THE SOLES OF SHOES ARE CONSIDERED THE ULTIMATE INSULT IN ARAB CULTURE. During the trip, Mr Bush and Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki signed the new security agreement between their countries. The pact calls for US troops to leave Iraq in 2011 - eight years after the 2003 invasion that has in part defined the Bush presidency.

Speaking just over five weeks before he hands over power to Barack Obama, Mr Bush also said the war in Iraq was not over and more work remained to be done. His previously unannounced visit came a day after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told US troops the Iraq mission was in its "endgame". In the middle of the news conference with Mr Maliki, a reporter stood up and shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog," before hurtling his shoes at Mr Bush, narrowly missing him. "All I can report is a size 10," Mr Bush said according to the Associated Press news agency.

President Bush leaves the White House in less than six weeks. He said in a recent interview with ABC News that THE BIGGEST REGRET OF HIS PRESIDENCY WAS THE FALSE INTELLIGENCE THAT IRAQ HAD WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. Finding these was one of the key justifications for the invasion. NONE WERE EVER FOUND.

Number 10's Permanent Secretary Jeremy Heywood later acknowledged that "insufficient attention" was paid to their concerns. His admission came in a letter to the chairman of the UK Statistics Authority Sir Michael Scholar, after the watchdog spoke out publicly against the Government's "premature, irregular and selective" use of the figures. Sir Michael said ministers had breached the code of conduct which they had themselves approved to fend off accusations of spin.

But Conservative leader David Cameron insisted an apology was needed from Mr Brown, saying: "We are not going to get anywhere with a government giving us dodgy statistics and deliberately disobeying what its own Statistics Authority is saying. The Home Office figures were fed to the media on the morning when Mr Brown launched the No To Knives campaign with actress Brooke Kinsella - whose brother Ben was murdered in a knife attack earlier this year - and Richard Taylor, the father of Damilola Taylor.

They suggested that a crackdown on knife crime in ten hotspot areas, including London, Manchester and Birmingham, had prompted a 27 per cent fall in teenagers being taken to hospital with stabbing injuries.

Mash'al Al-Sudairi's column, translated by The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), stated that although the "Jewish 'occupation of a part of Palestine constitutes great oppression,' the Arabs have a history of self-inflicted blows" resulting from opposition to the re-establishment of the Jewish State of Israel. "When, in the early 1930s, we were offered 80 percent of Palestine, while the Jews were offered 20 percent, we rejected the offer. In the late 1940s, we were offered 49 percent of Palestine, and the Jews 51 percent, and we rejected that [offer]," al-Sudairi wrote.

He criticized the Arab world for exhausting all of its resources over the issue of "Palestine" and wasting money and time. I am positive, [and am willing] to bet and even to swear by Allah, that if only 10 percent of the money that the Arab countries invested in arming their forces during the futile fighting [with Israel] had been invested in what was left of Palestine and its people, the West Bank and Gaza would now be enjoying a living standard higher than that of Singapore," he added.

Sudairi also commented on Iran's occupation of three Persian Gulf islands. "With all the turmoil over the Palestinian issue, we have completely forgotten that other Arab countries have been robbed of parts of their territories, in broad daylight, and we never uttered a word of protest," the Saudi columnist noted.

Ambassador Georg Boomgaarden said his government did not need to match the massive sums spent by Gordon Brown to beat the recession because GERMANY IS IN FAR BETTER ECONOMIC SHAPE. Writing in today's Mail on Sunday, Mr Boomgaarden gives six reasons why German Chancellor Angela Merkel is justified in taking a different approach from Mr Brown.

He says that, in Germany, unemployment is falling, inflation is much lower and there is no housing market 'bubble'. He adds that Germans are keen savers and do not have big credit-card debts. Most wounding of all, Mr Boomgaarden says HIS COUNTRY STILL MAKES A HEALTHY PROFIT AS A TRADING NATION – IN CONTRAST TO THE UK, WHICH IS IN THE RED.

The intervention risks reigniting the war of words between the two governments over how to beat the credit crunch. It started when German Finance Minister Peer Steinbruck called Mr Brown's £20billion boost in public spending 'crass Keynesianism'. Mr Boomgaarden now explains why Germany is right to adopt its own approach to the economic crisis instead of following Mr Brown's lead. He is careful to avoid any personal criticism of Mr Brown but says: 'Key aspects of the current state of the German economy are notably different from the UK.'

