Friedrich Wilhelm Kriesel, a brigadier general and the head of the Bundeswehr's Strategic Reconnaissance Unit, has been deployed to the front lines of a battle that has recently come in for special attention from the Bundeswehr. The general's task is to prepare for the wars of the future, parts of which could be waged on the Internet. Kriesel seems to be the right man for the job. With about 6,000 soldiers under his command, his unit already operates like an intelligence service.

Strictly isolated from the public at the Tomburg barracks in Rheinbach, a picturesque town near Bonn, 76 members of his staff are busy testing the latest methods of infiltrating, exploring and manipulating - OR DESTROYING - COMPUTER NETWORKS. The unit, known by its harmless-sounding official name, Department of Information and Computer Network Operations, is preparing for an electronic emergency, WHICH INCLUDES DIGITAL ATTACKS ON OUTSIDE SERVERS AND NETWORKS.

The uniformed hackers from Rheinbach are Germany's answer to a growing threat which has begun to worry governments, intelligence agencies and military officials around the world. Now that computers have made their way into practically every aspect of life, their susceptibility to attacks has risen dramatically. IN THE UNITED STATES, EXPERTS HAVE BEEN WARNING FOR YEARS AGAINST AN "ELECTRONIC PEARL HARBOR," A "DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 11" OR A "CYBERGEDDON."

The crash, which happened Tuesday in low-earth orbit, involved one of the satellites owned by closely held Iridium Satellite LLC and a crippled Russian military satellite that apparently stopped functioning years ago, according to U.S. government and satellite-industry officials. THE COLLISION CREATED TWO LARGE CLOUDS OF DEBRIS floating roughly 480 miles above Siberia, and prompted space scientists and engineers to assess the likelihood of further collisions.

The accident could have implications for U.S. space budgets and policy, partly because it comes amid a Pentagon campaign to increase spending on systems to protect U.S. high-tech space hardware by keeping better track of the thousands of pieces of debris and other satellites circling the Earth. As more and more satellites are blasted into orbit, the challenges of keeping them from hitting debris or each other are growing. MILITARY PLANNERS ALSO WORRY ABOUT ENEMIES JAMMING, DISABLING OR POTENTIALLY EVEN RAMMING U.S. SATELLITES.

Industry officials say Iridium has identified the Russian craft as a Cosmos series satellite launched in 1993, weighing more than a ton AND INCLUDING AN ONBOARD NUCLEAR REACTOR. More than 220 active commercial satellites now orbit the globe, in addition to hundreds of military, spy and scientific satellites. Commercial satellites provide businesses with everything from data and video transmissions to support for consumer navigation devices.

He said the Bank may have to start printing money within weeks in a desperate attempt to pull the country out of its economic dive. City analysts described the scale of THE COLLAPSE OUTLINED IN THE BANK'S QUARTERLY INFLATION REPORT AS 'BREATHTAKING'. The pound tumbled against the dollar and the euro in the wake of the grim predictions.

By this summer the economy will be shrinking at an annual rate of around 4 per cent, according to the Bank's best guess. But output could fall far more than this if the Government fails to stabilise the fractured banking system, charts released by the Bank in the Inflation Report showed. The BANK'S WORST-CASE SCENARIO IS A 6 PER CENT ANNUAL PLUNGE in the second or third quarters of this year, exceeding the worst falls since records began more than half a century ago.

Mr King indicated SUCH A CATASTROPHIC DECLINE IS FAR FROM IMPOSSIBLE, warning the risks to the Bank's forecasts are 'weighted heavily to the downside'. Even under the Bank's central outlook for 2009, the economy will shrink twice as much as the Treasury forecast in November.

Soybean prices have plunged about 40% since last July amid a global commodities crash. For Argentine growers, the pain has been especially acute. Leftist President Cristina Kirchner, who once disparaged soybeans as "practically a weed," taxes them heavily and maintains a heavy hand in the economy. On top of that, THE WORST DROUGHT TO HIT ARGENTINA IN 70 YEARS is scorching the fields during the growing season.

"ALL OF OUR WORST NIGHTMARES ARE HAPPENING, ONE AFTER ANOTHER," says Julio Mayol, an agronomist employed by Mr. Grobocopatel's privately held company, Grupo Los Grobo SA. For almost six years, rising commodities prices and favorable weather were a boon to corporations and governments throughout Latin America.

