"In fact, what we mean by evolution is the world as created by God," said Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture. The Vatican also dealt the final blow to speculation that Pope Benedict XVI might be prepared to endorse the theory of Intelligent Design, whose advocates credit a "higher power" for the complexities of life.

Organisers of a papal-backed conference next month marking the 150th anniversary of Darwin's On the Origin of Species said that at first it had even been proposed to ban Intelligent Design from the event, as "poor theology and poor science". Intelligent Design would be discussed at the fringes of the conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University, but merely as a "cultural phenomenon", rather than a scientific or theological issue, organisers said.

The conference is seen as a landmark in relations between faith and science. Three years ago advocates of Intelligent Design seized on the Pope's reference to an "intelligent project" as proof that he favoured their views.

Most of the town of Warburton, north of Melbourne, has been abandoned as an 80,000 hectare blaze neared the edge of the community. At least 70 per cent of residents, most wary of a repeat of the deadly Black Saturday fires, had decamped to a relief centre on the outskirts of the city, where they can do little but wait and hope their homes survive. As they packed up their belongings, the horrors of the bush fires that took their largest toll on life on February 7 still fresh in their minds, most spoke of their desire to save their families above all else.

However, the change of weather means not even the state's capital is safe. At least one house has been burned to the ground in Belgrave Heights, a suburb in east Melbourne, and firemen fear more may be lost as the blaze advances. The resurgence of the fires comes two weeks after the Black Saturday blazes devastated huge swathes of Victoria, killing 210 people and wiping several entire towns off the map. More than 1,800 homes were destroyed by the fires, and 7,000 people have been displaced.

But before the state could start to rebuild, the soaring temperatures that fanned the February 7 infernos have returned.

The attack took place on Saturday February 14 after protestors from across Germany had gathered in Dresden to oppose a huge demonstration by neo-Nazis to commemorate the World War II bombing of the city by the Allies. During the marches, which saw 10,000 demonstrators march against right-wing extremism as 6,000 neo-Nazis likewise took to the streets, police were able to keep the two sides apart. There were, however, some instances of violence as the groups made their way home.

In one particularly vicious attack a group of 15 to 20 neo-Nazis attacked two buses carrying labor union members, peace activists and members of the Left Party at the Teufelsstahl autobahn rest stop near Jena. Five people were injured in the attack and one of them, a 42-year-old man, suffered serious head injuries and had to undergo surgery.

According to German intelligence agencies, Scandinavian right-wing extremists have close ties with the "Aktionsbüro Rhein-Neckar" which coordinates the neo-Nazi scene in the western states of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg.

It is a gloomy February in Great Britain, yet another month in which the economy is shrinking and the pound is faltering, and yet another month of record growth in unemployment. It is a month that has seen Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, refer to the current recession as the "WORST IN 100 YEARS," and which has witnessed the heads of the country's largest banks appear on television to apologize to the nation for the harm they have caused.

Meanwhile, Britons are asking themselves how things could have come to this. The current mood in Great Britain is gloomy. Long Europe's most successful economy, Britain's fortunes have since plunged more than those of almost any other European country.

Instead of being the "sick man of Europe" as it was in the 1970s, Great Britain, as the Times predicted, is fast becoming the "SICK MAN OF THE WORLD." The country is firmly in the grip of deep uncertainty. "We have become a 'fear nation,'" says author Tony Parsons. "EVERYONE IS AFRAID: THE PEOPLE, THE BANKS, EVERYONE."

Lesley Dyall, the retiring Labour councillor was shocked to see voters chanting racial slogans as they went into and out of the polling station: "They were chanting 'blacks out' as they came out of the community centre… it was very distressing to witness something like that in a local election. I just feel sorry for any black people who might have heard or seen that - it was shocking and disgusting." The result was a victory for Paul Golding, an unemployed lorry driver who was the British National Party candidate. The votes cast were BNP 408, Labour 332 and the Conservatives 247.

