The populist SVP, the country's biggest party, said Switzerland should not take in any detainees from the U.S. prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which the Swiss government said last month it could consider to help shut the camp down. SWITZERLAND SHOULD ALSO RECONSIDER ITS POLICY OF REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES in countries where it has no diplomatic presence, the parliamentary SVP said in a statement.

The SVP said GOLD STORED BY THE SWISS NATIONAL BANK IN THE UNITED STATES SHOULD BE REPATRIATED AND SWITZERLAND should ban the sale of U.S. funds in the country to protect Swiss investors after the failure of U.S. regulators. The SVP also said it would call for an urgent debate in parliament on ways TO PROTECT SWISS BANKING SECRECY from "further foreign blackmail".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted that leaders faced an "EXTRAORDINARY INTERNATIONAL CRISIS". But leaders including UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned against reverting to protectionism in such a difficult economic climate. The Berlin gathering is a precursor to the next meeting of the G20 group of major developed and developing countries in London on 2 April, WHICH AIMS TO REWRITE THE RULES OF THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM.

"There is a need for A GLOBAL NEW deal so that the world economy can recover" said Mr Brown to ensure an economy that is based on the "soundest principles". Leaders said there was a need for international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund, to play a greater role not just to help countries in financial trouble but to prevent countries from getting into such difficulties.

The BBC's Rob Cameron in Berlin says Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek - who is also in Berlin - will have a private meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy, following a very public row between the two countries. Mr Sarkozy has suggested that in order to secure government aid, French carmakers should move production out of their East European factories and back to France. Such disagreements are threatening to prevent Europe speaking with one voice, our correspondent adds.

"We will sit together with all member states to see how this can be done technically and legally," Joannes Thuy, Eurojust spokesman told this website. Mr Thuy stressed that the wiretapping would not affect "normal users", but would have to be carried out only as part of a criminal investigation. Eurojust's talks with prosecutors and police officials from member states, as well as legal experts would be led by Italian prosecutor Carmen Manfreda.

"There are 30 different legal systems all across the EU, so we expect the talks to take several months before first results are presented," Mr Thuy added. Skype, an Danish-Swedish business developed by Estonian programmers that was sold to E-Bay in 2005 and has over 350 million customers worldwide, IS SAID TO BE UN-SPYABLE BY INTELLIGENCE SERVICES.

In its press release, Eurojust says that "Skype has so far refused to share its encryption system with national authorities." However, Skype claims that it has "extensively debriefed Eurojust on our law enforcement programme and capabilities."

HSBC chief executive Michael Geoghegan is believed to be in line for a bonus of more than £1m, in spite of plans by the bank to raise as much as £10 billion from its investors. Britain's biggest bank is due to report profits of about £14 billion next week despite the global financial chaos. It is expected to confirm it will be paying bonuses running to hundreds of millions of pounds to staff around the world, including investment bankers with "guaranteed" pay deals.

Royal Bank of Scotland struck a controversial deal with the Treasury last week under which the bank will pay out almost £1 billion, although a large portion will be deferred and paid in the bank's own debt rather than cash. Lloyds is in talks with the Treasury about deferring £120m of cash bonuses. The deal is a condition of the bank's participation in the government's controversial asset-protection scheme – an insurance designed to protect banks against further losses.

Barclays, which may yet join the government's insurance scheme, is also expected to pay out more than £1 billion in bonuses to its staff in the next few days, in a mixture of cash and shares. The bank has already said its bonus pool has dropped by 48%. The Treasury is expected to impose restrictions on future pay at Barclays if it joins the scheme.

'Talking to Your Teenager About Sex and Relationships' will be distributed in pharmacies from next month as part of an initiative led by Beverley Hughes, the children's minister. The leaflet comes in the wake of the case of Alfie Patten, the 13-year-old boy from East Sussex who fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl and sparked a debate about how to cut rates of teenage parenthood.

It advises: "Discussing your values with your teenagers will help them to form their own. REMEMBER, THOUGH, THAT TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM OF WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG MAY DISCOURAGE THEM FROM BEING OPEN." The leaflet provides technical information on different forms of contraception, from condoms to implants, and will reignite the row over the government's "value-free" approach to sex education.

Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute, attacked the leaflet, saying: "THE IDEA THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS TELLING FAMILIES NOT TO PASS ON THEIR VALUES IS OUTRAGEOUS. Preserving children's innocence is a worthy goal. We would like to see more of that kind of language rather than this amoral approach where parents are encouraged to present their children with a smorgasbord of sexual activities and leave them to make up their own minds."

Stranger yet, Uncle Milton's Force Trainer wasn't the only levitational gadget at this year's American International Toy Fair, the four-day trade show that brings a gazillion manufacturers and retailers together every February in New York City. Also on display was Mattel's new Mindflex, which has players move a tiny foam ball through a mini–obstacle course with their thoughts. Or, more precisely, with their brain waves.

