Millions of people were short of water, and dozens of ships had run aground in the river since October, reports said. China faces droughts and floods annually but has seen a recent increase in extreme weather conditions.
In the major Yangtze port city of Hankou, water levels fell to 13.98m (46ft) in early January - the lowest level since records began in 1866, China Daily said, citing local media.

"This year's drought is rare," the daily quoted a local farmer as saying. "Just days ago, I saw ship after ship running aground. I have never seen that before." Water levels in other rivers and reservoirs in China are also reported to be at record lows. Officials said that an earlier than expected dry season was to blame for the drought. Authorities have already warned that climate change could make weather conditions in China much tougher in the years ahead.

Worst hit is Hubei province, where crops have been destroyed and roads blocked by the heaviest snow seen in the area for 16 years. More than 7.8 million people there have been affected by the weather, a local official told Xinhua news agency. The snow had also cut a transmission line carrying electricity from the massive Three Gorges Dam to the city of Shanghai.

Flights in the region had been delayed and long-distance coaches cancelled, leading to large crowds at railway stations. More snow is forecast for central China over the next two days, meteorologists said.

Objections to the Pope's presence ranged from his alleged hostility to science and Galileo to more specifically anti-religious arguments CHALLENGING THE PRESENCE OF THE HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN A SECULAR UNIVERSITY. Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick said, "Many voices tell us that religion has no place in the variety, complexity and sophistication of modern life." In fact, he continued, many areas in today's world have become what he termed "RELIGION-FREE ZONES." Moreover, when faith does intervene in public life, it is often in the form of controversies, scandals and personalities, THUS PORTRAYING RELIGION AS SOMETHING CONFLICTIVE.

Behind this trend Bishop Murray identified two underlying assumptions. First, that RELIGION HAS NO PLACE IN PUBLIC DISCOURSE and that religion may be ignored. Second, that IF A PERSON'S VIEWS ON SOCIAL ISSUES ARE INSPIRED BY A RELIGIOUS TRADITION, THEN THEY CAN HAVE NO PLACE IN A RATIONAL DISCUSSION. Therefore, what is really going on, he explained, is not a conflict between religion and the secular, but is rather a conflict between THOSE WHO THINK GOD IS IRRELEVANT and those who believe such a proposition contradicts both faith and a properly understood secular reality. IT IS THOSE WHO SEEK TO IMPOSE AN IDEOLOGY OF SECULARISM THAT ARE CAUSING THE STRIFE, the Irish prelate accused.

The Church offers something different, the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger explained. It offers the Son of God, and an adult faith that does not follow the latest trends, but is rooted in friendship with Christ. "It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and GIVES US A CRITERION BY WHICH TO DISTINGUISH THE TRUE FROM THE FALSE, AND DECEIT FROM TRUTH," he said.

A large part of the Pope's text was dedicated to reflecting on the nature of a university. At the end of his discourse he warned against the danger that EUROPEAN CULTURE WILL BECOME EXCESSIVELY CONCERNED TO PRESERVE A PURE FORM OF SECULARISM AND THUS RIGIDLY EXCLUDE CHRISTIANITY. This will not, the Pontiff adverted, make reason purer, but will only lead to its destruction. The Church does not impose the faith, instead IT OFFERS THE LIGHT OF CHRIST TO HELP REASON DISCOVER THE TRUTH, HE CONCLUDED. A LIGHT THAT SOME WISH TO EXTINGUISH.

London's leading shares tumbled by 5.5 per cent in brutal market conditions, with the FTSE 100 index losing more than 323 points, ITS STEEPEST POINTS FALL ON RECORD, to end the day at 5,578.2.

GEORGE SOROS, the billionaire investor who prompted Britain's withdrawal from the European exchange-rate mechanism on Black Wednesday in 1992, said the situation was "MUCH MORE SERIOUS THAN ANY FINANCIAL CRISIS SINCE THE END OF THE WAR!" Investors were "drowning in a sea of red," said Henk Potts, an equity strategist at Barclays Stockbrokers.

The losses in London and across Europe came as global markets remained fearful that President Bush's plans for tax cuts to stave off a US recession would not give a big enough boost to growth. Warnings from two leading US banks that the losses from America's sub-prime home loans crisis were spreading to China triggered a sell-off of shares in Asia, which quickly rippled around the world.