But that cycle has taken a sudden, vicious turn. Prices of soybeans, copper and oil - the region's meal tickets - have tumbled as the global economic crisis undercuts demand. Big natural-resource investments, including a $1 billion refining project in Peru and a $2 billion mining expansion in Brazil, are being reviewed or shelved. Farmers who bet that grain prices would continue rising are seeing their tractors and harvesters repossessed. THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND PROJECTS THE REGION WILL GROW JUST 1.1% THIS YEAR, INSUFFICIENT FOR ITS BURGEONING POPULATION.

Sarkozy has encouraged French carmakers to return production to France, saying "IT IS NOT JUSTIFIABLE" FOR A FRENCH AUTOMOBILE MAKER TO PRODUCE A CAR IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC TO BE SOLD IN FRANCE. European leaders fear a new wave of protectionism is starting to sweep across the continent, and that an every-man-for-himself attitude will prevail as countries move to approve massive economic stimulus packages. The worries were triggered by news of a French plan to bail out its automobile industry to the tune of billions of euros and recent protectionist remarks made by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

On Tuesday in Brussels, the Czech Republic, which currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union, said it would call on EU member states to address the issue at a special summit in February. Czech Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek called on EU leaders to send "a clear no to protectionism" and to coordinate their economic stimulus programs.

Germany's new economy minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, said he viewed French moves to prop up the country's automobile industry skeptically. "The move made by the French yesterday must be measured by the definition of protectionism," he said.

One of the toughest things for us to do is to anticipate discontinuity. Whether on a personal level or on a global economic level, WE TYPICALLY PROJECT THE FUTURE BY EXTRAPOLATING FROM THE PAST. Most of the time this works well, but occasionally we experience a discontinuity that we failed to anticipate. The collapse of civilization is such a case. It is no surprise that many past civilizations failed to grasp the forces and recognize signs that heralded their undoing. More than once it was shrinking food supplies that brought about their downfall.

Does our civilization face a similar fate? Until recently it did not seem possible, but our failure to deal with the environmental trends that are undermining the world food economy - most importantly falling water tables, eroding soils, and rising temperatures - forces the conclusion that SUCH A COLLAPSE IS POSSIBLE. These trends are taking a significant toll on food production: In six of the last eight years world grain production has fallen short of consumption, forcing a steady drawdown in stocks. World carryover stocks of grain (the amount remaining from the previous harvest when the new harvest begins) have dropped to only 60 days of consumption, a near record low. Meanwhile, in 2008 world grain prices have climbed to the highest level ever.

IN MANY COUNTRIES THE SOCIAL ORDER HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO BREAK DOWN in the face of soaring food prices and spreading hunger. Deadly food riots broke out in a number of countries in 2008. In Egypt several people died in fights in government-subsidized bread lines. Food riots in Yemen turned deadly, taking at least a dozen lives. In Cameroon the food riot death toll was twice as high.

It's the same story on both sides of the Atlantic. Citigroup, which received $45 billion from the U.S. government, is sticking with a $400 million marketing deal from 2006 which includes the naming rights for the new home of the New York Mets baseball team, which will be called Citi Field. Meanwhile Royal Bank of Scotland announced it had renewed its sponsorship of the 6 Nations rugby competition last month, only 10 days after reporting the biggest loss in British corporate history. And it continues to sponsor the Williams Formula 1 team, a sport known for eating up tens of millions a year. THERE IS INDEED A STRANGE CORRELATION BETWEEN FAILED COMPANIES AND SPORTING SPONSORSHIPS.

Manchester United sponsor American International Group (AIG), Newcastle United supporter Northern Rock and failed British bank Bradford & Bingley, which sponsored not one but two soccer clubs, Bradford City FC and Barnet FC, have all crashed spectacularly since during the credit crisis.

Some have even made a direct link between sporting sponsorship and corporate underperformance. A recent report by U.S. fund advisory firm Advisor Perspectives crunched the numbers for U.S. companies that entered into so-called "naming rights agreements" and believes it has established a statistical connection. Advisor Perspectives argues THAT POOR CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, LEADING TO RISKY OR BAD DECISIONS ON CAPITAL ALLOCATION, IS TO BLAME FOR THIS UNDERPERFORMANCE and points out that three of the top five largest bankruptcies in history, Worldcom, Enron and Conseco all sponsored major U.S. sports venues.