Both toys employ EEG, or electroencephalogram, technology. EEGs measure electrical activity in the brain and have been used to diagnose seizures, assess head injuries and explore sleep disorders, among other functions. In other words, the science behind these toys is legitimate; there's no magic trick involved. "The fact that you can use EEG, that you can modulate it, that you can control it — it's well known, it's true," says Dr. Ronald Emerson, a neurology professor at Columbia University.

The Force Trainer — which is limited to moving a ball up and down in a tube — may not be as complicated as Mindflex. But it does have Star Wars branding, which possesses a magical retail power all its own. The toy features 15 levels of training: increasingly difficult challenges involving how high to raise the ball and how long to hold it steady before changing its height. Along the way, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi offer words of encouragement as hopefuls try to attain Jedi Master status. MAY YOUR LIMITED DISCRETIONARY-SPENDING POWER BE WITH YOU.

Indulgences have been part of Catholic doctrine since the Crusades. When the Church offered them for sale in the 1500's — call it mercy for money — religious reformer Martin Luther protested. These days, they can't be bought. "How does that MasterCard ad go?" muses Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "Some things are priceless."

The pardons have fallen by the wayside in the past few decades, but they're being revived in conjunction with a new emphasis on the importance of charity in Christian life. Catholicism, with 67 million followers in the U.S., is big on formulaic repetition of the Hail Mary and Our Father variety. But the Vatican is starting to move away from that and toward, according to the church's Manual of Indulgences, a "greater zeal for the exercise of charity."

It's no longer enough to repeat a prescribed number of prayers; you also have to do good such as volunteer at a soup kitchen, help resettle refugees or donate to a worthy cause. Much like many high schoolers have to fulfill a community service requirement, Catholics too are being urged to become do-gooders. "The church's teaching has evolved," Walsh says. "Part of indulgences is not just saying special prayers, but also doing good works."

"Certainly, the eugenistic and racial ideologies that in the past humiliated man and provoked immense suffering are not being proposed again, but a new mentality is creeping in that tends to justify a different consideration of life and personal dignity," the pope said in a speech to the Pontifical Academy for Life. "So it tends to privilege the capacity to operate, efficiency, perfection and physical beauty at the expense of other types of existence considered unworthy."

Eugenics is a belief in THE POSSIBILITY OF IMPROVING THE HUMAN RACE by weeding out those with what are considered undesirable traits and encouraging procreation by those with desirable traits. The pope also spoke out against reducing humans to an object of "experimental manipulation" and allowing biotechnology to "surrender to the will of the strongest."

Pope Benedict has condemned genetic engineering and other scientific practices that allow people to select so-called "designer babies" by screening them for defects. The Vatican considers pre-implantation diagnosis of embryos to avoid genetic defects or select for qualities like gender morally unacceptable. It is also against genetic enhancement for purposes other than medical treatment.

They fear Labour's campaign for the European election in June has been too slow to get off the ground and its lack of preparation is allowing the BNP to win over disaffected Labour voters. Yesterday, the far-right party was celebrating a surprise win in a council by-election in Swanley, Kent, where the BNP candidate took 41 per cent of the vote after Labour's support collapsed.

It is the first time the BNP has won an election in a southern English county, and shows it is broadening its appeal beyond its traditional northern heartlands. The party also polled more than 28 per cent of the vote this week in a council by-election in Thringstone, Leicestershire – a seat it had never contested before.

Last night, the former minister Peter Hain warned that every political party was guilty of "complacency" over the threat posed by the BNP. The BNP threat will be highlighted today at a London rally organised by the group Unite Against Fascism (UAF). Speakers include Mr Hain, the former London mayor Ken Livingstone and Ennio Odino, a Holocaust survivor. The UAF secretary, Weyman Bennett, said: "HITLER USED THE ECONOMIC CRISIS OF THE 1930S TO GAIN A HEARING FOR RACISTS AND MURDEROUS POLICIES."

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in a seeming about-face, indicated she might be willing to come on board a Netanyahu government. But Livni, a centrist, would certainly exact a high price: sharing the prime minister's job she so fervently sought with a reluctant Netanyahu. Should he balk, his alternative would be an unstable coalition of right-wingers SURE TO COLLIDE WITH THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION and its ambitious plans for ending 60 years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Friday's decision by Israel's ceremonial president, Shimon Peres, to tap Netanyahu ended days of speculation and gave Netanyahu six weeks to put together a ruling coalition. Emerging from her meeting with Peres, Livni said she would not join a hard-line government and was prepared to sit in the opposition, if necessary. "I will not be able to serve as a cover for a lack of direction. I WANT TO LEAD ISRAEL IN A WAY I BELIEVE IN, TO ADVANCE A PEACE PROCESS BASED ON TWO STATES FOR TWO PEOPLES," Livni said.

