But the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) said it would not leave and a government spokesman told Reuters it also rejected the army's proposal. The PAD took over the airport on Tuesday after months of protests. Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who was due to return to Thailand on Wednesday from an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru, was reported to have landed in the northern city of Chiang Mai. He told reporters there that he had not yet made any decision on dissolving parliament, AFP news agency reports.

Thailand has been in a state of political stalemate since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in 2006. Fresh elections at the end of 2007 failed to resolve the crisis, when a party made up of former allies of Mr Thaksin returned to power.

However, Gen Anupong said the government was still in control. "This is not a coup," he told a news conference. "The government still has full authority. These points are the way to solve the problem which has plunged the country into a deep crisis. If a coup could end all the troubles, I would do it."

It was a rich-country affair with Russia invited in during the 1990s - but that was to tackle international political issues, not for the sake of a contribution to the economic discussions. How times have changed. A global economic problem needed a presence from developing country leaders.

The G20 was already up and running as a forum for finance ministers with the big developing economies as members - China, India, Russia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and others. And so they came to Washington, as countries hit by the developed world's financial crisis and, in some cases, as countries that might be able to help fix it.

The communique issued after the summit is not on its own going to change the world. Nevertheless, there are elements in what was agreed that might lead to something significant. The political machinery of the global economy is not going to be turned upside down, although those big developing countries at the summit are beginning to get a tentative grip on the levers. It has certainly changed the cast of characters we are going to have to look to in the future to address the world's economic problems.

Made by the FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION, 'Why Abortion?' Shows a range of scenarios in which actresses justify abortion on the grounds that they cannot afford to have a child or that it could jeopardise their relationship with parents or boyfriends. Their choices are then debated in the video by a group of teenagers from Northern Ireland - where abortion remains illegal – with the majority defending women's right to choose. THEY CLAIM THAT ABORTION IS LEGAL AND SAFE, AND THAT RELIGIOUS LEADERS SHOULDN'T "MORALISE OR DICTATE" ABOUT THE ISSUE.

The pro-choice FPA says that abortion is a fact of life and so it makes sense for teenagers to learn about it. England and Wales has the second-highest termination rate in Europe, WITH 205,600 ABORTIONS CARRIED OUT IN 2007, while Labour MPs rejected moves to cut the upper time limit from 24 to 20 weeks earlier this year.

It comes just weeks after the Government announced that sex and relationships education will become compulsory in primary schools as part of a drive to cut teenage pregnancy rates. The National Children's Bureau also wants all secondary schools to have on-site sexual health clinics, WHILE GIRLS AS YOUNG AS 13 WILL BE URGED TO HAVE CONTRACEPTIVE INJECTIONS AND IMPLANTS.

France and Germany's leaders have called on the EU to ease fiscal rules to allow nations to spend more to boost their economies. A requirement to hold a public deficit below 3% of GDP should be eased, Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel said.

The two leaders made their comments in a joint newspaper article, to be published on Wednesday, saying that governments had to head off a "recessionary spiral" at home. The Commission has suggested that tax cuts could be made on Value Added Tax, energy efficient goods and labour taxes, while the investment should be focused on construction and car makers.

The BBC's Europe editor Mark Mardell says the emphasis is on the 27 countries acting together - partly so no-one gets an unfair advantage but also because the Commission hopes it will have a much bigger impact on the whole economy of Europe.

The message was hand-delivered to Alexy II by the archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, on an official visit to Moscow at the invitation of the patriarch. The cardinal gave the message to the patriarch in a meeting that lasted a little more than an hour last Thursday. "I have a deep affection for all the Orthodox brethren, and I am particularly close to them in these most recent days when conflict has caused significant suffering to peoples so dear to me," the [Pope] said. "I NEVER CEASE TO OFFER DAILY PRAYERS FOR PEACE, asking the Lord that the appeals of Your Holiness to resolve all hostility for the good of the nations may be heeded."

He added: "Faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ is a bond that unites hearts in a profound way and invites us all to strengthen our commitment to manifest to the world a shared witness of living together respectfully and peacefully. Our times, marked so often by conflict and grief, make it EVEN MORE NECESSARY TO HASTEN THE JOURNEY TOWARD THE FULL UNITY OF ALL THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, so that the joyous message of salvation may be spread to all humanity."

And, Bishop Paglia affirmed, ecumenism is more and more "a demand of contemporary society. THE HARMONY BETWEEN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IS EVER MORE EVIDENT," he said, referring to the challenges presented to all Christians in Europe and contemporary society. "Certain limits and challenges can only be faced FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF UNITY."

The UN humanitarian coordination office in Geneva said 8,887 cases have now been recorded and the disease has spread to more than half of the country. The Daily Telegraph reported last week that President Robert Mugabe's government was trying to cover up the epidemic.

