A website featuring comments by, for and about "principled conservatism" is being investigated by the Canadian government, and could be fined or ordered shut down for some postings about Islam and homosexuality.

AMONG THE STATEMENTS CITED IN THE COMPLAINT ARE POSTS FROM BILL WHATCOTT, WHO SAID: "I CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY THE HOMOSEXUALS I RAN INTO ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE MUSLIMS. AFTER ALL, MUSLIMS WHO PRACTICE SHARIA LAW TEND TO ADVOCATE BEHEADING HOMOSEXUALS."

Wilkins told WND such cases are becoming more common. Recently a fraternal organization was sued when it objected to a homosexual wedding in a building used for rentals. Another man was sued simply for writing a letter to the editor expressing his opposition to having teachers instruct children in homosexuality at public schools, Wilkins said.

The problem is the wide open door the standards leave for interpreting whether something is a crime. "The problem is there are so many grey areas. If somebody posts on our site, and someone else, a member of an ethnic group, religion or identifiable minority of any kind reads it, we have no way of knowing if that is going to be perceived as a hate crime. All it takes is for someone to say my feelings were hurt."

THE PROCESS THEN, IS THAT, "IF THE TRIBUNAL BELIEVES THEIR FEELINGS WERE HURT, THAT'S IT FOR YOU."

Canada's commission refused to return a message from WND asking for an explanation on the conflict between a Christian exercising his faith and a homosexual's protection from any statement, including a quote from the Bible, of condemnation. However, a lawyer for the printer, Scott Brockie, in that case pointed out the difficulty. "Mr. [Ray] Brillinger can live his life the way he wants to," lawyer Philip McMullen said of the homosexual activist who had brought the complaint. "BUT MY CLIENT HAS TO TAKE HIS RELIGION OFF LIKE A HOUSECOAT AND LEAVE IT HANGING BEHIND THE FRONT DOOR WHEN HE GOES OUT IN THE MORNINGS."

WND columnist Janet Folger wrote the idea of arresting people for stating their religious beliefs that homosexuality is wrong is no longer something that "may" happen in the future. "Here's the Cliff Notes of what so called 'hate crime' legislation has already done IN AMERICA," she wrote. "This is no longer up for debate. Here are the facts."

David Ott, a former homosexual, was arrested for a "hate crime" for sharing his testimony with a homosexual at a gas station. He faced a $10,000 fine and one year behind bars. SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS IN LEGAL FEES LATER, [HE] WAS ORDERED TO ATTEND RE-EDUCATION CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN CONDUCTED BY A LESBIAN.

"Just how many cases do we need to cite before America stands up and stops the bill that will criminalize Christianity?" she asked. Rev. Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America, said the plan will "punish Christians for preaching certain biblical principles and lead to pastors being jailed in violation of their First Amendment rights as we have already witnessed in Europe."

A PASTOR IN EUROPE ALREADY HAS SERVED A PRISON TERM FOR PREACHING THAT THE BIBLE CONDEMNS HOMOSEXUALITY.

Two people were burned alive in their car near the town of Peschici, while another two were asphyxiated on a beach that was engulfed by flames nearby, ANSA said.

Meanwhile more than 1,000 beachgoers were evacuated by sea from beaches near Peschici, while in nearby Vieste, fires destroyed four campsites. Cities opened schools to shelter the displaced campers as well as residents whose homes were threatened.

Jeffrey Currie, a London-based commodity analyst at the world's biggest securities firm, says $95 crude is likely this year unless OPEC unexpectedly increases production, and declining inventories are raising the chances for $100 oil. Jeff Rubin at CIBC World Markets predicts $100 a barrel as soon as next year.

"We're only a headline of significance away from $100 oil," said John Kilduff, an analyst in the New York office of futures broker Man Financial Inc. "The unrelenting pressure of increased demand has left the market a coiled spring." New disruptions of Nigerian or Iraqi supplies, or any military strike against Iran, might trigger the rise, Kilduff said in a July 20 interview.

Higher prices will increase revenue for energy producers from Exxon Mobil Corp. to PetroChina Co., while eroding profit at airlines including EasyJet Plc and railroads such as Union Pacific Corp. The U.S. and other oil-importing nations risk accelerating inflation, while higher energy costs threaten to restrain growth.