In a caper worthy of an Ealing comedy, they motored from Glasgow to London (in those days no mean feat), broke into the Abbey, AND STOLE THE SYMBOL OF SCOTTISH PRIDE, THE STONE OF SCONE. The Stone of Scone, you might ask – what exactly is it? More than a mere 336 lb slab of ancient sandstone, for a start.

Alleged to once have been Jacob's pillow, where the Biblical figure laid his head while he dreamt of a ladder to Heaven, it became the symbol of Scottish pride and independence, upon which the nation's kings were crowned. Then, in 1299, King Edward I, known as Longshanks, infuriated by the rebellious Scots, stormed Scone Abbey and stole it. Its new home was Westminster Abbey, where it was placed beneath the Coronation chair as a scornful symbol of Scotland's subservience to England. Ever since then, its theft has been a thorn in the side of Scottish nationalists, symbolising England's arrogance and Scotland's shame at the loss of a sacred relic.

As they sped off, the nightwatchman was phoning 999. When they reached the border, they marked the Stone's homecoming after 600 years by dousing it in whisky. The hue and cry was enormous, but though the foursome were questioned by police, once the Stone was found, they did not press charges, fearing an even bigger incident. Hamilton gave up the Stone a year later, after a very public and fruitless police search, by leaving it at Arbroath Abbey, where the Scots had signed a declaration to fight for freedom in 1320.

THE STONE REMAINED IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY UNTIL 1996, WHEN IT WAS RETURNED TO SCOTLAND ON THE CONDITION THAT IT BE USED FOR CROWNING THE BRITISH MONARCHY.

The long awaited document from the Vatican's doctrinal body marked a big step by the Vatican into the brave new world of biotechnology, an area in which governments around the world are struggling to formulate legislation. The document also condemned new drugs that block pregnancy from taking hold, such as the so-called "morning-after pill" and the drug RU-486, which blocks the action of hormones needed to keep a fertilized egg implanted in the uterus.

"Dignitas Personae (dignity of a person), an Instruction of Certain Bioethical Questions," is an attempt to bring the Church up to date with recent advances in science and medicine. The document, the most authoritative of its kind from the Vatican in 20 years, said human life deserved respect "from the very first stages of its existence (and) can never be reduced merely to a group of cells."

"The human embryo has, therefore, from the very beginning, the dignity proper to a person," said the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith's document, approved by Pope Benedict who headed the same office before his election in 2005.

The sun-drenched Asian city-state, with the highest density of millionaires in the world, is seeing wealth management prosper as the U.S. and Europe grapple with the worst slump in a generation. Singapore's strict bank secrecy rules seem likely to be spared an assault similar to the one that Berne is defending now, following the charging of UBS's wealth management chief for helping Americans hide money.

With close ties to powerful Asia, Singapore is in a stronger position to resist pressure from the U.S. than rival Switzerland or Alpine retreat Liechtenstein, which recently partially surrendered bank secrecy. "It's a wealth center," said Martyn Schilte, a manager in charge of selling million dollar supercars in Singapore. "If you look at the type of client we sell to, it's people with a net worth of $50 million-plus."

Like tax hideout Monaco, Singapore has a hard line on bank secrecy. It has not agreed to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) standards of transparency and exchange of information. Singapore, which is trying to grow financial services to wean dependence on manufacturing, is on the International Monetary Fund's list of tax havens and targeted by a proposed new U.S. anti-tax-abuse law.

That puts them askance with a growing number of high profile equity fund managers, including James O'Shaughnessy and BlackRock's Bob Doll, who say stocks hit their worst levels in late November, but in line with the grim tale fixed-income markets have been telling. O'Shaughnessy said that while IT'S A FOOL'S ERRAND TO CALL A MARKET BOTTOM, he thinks it is a good time to buy.

However, Taylor, an outspoken, veteran investor who runs the largest currency hedge fund in the world, with $14 billion in assets, believes THE BEAR MARKET WILL HOLD FOR SOME TIME. Taylor said HE DOESN'T EXPECT THE U.S. ECONOMY TO STABILIZE UNTIL THE END OF 2009, adding that the consumer-driven economy was in the early stages of a structural shift that could take two years or more.

