One, the Bishop of Carlisle, even said that the introduction of pro-gay laws had provoked God to send the storms that have left thousands homeless.The bishops argued that while those affected are innocent victims, the flooding was a result of western civilisation's decision to ignore biblical teaching. The Rt Rev Graham Dow, said that the floods were not only a result of a lack of respect for the planet, but also a judgment for decadence.

"This is a strong and definite judgment because the world has been arrogant in going its own way," he said. "We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as the environmental damage that we have caused."

The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, previously seen as a future Archbishop of Canterbury or York, said: "People no longer see natural disasters as an act of God. However, we are now reaping what we have sown. If we live in a profligate way then there are going to be consequences." God is exposing us to the truth of what we have done."

GLOBAL WARMING THREATS OUGHT TO BE STUDIED AND MITIGATED, AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE DELIBERATELY EXAGGERATED AS A MEANS OF BUILDING SUPPORT FOR A DESIRED POLITICAL POSITION. Many of the assertions Gore makes in his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," have been refuted by science.

For example, Gore claims that Himalayan glaciers are shrinking and global warming is to blame. Yet the September 2006 issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate reported, "GLACIERS ARE GROWING IN THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS."

Gore claims global warming is causing more tornadoes. Yet the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated in February that THERE HAS BEEN NO SCIENTIFIC LINK ESTABLISHED BETWEEN GLOBAL WARMING AND TORNADOES.

Gore claims global warming is causing more frequent and severe hurricanes. However, hurricane expert Chris Landsea published a study on May 1 documenting that HURRICANE ACTIVITY IS NO HIGHER NOW THAN IN DECADES PAST.

Gore argues Greenland is in rapid meltdown, and that this threatens to raise sea levels by 20 feet. But according to a 2005 study in the Journal of Glaciology, "the Greenland ice sheet is thinning at the margins and growing inland, with a small overall mass gain." IN LATE 2006, RESEARCHERS AT THE DANISH METEOROLOGICAL INSTITUTE REPORTED THAT THE PAST TWO DECADES WERE THE COLDEST FOR GREENLAND SINCE THE 1910S.

Gore claims the Antarctic ice sheet is melting because of global warming. Yet the Jan. 14, 2002, issue of Nature magazine reported Antarctica as a whole has been dramatically cooling for decades. More recently, scientists reported that satellite measurements of the Antarctic ice sheet showed significant growth between 1992 and 2003. And the U.N. Climate Change panel reported in February 2007 THAT ANTARCTICA IS UNLIKELY TO LOSE ANY ICE MASS DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE CENTURY.

"The tomb that we discovered is the one that the popes and the Emperor Theodosius [A.D. 379-395] saved and presented to the whole world as being the tomb of the apostle," said Giorgio Filippi, a specialist with the Vatican Museums. An initial survey of the basilica enabled archaeologists to reconstruct the fourth century building's original shape.

The Vatican team found the sarcophagus during a second excavation under the basilica's main altar. Under the altar, a marble plaque is visible, dating to the 4th century, bearing the inscription "Apostle Paul, martyr."
Surprisingly, said Filippi, "nobody ever thought to look behind that plaque," where the Vatican team found the sarcophagus. "Absolute proof that it holds St. Paul's bones is impossible," Leonard Rutgers, an archaeologist at the University of Utrecht who visited the excavation, told Archaeology magazine in April.

St. Paul's remains were removed from the original burial site in A.D. 258, according to documentary evidence, reburied in another part of Rome, and then moved back to the site of the basilica when it was built over the original church in the late fourth century. "So they were moving these bones around a lot," says Rutgers. "It's hard to say if the remains in the sarcophagus itself belong to the saint. But it is still a significant late-fourth-century burial."

The Bible does not state how Paul died. Many scholars believe he was beheaded in Rome in about A.D. 64 during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. The "apostle to the gentiles," as he described himself, was the most prolific of all the New Testament writers.

