Now Mr Hunt has become the pioneer in a rejuvenated campaign FOR A WAY OF CANCELLING BAPTISMS GIVEN TO CHILDREN TOO YOUNG TO DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES whether they wanted this formal initiation into Christianity. However, baptism is proving a difficult thing to undo. The local Anglican diocese, Southwark, refused to amend the baptismal roll as Mr Hunt had wanted, on the grounds that it was a historical record. "You can't remove from the record something that actually happened," said the Bishop of Croydon, the Right Reverend Nick Baines.

The Church wonders aloud why, if atheists and secularists believe baptism is so meaningless, they are letting it upset them. Mr Hunt supplies his own answer.

"Evangelical noises are getting louder and louder. The recent change in European legislation has led to religious beliefs not being challenged at all, and there's no limit at all on what anybody can claim as a valid religious belief. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT MORE PEOPLE SPEAK OUT AND SAY THEY DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO THE HISTORIC BELIEFS OF THE CHURCH."

In 2006, Newcastle City Council blocked Davender Ghai's attempt to establish the UK's first approved site for open-air funeral pyres. It maintained the burning of human remains anywhere outside a crematorium was prohibited under the 1930 Cremation Act - a ruling the Ministry of Justice agrees was correct. Now Mr Ghai, a Hindu campaigner and founder of the Anglo Asian Friendship Society charity, is seeking a judicial review of the decision.

"I believe a person should live and die according to his own religion," said the Uganda-born 70-year-old, who has been living in the UK since the 1970s. "Local authorities routinely provide separate Muslim and Jewish burial grounds and out-of-hours registration and immediate or weekend burials. Hindus should cremate before the following sunset too and yet we, along with the general public, wait for up to a week."

Speakers will call on G20 leaders to pursue a new kind of global justice. A big security operation has been mounted in case the protest turns violent, but organisers say people want to express their views peacefully. Marchers gathered near Embankment spoke of "a carnival atmosphere".

Italian trade unionist Nicoli Nicolosi, who had travelled from Rome, said: "We are here to try and make a better world and protest against the G20." TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, who is due to address the rally, said there was no room for violence at the march. "If there are other groups who want to cause trouble, I don't want to see them anywhere near our event," he told the Today programme. He said he wanted to see G20 leaders agree a plan of action to deal with the financial downturn.

"Where I hope we will see a consensus emerge is in the recognition that unless they act together, then the problems are only going to get worse. This, unlike any other recession, is a recession right across the world." IN BERLIN, thousands of protesters have also taken to the streets with a message to the G20 leaders: "WE WON'T PAY FOR YOUR CRISIS".

Saturday's march will be followed by a series of protests on Wednesday and Thursday by a variety of coalitions and groups campaigning on a range of subjects, from poverty, inequality and jobs to war, climate change and capitalism.

Due to lower wheat prices, the North Dakota Wheat Commission already was expecting wheat plantings from North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota to drop sharply to 12.3 million acres from 12.8 million last year.

That spring wheat reduction may now double, with another 500,000 former wheat acres planted instead with later-seeding crops like soybeans, sunflowers and dry beans, or not planted at all, said Jim Peterson, marketing director of the farmer-run commission. The U.S. Agriculture Department has predicted that at least 1 million acres in North Dakota will go unseeded this spring.

Mr Hannan's assault came after the Premier had given a keynote speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday. As Mr Brown looked on through gritted teeth, shaking his head, the Tory lambasted him as a 'Brezhnev era apparatchik' who was ' pathologically incapable' of taking responsibility for his role in the financial crisis.

The 37-year-old, who was the youngest British member elected to the European Parliament in 1999, yesterday received plaudits for his tongue-lashing. Broadcasters - including the BBC - failed to report Mr Hannan's onslaught despite giving full coverage to Mr Brown's most pro-European speech to date.

The clip features Mr Brown looking on with a frozen smile, while Mr Hannan warned how Britain was entering the recession in a 'dilapidated condition' with an 'almost unbelievable' deficit. After accusing Mr Brown of losing his moral authority, he finished with the pay-off line: 'You are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued government.'

Mr Soros – speaking days after AN AUCTION OF GOVERNMENT BONDS FAILED for the first time in 14 years, RINGING ALARM BELLS ABOUT BRITAIN'S ABILITY TO FUND ITS GROWING DEBTS – said that Gordon Brown might have to go begging for billions of pounds in international aid. He also warned that next week's G20 summit in London was the last chance to avert a full-scale depression that could prove worse than that in the 1930s.

"You have a problem that the banking system is bigger than the economy... So for Britain to absorb it alone would really pile up the debt," he said. Asked about the chances of Britain having to seek help from the International Monetary Fund, he said that if the banking system continued to collapse, it was "a possibility". At this stage, he added, it was "not a likelihood".

