Five other people are being treated for the virulent E.coli 0157 infection, which is believed to have come from the cold meat counters of two Morrisons stores.

Health chiefs yesterday warned they were bracing themselves for other victims as the bug's incubation period is up to 14 days. Anyone suffering from stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea and fever is advised to contact their GP. A spokeswoman added: "There could very well be more people falling ill over the next few days."

Leading microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington said the affected product had probably come into contact with uncooked meat. "The bug has a history of being associated with ready-to-eat meats," he said. Most types of E.coli, short for Escherichia coli(CORR), are harmless but the 0157 strain can cause life-threatening kidney damage and haemolytic uremic syndrome, where red blood cells are destroyed.

The strain is found in the intestines of cattle and some other animals and is usually spread by eating infected, uncooked or partly cooked food - particularly minced beef. It can also be passed directly from animals and infected humans. In humans, the bacteria multiply in the gut and release toxins that damage the lining of the intenstine.

Antibiotics have no effect and and diarrhoea medicines are counter-productive as they prevent the body from ejecting the bug.

The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the sources said.

The designation of the Revolutionary Guard will be made under Executive Order 13224, which President Bush signed two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, TO OBSTRUCT TERRORIST FUNDING. It authorizes the United States to identify individuals, businesses, charities and extremist groups engaged in terrorist activities. The Revolutionary Guard would be the first national military branch included on the list, U.S. officials said -- a highly unusual move because it is part of a government, rather than a typical non-state terrorist organization.

THE ORDER ALLOWS THE UNITED STATES TO BLOCK THE ASSETS OF TERRORISTS AND TO DISRUPT OPERATIONS BY FOREIGN BUSINESSES THAT "PROVIDE SUPPORT, SERVICES OR ASSISTANCE TO, OR OTHERWISE ASSOCIATE WITH, TERRORISTS."

Formed in 1979 and originally tasked with protecting the world's only modern theocracy, the Revolutionary Guard took the lead in battling Iraq during the bloody Iran-Iraq war waged from 1980 to 1988. The Guard, also known as the Pasdaran, has since become a powerful political and economic force in Iran. IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD and came to power with support from its network of veterans. ITS LEADERS ARE LINKED TO MANY MAINSTREAM BUSINESSES IN IRAN.

"They are heavily involved in everything from pharmaceuticals to telecommunications and pipelines -- even the new Imam Khomeini Airport and a great deal of smuggling," said Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations. "Many of the front companies engaged in procuring nuclear technology are owned and run by the Revolutionary Guards. THEY'RE DEVELOPING ALONG THE LINES OF THE CHINESE MILITARY, WHICH IS INVOLVED IN MANY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES. IT'S A HUGE BUSINESS CONGLOMERATION."

The Revolutionary Guard Corps -- with its own navy, air force, ground forces and special forces units -- is a rival to Iran's conventional troops. Its naval forces abducted 15 British sailors and marines this spring, sparking an international crisis, and its special forces armed Lebanon's Hezbollah with missiles used against Israel in the 2006 war. The corps also plays a key role in Iran's military industries, including the attempted acquisition of nuclear weapons and surface-to-surface missiles, according to Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

THE KEY OBSTACLE TO STRONGER INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE AGAINST TEHRAN HAS BEEN CHINA, IRAN'S LARGEST TRADING PARTNER. After the Iranian government refused to comply with two U.N. Security Council resolutions dealing with its nuclear program, Beijing balked at a U.S. proposal for a resolution that would have sanctioned the Revolutionary Guard, U.S. officials said.

China's actions reverse a cycle during which Russia was the most reluctant among the veto-wielding members of the Security Council. "China used to hide behind Russia, but Russia is now hiding behind China," said a U.S. official familiar with negotiations.

In the wake of Hurricane Betsy, which struck New Orleans in 1965, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed building flood gates on Lake Pontchartrain, like those in the Netherlands that protect cities from North Sea storms. IN 1977, THE GATES WERE ABOUT TO BE BUILT, BUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND AND SAVE OUR WETLANDS SOUGHT A COURT INJUNCTION TO BLOCK THE PROJECT.

According to John Berlau's recent book, "Eco-Freaks: Environmentalism is Hazardous to Your Health," U.S. Attorney Gerald Gallinghouse told the court that not building the gates could kill thousands of New Orleanians. Judge Charles Schwartz issued the injunction despite the evidence refuting claims of environmental damage.