The UK has moved to its highest level of terror alert - critical - after a burning car crashed into the airport. Two men were arrested, one of whom is in hospital with severe burns, after the attack on Saturday afternoon. Two further arrests were made on the M6 in Cheshire overnight, but no further details are available.

An eyewitness to the arrests, Peter Whitehead told BBC News 24 that three cars straddled the motorway and brought traffic to a halt. "It turned out they were unmarked police cars. In front of them were a couple of other unmarked police cars and they forced a car onto the hard shoulder and got the occupants out and as far as I can see arrested them," he said.

Counter-terrorism police made the arrests hours after Strathclyde police had confirmed they were linking the attack in Glasgow with events in London. Chief Constable Willie Rae said: "There are clearly similarities, and we can confirm that [the Glasgow attack] is being treated as a terrorist incident."

Two first two men were arrested at Glasgow Airport, which is in Paisley, after their car crashed into the main doors and burst into flames. One of the suspects suffered severe burns and was taken to the city's Royal Alexandra Hospital, where he is said to be in a critical condition.

In the light of the attacks, the national terrorism threat level was raised to "critical" on Saturday after a meeting of the government emergencies committee, Cobra. The critical threat level indicates terrorist attacks are imminent. It is the highest possible level and was also in place after the 7 July 2005 suicide bomb attacks on London.

BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the decision to raise the level to critical reflected concern that those responsible have the capability and intent to carry out further bombings.

A survey showed attitudes in the country souring towards the West. Mr Rehn told the European Voice weekly: "If you look at the current political situation in the Middle East, in Palestine, in Lebanon, not to speak of Iraq, we don't need another nationalist or Islamist problem in the neighbourhood of Europe."

The survey revealed Turkish approval of Europe to be falling rapidly. Just 27% of Turks have a favourable opinion of the European Union, compared to 58% in 2004, according to this year's annual global survey by the Pew Research Center.

"The ongoing frustration in Turkey over its on-again, off-again membership negotiations with the EU are vividly reflected in these data," Pew said in the poll report. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he wanted to reopen the debate on Turkey's accession when the leaders of the EU member states meet in December. The French president is not in favour of Turkish entry to the EU, stating that Turkey is not a European country.
According to the Pew survey, Turkey is currently the most anti-US country in the world.

Only 9% of the country favours the US, compared to 52% in 2000, putting Turkey below the Palestinian territories with 13% US approval, and Pakistan with 15%. In the United Kingdom, 51% approved of the US.

The central control, based at Worcester, will gather information from emergency services nationwide and improve the availability of help to the worst-affected areas.

Fire chiefs have admitted that they struggled to cope with the scale of the floods and that many staff were near to collapse after working around the clock for three days.

The Met Office issued a severe weather warning of heavy rainfall with the North East, the Midlands and East Anglia expected to take the brunt of flooding this weekend.

The worst-affected places are Sheffield, Chesterfield, Rotherham, Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds in the North; Louth, Horncastle, Grimsby, Tetney and Hull in the East of England; Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Nottingham in the Midlands; and Cheltenham in the West.

The national flood support centre will be run by Paul Hayden, chief fire officer for the Hereford and Worcester Fire Service. The centre was recommended after severe flooding at Boscastle in Cornwall in 2004.

Toll so far:-

£1bn The cost of flood insurance claims this week

27,000 homes hit by flooding

18in of water is enough to sweep away a car

21 severe flood warnings

A large chunk of them will not stumble out again until the early hours, after making the most of the "stylish cocktails" and "fabulous wine lists", not to mention the "premium draught and bottled beers" and listening to pounding tracks from the DJ.

At capacity the three-storey venue holds 1,770 revellers who, by closing time pour out in buoyant mood on to Haymarket and the surrounding streets. A car bomb outside would bring devastating and chilling results. The 18,000sq ft club has become a familiar part of the capital's melting pot where theatreland meets the bars and clubs of the West End.

