Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, AN ARTICULATE CRITIC OF DECLINING MORAL VALUES in the modern world who has been ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT and called for the Russian Orthodox Church to step up its outreach in secular society, was elected overwhelmingly. He has served as locum tenens, or interim patriarch, since Aleksy's death.

At a meeting Sunday of the church's hierarchs, the Archbishops' Council, Kirill spoke in tough terms about threats to church unity, especially in Ukraine. The Orthodox church in Ukraine has broken into rival groups since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The largest is still loyal to Moscow and accounts for more than one-third of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, but calls are growing for its independence, or autocephaly in church terms.

In December, Pravaya.ru, a conservative Orthodox Web site, published an open letter TAKING KIRILL TO TASK FOR TIES TO THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. As chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department of External Church Relations, KIRILL HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN ECUMENICAL RELATIONS FOR YEARS.

Today's teenagers are starring in the reality show of their own lives and doing all they can to make it as dramatic as possible. Where before mistakes we made when young - excessive drinking, acts of promiscuity - were quietly forgotten, now they are recorded and broadcast on the internet for all to see.

SO HOW MUCH ARE THE PARENTS TO BLAME? In today's world of fast information and access to all areas, too many - particularly the young - are having to up the stakes to chase their particular dragon and get the high they crave. Sometimes, they're so busy creating drama and tension in the movie of their own lives that they've forgotten to be human beings.

'The problem is that teenagers have rejected the values of the previous era and TO REJECT THE VALUES OF THE SIXTIES OR SEVENTIES, WHICH WAS VERY LAISSEZ FAIRE, YOU HAVE TO GO VERY FAR,' says Dr Pat Spungin, psychologist and founder of parenting website raisingkids.co.uk. 'There used to be a stricter and more regulated approach to bringing up children, parents should take back some of the control they've ceded. We don't say "no" enough, so vulnerable girls don't have enough experience of saying "no" themselves.'

Few would wish a return to the hypocritical constraints of life before the sexual revolution; however, the trouble with the pendulum is that it has a habit of swinging too far the other way. Perhaps it's time for everyone to pull up their pants and show each other a little more respect; and, since we're supposed to be the adults, it has to start with us, with how we behave, how we draw boundaries and what we put in our newspapers and magazines and on our television screens.

But Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum, has warned the crisis is nowhere near over yet. A new poll shows business leaders think the recovery will take three years. Some 2,500 guests, including senior executives from some of the world's biggest banks as well as 40 heads of state and government - a record number - will join discussions on the economic crisis, poverty, energy, climate change and free trade.

While the annual event in the Swiss mountain village of Davos keeps attracting many of the world's most powerful people, the mood has changed dramatically. Some companies have been wiped out by the world's continuing financial crisis, while others have been rescued by governments or nationalised. As a result participants agree that THIS YEAR IT WILL NOT BE BANKERS DOMINATING DISCUSSIONS; INSTEAD POLITICIANS WILL SET THE AGENDA.

Indeed a new survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers suggests that business confidence among top bosses around the world has plummeted in recent months. "We have to face up to the fact that the recovery, when it comes, later this year or early next year, is going to be anaemic," said Stephen Roach, Morgan Stanley's Asia chairman.

Astonishingly, Mr Brown even claimed to have predicted the current financial crisis 10 years ago. His boasts came as the tally of jobs axed or under threat this month hit 50,000. In one of the most devastating days since the economic downturn took hold, steel giant Corus confirmed the loss of 2,500 UK jobs and electronics manufacturer Philips announced 6,000 redundancies worldwide.

Theresa May, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: "It is now clear that unemployment is fast becoming our number one political and economic issue and I fear this is yet more evidence that Labour's attempts at tackling the recession aren't working." Tory MP David Davies said: "The Prime Minister's words indicate that he is losing his marbles as well as the economy. GORDON BROWN IS THE LAST PERSON ANYONE WOULD WANT IN CHARGE OF A NEW WORLD ORDER."

Mr Brown said: "We could view the threats and challenges we face today as THE DIFFICULT BIRTH-PANGS OF A NEW GLOBAL ORDER." World leaders faced a task that was "nothing less than making the transition through A NEW INTERNATIONALISM to the benefits of AN EXPANDING GLOBAL SOCIETY".

The Mail on Sunday has been told that THE TREASURY WAS PREPARING FOR THE BANKS TO SHUT THEIR DOORS TO ALL CUSTOMERS, TERMINATE ELECTRONIC TRANSFERS AND EVEN BLOCK HOLE-IN-THE-WALL CASH WITHDRAWALS. Only frantic behind-the-scenes efforts averted financial meltdown.