We're told that DDT is harmful to humans and animals. Berlau, a research fellow at the Washington, D.C-based Competitive Enterprise Institute, says, "NOT A SINGLE STUDY LINKING DDT EXPOSURE TO HUMAN TOXICITY HAS EVER BEEN REPLICATED." IN ONE LONG-TERM STUDY, VOLUNTEERS ATE 32 OUNCES OF DDT FOR A YEAR AND A HALF, AND 16 YEARS LATER, THEY SUFFERED NO INCREASED RISK OF ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS.

DESPITE EVIDENCE THAT, PROPERLY USED, DDT IS NEITHER HARMFUL TO HUMANS NOR ANIMALS, ENVIRONMENTAL EXTREMISTS FIGHT FOR A CONTINUED BAN. This has led to millions of illnesses and deaths from malaria, especially in Africa. After WWII, DDT saved millions upon millions of lives in India, Southeast Asia and South America. IN SOME CASES, MALARIA DEATHS FELL TO NEAR ZERO. With bans on DDT, malaria deaths and illnesses have skyrocketed.

Environmental extremists see DDT in a different light. ALEXANDER KING, CO-FOUNDER OF THE CLUB OF ROME, said, "In Guyana, within almost two years, it had almost eliminated malaria, but at the same time, the birth rate had doubled. SO MY CHIEF QUARREL WITH DDT IN HINDSIGHT IS THAT IT GREATLY ADDED TO THE POPULATION PROBLEM." Jeff Hoffman, environmental attorney, wrote on grist.org, "MALARIA WAS ACTUALLY A NATURAL POPULATION CONTROL, AND DDT HAS CAUSED A MASSIVE POPULATION EXPLOSION IN SOME PLACES WHERE IT HAS ERADICATED MALARIA. More fundamentally, why should humans get priority over other forms of life? . . . I DON'T SEE ANY RESPECT FOR MOSQUITOES IN THESE POSTS." Berlau's book cites many other examples of contempt for human life by environmentalists and how they've made politicians their useful idiots.

In 2001, thousands of Americans perished in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In the early 1970s, when the World Trade Center complex was built, the asbestos scare had just begun. THE BUILDERS PLANNED TO USE ASBESTOSPRAY, A FLAME RETARDANT THAT ADHERED TO STEEL. THE NEW YORK PORT OF AUTHORITY CAVED IN TO THE ENVIRONMENTALISTS' ASBESTOS SCARE AND DENIED ITS USE. AN INFERIOR SUBSTITUTE WAS USED AS FIREPROOFING.

After the attack, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) confirmed other experts' concerns about asbestos substitutes, concluding, "Even with the airplane impact and jet-fuel-ignited multi-floor fires, which were not normal building fires, THE BUILDING WOULD LIKELY NOT HAVE COLLAPSED HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE FIREPROOFING."

Through restrictions on asbestos use, our naval vessels are more vulnerable to our enemies, a disaster waiting in the wings. THE COLUMBIA SPACESHIP DISASTER WAS A RESULT OF THE EPA'S DEMAND THAT NASA NOT USE FREON IN ITS THERMAL INSULATING FOAM.

None of this is news to politicians. It's just that environmental extremists have the ears of politicians, and potential victims don't.

The recall includes 7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 253,000 die-cast cars that contain lead paint. At least one US child has died and 19 others have needed surgery since 2003 after swallowing magnets used in toys, the government said. Several injuries had been reported in an earlier Polly Pocket recall last November.

Today's recall was the latest blow to the toy industry, which has had a string of recalled products from China.

With about 80% of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are worried shoppers will shy away from their products. It was also the second recall involving lead paint for Mattel in two weeks. Earlier this month, consumers were warned about 1.5 million Chinese-made toys that contain lead paint.

Toys recalled today include 253,000 "Sarge" cars from the movie Cars, because the surface paint could contain lead levels in excess of federal standard. Also recalled today were 345,000 Batman and One Piece action figures, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets and 1 million Doggie Day Care play sets.

In March 2006, another toy company, Mega Brands, recalled 3.8 million Magnetix magnetic building sets after one child died and four others were seriously injured after swallowing tiny magnets in them. Two weeks ago, Mattel's Fisher-Price division announced the worldwide recall of 1.5 million Chinese-made pre-school toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo.

Days after the Fisher-Price recall, Chinese officials temporarily banned the toys' manufacturer, Lee Der Industrial Co, from exporting products. A Lee Der co-owner, Cheung Shu-hung, committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself, a state-run newspaper reported yesterday.