Benchmark crude oil futures ended last week at $75.57 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 51 percent since mid- January and twice the level of early 2003.

Anna Paldy, deputy director of the National Institute of Environmental Health, told the BBC that the figure included 230 deaths in central Hungary. The deaths - from 15 to 22 July - were caused by heatstroke, cardiovascular problems and other illnesses aggravated by the heat, she said. Some 30 people have also died in the heatwave in neighbouring Romania.

The Romanian authorities have put emergency services in many areas on "red alert". Ms Paldy told the BBC News website that the death rate from heat in Hungary was the highest in recent years. In Serbia, the agriculture ministry says 30% of the country's annual harvest has been destroyed because of the heat, with the wheat, soya and vegetable crops worst hit.

Parts of northern Europe have meanwhile seen vast floods and heavy rainfall - sparking fears that climate change may be to blame for the extreme weather. Unusually high temperatures of more than 40C (104F) have been recorded in several parts of southern and eastern Europe. On Monday, temperatures of 45C (113F) were recorded in Bulgaria - the hottest since records began, officials said.

Hundreds of forest fires have been reported in Greece, where two pilots died on Monday after a water-bombing aircraft they were flying over a forest fire crashed. Another such aircraft flying over a forest fire in Italy crashed on Monday, killing three people.

In the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, thousands of firefighters, soldiers and local people battled throughout Monday night to stop a forest fire from reaching the country's second-largest city, Bitola.

The former UK prime minister said the two-day visit was a chance to listen and learn, and spoke of a "sense of possibility" in the region. His mandate from the Quartet of Middle East mediators is to work to strengthen Palestinian institutions. The Quartet is made up of Russia, the UN, the EU and the United States.

"This initial visit is a chance to listen, to learn and reflect. There will be a time when the many questions that are very obvious should be answered, but I feel that this is not the moment at this point," Mr Blair said on Tuesday morning." I think there is a sense of possibility, but whether that sense of possibility can be translated into something is something that needs to be worked out and thought about over time".

"Iran only has power when the world is divided," Peres told France's Le Figaro daily, referring to the stalemate over Iran's nuclear programme. "If Iran is confronted by a united front, it will change its policy on the nuclear issue", the veteran statesman added. Peres noted that four countries -- Ukraine, Libya, South Africa and North Korea -- had already given up nuclear weapons under pressure from the international community.

In the interview Peres also praised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after his party, which sprung from Islamist roots, won a landslide election victory Sunday. Erdogan "has promised he will continue the same policies, which led to excellent relations between Israel and Turkey, an open and progressive country," Peres said.

On the thorny issue of relations with the Palestinians, Peres said that "economics is the new creed", adding: "We have no need for colonisation. I propose to the Palestinians to try first to improve relations, and in parallel, to engage in negotiations," added the Nobel peace prize winner.

BUSH CONTINUES PUSH FOR DIVISION OF ISRAEL
Upon winning his second term in office, U.S. President George W. Bush pledged that he would do everything in his power to make the creation of an Arab state in the midst of Israel possible before leaving the White House at the end of next year. Since 2002 Bush has nurtured a "demonic vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace." On Monday, frustrated by the lack of progress towards this goal, the U.S. leader announced a plan to jump-start the long-stalled land-for-peace process.
Speaking at the White House, Bush said he would convene an international peace conference in the autumn. The conference, which will be chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, would be held this fall in the region with senior envoys from Israel, the PA, and their neighbours.

BUSH SAID THOSE INVITED TO ATTEND WOULD HAVE TO BE COMMITTED TO FINDING A "TWO-STATE" SOLUTION TO THE PRESENT CONFLICT. IN HIS SPEECH, BUSH PRAISED VETERAN TERRORIST AND PA CHAIRMAN MAHMOUD ABBAS FOR WORKING TO BUILD MODERN DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS. HE FAVOURABLY CONTRASTED ABBAS, WHO IS ALSO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BLOOD-DRENCHED FATAH FACTION OF THE PLO -- THE ARM RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING MORE JEWS THAN ANY OTHER ARAB GROUP IN THE OSLO WAR -- WITH THE OTHER TERRORIST GROUP, HAMAS. The latter, Bush said, is devoted to "extremism" and "murder." The Arab state is to be a new -- never before existing -- entity established on ancient Jewish lands.

