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.

His exhortation came as he enraged other Republicans by reversing George W Bush's ban on funding international aid to charities that perform or provide information about abortions. After less than a week in office, Mr Obama's presidency is already encountering the very partisan bickering he had pledged to stamp out during his first 100 days.

He faces mounting criticism over his $825 billion economic stimulus plan, from Republican leaders who say the legislation has been drawn up without the input which Mr Obama had promised to allow them. The president responded with a clear signal that he is prepared to ram the bill through without the bipartisan consensus he promised to construct, telling Republican leaders from the House of Representatives: "I WON. I'M THE PRESIDENT."

Mr Obama has pledged to end the culture wars on social issues that have riven American politics for a generation and did not allow television cameras to film him signing the executive order reversing the Bush abortion funding ban on aid agencies abroad, in order not to provoke pro-life groups. When he finally did sign the order he issued a statement in a bid to placate abortion critics by promising to "reach out to those on all sides of this issue to achieve the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies." He added: "It is time that we end the politicisation of this issue."

But despite his efforts, the reaction was brutal. Family groups accused him of plotting the "infanticide" of African children. Former presidential candidate Gary Bauer, president of the American Values pressure group, said: "It is both sad and infuriating that in the same week President Obama extended NEW RIGHTS TO PRISONERS AT GUANTANAMO BAY AND BEGAN PLANNING TO RELEASE MEN WHOM WE KNOW HAVE MURDERED AMERICANS, HE IS PREPARING TO SENTENCE INNOCENT CHILDREN TO DEATH THROUGH ABORTION." Meanwhile the decision by the Food and Drug Administration to approve the first human trials of embryonic stem cells, anathema to the Christian right, has intensified the bubbling culture war.

"The group of vigilante men came to report that while they were on patrol they saw some hoodlums attempting to rob a car. They pursued them. However one of them escaped while the other turned into a goat," Kwara state police spokesman Tunde Mohammed told Reuters by telephone.

"We cannot confirm the story, but the goat is in our custody. We cannot base our information on something mystical. It is something that has to be proved scientifically, that a human being turned into a goat," he said. Belief in witchcraft is widespread in parts of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. Residents came to the police station to see the goat, photographed in one national newspaper on its knees next to a pile of straw.

According to the RAK Government, temperatures on Jebel Jais dropped to -3°C on Friday night. On Saturday, the area had reached 1°C. Major Saeed Rashid al Yamahi, a helicopter pilot and the manager of the Air Wing of RAK Police, said the snow covered an area of five kilometres and was 10cm deep.

Aisha al Hebsy, a woman in her 50s who has lived in the mountains near Jebel Jais all her life, said snowfall in the area was so unheard of the local dialect does not even have a word for it. Hail is known as bared, which literally translates as cold. "Twenty years ago we had lots of hail," said Ms al Hebsy. "Last night was like this. At four in the morning we came out and the ground was white."

M Varghese, an observer at the RAK Airport Meteorological Office, told of the storms that hit the emirate on Friday night. "We had thunderstorms with rain for more than 12 hours and we had around 18mm rain," Mr Varghese said. "The rain, along with the cold easterly winds and low-lying clouds, could have bought the temperatures further down on the mountains."

Up to now, Egypt has refused to relinquish its sovereignty and allow German "advisors" to be involved in its border controls. The German Foreign Ministry's more far-reaching demand for a German military mission in Gaza, has also not been approved by the local authorities. But because of the struggle with Iran over hegemony, the German government is very attentive to questions of reconstruction.

In the aftermath of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in 2006, Tehran rendered tangible support to the local reconstruction effort and thereby, won sympathy. This runs contrary to Western Middle East policy and, if Berlin has its way, will not be repeated in the Gaza Strip. Government advisors are working out strategies for prohibiting the rise of Iran to become a leading Middle Eastern power, even beyond the current crisis.

The aim is to limit Iran's influence, BECAUSE IRAN, AS A PREDOMINATING POWER AT THE PERSIAN GULF, WOULD BE ABLE TO TIGHTEN CONTROLS OVER THE AREA'S RESOURCES AND MAKE WESTERN ACCESS MORE DIFFICULT. At the same time, Tehran should not be alienated, because it has its own wealth of resources. "The clever linkage of a course of containment with repeated offers of cooperation," writes the SWP, "could be the basis of a common Iran strategy for Americans, Europeans and pro-Western Arab states."