"The current rate of decline is approximately one meter per year. The consequent impacts on the region of the shrinking Sea are varied, numerous, and may soon become irreversible."

The solution, according to Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and the World Bank, is to spend some $5 billion to link the Red Sea with the Dead Sea. This is one variation of an idea with a long pedigree, but for all the understandable international fascination with it, is not nearly as attractive as a possible alternative.

The fascination with linking the disparate seas of the region can be seen as early as 1902, when Theodor Herzl suggested building a canal from the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea to utilize the 400 meter drop to generate hydropower. In 1955, the US broached the Johnston Plan for regional water management, which proposed either a Med-Dead or Red-Dead linkage.

The most obvious alternative is to address the source of the Dead Sea's problem, namely the draining of the Jordan river. Until the 1950's, about 1.3 million cubic meters (MCM) a year of water flowed from the Jordan river into the Dead Sea.

Since then, Israel, Jordan and Syria have diverted 95 percent of this flow. The results are devastating, as research by the Friends of the Earth Middle East explains: "By diverting fresh water from Jordan River tributaries and replacing it with sewage, not only has the Dead Sea been devastated but also the culturally and historically important Jordan River has been turned into little more than an open sewage channel."

Even the environmental groups are not advocating restoring the Jordan or the Dead Sea to their former levels, but stabilizing the Dead Sea at roughly the current level. This would require bringing the flow from the Jordan up to about 800 MCM/year.

After a Toronto skeptic tipped NASA this month to one flaw in its climate calculations, the U.S. agency ordered a full data review. Days later, it put out a revised list of all-time hottest years. THE DUST BOWL YEAR OF 1934 NOW RANKS AS HOTTEST EVER IN THE U.S. ? NOT 1998. More significantly, the agency reduced the mean U.S. "temperature anomalies" for the years 2000 to 2006 by 0.15 degrees Celsius.

But the revisions have been seized on by conservative Americans, including firebrand radio host Rush Limbaugh, as evidence that climate change science is unsound. Said Limbaugh last Thursday: "What do we have here?

We have proof of man-made global warming. THE MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING IS INSIDE NASA ... IS IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY WITH FALSE DATA."

THE 1922 ARTICLE goes on to mention 'great masses of ice have now been replaced by moraines of earth and stones,' and 'at many points well-known glaciers have entirely disappeared.' "This was one of several such articles I have found at the Library of Congress for the 1920s and 1930s," says Mr. Lockwood. "I HAD READ OF THE JUST-RELEASED NASA ESTIMATES, THAT FOUR OF THE 10 HOTTEST YEARS IN THE U.S. WERE ACTUALLY IN THE 1930S, WITH 1934 THE HOTTEST OF ALL."

Reacting yesterday to word that certain European governments and officials are suddenly trying to abandon their costly "global warming" policies, Royal Astronomical Society fellow Benny Peiser, of the science faculty at Liverpool John Moores University in Great Britain, recalls the teachings of Marcus Aurelius: "The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

David Walker, comptroller general of the US, issued the unusually downbeat assessment of his country's future in a report that lays out what he called "CHILLING LONG-TERM SIMULATIONS". THESE INCLUDE DRAMATIC TAX RISES, SLASHED GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND THE LARGE-SCALE DUMPING BY FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS OF HOLDINGS OF US DEBT.

Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned "THERE WERE STRIKING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN AMERICA'S CURRENT SITUATION AND THE FACTORS THAT BROUGHT DOWN ROME, INCLUDING DECLINING MORAL VALUES AND POLITICAL CIVILITY AT HOME, AN OVER-CONFIDENT AND OVER-EXTENDED MILITARY IN FOREIGN LANDS AND FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY BY THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT."

"Sound familiar?" Mr Walker said. "In my view, it's time to learn from history and take steps to ensure the American Republic is the first to stand the test of time - I'm trying to sound an alarm and issue a wake-up call," he said. "As comptroller general I've got an ability to look longer-range and take on issues that others may be hesitant, and in many cases may not be in a position, to take on."

"One of the concerns is obviously we are a great country but we face major sustainability challenges that we are not taking seriously enough," said Mr Walker, who was appointed during the Clinton administration to the post, which carries a 15-year term. The fiscal imbalance meant the US was "on a path toward an explosion of debt".