If the moves had failed, Mr Brown would have been forced to announce that the Government was nationalising the entire financial system and guaranteeing all deposits. But 60-year-old Lord Myners was accused last night of being 'completely irresponsible' for admitting the scale of the crisis while the recession was still deepening and major institutions such as Barclays remain under intense pressure.

Ruth Lea, economic adviser to the Arbuthnot Banking Group, said last night that it was 'highly irresponsible' for Lord Myners to reveal the scale of the problems because it could serve to further wreck already fragile levels of confidence. 'We are not out of the woods yet,' she said. 'I fear for Barclays, after the fall in its share price, and Lloyds has been damaged by the HBOS takeover.' She added: 'If it was panning out in that way, then the Government would have had no choice but to step in and nationalise the entire financial system.'

Opposition MPs joined human rights campaigners in attacking the new powers, warning that they could lead to the widespread release of medical records and other sensitive data. As MPs opened debate on the Coroners and Justice Bill, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats branded the plans an unacceptable extension of the state, while the all-party Commons Justice Committee called for greater safeguards to protect the public against the sharing of information.

Genewatch, a genetic technology pressure group, warned that proposed data-sharing powers could ultimately open the door to the creation of a national DNA database linked to medical records. It said the Bill could allow DNA SAMPLES TAKEN FOR MEDICAL REASONS TO BE RELEASED ALONGSIDE PEOPLE'S MEDICAL RECORDS. Dr Helen Wallace, the group's director, said it would "wipe out the personal privacy of everyone in Britain at a single stroke".

David Howarth, the Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, said the data-sharing proposals were "outrageous". He said: "These provisions will allow all the restriction on data sharing in the ID Cards Act to be overridden and drive a coach and horses through all other restrictions on medical and DNA records. THESE PLANS ARE NOT CONFINED TO GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER PUBLIC AUTHORITIES. They would allow unlimited data sharing between private sector organisations and government and the private sector, whether in this country or abroad."

Traders said that investors, particularly in continental Europe and the UK, were pouring money into gold exchange-traded funds – a popular way to gain access to the metal – and also noted strong buying of physical gold, from coins to bars. Edel Tully at Mitsui & Co Precious Metals in London said gold was the "obvious shelter" for safe-haven investors.

In London, spot gold rose to $915.30 an ounce, up from New York's last quote on Friday of $898.40. The precious metal also hit an all-time high in both sterling at £661.55 an ounce, and in euros, at €701.55 an ounce. The total amount of gold held by the world's gold ETFs last week rose for the first time above the 40m ounce level. Together, such investment vehicles are now the largest holders of physical gold after the official reserves of the US, Germany, the International Monetary Fund, France and Italy.

"The aggressive appreciation in the ETF contracts... is the clearest signal to date this year that gold is one of the limited assets that investors want exposure to during these frantic times," Ms Tully said.

A 'Winter Storm Watch' has been posted for the nation's capitol and there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations.

"I can't imagine the Democrats would want to showcase Mr. Gore and his new findings on global warming as a winter storm rages outside," a Republican lawmaker emailed the DRUDGE REPORT. "And if the ice really piles up, it will not be safe to travel."

A spokesman for Sen. John Kerry, who chairs the committee, was not immediately available to comment on contingency plans. Global warming advocates have suggested this year's wild winter spells are proof of climate change.

"If we look toward a one-state solution, which seems to be the trend - I hope not inexorable - it would be a catastrophe for Israel, because there would be only three options in that case," Carter said.

One would be to expel large numbers of Palestinians, which he said would amount to "ethnic cleansing."
The second would be to deprive the Palestinians of equal voting rights, which he said would amount to "apartheid."
The third would be to give the Palestinians equal voting rights, and therefore the majority, he said.

"And you would no longer have a Jewish state," Carter said. "The basic decisions would be made by the Palestinians, who would almost very likely vote in a bloc, whereas you would have some sharp divisions among the Israelis, because the Israelis always have different points of view."

The interview was taped this evening and is set to air at 11 pm ET, as Mitchell is in the air and on his way to the region. Based in Dubai, Al-Arabiya estimates that it has a potential audience exceeding 23 million in the Gulf region.

UPDATE - timesonline.co.uk reports:- US President Barack Obama has told the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy" and renewed his pledge to travel to make an address in the capital of a major Muslim nation. In his first interview with Arab television since becoming president, Mr Obama told the al-Arabiya television that his administration would adopt a more comprehensive approach in its relations with the Muslim world.

