World political and economic leaders ended a six-day gathering in Davos, Switzerland, yesterday which focused on the Asian crisis, prospects for the euro single currency and the state of the world into the 21st century.

The high point of the World Economic Forum annual meeting for most participants, however, was a hard-hitting speech on Monday by US First Lady Ms Hillary Clinton, who took the assembled businessmen to task for their failure to concern themselves with social issues.

The forum concluded on an artistic rather than a financial note, however, with a debate on the place of the soul in the 21st century and the presentation of WEF awards to artists judged to promote "global unity through cultural diversity".

Recipients included British cellist, Mr Julian Lloyd Webber and Hungarian conductor, Mr Ivan Fischer, who were to give a charity concert last night.