"With the looming retirement of baby boomers, spiralling healthcare costs, plummeting savings rates and increasing reliance on foreign lenders, we face unprecedented fiscal risks," said Mr Walker, a former senior executive at PwC auditing firm. CURRENT US POLICY ON EDUCATION, ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT, IMMIGRATION AND IRAQ ALSO WAS ON AN "UNSUSTAINABLE PATH".

"Our very prosperity is placing greater demands on our physical infrastructure. BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WILL BE NEEDED TO MODERNISE EVERYTHING FROM HIGHWAYS AND AIRPORTS TO WATER AND SEWAGE SYSTEMS. THE RECENT BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN MINNEAPOLIS WAS A SOBERING WAKE-UP CALL."

The four-week cruise of the Coast Guard Cutter Healy starts Friday and aims to map the sea floor on the northern Chukchi Cap, an underwater plateau that extends from Alaska's North Slope some 500 miles northward. So why are the countries with Arctic coastlines all heading northward now?

Under the U.N. Law of the Sea treaty, every coastal state that has the potential to claim some part of the Arctic's undersea mineral wealth must make a claim to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The United States is not now a party to the sea treaty, but Mayer and Andy Armstrong, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, held out hope that Washington might join.

Armstrong, who will also be aboard the U.S. cutter, acknowledged that this cruise will "map the location of features that would have a role in the U.S. extension of the continental shelf." The mission will look for features specified by the treaty, including the place where the slope turns into the flat plain of the deep sea bottom, Armstrong said on the same phone call.

Coastal states have rights to resources of the sea floor of their continental shelves. Under the Law of the Sea, a country gets 200 nautical miles of continental shelf automatically but may extend that if it meets certain geologic criteria, the oceanic administration said in a statement.

The measure is only permitted by the European Union in exceptional cases. The fires were started on Wednesday in the Valladolid area of Castilla-Leon region, to prevent the rodents devastating beet and potato crops. Agricultural officials say they are not sure what caused the surge in vole numbers. Fields will also be burnt soon in Avila, Palencia and Segovia.

The farm union COAG says about 400,000 hectares of land (988,000 acres) is affected by the infestation, Reuters news agency reports. Castilla-Leon's Agriculture Minister, Silvia Clemente, said agronomists, veterinarians and biologists had been asked to explain the plague but nobody really knew, she told Spain's Cadena Ser radio.

"There has never been a plague like the one we have now," she said.

The rain had flooded tens of thousands of hectares of farmland and destroyed more than 30,000 homes, official news agency KCNA said. At least 800 public buildings, more than 540 bridges and sections of railway were reportedly destroyed by the rain.

"This unceasing heavy rain destroyed the nation's major railways, roads and bridges, suspended power supply and cut off the communications network," the agency said. Experts believe that deforestation has made seasonal flooding in North Korea worse.

Farmers have extended arable land into hills and forests in order to grow more food, removing the foliage that prevents erosion and landslides. North Korea does not produce enough food to feed its population and is reliant on foreign food aid.

Heavy rain also caused flooding in the northern and eastern states of Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony and Thuringia, as well as in Hamburg and Berlin. In the south, near the Swiss border, water reached 10.81 meters near Waldshut-Tiengen, forcing the evacuation of summer campers. A local official told the news agency DPA that the situation "remains critical."

Switzerland is largely in the clear following two days of massive rains that shut down roads, railways and caused hundreds of millions of euros' worth of damage. Nearly 10 centimeters (4 inches) of rain fell within 24 hours in Zurich from Wednesday to Thursday. The cantons of Bern, Freiburg and Schwyz were also hard hit, with the army called in to help with pumping out water. Eight people were injured in the clean-up.

"I am not exaggerating when I say there are no basics: No flour, no maize meal, no cooking oil, no margarine, no matches, no fuel, no meat no eggs. On top of this, there are widespread shortages of water and electricity. I simply do not know how people are surviving."

Thousands of Zimbabweans have been victimized, beaten and killed by government soldiers, police and thugs. Millions suffer under the iron control that President Robert Mugabe, an avowed Marxist, exerts on the entire economy and society.

WHEN ZIMBABWE WAS BRITISH RHODESIA, IT WAS THE BREADBASKET OF AFRICA, FEEDING ITSELF AND MILLIONS THROUGH EXPORTS. IT HAD A THRIVING ECONOMY, AN EXCELLENT INFRASTRUCTURE, EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, MEDIA, LIVING STANDARDS, MEDICAL FACILITIES, RECREATION, TOURISM AND MORE.

