The floods have mostly gone from the front pages this morning replaced by yesterday's statement on terrorism from the Prime Minister

Brown sets out sweeping but risky terror and security reforms is the lead in the Guardian

Gordon Brown moved yesterday to dominate the terror and security agenda, grabbing a Tory proposal for an integrated single border force and then challenging David Cameron to accept that the scale of the terrorist threat requires an extension of detention without charge to up to 56 days.
The move, announced in a ground-breaking Commons statement, follows months of discussions with police and security services on a range of measures, including post-charge questioning of suspects, the use of intercept evidence in court and a proposal that convicted terrorists be treated in the same way as sex offenders.


New border police force will check all travellers says the Times

Every person who leaves or enters Britain will be electronically screened under new measures designed to expose terrorists hiding among the travelling public, Gordon Brown announced yesterday.

Profiles detailing passengers’ criminal records, employment histories and even spending patterns – derived from credit cards used to buy airline tickets – will be available to security agencies.

The enhanced entry and exit checks will apply equally to British citizens and foreign travellers.

Physical embarkation checks, abolished in the mid1990s, will be reintroduced on some priority routes and could exacerbate the security delays at airports.

According to the Independent

Terror suspects will be held for up to 56 days without charge and the country's first single border force created, under moves by Gordon Brown to counter the rapidly growing security threat to Britain.

He was accused of pushing for a return to internment with the " draconian " proposal for a sharp increase in the maximum 28-day detention period. To the anger of civil liberties groups and opposition parties, the Prime Minister suggested it could even be doubled.

He told the House of Commons there was a "growing weight of opinion" suspects might have to be held beyond 28 days when police intervened early to thwart a terrorist attack, particularly where there were huge amounts of evidence to examine and where investigations were international.

The Telegraph meanwhile reports that

Terrorist threat to airport passengers

Lengthy queues at check-in desks and in departure halls are vulnerable to a bomb attack - presenting a "significant security threat".

The warning comes in a withering report by the all-party transport committee on the many problems endured by passengers, as the summer season enters its height.

Off the front pages in most instances except for the Mirror and the Sun

KILLER BUGS IN THE FLOOD reports the former

HUNDREDS of flood victims could be killed by a brew of terrifying bugs lurking in the murky water.

Virus expert Dr Ken Flint said potentially lethal bacteria like e.coli and salmonella would be left behind in the sludge in houses and streets for weeks or even months after the floods recede.

And he claimed the elderly, the very young and the infirm were at serious risk from gastroenteritis. Microbiologist Dr Flint added: "I expect to see three to four times the normal rate for these diseases in coming weeks. That would mean the potential for low hundreds of people dying."

Whilst the Sun claims an exclusive under the headline

TOXIC TIDES

A CHILLING warning to keep youngsters away from floodwater was issued yesterday — as tests by The Sun revealed that it contained human and animal waste.

Scientist Prof Ian Cluckie said: “For God’s sake don’t let children walk around in it.

“In urban areas there is a chance of untreated human sewage being mixed in with the water, which could also contain E.coli.

“It can cause dysenteries and even cholera. People need to realise this is raw sewage they are walking in.”



Oxford floods deepen as more rain is forecast reports the Telegraph

Oxford became the latest area hit yesterday and parts of the city will be left under water for two days.

There are further fears with forecasters predicting up to half an inch of rain today in some areas already suffering.

The worst floods in modern history have now stretched more than 150 miles along the Severn and Thames from western England towards London.

Farmers in the worst-hit areas of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire said it could take three years to recover from the disaster and said the impact could be worse than that of foot and mouth outbreak of 2001.



Insurance threat to flood victims warning reports the Mail

Flood-hit homeowners could find it impossible to arrange insurance unless the Government pumps more cash into water defences, it was warned yesterday.

"The insurance market cannot be realistically expected to continue to bear the burden of years' failure to invest adequately," said Bill Gloyn, chairman of real estate at the leading insurance broker Aon.

He said climate change and lax planning had increased the danger of floods.

It leads though with the news that

'Out-of-control' teens the worst behaved in Europe

British teenagers are the worst behaved in Europe, a report has revealed.

They are more likely to binge-drink, take drugs, have sex at a young age and start fights.

The report, from a think-tank closely linked to Labour, says the collapse of family life is at least partly to blame.

It means youngsters follow the example set by their friends rather than guidance from their parents.