"It is impossible for us to think only in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and not think in terms of what's happening with Syria or Iran or Lebanon or Afghanistan and Pakistan," Mr Obama told the Dubai-based Arabic cable TV channel. "These things are interrelated. Ultimately we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what is best for them. They are going to have to make some decisions," Mr Obama said.

This year, big government looks set to seize the Davos limelight from the banks, hedge funds and sovereign wealth funds that attracted attention in recent years. The reason for this change, economists say, is simple: THE TAXPAYER NOW HOLDS WHAT MONEY AND POWER REMAIN IN AN AILING GLOBAL ECONOMY. Many big banks are on government life support and even state-controlled sovereign wealth funds aren't offering capital to struggling Western corporations.

"THIS MAY BE THE FIRST DAVOS WHERE CAPITALISM IS WIDELY VIEWED AS A FAILURE, rather than something to be admired," says Ethan Kapstein, professor of economics and political science at French business school Insead, who has been going to Davos since 1994.

He called for greater fuel efficiency and an "energy economy" aimed at creating millions of jobs. He also ordered a review of whether states can set car emission standards. This challenges a Bush administration decision which favoured a national standard for vehicle pollution. At his first White House news conference since becoming president, Mr Obama said HE WOULD REVERSE AMERICA'S DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL while creating jobs, but warned there was no "quick fix".

"We will commit ourselves to steady, focused, pragmatic pursuit of an America that is freed from our energy dependence, and empowered by a new energy economy that puts millions of our citizens to work." He added: "Now is the time to meet the challenge of this crossroads of history, by choosing a future safer for our country, prosperous for our planet, and sustainable."

The American Steel First Act would ensure THAT ONLY US-MADE STEEL WAS USED IN $64 BILLION OF FEDERALLY FUNDED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. The money, earmarked for roads, bridges and waterways, is aimed at kickstarting the economy, but the initiative by steelmakers, which secured support last week in the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, is opposed by American exporters, who fear retaliation by foreign governments.

Their concern is given credence by the European Commission and by Eurofer, the association of European steelmakers, which said that IT WOULD URGE THE EUROPEAN UNION TO CHALLENGE THE "BUY AMERICA" clause at the World Trade Organisation.

Gordon Moffat, director-general of Eurofer, said that the clause was a clear case of protectionism. He said: "It looks like they are trying to shut out imports. If we have the means to attack that under WTO rules, we would urge the Commission to do so." A spokesman for the European Commission said that America was a signatory to the Government Procurement Agreement, a WTO treaty aimed at ensuring fair access to state investment programmes. He said: "WE WOULD BE ENTITLED TO RETALIATE AND WOULD CERTAINLY DO SO IF THEY WITHDRAW FROM [THE TREATY]."

The dramatic federal action granting California and 13 other states the right to regulate tailpipe emissions is a sharp departure from the Bush administration's environmental policy, and has been opposed by auto companies. According to The New York Times, Mr Obama is to issue a directive to the US Environmental Protection Agency to immediately begin work on granting the so-called California waiver, which allows the state - long in the vanguard on environmental matters - to set its own standards for automobile emissions.

In his White House announcement, Mr Obama is expected to issue a directive requiring federal agencies to immediately begin work on making all government buildings more energy efficient. The new US administration hopes to achieve energy savings of up to $2 billion (£1.5 billion) per year, as well as a reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming. The presidential orders will require car manufacturers begin producing and selling cars and trucks that get higher mileage than the national standard, and on a faster phase-in schedule, the congressional officials said.

"If we don't put a price on carbon," said Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California, the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, "we'll never get these clean energy sources online."

There were calls last night for a police investigation into the alleged actions of the four peers, amid suggestions that such activities would be corruption. The allegations are potentially the most serious about parliamentary conduct since the cash-for-questions affair in the 1990s.

Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: "If these allegations are confirmed, they are not merely a breach of the Lords' own rules but are surely against the law on corrupt practices. Ex-ministers should not be touting themselves like taxi drivers for hire. The police should interview those peers who have been named and investigate whether they have used any parliamentary procedures to further the interests of their clients."

According to The Sunday Times, whose reporters posed as lobbyists for a foreign company setting up a chain of shops in Britain, four peers — Lord Taylor of Blackburn; Lord Truscott, a former Energy Minister; Lord Moonie, a former Defence Minister; and Lord Snape, a former government whip – indicated that they were ready to help for money. All four deny that they have broken any rules.