Independence as Zimbabwe in 1980, and Robert Mugabe as president, brought the beginning of the end - an end many fear is at hand. THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS GONE, AS ARE COMMERCIAL FARMS. THE MEDICAL, EDUCATIONAL, MEDIA, COMMERCIAL, RELIGIOUS, HOUSING, TOURISM, AVIATION, MINING AND ALL OTHER BUSINESS VENTURES ARE RUINED AND PILLAGED. THOUSANDS ARE HOMELESS. PEOPLE ARE STARVING, EATING GRASS AND FACING WATER SHORTAGES. THE SANITATION SYSTEM IS VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTENT; DISEASE THREATENS.

Last month, Mugabe ordered businesses to cut prices 50 percent and more - supposedly, so people could shop. At least 5,000 resisting business owners and managers were fined and jailed; taxi drivers had vehicles impounded. When stores sold out, producers couldn't afford to import or produce more, so shelves stayed empty. Businesses closed; commerce stopped.

A civil servant might earn $22 a month; that's $4-million Zimbabwe dollars. Fuel, if available, costs up to Z$500,000 a liter; people walk. Maize is Z$300,000 for 10 kg. if available. There's no meat or rice. All food is rationed. Prisoners go hungry. Police and soldiers are reportedly looting. Outside of Zimbabwe, almost no one knows what's happening, and those who do know ignore it.

The West talks sanctions but does nothing, even as Mugabe flirts with Libya, Cuba, China, Russia and Iran.

WHEN THE WEST WANTED TO RID SOUTH AFRICA OF WHITE APARTHEID, THE WORLD UNITED - AGAINST THE WHITES. In Zimbabwe it's worse - racism against whites, brutality against blacks and the intentional destruction of a country. BUT THIS TIME, UNDER A BLACK, MARXIST LEADER, THE WORLD IS SILENT.

It's racist, immoral and dangerous.

The comments, made to the Xinhua news agency by an unidentified central bank official, follow a report last week by a British newspaper suggesting that Beijing could dump its vast dollar holdings if a trade war broke out with Washington.

"U.S. dollar assets, including American government bonds, are an important component of China's foreign exchange reserves as the dollar enjoys a major position in the international monetary system based on the large capacity and high liquidity of U.S. financial markets," Xinhua quoted the official as saying. Britain's Daily Telegraph said on Wednesday that "the Chinese government has begun a concerted campaign of economic threats against the United States," and was hinting that it might liquidate its holdings of U.S. Treasuries if Washington imposed trade sanctions.

The story caused a stir in global markets. U.S. President George W. Bush said China would be foolhardy to dump dollars, while the top Republican on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee wrote to the Chinese ambassador seeking clarification.

Asked about the newspaper report, the central bank official said: "China is a responsible investor in the international capital markets." His comments follow concerted liquidity injections on Thursday and Friday by global central banks to soothe investors' fears that spreading losses stemming from investments in subprime U.S. mortgages could snowball into a global credit crunch.

Restating official policy, the official said Beijing's priorities in managing its $1.33 trillion in foreign currency reserves were safety, liquidity and investment returns.

HE NOTES THAT THE "TREATY' MAKES IT CLEAR THAT A PURELY BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST AS SOON AS BROWN PUTS PEN TO PAPER. Britain 'SHALL', orders the treaty, have THE EU REPRESENTED AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL BY ITS NEW FOREIGN MINISTER TO SPEAK FOR IT ON ANY ISSUE ON WHICH THE EU HAS TAKEN A POSITION. Not 'may', or 'should consider', but 'shall'.

Why bother with Brown or his Foreign Office when they are no longer players at the Security Council? HE ARGUES THAT IF THE CONSTITUTION CAME INTO FORCE IT WOULD MAKE 'A MOCKERY OF BROWN'S SUPPORT FOR TRIDENT, AND HIS AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE A BASE IN NORTH YORKSHIRE FOR AMERICA'S NEW MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM. Once the EU has control of British foreign policy, THE NEW TREATY PROVIDES IT WITH THE TOOLS TO DECLARE SUCH MOVES INCONSISTENT WITH EU POLICY. And the European court will surely agree.'

A leader in the Business argues that 'IT WOULD BE A GREAT MISTAKE FOR BRITAIN TO CONTINUE SLEEPWALKING EVER DEEPER INTO THE EUROPEAN PROJECT, a process that will be hugely accelerated if the new Constitution is ratified... As Britain's experience with trade policy - where Brussels negotiates for the European Union collectively - demonstrates, Britain would often find itself at odds with its European partners and reluctantly supporting a policy that it really opposes.'