Manufacturers' association EEF said the move was "too timid", and that the Bank should have cut rates further. The Bank has now reduced rates four times from October's 5% level.

Explaining its decision, the Bank said the level of contraction in business activity had "increased during the fourth quarter of 2008, and that output is likely to continue to fall sharply during the first part of this year". It added: "Surveys of retailers and reports from the Bank's regional agents imply that consumer spending has weakened."

Institute of Directors chief economist Graeme Leach said the MPC's apparent caution in not cutting rates further this month "highlights the uncertainty over what effect the existing monetary and fiscal stimulus will have on the economy". He added that there also seemed to be uncertainty over "whether or not the Bank of England should go nuclear with limited printing of money or thermonuclear with extensive printing of money".

He has now said he is looking at "a range of measures," but "nobody is talking about printing money". Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said any such move would be "the last resort of a desperate government". According to the BBC's economics editor Hugh Pym, the Treasury could resort to the use of quantitative easing as falling interest rates become less effective at stimulating the economy.

Instead of literally printing money, the Bank of England would write out cheques to banks in exchange for assets such as corporate investments. The hope would be that the banks would then lend this extra money to consumers who would in turn go out and spend it. The government could also borrow more from the Bank of England and then use this money to invest in the economy via spending or tax cuts.

However boosting money supply like this effectively creates inflation - normally avoided by the government, but seen as a necessary evil in tough economic times, our correspondent said. While this might amount, metaphorically, to "printing money", it is not quite as simple as getting the Bank of England to churn out more notes, he added.

Correspondents say this is a dangerous moment in the current conflict. The fear in the past few days has been that the violence in Gaza could spread to northern Israel and the Lebanese border area, says the BBC's Mike Sergeant in Jerusalem.

The latest attacks come a day after the leader of militant group Hezbollah, a strong ally of Hamas, spoke openly about the possibility of a renewed conflict with Israel. Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah had already put its fighters on high alert along the Lebanese-Israeli border.