The meaning of Zawahiri's cryptic threat remains unclear more than six years later, but a new report warns that al-Qaeda has not abandoned its goal of attacking the United States with a chemical, biological or even nuclear weapon. The report, by a former senior CIA official who led the agency's hunt for weapons of mass destruction, portrays al-Qaeda's leaders as determined and patient, willing to wait for years to acquire the kind of weapons that could inflict widespread casualties.

The former official, Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, draws on his knowledge of classified case files to argue that al-Qaeda has been far more sophisticated in its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction than is commonly believed, pursuing parallel paths to acquiring weapons and forging alliances with groups that can offer resources and expertise.

"If Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants had been interested in small-scale attacks, there is little doubt they could have done so now," Mowatt-Larssen writes in a report released Monday by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

The commission's initial report in December 2008 warned that a terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction was likely by 2013. His report warns that bin Laden's threat to attack the West with weapons of mass destruction is not "empty rhetoric" but a top strategic goal for an organization that seeks the economic ruin of the United States and its allies to hasten the overthrow of pro-Western governments in the Islamic world.

In Peru, for example, foreign and domestic miners are vying for government concessions to explore for gold, silver and zinc on traditional Indian lands where tribe members eke out a living from small farms threatened by contamination, said Carlos Candiotti, leader of an anti-mining group. "These companies come into our territory without our approval, but the state must recognize our rights because we're the owners, with ancestral rights to the land where we live," Candiotti said.

Now in its 10th year, the social forum is the annual counterpoint to the World Economic Forum starting Wednesday in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, and leftist leaders are gleefully criticizing the bankers and business titans hit hard by the financial crisis."Capitalism's unsustainability has never been so obvious," said Brazilian philosopher and sociologist Candido Grzybowsky, one of the forum's leaders. "We need to create a system based on social and environmental justice."

Hildebrando Velez Galeano drew raucous cheers when he urged citizens of developing nations to seize control of the global economy "from the hands of the capitalist speculators who are destroying it. We have to decolonize our territory and declare it free of Coca-Cola and Monsanto," said Galeano, a leader of the Colombian chapter of the environmental group Friends of the Earth.

WEF founder and executive founder Klaus Schwab said in a statement that the organisers appreciated Reinhardt's professionalism and kindness over years of co-operation. "The Security Forces continue to have our full confidence and trust in their work," the statement said. Reinhardt, 61, had headed the canton's police force since 1984.

The Government had been proposing to water down these restrictions in Harriet Harman's Equality Bill, which was being debated in the House of Lords yesterday. However, the key amendments to change the law were thrown out by peers in a vote by 216 to 178 in a humiliating defeat for Miss Harman.

Miss Harman can try to force the measure through the Commons - and risk losing the whole Bill because of the short amount of time left in this Parliament. The other option would be to drop the proposal and leave the UK at odds with an existing EU directive. Last night secular campaigners said they would be complaining to the European Commission if the measure was dropped.

During a debate in the Lords, Baroness O'Cathain, who led the rebels, said: organisations should be free to choose their staff on whether they share those beliefs. "How would a rape crisis centre operate if it was forced to employ male counsellors. This is the state trying to tell people who they can and can't employ." She added that a Government minister had already given warning that the plans would lead to legal battles between churches and atheists, insisting that both sides "need to be lining up (their lawyers) by now."

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the Conservatives' shadow minister for Community Cohesion, hailed the vote as a "victory for common sense". She said: "We delivered a blow against the government's attempt to narrow the definition of 'employment' for the purposes of religion. The Church of England, the Catholic Church and leaders of other faiths have all campaigned together in a true spirit of Community Cohesion to protect an important religious freedom."

It wasn't all that long ago when pundits were predicting the downfall of the dollar. A quick glance at the US currency's exchange rate with the euro seemed to back up such fears. The euro cost over $1.50 at the beginning of December, and with the US government continuing to pump massive amounts of money into its economy, one can forgive casual observers for having assumed the trend might continue.

Just a month and a half later, however, the euro stands at $1.41 and many analysts are now warning that it may be in for a long slide. Some are even concerned that the cohesiveness of the euro zone might be endangered altogether - with the European Union itself chief among the worry-warts.

According to an internal EU report produced by the Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), which has been seen by Der Speigel, the differing competitiveness among euro zone countries is "a cause of serious concern for the euro area as a whole." The report, produced by the DG ECFIN for the European Commission on Economic and Financial Affairs, went on to voice concern that differences among euro zone countries "jeopardize confidence in the euro and threatens the cohesiveness of the euro area."

There have been recent recovery signs - last week, UK unemployment fell for the first time in 18 months. The UK's had been the last major economy still in recession. Europe's two biggest economies - Germany and France - came out of recession last summer. Japan and the US also emerged from recession last year.

"We can say that Britain has just crossed the line in coming out of recession," said BBC chief economics correspondent Hugh Pym. "It [the growth figure] was below analysts' expectations. The figure could be moved down, or indeed upwards."