Recruitment consultant Alastair Patterson, 25, from Brighton, works in an office next to Tiger Tiger and was out for the night with a group of friends. He said: "It was around 1.30am when the music was turned off and the lights went on. Doormen and security were going through the building escorting people out. It was all very orderly. "I've never seen a place empty so quickly. It was like a ghost town."

Ian Murray pulled out of the hearing when Zoobia Hussain appeared in a niqab, which covers the head and the face apart from the eyes. Mr Murray, 65, a taxi driver who has been a JP for 12 years, refused to give any reason for his walkout. Hussain, 32, believed to be a mother of five, appeared for what was due to be a brief administrative hearing this week before bench chairman Mr Murray and two colleagues at Manchester Magistrates Court. She denies causing £5,000 worth of criminal damage including graffiti to a housing association property from which she had been evicted.

Her solicitor, Judith Hawkins, said Hussain wanted to appear in the dock in the niqab because she "observed the Muslim religion and remains covered in public places when men are present".
The guidance issued in April says judges and magistrates should consider cases where defendants, victims, witnesses and lawyers wish to wear the niqab sensitively and on their individual merits.

A balance should be struck between the rights of Muslim women who wish to be veiled in the presence of men and the interests of justice, with the latter always paramount, it adds. Grounds for requesting the removal of a niqab could include ascertaining someone's identity or assessing whether they were telling the truth. Hussain would not comment after the case, but her solicitor said she had been "shocked and distressed", adding: "She suffered hurt feelings and felt intimidated and deeply embarrassed".

Reader Comment:- "Of course the Magistrate is right! She could do what she wants in her own country, but once she is in the UK, she, and all foreigners must, at all times, respect, what the host country says. How does the Magistrate know who he is dealing with?If the lawman is disciplined, then I can say that the once beautiful United Kingdom does not belong to the British anymore, but to the thousands of 'guests' which are in your county."

To the fundamentalist, the clubs with their sale of alcohol, often scantily dressed young women, loud music and decadent behaviour epitomise everything they abhor about the West. They are obvious "impact targets" for a spectacular attack because they occupy a controlled space and explosions are likely to result in a large death toll and horrific injuries.

An insight into the way the cell viewed women going to what they described as London's "biggest club" was provided by secret recordings of conversations made during the investigations. One gang member who was subsequently jailed branded all women attending the club as "slags". He told fellow plotters: "The biggest nightclub in Central London, no one can put their hands up and say they are innocent ... those slags dancing around."

Only last month it emerged that an Al Qaeda supergrass had claimed that a man on the run after fleeing one of the Government's controversial control orders had wanted to bomb a nightclub.

Two cars packed with petrol, nails and "patio gas" canisters were left primed to wreak destruction among London clubbers making their way home after a Thursday night out. Only the vigilance and courage of ambulancemen and police officers prevented massive loss of life.

Had either device gone off it would have generated a huge fireball and a shockwave spreading over 400 yards in all directions. If, as suspected, one had been primed to detonate before the other, people fleeing the first blast could have been caught by the second.

The drama came as it emerged that a 53-page document alerting businesses to the threat posed by VBIEDs
" vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices " had been issued to police two weeks ago. It had been passed on to the Tiger Tiger club only a few days before yesterday's events.

The incident also appeared to be foreshadowed by a posting on an internet forum used by terrorists, saying:
"Today I say: Rejoice, by Allah. London will be bombed."

Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, gave warning recently that car and lorry bombs were "the greatest danger" facing Britain.

Hours before police dismantled the first car bomb, a posting on the Al Hesbah chat forum pointed to an imminent Al Qaeda bombing in London.

The message, posted under the name Abu Osama al-Hazeen, gave the invasion of Iraq and the recent knighthood for Salman Rushdie as justification for a fresh terrorist attack on Britain. Al-Hazeen wrote: "Is Britain longing for Al Qaeda's bombings? We, and the whole world has seen what Britain has done ... their intention to honour Salman Rushdie who insulted and slandered Islam. "This 'honouring' came at a crucial time, a time when the whole nation is reeling from the Crusaders attacks on all Muslim lands.