The damning verdict from the Institute for Public Policy Research was revealed as ministers prepared to publish a blueprint aimed at keeping teenagers out of trouble. It is expected to include more cash for youth groups and other activities.

David Cameron hits back at party rebels reports the Telegraph

David Cameron faced down the most serious challenge to his leadership last night with a warning to Tory MPs that further disunity would cost the party the next election.He rejected calls to shift to traditional Conservative issues such as tax and immigration, saying that the party's mission was to fix Britain's "broken society" as Margaret Thatcher had fixed the country's broken economy.

Donations to Cameron's Tories run at four times rate to Labour according to the Guardian

The huge disparity in finances between the Conservatives and Labour is laid bare with the publication of their accounts for 2006 yesterday by the Electoral Commission.
The Conservatives disclose donations running at four times the rate to Labour since David Cameron became leader, their first surplus since 2001, and a big increase in staffing at Tory headquarters.

Labour cut its deficit to less than £1m, financed by a rescheduling of loans from its biggest donors and a halving of headquarters staff, and despite its lowest ever number of party members.

Meanwhile the Mail reports on

Blair's celebrity spree at Chequers (oh, and you paid)

Tony Blair used his last 18 months in power to entertain a bewildering array of minor celebrities at his official country retreat, it has emerged.

Chequers, historically used to receive foreign dignitaries, diplomats and ministers, played host to the likes of Charlotte Church and her rugby player partner Gavin Henson, husband-and-wife TV hosts Vernon Kay and Tess Daly, and GMTV presenters Fiona Phillips and Lorraine Kelly.

At taxpayer's expense, Mr Blair and wife Cherie also wined and dined Richard Madeley - though his wife Judy Finnegan was apparently unable to attend and he was accompanied instead by his daughter, Chloe.

More problems for broadcasters

Q: How many phone-in callers were cheated by GMTV? A: 25 million headlines the Times

GMTV, ITV’s breakfast broadcaster, admitted last night that viewers who spent £35 million over four years had no chance of winning one of its phone-in competitions.

The figure, larger than previously expected, opens up a massive liability for the commercial broadcaster, which has promised to refund everybody affected – although ITV hopes that not everybody will claim.

GMTV released the £35 million figure last night after its managing director, Paul Corley, had resigned. He is the first television chief to quit after the string of phone-in scandals that have hit every main broadcaster.

It reflects that GMTV took 25 million premium-rate phone calls from viewers after shortlists of potential winners had already been selected by the phone provider Opera Telecom. Those calls, costing between 25p and £1.80 a time, and made between January 2003 and March this year, had no chance of winning.

The Independent's front page changes tact following the return of a cross party group of MP's

Burma: A plight we can ignore no longer

Burma suffers a political, human rights and humanitarian situation as grim as any in the world today. The country is run by an utterly illegitimate government that spends 50 per cent of its budget on the military and less than a $1 (50p) per head on the health and education of its own citizens.

The thugs and impostors who rule the roost practise some of the most egregious human rights abuses known to mankind. Rape as a weapon of war, extra-judicial killings, water torture, mass displacement, compulsory relocation, forced labour, incarceration of political prisoners, religious and ethnic persecution, and the daily destruction of rural villages are all part of the story of savagery that has disfigured Burma.

According to the Guardian

Hamas leader claims UK has widened links

The British government has expanded its links with Hamas in recent weeks, according to the militant organisation's leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
Mr Haniyeh, who was the Palestinian prime minister until last month, claims that contacts between Hamas and Britain have increased since they worked together to free Alan Johnston, the BBC Gaza correspondent, who was held captive in Gaza for almost four months.

"I cannot deny that there are now other contacts, other channels of communication with the UK and these involve people of high rank, although I am not personally involved," he claimed in an interview with the Guardian.

"The main aim of the contacts is to improve our democracy and governance. This is just part of the many contacts that are going on with other governments around the world."

He added that Britain wanted to keep the contacts secret.

The latest scandal from the Tour de France features in the Times

Rasmussen thrown out of Tour

Michael Rasmussen, the leader of the Tour de France, was withdrawn from the race and dismissed by his sponsor, Rabobank, late last night after the doubts over his ethical credibility reached a head with accusations of lying to his team.

The latest events, only 24 hours after Alexandre Vinokourov, the pre-Tour favourite, withdrew from the race after testing positive for a blood transfusion, confirmed the darkest period in the event’s 104-year history.

“Rasmussen has violated the rules of the team,” a Rabobank team spokesman said. “It is not sure if the team will continue in the race.”