ISRAEL CUTS DOWN ARRESTS OF TERRORISTS IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has significantly cut down on operations involving arrests of wanted Arab terrorists in Judea and Samaria, as a result of agreements reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Since Thursday morning, no such operations have been carried out in Judea and Samaria. Senior officers were quick to point to a number of similar, unsuccessful efforts in the past over the seven years of the Oslo War. DR. AARON LERNER (IMRA) POINTS OUT THAT EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT SUCH "GESTURES" TO PLEASE WASHINGTON HAVE TURNED OUT BE LITERALLY "DYING TO PLEASE THE WHITE HOUSE". ISRAEL RADIO reported Monday morning that the terrorists being disarmed will ultimately be rearmed to serve within PA security forces. [Ha'aretz]

PERES' FIRST ACT: GET RID OF OUR BIBLICAL HEARTLAND
This past week Shimon Peres took the oath of office of President of Israel, administered by Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, in a ceremony accompanied by musical interludes of Biblical verses. The singers were unaccompanied by musical instruments, except drums, apparently in respect for the current Three Weeks mourning period for the Holy Temples. PERES ALSO SAID HE WOULD CONTINUE HIS CRUSADE OF SURRENDERING PARTS OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL IN EXCHANGE FOR PROMISES OF PEACE FROM ISRAEL'S ENEMIES. He noted that this would require Israel to withdraw from Judea and Samaria. "We have to get rid of the territories," he said. "I won't make any secrets of my mind. I shall respect the minority. I shall not insult them. I changed my position [to President]. I didn't change my beliefs and concepts." MK (Member of Knesset) Aryeh Eldad responded with anger at Peres' remarks. "I wanted to accept Peres as the President of the entire country," Eldad said, "but he decided to begin with divisiveness and discord. TO SAY SO DERISIVELY THAT ISRAEL MUST 'GET RID' OF AREA AND, CONSEQUENTLY, A QUARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE... THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO START." [Arutz Sheva]

ISRAELI PERMITS ARCH-TERRORIST TO VISIT PA
Perhaps the most controversial of the goodwill gestures Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert is presenting to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is permission for the mastermind of one of the most sensational and heinous terrorist attacks on Israel to visit the Arab-occupied territories this past week. In 1972, Nayef Hawatmeh, founder of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), orchestrated what was to become known as the "Ma'alot Massacre" -- the murder of 22 young Israeli children at a school in the northern Israeli town of Ma'alot. Some of the children were thrown to their deaths from school windows. Olmert's gesture has enraged Israelis, who note that throughout the years, Hawatmeh has remained defiant and has never expressed remorse for his deeds. Another gesture Israelis are troubled by is the inclusion of Zakariya Zubeidi on the amnesty list. Zubeidi has directed at least two suicide bombings and overseen scores of shooting attacks that have claimed the lives of dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers. He has indicated that he is not ready to go along with Israeli conditions for that amnesty. One frequently asked question is, "What is Israel getting in return?" AND, AS EXPECTED, MANY ISRAELIS ARE OUTRAGED AT THE NUMBER OF KNOWN PERPETRATORS OF TERROR WHO ARE BEING "LET OFF" WHILE ISRAEL'S CAPTIVE SOLDIERS REMAIN IN ARAB HANDS. TO THEM THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN FATAH AND HAMAS IS IRRELEVANT. [The Media Line]

The arrangement was approved by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who Saturday night signed an agreement granting amnesty to 180 men on Israel's wanted list.

OPPOSITION KNESSET MEMBERS SLAMMED THE PLAN AS A "MIXTURE OF CRIMINAL SPIN AND PLAIN STUPIDITY."

In accordance with the deal, a terrorist who handed in an M-16 rifle received $15,000, while an AK-47 was "surrendered" for $3750. Smaller guns earned their owners up to $6,000. The money paid to these killers came from donations made to the PA by the international community.

Apart from the dollars, the men who had been wanted - some for years - for their acts of criminal violence against Israeli Jews were free to come out of hiding and bask in the embrace of their people.