NEW YORK stock markets were closed yesterday, but traders will return today with futures markets ALREADY POINTING TO STEEP LOSSES. Fears over the outlook for shares worldwide and broader world economic prospects were stoked yesterday by Mr Soros, who told Der Standard, a Vienna daily newspaper, that THE DANGER OF A US RECESSION SPREADING TO EUROPE WAS CLEAR. "Naturally there is such a threat," he said. "It's just surprising that this has been so little understood."

The timing and tone of Mr Soros's warning struck home with nerve-wracked investors in Europe already in a state of high anxiety over deteriorating US and European conditions. China's financial regulator said banks in his country had also built up a substantial amount of bad loans during an investment boom.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei index plunged 1.5% in the first minute of trading. South Korean shares dropped by around 5%, with Sydney's market continuing its longest losing streak for 26 years, down 7.1% on the day at the close. In Bombay, India's main index fell 9.75% within minutes, triggering an automatic one-hour halt in trading.

The loss in Indian shares came after a fall of 7.41% on Monday, the Sensex's worst day ever. India's Finance Minister P Chidambaram has urged the Indian investors to "remain calm" and advised them to "stay invested".

In Japan, during Tokyo's morning trading session, stocks tumbled more than 4%, hitting new two-year lows. In China, the main Shanghai Composite Index fell more than 5% in early trade, while markets in Taiwan saw similar falls. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was also down more than 5% by mid-morning. The decline continued a worrying start to 2008 for Asia's markets. So far this year, Japan's Nikkei has dropped 13%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng is down more than 14% and China's main Shanghai index has slipped almost 7%.

Opposition MPs said the Home Secretary had made an "admission of failure" to the millions of shift-workers who have no option but to brave the threat of violence. Aides of Miss Smith compounded her gaffe with a desperate attempt to undo the damage by claiming she had recently popped out in the evening to "buy a kebab in Peckham". In fact, she has round-the-clock police protection.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "This is an astonishing admission by the Home Secretary. IT IS SHAMEFUL YOU CAN WALK THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, TOKYO, PARIS AND BERLIN SAFELY AT NIGHT, BUT NOT THE STREETS OF LONDON." And Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather said the Home Secretary was "out of touch". "Instead of putting large amounts of money into an ID scheme which is not going to tackle crime, I think they should be putting that money into getting more police on the streets."

The controversy raged as Ministry of Justice figures revealed the steep rise in the number of under-18s convicted or cautioned over violent offences. Total offences FOR TEN-TO-17-YEAR OLDS climbed steadily from 184,474 in 2003 to 222,750 in 2006, the last year for which figures are available - a rise of 21 per cent. But the increase in violent offending was steeper, while ROBBERIES ROSE EVEN MORE DRAMATICALLY, UP 43 PER CENT OVER THE THREE YEARS.

By contrast, ADULT CONVICTIONS and cautions increased by LESS THAN ONE PER CENT. More than HALF OF YOUNG OFFENDERS were let off with cautions, where they admitted their offence but were spared a court appearance and WERE NOT PUNISHED.

FAIR TRIAL GROUPS ATTACK EU PRISON PLAN - THE TELEGRAPH reports that fair trial campaigners have given warning that there will be miscarriages of justice under EU plans to hand over Britons tried and convicted in absentia by foreign courts. Britain does not convict people or hold trials in their absence but many EU countries, including Belgium, France, Spain Greece and Italy, do so on a regular basis.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BREAKS OWN RULES TO STIFLE DEBATE ON LISBON TREATY - IN THE TELEGRAPH Dan Hannan MEP describes how THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BROKE ITS OWN RULES AND PROCEDUREs this week by stopping a group of MEPs from speaking in opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. Hannan suggests that "By refusing to countenance any opposition, the European Parliament has put itself morally in the wrong. And, by failing to follow its own procedures, it has put itself legally in the wrong."

BLAIR FOR PRESIDENT? - In an article in Le Monde former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur argues that "Tony Blair cannot be President of Europe". He says, "The President of the Union must fulfill two conditions: he/she must come from a country which adheres completely to the progress of the Union and ---participates in all its forms of cooperation; they must be determined to build, notably in the diplomatic and military field, Europe's independence". Europe must move forward, in order to be more present in the diplomatic and military field, but in a way that is independent from the US". He said that it was vital that the President "comes from a country which respects all European commitments."