"I don't see fast growth in the United States for several years," he said. "People need to get their finances in order." That said, Taylor said that after a brief year-end sell-off, HE EXPECTS EQUITY MARKETS TO RALLY UNTIL SHORTLY AFTER THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA, AND THEN PLUNGE AGAIN. "We're going into one of these periods where everybody is in la-la land. They think Obama's going to help them out," Taylor said. Once the euphoria of a new administration and a likely stimulus package wears off in the spring, he said, AMERICANS WILL WAKE UP TO A HARSH ECONOMIC REALITY.

One town newspaper was contacted ahead of time and provided a reporter, but chose not to notify the church of the demonstration. "Jesus was gay," they shouted among other profanities and blasphemies as they rushed the stage. Some forced their way through rows of women and kids to try to hang a profane banner from the balcony while others began tossing fliers into the air. Two women made their way to the pulpit and began to kiss.

Members of the gay activist group marched down aisles shouting profanities. They pushed and shoved church members in an attempt to get them to "push back." The demonstration quickly broke up when the sheriff arrived. A statement on Bash Back's website read, after the event, "Let it be known: So long as bigots kill us in the streets, this pack of wolves will continue to BASH BACK!"

China's Wen Jiabao called the summit, the first of its kind, a "milestone". He said such co-operation would "have real significance" as the crisis impacted on economies around the world. The North Asian nations, former enemies, have held talks on the sidelines of international meetings, but this is their first independent trilateral summit.

"It is quite a milestone to hold a stand-alone China-Japan-South Korea summit," Mr Wen said as he opened talks with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in the southern city of Fukuoka. The countries said they planned to increase the amount of money swapped between them through the Chiang Mai Initiative - a move which should benefit South Korea especially, as their currency has lost a third of its value since the start of the year.

Our correspondent says the nations believe the swaps will prevent a repeat of the situation 11 years ago when sudden slides in currency values triggered a major financial crisis in Asia. Japan is also trying to put aside its past differences with China, partly because it was trade between them that helped pull Japan out of its last prolonged recession during the 1990s, our correspondent says.

After firing 4,600 tear-gas canisters in the past week, the Greek police have nearly exhausted their stock. As they seek emergency supplies from Israel and Germany, still the petrol bombs and stones of the protesters rain down, with clashes again outside parliament yesterday.

Bringing together youths in their early twenties struggling to survive amid mass youth unemployment and schoolchildren swotting for highly competitive university exams that may not ultimately help them in a treacherous jobs market, the events of the past week could be called the first credit-crunch riots. There have been smaller-scale sympathy attacks from Moscow to Copenhagen, and economists say countries with similarly high youth unemployment problems such as Spain and Italy should prepare for unrest.

"Because of unemployment, a quarter of those under 25 are below the poverty line," said Petros Rylmon, an economist at Linardos, the Labour Institute of the Greek trade unions. "That percentage has been increasing for the past 10 years. THERE IS A DIFFUSED, WIDESPREAD FEELING THAT THERE ARE NO PROSPECTS. This is a period when everyone is afraid of the future because of the economic crisis. There is a general feeling that things are going to get worse. And there is no real initiative from the government. Greece's riots are a sign of the economic times. OTHER COUNTRIES SHOULD BEWARE."

Father Lombardi went on to state that the Catholic Church does not accept discrimination against homosexuals. However, he clarified, "she opposes the perspectives that lead some to say that sexual orientations should be placed on the same level in all situations and in relation to all norms." An example of this, he added, is that of marriage: "marriage between one man and one woman is what the Church upholds, and she doesn't accept putting relations between persons of the same sex on the same level."

Father Lombardi also took the opportunity to criticize the media for often twisting and manipulating the Pope's words when he points out some issue of importance. "I don't think this is exact or fair behavior," he said.

Steffen Kampeter, a parliamentarian from Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats and a budget expert, told SPIEGEL ONLINE, "I completely agree with Steinbrück's analysis." In reference to EU demands that Germany do more to address the growing economic crisis, he said "THE BRITISH ARE EXPECTING THAT WE HELP THEM OUT OF THE MUCK. But we certainly weren't expecting that they share their profits from the financial market boom with us."

"What seemed in recent weeks like German failure and cowardice in the face of the economic crisis, now seems - given the catastrophic forecasts raining down from economic think tanks and politicians - like perseverance. Merkel at the moment is focused more on Germany THAN ON STABILIZING A EUROPE THAT LOOKS RUDDERLESS. The only thing certain when it comes to the European Union is the multi-billion euro price tag any stimulus program would carry. In such a situation, Merkel is happy to play the role of "Madame Non."