On Saturday, a rally in London, organised by the group Unite Against Fascism, was addressed by Peter Hain and Ken Livingstone. Weyman Bennett, the secretary of the group, has argued that "Hitler used the economic crisis of the 1930s to gain a hearing for racist and murderous policies". That is historically correct.

Two other big countries under political pressure are France and Japan. In a recent poll for Le Figaro, 61 per cent expected massive strikes and social problems in the coming months; 36 per cent said that they would welcome them. President Sarkozy's closest friend, Jacques Séguéla, has made a "let them eat cake" remark that is likely to infuriate the French people. He said that anyone who did not own a Rolex watch by the age of 50 was a "failure". French public opinion is like tinder and could easily catch fire. Mr Sarkozy has enviable energy, but pitifully little tact. He might say or do almost anything and is capable of crass misjudgments. France is not an extinct volcano of revolt. ONE SHOULD NOT FORGET THE EVENTS OF 1968 AND THE ULTIMATE DEFEAT OF PRESIDENT DE GAULLE.

In Japan there is a similar mixture of economic crisis with almost random events. Japan is heavily dependent on high-quality exports, many of which are postponable purchases. Toyota, the world's leading carmaker, has announced its first loss in 70 years. The Prime Minister's approval rating has fallen below 10 per cent, which may be some sort of record. The economy is expected to contract by 4.1 per cent this year. The suicide rate is up. WE ARE MOVING THROUGH A CRITICAL PERIOD IN GLOBAL POLITICS AS WELL AS IN GLOBAL ECONOMICS.

Natalie Dempster of the World Gold Council said: "People are fearful of the combined impact of near-zero interest rates, quantitative easing and the fiscal stimulus packages on future inflation. Investors are looking at both the solutions to the problem and the problem itself and realising that both are positive for the price of gold."

Gold has been in an uptrend since February 2001, when the price was at $254.

The current spike will raise more questions about Gordon Brown's decision as Chancellor of the Exchequer to sell off more than half of the country's gold reserves. He sold off 400 tons of bullion in a series of auctions between 1999 and 2002 in a move that some analysts say cost the country more than £2bn.

Trade union organisers of the march said WORKERS DID NOT CAUSE THE ECONOMIC CRISIS BUT WERE HAVING TO PAY FOR IT. In a statement, the Irish government said it recognised that the measures it was taking were "difficult and in some cases painful". The pension levy was "reasonable", the government said.

It reflected "the reality that we are not in a position to continue to meet the public service pay bill in the circumstances of declining revenue", it added. Reports say the plan could cost the 350,000 public sector workers between 1,500 euros and 2,800 euros (£2,500) a year.

Ireland, which was once one of Europe's fastest-growing economies, has fallen into recession faster than many other members of the European Union. The country officially fell into recession in September 2008, and unemployment has risen sharply in the following months.

"Firms will be able to benefit from low-interest loans and, in some cases, direct capital injections," according to China Petroleum Daily. This state money would be used to fund takeovers or mergers with resource companies abroad. Which foreign firms, if any, have been identified for takeover has not been disclosed. But the dramatic fall in oil prices since last summer, and the strains caused by recession, have driven down the share prices of many energy companies, making them more affordable targets for predatory competitors.

Jiang Jemin, the chairman of Petrochina, recently remarked that the "low share prices of some global resource companies provide us with fresh opportunities". The possibility of a Chinese state subsidy for overseas acquisitions MAY RING ALARM BELLS IN WESTERN ECONOMIES. Four years ago, CNOOC tried to buy an American oil company, Unocal, and succeeded in outbidding its main US rival. But the Chinese firm eventually withdrew its offer amid opposition from American Congressmen. They opposed the idea of a private US firm falling into the lap of a state-owned company, bankrolled by the Chinese Communist Party.

This time, CHINA MAY CALCULATE THAT WESTERN GOVERNMENTS ARE IN A WEAKER POSITION TO OBJECT. They are, after all, spending billions on taking over their own companies, notably the banking sector.