AND A WEEK AFTER PAYING THIS "PRICE" FOR THEIR SINS, THE AGREEMENT STIPULATES THAT THESE TERRORISTS WILL BE "INTEGRATED" INTO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY'S "SECURITY FORCES" AND ISSUED WITH WEAPONS TO REPLACE THE ONES THEY JUST SURRENDERED FOR CASH.

AT A lakeside camp five hours drive north of Moscow, 10,000 young Russians are learning WHY THE PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, IS SUCH A BRILLIANT LEADER AND WHY HIS OPPONENTS ARE SO EVIL.

In the middle of the camp stand large portraits of Other Russia's leaders under the banner: "The Red Light Street". Vocal opponents of Mr Putin's rule, Other Russia's three male leaders, including the world chess champion Garry Kasparov, are portrayed as prostitutes. In lurid colours they pout and pose in stockings, their faces frozen in feline grins. "I didn't know who those people were until I came here," 20-year-old Lena from St Petersburg said. "Now I know they are fascists."

THE GROUP CAME TO PROMINENCE LAST YEAR WHEN IT HOUNDED THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA FOR MONTHS AFTER HE ATTENDED AN ANTI-KREMLIN CONFERENCE. A spokeswoman said it had 100,000 members across Russia. All the Nashi members who spoke were aged between 18 and 23, were at university or had just left and came from lower income families whose parents worked in jobs such as teachers and engineers.

SINISTER ECHO OF PAST REGIME - "IN TEN years, we will have a huge network of people who share our ideology and who know that is Russia's proper place in the world," Vasily Yakemenko, the founder of Nashi, said this week. It has organised huge street demonstrations, where tens of thousands of young people have congratulated Vladimir Putin on his birthday or election anniversary. But analysts say these rallies have another purpose: to warn opposition groups that any anti-Kremlin street protests will be met by larger counter-demonstrations.

Nashi has supported the Kremlin in other ways. In April, members of the group besieged the Estonian Embassy in Moscow to protest the relocation of a Red Army memorial in the Estonian capital, Tallinn. At one point, boisterous young activists chased the ambassador from her car.

EU FOREIGN MINISTER WILL HAVE AUTOMATIC RIGHT TO SPEAK FOR BRITAIN AT UN
The Telegraph reports that the new EU Foreign Minister, created by the revised EU Constitution, will automatically speak for Britain at the UN Security Council when the EU has a united position on issues - despite previous assurances from the British Government that this provision had been stripped from the new treaty.

SARKOZY SUGGESTS UK AND FRANCE "HARMONISE" EU POLICY
The FT reports that Nicolas Sarkozy has suggested France and the UK hold regular meetings to "harmonise" their positions ahead of EU Council summits, reviving the idea of a "troika" of the EU's three biggest member states (the UK, France and Germany) shaping the Union's agenda. How much appeal the idea has in London is unclear: one spokesman for the British Prime Minister said, "we want a strong relationship with all our allies, not just France," while a British diplomat warned harmonising positions with France should not be at the expense of smaller EU states.

US PLANS CRACKDOWN ON EUROPEAN BUSINESSES TRADING WITH IRAN
The Times reports that a new bill attracting bipartisan support in the US Congress will impose sanctions on the US operations of EU firms who continue to trade with Iran. The article notes that whilst American companies are already banned from doing business with Iran, many European companies retain interests in the oil-rich Islamic Republic, which they regard as having the potential to become one of the world's last great emerging markets.

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION yesterday gave the German government the go-ahead to pump €120 million into developing a European rival to Google, which the EUReferendum blog dubs "the Galileo of the internet".

IN AN INTERVIEW WITH Suddeutsche Zeitung Dr Andreas Maurer from the German Institute for International Relations and Security, argues that a "two-speed Europe" is a growing reality, and that there is a "high"risk of the EU going to war in future, for instance over energy.

MANDELSON: THERE MUST BE NO REFERENDUM AND BROWN MUST STOP BASHING THE EU
The Telegraph reports that EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson has said he sees no need for a referendum on the revised Constitutional Treaty, but urged Gordon Brown to enter the debate on Europe, saying that "ducking the issues" did the cause of Britain's membership of the EU a disservice. Mandelson said, "I don't favour a referendum because I don't believe the treaty warrants it, nor do I believe further movement towards referendums fits with parliamentary democracy."