REVISED EU CONSTITUTION WILL GO AHEAD - EVEN IF A COUNTRY FAILS TO RATIFY - Le Figaro reports - During his speech to the French Assembly yesterday Valery Giscard d'Estaing criticised the fact that the Lisbon Treaty is "practically impossible" to read. Comparing the Treaty to the original Constitution, he said, "the content is very close, but the presentation is different. You can't say that the treaty is simplified, because it's longer than the one before." He also said that if one or more countries does not ratify the Constitution, "that will not prevent the adoption of the text. THAT IS WHEN THESE COUNTRIES WILL HAVE TO ASK FOR A SPECIAL STATUS OR LEAVE" THE EU.

FRENCH CONSTITUTION REVISED - Le Figaro reports - The French Assembly yesterday voted in favour of amending the French Constitution to allow for ratification of the revised EU Constitution. 95 Socialist MPs abstained, 51 voted against and 8 voted in favour.

MPS PUT DOWN A REFERENDUM AMENDMENT ON LISBON TREATY BILL - THE Guardian reports - A cross party group of 20 MPs led by Labour member Ian Davidson has put down an amendment to the Lisbon Treaty bill which notes that all the main parties supported in 2005 a referendum on the Treaty. Davidson is quoted in the Guardian saying "The more amendments and discussion, the more likely people are to come our way. This is the opening clash in [a] war, rather than being the battle."

EU BIOFUEL TARGET COSTS 'WILL OUTWEIGH BENEFITS' - EUobserver FT - The Commission's own scientists have said that an EU plan to increase use of biofuels to 10% of all transport fuel use should be rejected, according to the FT. The unpublished study by the Joint Research Centre, argues that "The costs [of the target] will almost certainly outweigh the benefits. The uncertainty is too great to say whether the EU 10% biofuel target will save greenhouse gas or not," it adds. The report suggests that the transport target be scrapped.

This will create an EU wide set of laws that will govern how electronic communications, including e-mail, SMS, fax and websites operate in the UK. It is also intended that this LATEST POWER GRAB WILL BUILD UPON THE POWERS THE EU ALREADY HAS over radio frequencies and their allocation.

The EU is also seeking to take power over the delivery of television to mobile phones with the aim of limiting technological competition allowing the European Commission to pick winners and control Britain's mobile spectrum rather than leaving the communications operators free to determine how the spectrum is used.

Weighing just under 300 kilograms, the TecSar was developed by the IAI's Space Division MBT and has the ability to create images of objects on Earth day and night, even in cloudy weather conditions - a capability not available in Israel's Ofek satellite series. The TecSar is reportedly capable of imaging with a resolution of up to 10 centimetres.

The Ofek 7 is a camera-based satellite, while TecSar is capable of creating high-resolution images using synthetic aperture radar, an advanced radar technology. Once in space, officials said, the TecSar would be by far the most advanced Israeli satellite. In addition to the Ofek 7, Eros B and the Amos 1 and 2 (both communication satellites), Israel operates the Ofek 5 spy satellite, successfully launched in May 2002. IAI plans to launch the Amos 3 in the coming months.

The decision to launch the missile from India was reached three years ago during a visit there by then-Defense Ministry director-general Amos Yaron. It is part of growing Indian-Israeli cooperation, which is scheduled to eventually lead to the launching of two more satellites.

The Prime Minister was accused by Opposition parties of "running scared" ahead of what is certain to be a tempestuous opening of Parliament's efforts to ratify the Lisbon Treaty.

But Mr Brown "regularly mocked by opponents for being absent at times of difficulty" will be on the last leg of a tour of the Far East, rather than leading his government in the Commons chamber. William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said it was extraordinary that the Prime Minister had failed to ensure he would be present for the biggest Commons clash on Europe since the passage of the Maastricht Treaty in the early Nineties. His absence had echoes of his late signing of the Lisbon Treaty in December.

"Gordon Brown clearly knew when he decided to hold this vote on Monday night that he would be away at the time. It could just as easily have been held last week or later this week," Mr Hague said. "SO THE PRIME MINISTER WHO WAS PREPARED TO SIGN THE EU TREATY - BUT NOT IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS - IS NOW THE PRIME MINISTER WHO WANTS TO RAM THE TREATY THROUGH PARLIAMENT - BUT NOT VOTE FOR IT HIMSELF."

The unprecedented rescue package paves the way for a takeover by Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson who said he is "ready and willing" to buy the ailing bank. Branson vows to net £5bn profit for taxpayers if Virgin plan is approved.

Critics point out that the scale of the rescue package is highly risky. In the event of a catastrophic downturn in the housing market, with Northern Rock mortgageholders defaulting on their debts, the taxpayer would be left seriously out of pocket.

