By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

LONDON, England - February 23, 2009 - For months the ECB held sternly to the high ground of orthodoxy as the U.S., Japanese, British, Canadian, Swiss and Swedish central banks slashed rates towards zero and embraced quantitative easing, but a confluence of fast-moving events is now forcing it to move.

LONDON - February 23, 2009 - Police are bracing themselves for a “summer of rage” against the economic crisis, a senior officer warned today.

NEW YORK - February 23, 2009 - Renowned investor George Soros said on Friday the world financial system has effectively disintegrated, adding that there is yet no prospect of a near-term resolution to the crisis.

SAN FRANCISCO, Kalifornia - February 20, 2009 - Silver Falls Bank, of Silverton, Oregon, was closed Friday by state regulators and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

NEW YORK - February 19, 2009 - About 220,000 stores may close this year in America, according to retail consultant Howard Davidowitz of Davidowitz & Associates. As more Americans save and spend less, it's clear there's too much retail space. Just visit deadmalls.com and track retail's growing body count to see for yourself.

FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique - February 26, 2009 - Vandals burnt cars and looted shops in Martinique as violence spread to a second French Caribbean island in protests over high prices, low pay and alleged neglect by Paris. About twenty people were detained after the outburst in Fort-de-France, the capital.

NEW YORK - February 20, 2009 - Luxury homeowners are falling behind on mortgage payments at the fastest pace in more than 15 years, a sign the U.S. financial crisis that began with the poorest Americans has reached the wealthiest.