HE WAS NOT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE G20 MEETING, SAYING THE ODDS WERE THAT IT WOULD FAIL BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY DIFFERENCES OF OPINION. The price could be years of economic devastation worse than the Great Depression. "It is really a make-or-break occasion."

Wayne Swan, Australia's treasurer, said "alternative proposals" would be considered from the Beijing-based metals group but it could not approve the deal if it included Oz's Prominent Hill copper and gold mine, located in the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia. "It is not unusual for governments to restrict access to sensitive areas on national security grounds," Mr Swan said.

Mr Swan's surprise decision will fuel speculation Canberra may also block Chinalco's controversial plan to invest $19.5bn in Rio Tinto, the Anglo-Australian mining group. Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board is assessing the deal by the Chinese aluminium producer on "national interest" grounds, which includes investments made by state-backed entities.

Blocking the deal also threatens Oz's survival. The miner, which had already warned it risked bankruptcy without the Minmetals takeover, is locked in talks with bankers owed A$1.3bn to extend debt repayments beyond March 31. The Woomera Prohibited Area includes a weapons testing range that Mr Swan said made a "unique and sensitive contribution to Australia's national defence".

The head of one leading private bank in Geneva said the growing determination of countries such as the US and Germany to tackle tax evasion and secrecy meant banks felt they had to take extra measures to protect employees. "Some banks have taken this precaution," he said. "If today I go to Germany to visit two banks I deal with… German customs can take me in and question me."

The travel bans, which have not been brought in by all banks, have focused on those visiting the US, following the detention there last year of a senior private banker from UBS, Switzerland's biggest bank, as part of a federal tax investigation. The head of the private bank, which itself has no travel restrictions, said: "Today if you are a banker from Switzerland going to the US you have to fear you will be taken in for questioning. I am thinking twice about going to America."

However, four people in the private banking industry in Geneva told the Financial Times of banks bringing in total travel bans for staff, even for adjoining European countries. "PRIVATE BANKERS AREN'T EVEN TRAVELLING TO FRANCE. THE PARTNERS ARE NOT LEAVING GENEVA AT ALL," said a senior industry figure close to several private banks. No bank contacted by the Financial Times wanted to discuss the matter publicly. The restrictions come ahead of next week's Group of 20 summit where a clampdown on tax havens is set to be discussed.

He said an extra 4,000 US personnel would train and bolster the Afghan army and police, and he would also provide support for civilian development. Pakistan would also be a focus, with a $7.5bn programme of "direct support". But he said this support would not come as a "blank cheque", and Pakistan would have to demonstrate its own commitment to rooting out al-Qaeda and associated forces.

HE PAINTED A BLEAK PICTURE OF THE SITUATION, WITH INSURGENTS INCREASING THEIR CONTROL OF TERRITORY IN THE REGION AND ATTACKS RISING. He said American strategy must relate directly to the threat posed to the Americans by al-Qaeda and its allies - who, he reminded his listeners, were behind the 9/11 attacks on American soil eight years ago.

And he said multiple intelligence estimates suggested fresh attacks on the US were being planned. But he said targeting al-Qaeda was not only in the interests of American people, but populations around the world and Afghans themselves.

Speaking at a G20 breakfast seminar organised by BBC News, she said an earlier recovery would depend on plans to restore banking lending. Official forecasts have been much more optimistic, suggesting that the world economic recovery could begin as soon as next year. The International Monetary Fund, for example, suggests that the world will grow by 1.5% to 2% in 2010 after declining by 0.5% to 1% this year.

DeAnne Julius' pessimistic outlook was shared by businessmen from G20 developing countries who took part in the seminar. Igor Kalashnikov, who runs a double glazing company in Russia, said business was down two and a half times and there was a climate of pessimism among the media and policy makers. And Nish Kotecha said that Indian start-up companies were finding it hard to get access to funding to expand their business.

Oktay Gokyildirim, who imports sweets into Turkey, said he has been badly affected by exchange rate fluctuations, but hoped that the G20 summit would give a boost to business and consumer confidence. Many experts and business leaders agreed that a key task of the G20 summit was to encourage free trade and avoid protectionism. But there was a fear that nationalism was re-emerging despite the rhetoric. Jim O'Neill spoke for many when he said that "words have to be matched by deeds" at the summit.

The G20 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the US and the EU.

Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch Brown said leaders could not get away with "empty promises" at the summit. Mr Brown has stressed the need to support developing countries amid fears that the global recession could push as many as 90 million more people into extreme poverty.

On Thursday, he said he would urge G20 leaders to agree a $100bn (£69bn) fund to underwrite world trade, which has fallen sharply in recent months. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Brown said countries had made great progress through joint action in recent months, spending about $2.5 trillion to boost demand in their economies. "Nobody could ever have imagined co-ordinated action on interest rates and stimuluses for the economy such as we have seen," he said.