Beat van Scheijndel, director of sponsoring at Rabobank, said: “We are in shock at the behaviour of Michael Rasmussen and we will now make a serious assessment of the continued sponsorship of the team.”

The Sun reports

Boxer loses fight for life

SHOT boxing champion James Oyebola — blasted in the face for asking thugs to put out a cigarette — lost his fight for life last night.

The former British heavyweight title-holder had earlier stunned doctors by responding to tests against all the odds.

But the 47-year-old, who had been shot three times, died last night. James — blasted twice in the head and once in the leg — had been on a life-support machine.

Consultants had revealed that just one side of the dad of two’s brain had been affected, raising hopes of survival without brain damage.

MOUNTAIN DEATH BRIT IS BLASTED reports the Mirror

A BRITISH student and three friends who died trying to climb Mont Blanc despite an atrocious weather forecast were yesterday branded "stubborn and stupid" by police.

Mark Emerson, 30, his New Zealand girlfriend Jane Jerram, 26, and two friends from France and Chile died of cold and exhaustion in a -15C blizzard.

Stephane Bozon, of the High Mountain Police in Chamonix, France, said: "They decided on this mythical climb without taking into account the forecasts. This is stubbornness and stupidity."

BACK OF THE CELL! reports the same paper

EX-ENGLAND footballers Robert Lee and Warren Barton were arrested early yesterday after allegedly grabbing a Mercedes taxi and crashing into a van during a boozy night out.

Lee, 41, and Barton, 38, were picked up by police at their homes just a few hours after the smash and taken to a police station for questioning.

It is claimed the former Newcastle United stars and two other friends were picked up by the private Mercedes cab after a drinking session.


Research fails to detect short-term harm from mobile phone masts says the Guardian

Mobile phone masts do not cause harmful short-term health effects, according to a study of people who say they experience symptoms when they are close to them. The study deals another blow to the notion that low-level electromagnetic fields from cellphones or base stations are dangerous.
The researchers looked at 2G and 3G phone masts in a lab setting where both the participants and researchers did not know whether the equipment was turned on. The set-up was designed to mimic the output from a phone mast at 20-30 metres from the subject. "It looks like there was pretty good evidence that people couldn't detect the signals," said Elaine Fox at Essex University, who led the study, published yesterday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.


Career crisis for Lohan and Spears after new disgraces reports the Independent on the latest celeb LA gossip

Two of Hollywood's notoriously hard-living bad girls have crashed and burned once again, this time raising questions whether their careers will ever recover.

Lindsay Lohan, the 21-year-old star of Freaky Friday, Mean Girls and other teenage comedies, faced her second drink-driving conviction in three months yesterday after she was arrested behind the wheel with a suspended licence, too much booze in her system and an undisclosed quantity of cocaine in her car.

Britney Spears, the one-time heartthrob singer turned mess of a single mother at the ripe age of 25, was meanwhile reported to have fled a photo shoot for OK! Magazine - still wearing almost $15,000 (£7,500) in borrowed clothing - after several minutes of embarrassingly weird behaviour in front of the camera.

It was Lohan who grabbed most of the headlines yesterday after she was pulled over in a car park in the beach town of Santa Monica in the early hours of Tuesday morning. She was eventually released on bail but can expect rough treatment from the judge when she returns to court on 24 August.

Nice boat race, Kate Middleton says the Sun

STUNNING Kate Middleton looked just oarsome yesterday as she trained to row across the Channel.

Prince William’s 25-year-old love joined the all-girl Scion Sisters team for a vital workout on the Thames.

Kate and her 14 posh pals will make the attempt in a dragon boat during the Bank Holiday weekend next month.

The group hope to raise money for the Babes In Arms Appeal and Chase Ben Hollioake Fund.


Finally the Telegraph reports that

Restaurants 'buying black market caviar'

The sturgeon eggs, which cost about £800 per lb from reputable fishmongers, are being smuggled in from the Caspian Sea, with much of it ending up on the plates of unsuspecting London diners.

Julia Roberson, from Caviar Emptor, which fights to protect the highly endangered sturgeon, yesterday estimated that the illegal caviar market was worth up to five times the official market size of £50 million.

Miss Roberson said: "You can easily smuggle it in suitcases and make a fast buck out of it.

"The situation in the Caspian Sea continues to deteriorate. Poaching is not being cracked down upon and it wouldn't surprise me that much of this was ending up in London restaurants."