A LEADER IN THE SUN argues that "the PM has gone back on Tony Blair's promise of a referendum on the EU treaty. Every leader in Europe admits it's the same as the Constitution. So the people MUST have a say."

EU BIOFUEL TARGETS ARE "COMPLETE LUNACY"
Christopher Booker argued in the Sunday Telegraph that the EU's 10% target for biofuel use by 2020 is "complete lunacy". He wrote that "The UK's current wheat production is 11 million tons (against our consumption of 10 million). To meet the 10 per cent target by 2020 from wheat alone would require us to grow 14 million tons of wheat a year, 3 million more than we currently grow. WORLD DEMAND FOR WHEAT IS RISING SO FAST THAT, IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, A GLOBAL SURPLUS HAS BECOME A DEFICIT. SOARING PRICES HAVE ALREADY DOUBLED. Yet it is at this very moment that the EU decides we must either turn our entire domestic wheat production into fuel (thus needing to import 13 million additional tons from the world market), or devote similar amounts of our farmland to growing other fuel crops."

US IRRITATION AT BROWN'S FOREIGN POLICY SHIFT
The Telegraph reports that there are "signs of irritation" in Washington over Gordon Brown's desire to run a foreign policy more independent of the US. US-UK relations have been made more tense by comments by Lord Malloch-Brown (Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN) and Douglas Alexander (International Development Secretary), who have respectively called for Britain to be no longer "joined at the hip" with the US and for "multi-lateralism".

HEAD OF THE ARMY WARNS BRITAIN ALMOST OUT OF TROOPS
The front page of Saturday's Telegraph, and also the Mail, reported on a leaked memo from the Head of the Army Gen Sir Richard Dannatt, which warns that BRITAIN HAS ALMOST RUN OUT OF TROOPS TO DEFEND THE COUNTRY OR FIGHT ABROAD. He has told senior commanders that reinforcements for emergencies or for operations in Iraq or Afghanistan are "now almost non-existent". A leader in the Telegraph lamented that Britain's defence spending is misallocated, spent in the interests of our defence contractors rather than our soldiers. WE THROW AWAY MONSTROUS SUMS ON WEAPONS FOR WHICH WE HAVE NO PRACTICAL USE - the Eurofighter being the supreme example - but fail to invest in modern war-fighting systems: drones, unmanned naval and aerial vehicles, communications satellites, guided missiles.

IN THE SUNDAY TIMES, MICHAEL PORTILLO ARGUED THAT OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES MUST COMMIT THEIR FORCES TO COMBAT ROLES IN AFGHANISTAN: "Our European allies have failed to come up with the numbers requested by Nato, and some have heavily restricted the role their forces will play. German and Spanish politicians have allowed public disquiet over Iraq to dictate their policy in Afghanistan, even though following 9/11 we were unanimous that the Taliban be ousted?You have to wonder what the EU is for if its purposes do not include fighting together against those who wish to subvert its values and bring down its societies HOW CAN A PRIME MINISTER FACE THE GRIEVING FAMILIES OF BRITISH SERVICEMEN KILLED IN ACTION, UNLESS HE HAS TRIED BY EVERY MEANS TO REINFORCE OUR NUMBERS WITH THE THOUSANDS OF EUROPEAN TROOPS, ALREADY IN THEATRE BUT STANDING IDLY BY? Our partners want our agreement to their cherished treaty. Brown should refuse consent while they fail in their obligations to our common security."

BROWN TO HOLD SNAP ELECTION IN OCTOBER?
In Saturday's Express Patrick O'Flynn predicted that Gordon Brown will call a snap election for 25 October. Meanwhile the Guardian argues spring 2009 remains the most likely date, mainly because in the autumn the economic situation will not be so favourable for Labour.

New figures show GPs are prescribing pills in record numbers to combat stress, violent behaviour and even tiredness. Under-16s were given drugs for mental health problems more than 631,000 times in the last year, compared to just 146,000 in the mid-Nineties.

The steady increase in the use of anti-depressants over the last 10 years has been blamed on family breakdown and high-stakes school exams. Behaviour-altering drugs soared ten-fold in a decade. These include Ritalin, for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Modafinil, for daytime sleepiness.