Most cases have been reported in the capital, Harare, but the UN said the outbreak was also taking on a "regional dimension," pointing to reports from South Africa's health ministry of suspected cholera cases in Botswana. Oxfam on Tuesday called on Mr Mugabe's government to declare the deadly cholera outbreak a national health emergency.

Cholera is spread by contaminated food and water. The lack of clean water and poorly maintained sewage systems in Zimbabwe have allowed the water-borne intestinal disease to thrive. And as the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe deepens, most hospitals have been forced to close their doors as they can no longer afford drugs, equipment or to pay their staff.

They argue federal funds could stabilize their trillions in investments and warn that any failure of a life insurer could dry up a key source of corporate financing. But U.S. officials are not convinced. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Tuesday he had not yet decided whether other insurers would get federal funds. The only insurer to get government help so far is American International Group Inc, which was saved from bankruptcy with a rescue package that has ballooned to $152 billion.

As the biggest buyers of U.S. corporate bonds, life insurers say they grease the wheel of corporate America. Industry officials insist the failure of a large U.S. life insurer would drastically shrink bond financing, potentially creating another hurdle to the nation's economic recovery.

But unlike his predecessor President George W. Bush, who in better economic times talked about returning to surpluses by 2012, "balanced budgets" were not in Obama's vocabulary. The government's first obligation, he said, was to spark an economic recovery and put people back to work. To do that, the DEMOCRATIC-LED CONGRESS IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A NEW STIMULUS PACKAGE, COSTING IN THE $500 BILLION RANGE, ready to go when Obama takes office in January.

THAT'S ON TOP OF THE HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS ALREADY SPENT or committed by Treasury and the Federal Reserve to revive the moribund financial markets. On Tuesday the government announced two new programs providing $800 billion to help unfreeze the market for consumer debt and to make mortgage loans cheaper and more available. ALL THAT, IN THE SHORT TERM, WILL SEND THE DEFICIT INTO THE STRATOSPHERE

Borrowing adds to the national debt, the money the federal government owes to states, corporations, individuals and foreign countries such as China and Japan that buy U.S. Treasury notes, bonds and other debt instruments. THE DEBT, WHICH STOOD AT ABOUT $5.7 TRILLION IN 2007, TOPPED THE $10 TRILLION MARK IN OCTOBER AND NOW STANDS AT ABOUT $10.6 TRILLION.

Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily IZVESTIA published on Monday: "THE DOLLAR IS NOT SECURED BY ANYTHING. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than $11 trillion. THIS IS A PYRAMID THAT CAN ONLY COLLAPSE."

The paper said Panarin's dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year's events. When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: "IT IS ALREADY COLLAPSING. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: AMERICA WILL NO LONGER BE THE WORLD'S FINANCIAL REGULATOR."

"THE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IN THE U.S. WILL GET WORSE. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. BUT BY SPRING, IT WILL BE CLEAR THAT THERE ARE NO MIRACLES."

The cost of insuring against the bankruptcy of the British state has broken out - upwards - over the last month. Yes, credit default swaps (CDS) are dodgy instruments, but they are the best stress barometer that we have. Today they reached 86 basis points, near Portuguese debt in the league table. For good reason. Alistair Darling has had to admit that THE BRITISH ECONOMY FACES THE MOST SUDDEN ECONOMIC COLLAPSE SINCE WORLD WAR TWO, and THE WORST BUDGET DEFICIT OF ANY MAJOR COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

Ok, this is a lot lower than Iceland, Ukraine, Hungary, and other clients of the IMF, but is significantly higher than Germany (35), USA (43), and France (49). After trading at similar levels to our AAA-rated peers for years, we started to decouple in August and then began to soar in October.

We reached a fresh record the moment the Chancellor told the House of Commons that the budget would not return to its already awful condition until 2016. Should we be worried? Yes. If and when the storm blows over, Britain should still have a lower national debt than Germany, France, or Italy. It will certainly have a better demographic structure than most of Europe (except France and Scandinavia), and less catastrophic pension liabilities than most. THE SITUATION IS DESPERATE, BUT NOT SERIOUS - as the Habsburgs used to say. Fingers crossed.

About $600bn will be used to buy up mortgage-backed securities while $200bn is being targeted at unfreezing the consumer credit market. Financial institutions are reluctant to lend, deepening the economic slowdown. THE SITUATION HAS BEEN EXACERBATED AS THE CREDIT CRISIS HAS WORSENED. Meanwhile US President-elect Barack Obama said budget reform was "imperative" with the economy in crisis. "It is not an option. It's a necessity," he said.

The announcement came as Commerce Department figures showed US economic output shrank between July and September at a faster pace than initially predicted, which the White House described as "troubling". GDP fell at an annual rate of 0.5% in the third-quarter - from the 0.3% estimated a month ago - as consumers cut spending by the largest amount in 28 years. "This is why we are having to take such bold actions," a White House spokeswoman said. Under the latest rescue plan - WHICH IS IN ADDITION TO THE ALREADY-ANNOUNCED $700BN BANK BAIL-OUT - the Fed is to buy up to $100bn in debt from the troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The central bank said it would also buy another $500bn in mortgage-backed securities - pools of mortgages that are bundled together and sold to investors. The Fed said that the $600bn effort to support the mortgage market was being taken to reduce the cost of home mortgages and increase their availability.