Joe Grice, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said the UK's production and service sectors each grew by 0.1% during the quarter. The ONS figures also showed that GDP fell by a record 4.8% in 2009.

Meanwhile, Lee Hopley, chief economist at manufacturers organisation EEF, said: "Whilst today's data confirm that manufacturing is now out of recession, they also continue to raise questions over the health of the wider economy. The trajectory for the recovery, particularly in the next six months, is an uncertain one and the best prospects remain an export-driven turnaround." First estimates of how the economy has performed are made with about 40% of the data available, and Investec economist David Page has warned there is "plenty of room for surprises" in the figures.

Gordon Brown and Irish premier Brian Cowen are chairing the discussions in an attempt to find agreement and avert the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The prime minister's spokesperson said: "It was hard going but the parties engaged in good faith. There was frank discussion across a range of issues."

The prime minister's spokesperson said: "The prime minister and taoiseach (Irish prime minister) remain determined that progress can be made, so discussions will continue on Tuesday morning. The PM is meeting the taoiseach this morning, followed by further meetings with the leadership of Sinn Fein and the DUP leadership later this morning."

Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party - Northern Ireland's two biggest political parties - have been arguing for months over the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont. Sinn Fein want the completion of devolution to happen as soon as possible, but the DUP argues there must be unionist "community confidence" before powers are put in the hands of local politicians.

The "confidence" issue causing most division is over the handling of parades. The DUP wants to scrap the Parades Commission, which puts conditions on some of the most contentious marches, but Sinn Fein has accused the party of giving the Orange Order a talks veto.

Talks between the DUP and Sinn Fein had intensified in recent weeks, before collapsing in acrimony last week. If Sinn Fein were to decide Martin McGuinness should resign as deputy first minister, the joint nature of the roles of first and deputy first ministers would mean that DUP leader Peter Robinson would also be forced out of office, collapsing the executive.

But the public is taking a tougher line on cannabis the survey of 4,486 adults, which was conducted in 2008, found. More people see themselves as Tory rather than Labour supporters for the first time since the 1980s, it adds. The survey also suggested the number of people who felt a pressing need to vote in general elections was declining. Some 56% of those questioned thought it was "everyone's duty to vote" - down from 68% in 1991.

He told the inquiry, in person, that he thought a further UN resolution was needed to sanction military action. Attorney General Lord Goldsmith advised ministers force was permissible on the basis of existing UN resolutions. Arguments about the legality of the war are taking centre stage this week as former Lord Goldsmith gives evidence on Wednesday, ahead of former prime minister Tony Blair's appearance on Friday.

Elizabeth Wilmshurst, the Foreign Office lawyer who resigned because she thought the invasion was illegal, is appearing later on Tuesday. In documents published by the inquiry, Sir Michael - chief legal adviser to the Foreign Office between 2001 and 2006 - said he believed the March 2003 invasion did not have a legal basis. "I considered that the use of force against Iraq in March 2003 was contrary to international law," he wrote.

"In my opinion that use of force had not been authorized by the Security Council and had no other legal basis in international law." Sir Michael said he had raised his concerns about legal issues with Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary at the time. However, Sir Michael said he had made it clear that it was ultimately up to Lord Goldsmith to advise ministers on whether the use of the force against Iraq would be lawful. On the eve of the conflict, Ms Wilmshurst argued that "an unlawful use of force on such a scale amounts to the crime of aggression".

Trading in equities and derivatives is being driven increasingly by mathematical algorithms used in computer programs. They allow trading to take place automatically in response to market data and news, deciding when and how much to trade similar to the autopilot function in aircraft. Analysts estimate that up to 60 per cent of trading in equity markets is driven in this way.

Concerns have been highlighted by news that NYSE Euronext, the transatlantic exchange operator, has fined Credit Suisse proprietary trading arm for the first time for failing to control its trading algorithms. In the Credit Suisse case, its system bombarded the NYSE's systems with hundreds of thousands of "erroneous messages" in 2007, slowing down trading in 975 shares.

Last year, the London Stock Exchange suffered a three-hour outage after its trading system collapsed under the strain of a huge volume of orders. Some traders blamed the spike in volumes from algorithmic trading. Frederic Ponzo, managing partner at GreySpark Partners, a consultancy, said: "It is absolutely possible to bring an exchange to breaking point by having an 'algo' entering into a loop so that by sending them at such a rate the exchange can't cope."

Regulators say it is unclear who is monitoring traders to ensure they do not take undue risks with their algorithms. The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed new rules that would require brokers to establish procedures to prevent erroneous orders. Mark van Vugt, global head of sales at RTS Realtime Systems, a trading technology company, said: "If a position is blowing up so fast without the exchange or clearing firm able to react or reverse positions, the firm itself could be in danger as well."