With Livni out, Netanyahu might have little choice but to forge A COALITION WITH NATIONALIST AND RELIGIOUS PARTIES OPPOSED TO PEACEMAKING with the Palestinians and Israel's other Arab neighbors. THIS COULD SET ISRAEL ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH THE U.S. - the Jewish state's top international patron, and its new president, who has vowed to make Mideast peace a top priority. Netanyahu's hold on power would be more tenuous in a narrow coalition of rightists, WHERE HIS ALLIES COULD BRING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT IN THE FACE OF ANY CONCESSION FOR PEACE.

US Bureau of Reclamation officials said parched reservoirs and patchy rainfall this year were forcing them to completely stop surface water deliveries for at least a two-week period beginning March 1. Authorities said they haven't had to take such a drastic move for more than 15 years.

"Water is our life - it's our jobs and it's our food," said Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the farm bureau in Fresno County. "Without a reliable water supply, Fresno County's No. 1 employer - agriculture - is at great risk." The drought would cause an estimated $1.15 billion dollar loss in agriculture-related wages and eliminate as many as 40,000 jobs in farm-related industries in the San Joaquin Valley alone, WHERE MOST OF THE NATION'S PRODUCE AND NUT CROPS ARE GROWN.

California's agricultural industry typically receives 80 percent of all the water supplies managed by the federal government - everything from far-off mountain streams and suburban reservoirs. The state supplies drinking water to 23 million residents and 755,000 acres of irrigated farmland. This year, both the state and federal reservoirs have reached their lowest level since 1992.

Soros said the turbulence is actually more severe than during the Great Depression, COMPARING THE CURRENT SITUATION TO THE DEMISE OF THE SOVIET UNION. He said the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September marked a turning point in the functioning of the market system. "We witnessed the collapse of the financial system," Soros said at a Columbia University dinner. "It was placed on life support, and it's still on life support. THERE'S NO SIGN THAT WE ARE ANYWHERE NEAR A BOTTOM."

His comments echoed those made earlier at the same conference by Paul Volcker, a former Federal Reserve chairman who is now a top adviser to President Barack Obama. Volcker said industrial production around the world was declining even more rapidly than in the United States, which is itself under severe strain. "I don't remember any time, maybe even in the Great Depression, WHEN THINGS WENT DOWN QUITE SO FAST, quite so uniformly around the world," Volcker said.

Further heavy selling of key names – Bank of America and Citigroup were once again among the worst performing, down 14 per cent to $3.93 and 13.8 per cent to $2.51, respectively – helped push the Dow Jones Industrial Average to its lowest level in six years.

"Every time someone mentions the word [nationalisation] then investors shiver – and with good reason," said Marc Pado, chief market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald. "There's a lot of angst over what [US Treasury Secretary] Geithner's going to propose."

The Law Lords decided that Qatada should be deported to Jordan where he faces terror charges, but the preacher is expected to appeal. Yesterday's decision was a victory for the Home Office, which has been fighting to have Qatada, once dubbed "Osama Bin Laden's right hand man in Europe", removed from the country for many months. Qatada first arrived in Britain from Jordan in September 1993 using a forged passport and claimed asylum for himself, his wife and children.

During his time in the UK he was detained at Belmarsh prison and kept under house arrest. But less than 24 hours after the ruling QATADA WAS AWARDED £2,500 COMPENSATION BY EUROPEAN JUDGES who ruled that his detention without trial at Belmarsh prison in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks breached his human rights.

In December 2004, the Law Lords ruled his detention at Belmarsh was unlawful under the Human Rights Act and quashed the legislation which allowed it. In March 2005 it was replaced with the controversial control orders.

This week the government launched another anti-cannabis ad campaign. As many pointed out, including one of the government's key drug advisers, the ads are based on "weak" evidence of a link between smoking dope and mental ill-health, including paranoia, panic attacks, depression and schizophrenia. For pro-cannabis supporters, the campaign is further evidence that the powers-that-be want to control what substances we ingest.

Yet if there's anything worse than the government's prohibitionism, it's the arguments put forward by pro-dope lobbyists themselves. They now press the case for decriminalising cannabis on the grounds THAT THE DRUG "RELAXES" AND "SEDATES" PEOPLE, AND THEREFORE LESSENS THE RISK OF PUBLIC AGGRESSION AND SOCIAL DISORDER. IN SHORT, IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE MASSES IN LINE, DOPE THEM!

Again and again, the pro-dope lobby talks up the benefits of cannabis in contrast to alcohol. Where booze - or "binge-drinking", as they call it - makes us loud and rowdy, cannabis makes us mild and meek. The Legalise Cannabis Alliance says alcohol is the real "hard addictive drug". It moans about "drink-frenzied Britain" where every Saturday night the poor old police struggle to cope with "the alcoholic aftermath".