They also point the finger at executives who benefit from the luxury boxes, hospitality packages and privileged access to sporting celebrities, all at the expense of shareholders. So for an early warning signal of a company with a vain or out-of-control CEO, a poor record of capital allocation, a likely share price underperformance and in the worst case scenario an above average chance of going bust, look no further than the big sports signings, not of players but of sponsors.

During question time at a packed community meeting in Arthurs Creek on Melbourne's northern fringe, Warwick Spooner — whose mother Marilyn and brother Damien perished along with their home in the Strathewen blaze — criticised the Nillumbik council for the limitations it placed on residents wanting the council's help or permission to clean up around their properties in preparation for the bushfire season. "We've lost two people in my family because you dickheads won't cut trees down," he said. "We wanted trees cut down on the side of the road... and you can't even cut the grass."

Of all the speakers who addressed the meeting, it was Arthurs Creek CFA Captain David McGahy who got the most rousing reception. Choking back tears he told them: "I'm so terribly sorry. We desperately wanted to protect you but we couldn't. In the cold analysis of light, it wouldn't have mattered if we'd have had 200 units here, all that would have happened is we would have ended up with a whole lot of dead firefighters. I've been at this game for about 40 years and I haven't experienced anything like that, not even remotely like it."

Sir James, who led HBOS from 2001 to 2006, said there was "no substance to the allegations". But Paul Moore said he stood "firmly and confidently" behind his allegations against Sir James. The BBC's business editor Robert Peston said he understood that Sir James had stood down to protect the FSA from controversy.

Mr Moore later released a statement in reaction to Sir James' resignation. He said: "I read with interest that Sir James continues to refute the allegations I made in my evidence to the Treasury Select Committee and I want all those interested to know that I continue to stand firmly and confidently behind what I have said." Mr Moore claimed he was "summarily dismissed" as the head of group regulatory risk at HBOS by Sir James.

"He [Sir James] said I had lost the confidence of key executives and non-executives, but refused to explain why," said Mr Moore in a recent written submission to the Treasury Committee. The bank says Mr Moore was made redundant following a restructuring and was replaced by a banker with 20 years' experience, who reported directly to the chief executive. MR MOORE TOLD THE BBC EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT HE SAW EVIDENCE OF "NEGLIGENCE" AND EVEN "RECKLESSNESS" DURING HIS TIME AT THE BANK.

The hearing is to last two days, an exceptionally long time, seen as an indication of how seriously the court is taking the challenge. The judges will look at whether the Lisbon Treaty - designed to improve decision-making in the EU - is not democratic, and therefore anti-constitutional, BECAUSE IT TAKES AWAY POWER FROM GERMANY'S PARLIAMENT. The case was brought by conservative MP Peter Gauweiler as well as left-wing deputies from Die Linke political party.

If Mr Gauweiler's case is upheld by the court, it would be a big blow to both the chancellor and the treaty's ratification process. So far, the treaty has been through most of the process - it has been approved by both houses of parliament and signed by Germany's president. But the final step of ratification, handing the papers over in Rome, has been postponed pending the court decision.

"I won," read the front-page headline of Israel's biggest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, next to photos of Livni and Netanyahu. Nearly final results gave Livni's Kadima party 28 seats to 27 for Netanyahu's right-wing Likud in the 120-member parliament. She said she would become prime minister and invited him to join a "unity government".

Netanyahu, pointing to what he called a large "nationalist camp" in parliament, said he would head a coalition government, comprised of rightist parties. "With God's help I will lead the next government," Mr Netanyahu, 59, told Likud supporters after exit polls on Tuesday gave Kadima a slim lead and right-wing parties 64 seats, enough for a parliamentary majority.

Addressing cheering Kadima activists, Ms Livni, 50, said: "The Israeli public can smile again when we form the government." She would become Israel's first woman prime minister since Golda Meir governed in the 1970s. It will be up to President Shimon Peres to decide, after hearing recommendations from political parties, whether to ask Livni, a relative newcomer to politics, or Netanyahu, a former prime minister, to try to put together an administration.

The overall rightward shift in the Knesset will, in any case, dent hopes in US President Barack Obama's administration for an Israeli coalition that can move towards peace with the Palestinians and other Arab neighbours after last month's war in the Gaza Strip. "Tzipi Livni has only the slightest chance, or none at all, of forming a government under her leadership," Abraham Diskin, a political scientist at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, told Israel Radio.