Northern Rock was at the centre of the UK's first bank run in nearly 150 years last September after its borrowing costs soared in the credit crunch, forcing it into a Bank of England bail out.

Almost $31bn (£16bn) in write-downs, $9.2bn in charges, $22.6bn in quarterly losses. NUMBERS ALMOST TOO LARGE TO COMPREHEND but numbers which led, in part, to US stock markets experiencing their worst week's trading in five-and-a-half years. As Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan Chase, among others, informed the investment community just how badly they have been impacted by the US sub-prime mortgage crisis, they had little choice but to get their begging bowls out again. The result: tens of billions of dollars in investments from government-backed funds which in recent months have usurped the Wall Street banks as the kingpins of global finance.

The cash infusions were not, however, enough to stem losses in the equity markets, with the S&P500 index falling 2.9pc in the space of little more than two hours on Thursday afternoon, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average, now off 14.5pc from its peak, touched a base level not seen since October 2006. The scale of the collapse in equities stemmed not just from disappointment at the banks' fourth-quarter results, but also from fears that the US economy is now entering what could prove to be A PROLONGED PERIOD OF ECONOMIC RECESSION.

I was struck yesterday by an observation of the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband. He said: "The reform treaty gives Britain a bigger voice in Europe." That seems to me to be the opposite of the truth. The reform or Lisbon treaty GIVES EUROPE A MUCH BIGGER VOICE IN BRITAIN. It follows the original constitutional treaty in giving the EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE NOT DEMOCRATICALLY ACCOUNTABLE important additional powers, while failing to repatriate any powers to the individual European nations. The people should be consulted when their powers of self-government are being given away.

The original constitutional convention was SUPPOSED TO REDUCE THE DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT OF EUROPE. The Lisbon treaty has done the opposite, taking powers away from the nations and their electorate. THE TREATY IS A DEFEAT FOR THE IDEA OF A LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC EUROPE. The Government's handling of the referendum issue has been shameful, because that, too, has been anti-democratic. They could not face any more referendums in Europe because they would lose them. In particular, they could not face a British referendum. THE BRITISH VOTERS DO NOT WANT TO HAND OVER MORE POWERS TO THE EUROPEAN FEDERALIST BUREAUCRACY; THEY WANT TO GET SOME OF THEM BACK.

There are many Eurosceptics who feel very angry, who feel betrayed. Voters would become more cynical about politicians, and might regard them all as untrustworthy. The young Eurosceptics are as angry as the older. In England there is a rising tide of nationalism responding in part to the success of the Scottish nationalists; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have had their devolutions, IN EACH CASE RATIFIED BY A REFERENDUM. I think the English would claim their own devolution from Europe if they were forced into a centralising treaty and denied their promised referendum.

Promising a referendum and then refusing it is a most dangerous policy for Mr Brown and the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg. It is bad to break one's word - it is even worse to be found out.

Sentiment was undermined by sharp falls on Asian markets overnight as investors were left UNDERWHELMED by President Bush's package of measures aimed at stimulating the US economy. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slumped 5.5 per cent and the Nikkei 225 in Japan fell 3.9 per cent. David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Index in London, said: "The lack of detail in Friday's proposals on how to provide stimulus for the US economy has done little to ease current negative sentiment for global financial markets."

UPDATE:- The stock market was in meltdown at lunchtime today as nearly £60 billion was wiped off London shares in THE BIGGEST CRASH SINCE 9/11. A combination of poor economic figures and the worsening global credit crunch sent the FTSE 100 plunging.

At one stage the drop was the biggest since 9/11 in 2001, although the index of Britain's biggest companies later clawed back some of the losses. The Footsie was down 250.1 points to 5647.8. That means the FTSE 100 has now FALLEN BY AROUND 10 PER CENT IN THE LAST 10 DAYS, by around 15 per cent over the last month and is well on the way to being off 20 per cent since its most recent high of 6754 in July - before the world's banking system was sent spiralling.

In early trade, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 was down 2.4 per cent to 1,325.13, Frankfurt's Xetra Dax shed 3.1 per cent to 7,087.93, the CAC 40 in Paris lost 3.1 per cent to 4,933.39, and London's FTSE 100 sagged 2.4 per cent to 5,761.8.

The latest losses in Europe followed heavy falls in Asia as INVESTORS GAVE PRESIDENT BUSH'S STIMULUS PACKAGE A LUKEWARM RESPONSE. In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 slumped 3.9 per cent to a 27-month low of 13,325.94. The index has lost a quarter of its value in the past six months.