Academics say Modafinil is increasingly used by students to stay awake and boost short-term memory.
Prescriptions for the drug for under-16s rose from 48,264 in 1996/97 to 454,797 in 2006/07.

Doctors are now recommended not to prescribe most anti-depressants to under-18s. Among the drugs effectively banned are Seroxat, which was taken by an estimated 50,000 British youngsters before guidelines ruled it out in 2003. Seroxat - also known as paroxetine - alters levels of mood-regulating chemicals in the brain. It was given to children as young as six but critics said young patients became more likely to commit suicide, and parents told how their children had mood swings, nightmares and personality changes.

However, while Britain drowns amid record-breaking rainfall, Mediterranean countries are currently enduring a devastating heatwave which is claiming lives and creating misery throughout the region. The death toll from Romania's heat wave rose to 15 on Sunday after six more people died in the Black Sea country where temperatures hovered around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), Health Minister Eugen Nicolaescu said.

Meteorologists say high temperatures, which could exceed 42 degrees in the southern regions on the Danube river border with Bulgaria, might last until early next week. The heatwave is a result of high pressure extending east from the Azores, blocking cooler weather fronts that normally provide relief across the eastern Mediterranean in countries such as Cyprus at this time of year.

A previous two-week long heat wave in June claimed 30 lives, scorched thousands of hectares of farmland and plunged the country's cereal crop to a four-year record low. Tiny ex-Soviet neighbour Moldova, one of Europe's poorest nations, is suffering from the worst drought in 60 years, with day temperatures hovering at a record 41 Celsius.

The temperature in Greece this weekend is due to soar to 43C in the shade. "It is a desperate situation," Eleftherotypia said. Meanwhile, the Observer reported, Macedonia has declared a state of emergency while France and Spain are experiencing droughts gearing up to become the worst on record.

The blazing temperatures have stoked fears of a tourism backlash as the heat becomes unbearable. "The Mediterranean climate of this country no longer exists," Michalis Petrakis, director of the Greek Institute of Environmental Research, told the Observer. "It is changing even faster than we expected."

"The situation is critical for those already living on the edge, struggling to cope with the combined impact of successive crop failures, poverty and HIV/AIDS," UN emergency relief coordinator John Holmes said in a statement late on Wednesday."The international community must respond rapidly to assist the government in averting a crisis," he said.

UNAIDS says about 270,000 people -- making up 14 percent of Lesotho's population -- are infected with HIV, giving it one of the worst AIDS crises in the world. The food crunch was triggered by the country's worst drought in over 30 years, which OCHA said had cut the staple maize crop harvest by more than 40 percent.

Close to 328,000 tonnes of cereals are now needed to feed hungry people in the country, which only harvested a meagre 72,000 tonnes of cereals during its last harvest, down from 126,000 tonnes last year. Sparse supplies, and reduced harvests in neighbouring South Africa, the regional supplier, have helped to push prices beyond the reach of many in Lesotho, which is one of the poorest countries in the region.

The Huai River is swollen to its highest level in over half a century. Their misery is compounded by a plague of rats blamed on a scarcity of snakes and owls. China is also trying to deal with 2 billion flood-displaced rats in the central province of Hunan alone which have destroyed 1.6 million ha (6,200 sq miles) of crops.

Experts blame the plague partly on the shortage of owls and snakes, both popular in traditional Chinese medicine, with snake a favourite winter dish in the south.

"A snake can eat as many as 400 rats a year and an owl 1,500," the China Daily said. "Snakes in the region have been caught and exported to Guangdong in recent years and have ended up on the dining table. It has become a lucrative business and depleted the number of snakes... Owls have suffered the same fate."

China's flood season is notoriously deadly. At least 360 people have died in floods and related disasters across the country this summer and more than 4 million ha (15,440 sq miles) of crops had been destroyed.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has visited Gloucestershire, the worst-affected county, where thousands of people have been left without water supply. Supplies to other areas will also run out - leaving 350,000 without water. Some 40,000 homes have also lost power.

Severn Trent Water said 150,000 homes in Gloucestershire were without water after a treatment works was flooded. But it warned all residents in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury - an estimated 350,000 people - they would lose their supply within the next 15 hours. The situation is expected to last several days, it said.

Elsewhere in Gloucestershire, 43,000 homes were left without power after a major electricity substation was turned off because of the rising water.