"We have seen over the last few weeks and months how countries have taken action. Now we have to bring this together at the G20 meeting in London." Mr Brown, on the final leg of a three-continent trip ahead of next week's summit, said he was convinced world leaders would show in London they understood the need for decisive action.

Speaking in Brasília at a joint press conference with Gordon Brown, the UK prime minister, Mr Lula da Silva told reporters: "This crisis was caused by the irrational behaviour of white people with blue eyes, WHO BEFORE THE CRISIS APPEARED TO KNOW EVERYTHING AND NOW DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY KNOW NOTHING." He added: "I do not know any black or indigenous bankers so I can only say [it is wrong] that this part of mankind which is victimised more than any other should pay for the crisis."

Mr Brown appeared to distance himself from Mr Lula da Silva's remarks. "I'm not going to attribute blame to any individuals," he said. "I'm going to ask the G20 summit next week to support a global expansion of trade finance to reverse a slide in world trade," Mr Brown said.

Mr Lula da Silva also spoke out strongly against raising trade barriers in response to the global crisis. "I compare protectionism to a drug," he said. "Why do people use drugs? Because they are in crisis and they think the drug will help them. But its effects pass quickly." The two leaders' remarks demonstrate the desire each will have to secure the other's support during the G20 meeting.

The US has said a rocket launch would be "provocative" and violate UN Security Council resolutions. Japan's Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada issued the orders to mobilise Japan's missile defence shield after a meeting with Prime Minister Taro Aso and cabinet ministers. "We will do our best to handle any flying object from North Korea in order to assure the Japanese people's safety and security," said Mr Hamada.

"A satellite or a missile - we are displeased with anything that is going to fly over our land, and such an action must be stopped." It is the first time that CONSTITUTIONALLY PACIFIST JAPAN has deployed the shield. The trajectory issued by Pyongyang show the rocket will pass over Japan, with the first booster stage landing in the sea to the west, the second in the Pacific Ocean to the east, says the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo.

But the interception is only likely to be activated if the launch does not go as planned and debris appears to be falling towards Japan, says our correspondent. Japan revised its Self-Defence Forces Law in 2005, legalising possible interceptions of ballistic missiles. But the country's pacifist constitution does not allow it to intercept a missile if it is clearly heading elsewhere. The Japanese government had previously warned it would try to shoot down any missile or debris that threatens to hit its territory. NORTH KOREA HAS SAID IT WOULD REGARD ANY ROCKET INTERCEPT AS AN ACT OF WAR.

Pakistan has blamed India, saying it is withholding millions of cubic feet of water upstream in Indian-administered Kashmir and storing it in the massive Baglihar dam in order to produce hydro-electricity. Taking water out of the system is in breach of a 1960 treaty designed to administer water use in the region, Pakistan claims. Talks to resolve the issue have been put on hold following the Mumbai terror attacks in November, when tensions between the two countries increased.

Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, said: "The water crisis in Pakistan is directly linked to relations with India. Resolution could prevent an environmental catastrophe in South Asia, but failure to do so could fuel the fires of discontent that lead to extremism and terrorism."

EARLIER THIS MONTH THE UN WARNED THE WORLD MAY BE CLOSE TO ITS FIRST WATER WAR. "Water is linked to the crises of climate change, energy and food supplies and prices, and troubled financial markets," a report on the issue found. "Unless their links with water are addressed and water crises around the world are resolved, these other crises may intensify and local water crises may worsen, converging into a global water crisis and leading to political insecurity and conflict at various levels."

The dollar plunged instantly against the euro, yen, and sterling as the comments flashed across trading screens. David Bloom, currency chief at HSBC, said the apparent policy shift amounts to an earthquake in geo-finance. "The mere fact that the US Treasury Secretary is even entertaining thoughts that the dollar may cease being the anchor of the global monetary system has caused consternation," he said.

Mr Geithner later qualified his remarks, insisting that the dollar would remain the "world's dominant reserve currency… for a long period of time" but the seeds of doubt have been sown. The markets appear baffled by the confused statements emanating from Washington. President Barack Obama told a new conference hours earlier that there was no threat to the reserve status of the dollar. "I don't believe that there is a need for a global currency. The reason the dollar is strong right now is because investors consider the United States the strongest economy in the world with the most stable political system in the world," he said.

The Chinese proposal, outlined this week by central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan, calls for a "super-sovereign reserve currency" under IMF management, turning the Fund into a sort of world central bank. The idea is that the IMF should activate its dormant powers to issue Special Drawing Rights. These SDRs would expand their role over time, becoming a "widely-accepted means of payments".