In the cabinet of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, there was talk of a "Black Thursday," and from Sarkozy's perspective, that was exactly what January 29, 2009 turned out to be. Schools were closed, and so were railroads, banks and stock markets. Theaters, radio stations and even ski lifts were shut down temporarily. Trash receptacles were set on fire in Paris once again, and a crowd gathered on the city's famed Place de l'Opéra to sing the "Internationale," the anthem of revolution.

The global financial crisis has already reached France, bringing business failures, mass layoffs for some workers and reduced working hours for others. On that infamous Thursday, it drove up to 2.5 million people into the streets, in cities from Marseilles to Brest and Bordeaux. The situation was not like in May 1968, when France was in a state of emergency. Nevertheless, the country's unions called the demonstrations "historic," characterizing them as the most important protest movement to date against the current French president.

Paris is not the only place plagued by unrest. Across the English Channel in Britain, workers protested at a refinery near Immingham in Lincolnshire, triggering solidarity strikes in 19 other locations in the United Kingdom. The demonstrations became a symbol for the fears of the British lower classes, because the country - according to the International Monetary Fund - faces the worst downturn among all highly developed economies. Prime Minister Gordon Brown's approval rating is following the decline of the British pound.

Former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin told MPs on the Treasury Committee he "could not be more sorry" for what had happened. The former bank chiefs also said the bonus culture had contributed to the crisis and needed to be reviewed. But Sir Fred said if bankers felt they were not paid enough, they would leave. Sir Tom McKillop, former RBS chairman, also admitted that his bank's much-criticised purchase of Dutch rival ABN Amro had been a "big mistake".

The former bosses, along with other bankers, have been criticised for taking huge bonuses from banks that later had to rely on taxpayer money to survive. The MPs began by asking the former bosses about the bonuses they received in 2008. Sir Fred Goodwin said he had taken no bonus that year, but that he had taken home a salary of £1.46m. Sir Fred Goodwin added he had lost around £5m on the value of his shares in 2007, although he stressed that he was not complaining.

Mr Hornby conceded that the culture, where bankers can receive many times their salary in cash bonuses, did need to be looked at. Sir Tom McKillop agreed that a fundamental review of remuneration was needed. But when asked whether the bonus culture encouraged excessive risk taking and had exacerbated the banking crisis, Sir Fred Goodwin argued that traders had been trading within set limits, and had simply been doing "what they were authorised to do".

Like the Latin Mass and meatless Fridays, the indulgence was one of the traditions decoupled from mainstream Catholic practice in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council, the gathering of bishops that set a new tone of simplicity and informality for the church. Its revival has been viewed as part of a conservative resurgence that has brought some quiet changes and some highly controversial ones, like Pope Benedict XVI's recent decision to lift the excommunications of four schismatic bishops who reject the council's reforms.

The indulgence is among the less noticed and less disputed traditions to be restored. But with a thousand-year history and volumes of church law devoted to its intricacies, it is one of the most complicated to explain. According to church teaching, even after sinners are absolved in the confessional and say their Our Fathers or Hail Marys as penance, they still face punishment after death, in Purgatory, before they can enter heaven. In exchange for certain prayers, devotions or pilgrimages in special years, a Catholic can receive an indulgence, which reduces or erases that punishment instantly, with no formal ceremony or sacrament.

There are partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it, until another sin is committed. You can get one for yourself, or for someone who is dead. You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 — but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day.

Under the proposals all animals facing slaughter would have to be electrically stunned beforehand. The move could threaten production of both halal and kosher meat, rules for which often forbid pre-stunning. The EU plans contain an opt-out for countries wanting to continue to allow so-called religious slaughter, but ­animal welfare groups are pressing the Government not to adopt it. Any move to change the exemption for religious slaughter would prompt an outcry from both the Muslim and Jewish communities.

The RSPCA has asked Environment Secretary Hilary Benn to take the opportunity to ban the practice. A spokeswoman said: "The RSPCA recognises that religious practices should be respected, but we consider that scientific research has clearly demonstrated that slaughter of an animal without stunning can cause unnecessary suffering. This is not about religion, it's about animal welfare."

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs launched a consultation last month on the best way to implement the EU rules in Britain.