The human rights group said it found evidence that Israel and Hamas had both used weapons supplied from overseas to carry out attacks on civilians, ACCUSING BOTH SIDES OF COMMITTING WAR CRIMES during the three-week conflict at the start of the year.

It accused Israel of using white phosphorous and other weapons from the US and said Barack Obama had a "particular obligation" to suspend military aid over their use. Amnesty called for the UN Security Council to enact an arms embargo until mechanisms were put in place to ensure that equipment was not used to commit violations of international law.

The report also said Hamas and other Palestinian groups should be subject to the embargo because they had committed war crimes by attacking Israeli towns with rockets. "Though far less lethal than the weaponry used by Israel, such rocket firing also constitutes a war crime and caused several civilian deaths," Ms Rovera said. Both sides have dismissed the report.

The Prime Minister is to unveil a series of key measures that will see the Government insure the 'toxic assets' of major lenders and pump around £14 billion into the mortgage market through Northern Rock. Five months after Mr Brown's first bank bail-out, there is a growing acceptance in Downing Street THAT IT HAS NOT WORKED - BEYOND STOPPING THE TOTAL COLLAPSE OF THE BANKS.

Businesses are continuing to go bust and workers are losing their jobs as the financial crisis continues to deepen and banks refuse to start lending. The Government has drawn up a new rescue package that will start today with an announcement that Northern Rock, which was nationalised last year, will increase mortgage lending by up to £14 billion over the next two years.

Ministers will this week also pave the way for "QUANTITATIVE EASING" – THE SO-CALLED PRINTING MONEY OPTION – with £150 billion being spent on buying bonds and gilts from banks. On Thursday, the Treasury is expected to announce plans to form a "toxic bank", using taxpayers' money to insure £500 billion of bad debt. In addition, Mr Brown has signalled that he wants a return to more 'sober' banking practices, with a possible ban on 100 per cent mortgages to ensure people must save a deposit before buying a house.

Britain's most senior police officer with responsibility for public order raised the spectre of A RETURN OF THE RIOTS OF THE 1980S, with people who have lost their jobs, homes or savings becoming "footsoldiers" in a wave of potentially violent mass protests. Superintendent David Hartshorn, who heads the Metropolitan police's public order branch, told the Guardian that middle-class individuals who would never have considered joining demonstrations may now seek to vent their anger through protests this year.

He said that banks, particularly those that still pay large bonuses despite receiving billions in taxpayer money, had become "viable targets". So too had the headquarters of multinational companies and other financial institutions in the City which are being blamed for the financial crisis. Hartshorn, who receives regular intelligence briefings on potential causes of civil unrest, said the mood at some demonstrations had changed recently, with activists increasingly "intent on coming on to the streets to create public disorder".

The warning comes in the wake of often violent protests against the handling of the economy across Europe. In recent weeks Greek farmers have blocked roads over falling agricultural prices, a million workers in France joined demonstrations to demand greater protection for jobs and wages and Icelandic demonstrators have clashed with police in Reykjavik. In the UK hundreds of oil refinery workers mounted wildcat strikes last month over the use of foreign workers.

The government in Riga, faced with forecasts of a severe drop in the economy this year, WAS THE FIRST IN EASTERN EUROPE TO SUCCUMB TO TURMOIL CAUSED BY THE CRISIS. Its collapse rounded out a week that saw worries about feeble investment, banks and output in Central and Eastern Europe coursing through international markets.

Latvia has had a history of revolving-door politics and complex coalitions since pulling free of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis, who presented his resignation to President Valdis Zatlers on Friday, had been in power only since December 2007. But the precipitous plunge of Latvia's economy, which helped provoke the worst riot since 1991 last month, played a major part in the government's downfall.