"But what is her steady hand doing at home? Here too she is keeping her wallet firmly in her pocket. The number of voices calling for an economic stimulus package, though, is multiplying. The Social Democrats are slowly coming around to the tax cut idea and calls from within the conservative camp are getting louder. It will take awhile before Germany makes a move. But the next crisis summit will come."

After a dramatic series of debates in Congress, the Senate rejected their bid for help. The decision is justifiable, because US auto companies are destitute. THEY NEED MONEY, BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY THEY NEED MANAGERS WITH A REAL LOVE FOR CARS. THE CURRENT CULTURE IN DETROIT IS TERMINALLY ILL. It has been destroying itself for 30 years. What Congress debated this week was not a rescue plan, as it was officially called, BUT A MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR ASSISTED SUICIDE.

THE YEAR OF ACCELERATED ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IN AMERICA - Wall Street tarnished, Lehman Brothers dead - HAS YET TO SEE ITS FURIOUS FINALE. An overheated capitalism, which rated seriousness as unimportant and said quality was old-fashioned, has led us to this point. Detroit, unexpectedly, will pose the first serious test for President-elect Barack Obama and his promise of change and hope. Will he throw good money after bad, as powerful voices in his own party advocate? Or will he introduce new management styles and new ideas to Detroit, against the will of the local powers that be? The essential question is not "Will the cash flow change?" but "Will the cars?"

The Big Three auto executives were no longer in a position to keep their businesses running as usual. They were losing money day by day, and NO BANK IN THE WORLD WOULD LOAN THEM A CENT. Even the Saudis and the Chinese said no. In the end, the last brands of the Detroit family of carmakers - Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Lincoln - lost their souls. Since then Detroit has built ghost-cars, often rickety and always cold to the touch. Anyone who wants to understand the depths of the current crisis will need to drive one of these lumbering GM cars.

ROME - Rome declared a state of emergency as the swollen Tiber river threatened to flood Friday and the death toll from the heavy rains battering much of Italy rose to four. The Civil Protection Department said the Tiber had risen about 16 feet (5 meters) in the past two days and warned it might burst its banks.

USA - An ice storm to compare with some of the Northeast's worst made a mess of the region Friday, leaving 1.25 million homes and businesses in seven states without power as it forced schools to close and toppled ice-laden trees and power lines onto slippery roads.

VENICE - Alarms sounded early in the morning as the high tide came in and parts of the city flooded. Still, the water was far less than the unusually high tide recorded in the lagoon city last week, when residents and tourists waded through knee-high water, shops were flooded and much of the city was brought to a halt.

ENGLAND - Extensive flash flooding has hit the south-west of England overnight, according to the emergency services. Somerset and Devon were especially badly hit, with up to 18 inches of rain in places, said Norman Evans of Devon and Somerset Fire Service.

USA - Snow has blanketed parts of the US states of Louisiana and Mississippi, causing disruption and leaving thousands without power. Up to eight inches of snow were reported in some areas, blocking roads and forcing offices to close.

SOUTH AMERICA - Intense rains hit Venezuela, Panama and parts of Brazil, leaving several people dead, destroying millions of dollars worth of crops and leaving several hundred thousand people homeless.

UK - The Environment Agency issued a total of 31 flood watch notices for the North West, Midlands and Thames area, with seven notices in force across Scotland. From the Met Office - "Britain is shivering through the coldest start to winter for more than 30 years."

PHILIPPINES - At least 13 people have been killed in flooding caused by heavy rains in the central Philippines this week, the civil defence office says. The provinces of Isabela and Carayan were declared a state of calamity.

AUSTRALIA - The SES in Victoria is dealing with more than 330 calls for help as wild weather sweeps across the state. West coast communities in South Australia have reported dust storms, flash flooding and damaging winds.

USA - Severe to extreme drought conditions are present in the Hawaiian Islands, southern Texas and the South eastern U.S. Western South Carolina, South western North Carolina, and North eastern Georgia had exceptional drought.

ETHIOPIA - Storms brought heavy rain that caused a river in the country's highlands to overflow. The floods were responsible for killing 11 people and 6,000 livestock, and destroying nearly 2,500 hectares of crops. More than 100 villages were inundated by the floods.