"The British capital has witnessed blessed operations that shook it to its foundations. This was because the British had attacked the lands of Muslims and Al Qaeda is still threatening to strike against Britain to throw it out of the lands of Islam.

"But now, there's yet another reason for Al Qaeda to carry out such threats; the honouring of the apostate Salman Rushdie by the Crusaders ... Rushdie who insulted Islam ... and this reason has led Muslims to become even more sympathetic with the Mujahideen. "The question now is: Has London longed for the bombings of Al Qaeda? We say to Britain, the Emir of Al Qaeda, Sheikh Osama, has once threatened you, and he carried out his threats.

"Today I say: Rejoice ... By Allah London shall be bombed." Another poster on the forum responded: "Amen - we pray to Allah that the development of such operations would be under way." "Amen - O Allah make us witness this soon." Al-Hazeen replied: "Victory is very close - but you are just rushing it!"

The blaze is raging in the area of Saittas in the Troodos mountains, some 55km (30 miles) south-west of the capital Nicosia. Firefighters - backed by helicopters - are tackling the blaze, and Cyprus has called on Italy and Israel for help. Agriculture Minister Photis Photiou described the fire as "a big catastrophe".

He said the blaze was threatening the Troodos forest - one of the most scenic areas of the eastern Mediterranean island. Strong winds and a scorching heatwave had helped the fire to spread rapidly, officials said. Helicopters from British military bases on Cyprus are helping to douse the flames.

Firefighting aircraft are also expected to arrive from Italy and Israel within hours. The heatwave has been blamed for the deaths of three elderly people in Cyprus in the past week.

The image appears on the cover of the Polish weekly Wprost, and is titled "Stepmother of Europe". A Polish council overseeing ethics in the media said the montage overstepped "the limits of good taste". Tension between the neighbouring countries has been building following last week's European Union summit. "The Kaczynski brothers must bear the responsibility for this negative atmosphere," she told the Hannover-based Neuen Presse newspaper.

Ahead of the Brussels summit Poland demanded a boost to its EU voting rights at Germany's expense and threatened to refuse to sign up to a new EU treaty because it would give bigger countries such as Germany too much decision-making power.

In arguing for an extension of the vote system the Polish Prime Minister raised Poland's World War II suffering under Nazi Germany. And a day after Berlin said it wanted to heal the tensions exposed during the summit, Jaroslaw Kaczynski told Polish public RADIO "SOMETHING VERY NEGATIVE" IS HAPPENING IN GERMANY.

HE WENT ON TO COMPARE MODERN-DAY GERMANY TO THE NAZI ERA OF THE 1930S - BUT SAID EUROPEANS DID NOT DARE SPEAK OUT. "LIKE IN AN ERA WHICH HAS ALREADY PASSED, THE LARGE MAJORITY OF EUROPEANS DIDN'T HAVE THE COURAGE TO TALK ABOUT IT, IT IS THE SAME TODAY," MR KACZYNSKI SAID.

The Pride London event could see up to half a million revellers parade from Baker Street to Trafalgar Square.
The march will be followed by entertainment in Trafalgar Square. Presenters will include actor John Barrowman and TV host Graham Norton.

The event's organisers say the parade and festival will go ahead as normal despite Friday's car bomb alerts.
Police are investigating two explosive devices found in cars in the city's West End. Jason Pollock, chief executive of Pride London, told the BBC that after meetings with the Metropolitan Police it had been decided to keep the route as planned.

Many of them are without electricity or drinking water four days after a cyclone hit coastal districts. Eyewitnesses say there is almost no sign of government relief getting to the affected areas.

Police have fired tear gas on hundreds of angry protesters in the city of Turbat who were demanding help.
The central government has confirmed 14 deaths and 24 people missing in Balochistan since Tuesday, but other reports but the figure much higher.

Officials further north in the Khyber agency bordering Afghanistan say nearly 70 people have been killed. In Afghanistan, more than 80 people have died in recent days. Last weekend more than 200 people were killed in Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, by floods and high winds. In India more than 140 were killed.