Thousands of anti-war protesters are expected to form a gauntlet of hate for the former Prime Minister on Friday as he attempts to justify Britain's involvement in the controversial conflict. He is also a target for Muslim extremists raging at his decision to invade Iraq. Mr Blair's six-hour appearance before the Chilcot Inquiry is being described as his 'Judgment Day' for sending British forces to topple Saddam Hussein, which cost the lives of 179 troops.

Demonstrators will be met by police road blocks, exclusion zones, armed officers and rooftop surveillance teams. The operation will cost at least 150,000 pounds and could reach 250,000 pounds depending on the number of protesters. Mr Blair's long-awaited testimony comes days after security chiefs advised the Government to raise the level of terrorist threat from 'substantial' to 'severe' following the Christmas Day attempted plane bombing.

The Inquiry has already heard a welter of evidence suggesting Mr Blair exaggerated the threat posed by Iraq during the build-up to war. In developments yesterday:

- Sources close to the inquiry pledged that Mr Blair would not be allowed to 'bluster and smile' his way through tricky questions.

- Families of servicemen killed in Iraq demanded a face-to-face meeting with the ex-PM to bring about 'closure'.

- Mr Blair was revealed to have been staying up as late as 3am reading through piles of documents to 'revise' for his appearance.

- Two senior Foreign Office legal advisers at the time of the invasion were said to have told the Government that the war was illegal under international law.

Several witnesses, including the former Cabinet Secretary Lord Turnbull, have suggested that Mr Blair was intent on regime change in Iraq from the spring of 2002 onwards, and used Saddam's supposed stockpile of weapons of mass destruction as a smokescreen to justify military action. Mr Blair will also be questioned intensively on why he claimed intelligence had 'proved beyond doubt' that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction while some witnesses have said the facts did not support this.

Dr Murari Lal also said he was well aware the statement, in the 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), did not rest on peer-reviewed scientific research. In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Dr Lal, the co-ordinating lead author of the report's chapter on Asia, said: 'It related to several countries in this region and their water sources.'

'We thought that if we can highlight it, it will impact policy-makers and politicians and encourage them to take some concrete action. It had importance for the region, so we thought we should put it in.' When this report was issued, Raj Pachauri, the IPCC chairman, denounced it as 'voodoo science'. Having been forced to apologise over the 2035 claim, Dr Pachauri blamed Dr Lal, saying his team had failed to apply IPCC procedures.

It was an accusation rebutted angrily by Dr Lal. 'We as authors followed them to the letter,' he said. 'Had we received information that undermined the claim, we would have included it.' However, an analysis of those 500-plus formal review comments, to be published tomorrow by the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), the new body founded by former Chancellor Nigel Lawson, suggests that when reviewers did raise issues that called the claim into question, Dr Lal and his colleagues simply ignored them.

For example, Hayley Fowler of Newcastle University, suggested that their draft did not mention that Himalayan glaciers in the Karakoram range are growing rapidly, citing a paper published in the influential journal Nature. In their response, the IPCC authors said, bizarrely, that they were 'unable to get hold of the suggested references', but would 'consider' this in their final version. They failed to do so.

The 80-year-old is considered a moderate who is open to modernisation. He has said he would not be opposed to Pope Benedict XVI visiting Serbia, suggesting a possible rapprochement with the Roman Catholic Church. The Serbian Orthodox Church has about 11 million members worldwide. Most of Serbia's seven million people are Orthodox Christians.

President Obama's deployment of 30,000 extra US troops to Afghanistan would weaken the Taliban enough to force it to agree a peace deal, he said. He added that the Taliban could help run the country in future. His comments come ahead of an international conference on Afghanistan due to be held in London later this week. "I'd like everybody to walk out of London with a renewed commitment, and that commitment is to the right outcome for the Afghan people," General McChrystal said.

Recently, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told the BBC that he planned to introduce a scheme to attract Taliban fighters back to normal life by offering money and jobs. He said he would offer to pay and resettle Taliban fighters to come over to his side. Mr Karzai said he hoped to win backing for his plan from the US and UK at the London conference.

"It's not my job to extend olive branches, but it is my job to help set conditions where people in the right positions can have options on the way forward," General McChrystal said. He also said that the Taliban could have a role in a future Afghan government.

The Futenma base was originally scheduled to move to Nago from a more crowded part of Okinawa. Talk of moving the base out of Japan altogether has threatened the long-standing US-Japan security alliance. Mr Hatoyama said the results of Sunday's election reflected the will of the people, and that Japan would completely re-examine its commitment to relocate the air base. "The country will start from scratch on this issue and take responsibility to reach a conclusion by the end of May," he told reporters.

Correspondents said the prime minister's comments highlighted the difficulties involved in fulfilling an agreement with the US to relocate the base against strong local opposition. Japan signed a deal with the US four years ago that was part of a broader realignment of American troops. A key part of the plan was to relocate the Futenma air base, home to about 2,000 Marines, to the smaller city of Nago.

Okinawa is home to most of the 47,000 American troops based in Japan.