In a Robin Hood-style budget statement of breathtaking scope, the Chancellor asked 800,000 people who earn more than £100,000 to bear the brunt of a package of deferred tax rises designed to bring down borrowing in 2010, when it will reach a record peak of £118 billion, or 8 per cent of national income. Top earners will pay £3 billion of the £4 billion to be raised in extra taxes from that year.

People earning more than £40,000 will contribute some £500 million, averaging at around £3 a week, from a half-point rise in national insurance. It is the second time that national insurance contributions have risen since Labour came to power.

TOTAL DEBT WILL REACH £1,020 BILLION (JUST OVER $1 TRILLION) BY 2012-13, with a further rise to £1,084 billion projected the following year. The figures show that debt will double since last year's total of £526 billion.

Restricted documents seen by The Daily Telegraph, show PARIS WILL DEMAND SUBSIDIES TO FRENCH FARMERS ARE PROTECTED BEFORE AGREEING TO ALLOW GLOBAL FREE TRADE TALKS TO TAKE PLACE NEXT MONTH. The development threatens to break promises made three years ago when the former Prime Minister Blair gave up a chunk of Britain's annual rebate from Brussels on the understanding there would be a cut in farm subsidies after 2013. These subsidies cost the average British household £322 a year.

The recent meeting of G20 leaders called on the EU to come to a quick agreement on World Trade Organisation negotiations aimed at cutting farm subsidies and dismantling import barriers. But diplomats say France, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, IS USING ITS POSITION TO HOLD THE EU TO RANSOM BY LINKING PROTECTION FOR FRENCH FARMERS TO THE REOPENING OF TALKS.

Alarm bells have also rung over a demand for the EU to guarantee "THE WHOLESOMENESS OF ITS PRODUCTS FOR CONSUMERS BY PROMOTING AMBITIOUS HEALTH STANDARDS BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE UNION". This move and the language used is widely regarded as spelling A NEW FORM OF PROTECTIONISM that will limit imports by demanding that non-European food producers in Latin America, Asia or Africa abide by all the EU's health, environment, workplace and animal rules before food can be exported.

To get the measures through, Mr Sarkozy will need to win over the German Chancellor Angela Merkel who he met with yesterday. In 2002, the former French President Jacques Chirac did a deal with Chancellor Merkel's predecessor, Gerhard Schröder to maintain the high levels of CAP spending. Six years later, amid a recession, say diplomats, GERMANY, THE EU LARGEST ECONOMY AND BUDGET CONTRIBUTOR, is not enthusiastic about guaranteeing subsidies that benefit French farmers.

Dubai, self-styled bling capital of the Middle East, nightclub hotspot for the teetotalling Gulf and home to the world's tallest building and biggest mall -- has gone pear-shaped. "It's gotten pretty ugly out there," analysts at Nomura Investment Banking wrote in a note this week, describing Dubai's property market as "A FULL-SCALE FRENZY IN WHICH SPECULATION WENT LARGELY UNCHECKED UNTIL IT WAS VERY LATE."

The result may be a new business model for the emirate, one based less on debt and speculation. Dubai's response is now being hammered out by a committee of business and government leaders charged with steering the emirate through the crisis and perhaps throwing its high-debt business model out the window.

Big developers have started firing staff and paring projects, banks like Emirates NBD ENBD.DU have blocked consumer credit to employees of companies at risk, and at least one major mortgage company has stopped lending altogether. "Lenders blinded by rising oil prices and borrowers spellbound by easy returns have helped build a mountain of private sector debt in parts of the region that HAS GENERATED AN ILLUSION OF EXCESS AND ABUNDANCE," Nomura said.

"The biggest question is what, as the owner of bank stocks, do you really own?" said Timothy Ghriskey, chief investment officer at Solaris Group. "It's tough to say this won't happen again." He added, "Financial institutions are leveraged companies, and ANY TIME YOU HAVE A HIGHLY LEVERAGED SITUATION, IT IS BASED ON FAITH AND TRUST."

After long insisting it was strong enough to weather plunging markets, Citigroup agreed on Sunday to its second U.S. government bailout package in two months. The bank is selling $20 billion of preferred stock, slashing its dividend and granting warrants. Citigroup will unload most of the potential losses from $306 billion of risky assets to taxpayers.

The flip-flop is the latest in a series by U.S. banks this year, whose assurances of safety and soundness have been followed soon after by bailouts and rescue financing. These episodes cast further doubt on statements made by banking executives and, investors said, could hurt the next financier that finds itself under the gun. AFTER CITI, IS BANK OF AMERICA NEXT?