Latvia has been among the countries hardest hit in Eastern Europe, but it is by no means the only one. UKRAINE, SUFFERING FROM AN EVEN WORSE POLITICAL DEADLOCK, saw industrial output shrink by one third last month - the worst drop in over a decade - because of a slump in steel production, the country's economic mainstay. Moody's Investors Service warned this week that some of Europe's biggest banks might face a downgrade because of overexposure in the East.

"OBAMA IS A RADICAL COMMUNIST, and I think it is becoming clear. That is what I told people in Illinois and now everybody realizes it's true," said Keyes, who ran unsuccessfully against Obama for the state's open Senate seat in 2004. "HE IS GOING TO DESTROY THIS COUNTRY, AND WE ARE EITHER GOING TO STOP HIM OR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS GOING TO CEASE TO EXIST."

Keyes also reasserted his belief that unless the question of Obama's eligibility to serve as president is answered definitively, America may face the startling crisis of an executive branch run by a usurper. "Is he president of the United States?" Keyes asked the reporter of Obama. "According to the Constitution, in order to be eligible for president you have to be a natural born citizen. He has refused to provide proof."

"I'm not sure he's even president of the United States," Keyes continued, "neither are many of our military people now who are now going to court to ask the question, 'DO WE HAVE TO OBEY A MAN WHO IS NOT QUALIFIED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION?' We are in the midst of the greatest crisis this nation has ever seen, and if we don't stop laughing about it and deal with it, WE'RE GOING TO FIND OURSELVES IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS, CONFUSION AND CIVIL WAR."

"ABOLISHING THE FEDERAL RESERVE will allow Congress to reassert its CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY over monetary policy," Paul said in a statement at the time the proposal was introduced. "The United States Constitution grants to Congress the authority to coin money and regulate the value of the currency," Paul said. "THE CONSTITUTION DOES NOT GIVE CONGRESS THE AUTHORITY TO DELEGATE CONTROL OVER MONETARY POLICY TO A CENTRAL BANK. Furthermore, the Constitution certainly does not empower the federal government to erode the American standard of living via an inflationary monetary policy."

The Texas lawmaker said the constitutional mandate to Congress actually provides only for CURRENCY BACKED BY STABLE COMMODITIES SUCH AS SILVER AND GOLD. "Abolishing the Federal Reserve and returning to a constitutional system will enable America to return to the type of monetary system envisioned by our nation's founders: ONE WHERE THE VALUE OF MONEY IS CONSISTENT BECAUSE IT IS TIED TO A COMMODITY SUCH AS GOLD," he said.

"Support for abolishing the Federal Reserve System is mounting every day," the report said. "The fact that people are beginning to wake up to the problems caused by the Federal Reserve System is a hopeful sign. The only question is: is it too late? Can the dollar be saved by the political action of the president and the Congress, OR MUST WE WAIT FOR THE ENTIRE GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM TO COMPLETELY MELT DOWN SO WE CAN START OVER?"

Across the valley, towns are already seeing some of the worst unemployment in the country, with rates three and four times the national average, as well as reported increases in all manner of social ills: drug use, excessive drinking and rises in hunger and domestic violence. With fewer checks to cash, even check-cashing businesses have failed, as have thrift stores, ice cream parlors and hardware shops.

The state has put the 2008 drought losses at more than $300 million, and economists predict that THIS YEAR'S LOSSES COULD SWELL PAST $2 BILLION, with as many as 80,000 jobs lost. "People are saying, 'Are you a Third World country?'" said Robert Silva, the mayor of Mendota, which has a 35 percent unemployment rate, up from the more typical seasonal average of about 20 percent. "My community is dying on the vine."

The situation is particularly acute in towns along the valley's western side, where farmers learned Friday that U.S. government officials anticipated a "ZERO ALLOCATION" of water from the Central Valley Project, the massive New Deal system of canals and reservoirs that irrigates three million acres of farmland. "Farmers are very resilient, we make things happen, but we've never had a zero allocation," said Stephen Patricio, president of Westside Produce, a melon handler and harvester. "And I might not be very good at math, but zero means zero."