New Orleans is bracing itself for catastrophic destruction after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Monday. Authorities have ordered the population evacuation of the city, after scientists forecast the most devastating storm in the city's history.

The city is expected to be inundated with water, which could reach 25 feet in parts of the city, much of which lies below sea level. Roads out of New Orleans were gridlocked on Sunday night, after 1.5 million residents were told to get out while they could.

The hurricane, now downgraded to category 4, has brought winds of up to 150 mph after it made landfall at 13:00 CET. Many of the city's most vulnerable residents, unable to leave the city, have taken refuge in the 77,000-seater Superdome stadium.

Experts fear that the long-feared worst-case scenario may at last come true. Ivor van Heerden, director of the Louisiana State University Public Health Research Center told CNN that Katrina could leave New Orleans totally devastated.

"We need to recognize we may be about to experience our equivalent of the Asian tsunami, in terms of the damage and the number of people that can be killed," he said. The city is surrounded on three sides by the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Pontchartian and the Missippi river and flood defences are not expected to withstand the hurricane's terrific force.

Those opting to stay in the city have not only the flood waters to fear. An industrial area to the east of the city contains many chemical plants which are predicted to be torn apart by the storm. Flood waters may then carry toxic benzene, hydrochloric acid and chlorine into the city center, contaminating urban areas on a wide scale.

Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco also feared the worst. "We are telling everyone to go. The storm surge could bring in 15 to 20 feet of water, and they will not survive that."

Louisiana has been declared a state of emergency. The price of oil has surged past $70 a barrel on world markets, after oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was severely hit. 21 oil platforms have been evacuated, accounting for 25% of total US oil and gas production.

City Mayor, Ray Nagin, echoed dire predictions of catastrophic destruction. "This is a once in a lifetime event. The city of New Orleans has never seen a hurricane of this magnitude hit it directly."

Up to 9000 people have sought refuge in New Orleans' Superdrome stadium, but powercuts have left them without light or air-conditioning. CNN has reported that a "massive" piece of the stadium's roof has been ripped off by the force of the winds. In reality, despite CNN's hyperbole, the segment is about six feet long.

Those remaining in New Orleans are thought to be primarily the city's poorest residents. At least 100,000 of New Orleans' 1.5 million inhabitants do not own a car, and may be forced to stay at home and sit out the air-born onslaught.

The German press has gone into overdrive in its coverage of Katrina. Previous hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico have been cited as palpable evidence of global warming, which even the US cannot ignore.

German tabloid Bild struck an emotional tone in its online coverage on Monday. "The people on the south coast of the US tremble in the face of the monster hurricane - and we tremble with them."

Many new sites have linked to webcams in the city, allowing readers to watch the devastation unfold at their desks.

Iraq has finally finished penning its constitution which will now be put to a referendum in October. But negotiations ended in acrimony, after the document was rejected by Sunni Arab delegates. Their reservations were overruled by the Kurdish and Shiite majorities on the constitutional committee.

The draft constitution was presented to the parliament after last-ditch efforts to reach a consensus failed. There are fears that divisions between Iraq's diverse ethnic groups may now increase during the forthcoming referendum campaign.

President Jalal Talabani tried to remain upbeat about the historic deal. "It is a constitution for Arabs, Sunni and Shiites, for Kurds, for Caledonians, Assyrians, Christians and Muslims. We hope our intelligent people will approve this constitution, stressing at the same time that we don't deny the deficiencies in it, and perfection is only for God."

But these "deficiencies" were too much for the 15-strong Sunni delegation, who fear that the constitution enshrines a federalist structure which could lead to the eventual break-up of Iraq.

Mahmoud al-Mashadani, a Sunni member of the constitutional committee said, "We have reached a point where this constitution contains the seeds of the division of Iraq." Another negotiator, Salah al-Mutiq also feared a backlash. "I think if this constitution passes as it is, it will worsen everything in the country," the Sunni committee member said.

US President George W. Bush rather incredibly managed to put a positive spin on the constitution's fractured progress yesterday, praising Iraqis for taking a decisive step forward in the democratic process. Iraqis have completed "the next step in their transition from dictatorship to democracy," Bush said.

But the 49-page document is likely to be voted down in October, if rejected by two-thirds of voters in at least three of Iraq's 18 provinces. 5 million copies of the draft constitution will be printed and distributed amongst Iraqis in the hope of achieving consensus.

Bush also ominously warned that the violence which has dogged the US mission in Iraq is bound to grow. "We can expect...atrocities to increase in the coming months because the enemy knows that its greatest defeat lies in the expression of free people in freely enacted laws and at the ballot box."

Only four Sunni Arab delegates attended the presentation of the draft constitution at the presidential palace. Sunni leaders have urged the rejection of the constitution and have appealed for both the United Nations and Arab League to intervene.

Their opposition to the constitution is focused on the document's federalist language. Sunnis fear that the oil-rich Kurdish north and Shiite south could eventually become autonomous, depriving Sunni areas -- devoid of oil-wells -- of the proceeds of this key element of the Iraqi economy.

Meanwhile, Shiites and Kurds complain that Sunni Arabs are demanding too much and are suffering from a serious case of sour grapes. Under Sadaam Hussein, Sunnis were a powerful minority, but their influence in the new Iraq is now markedly less. There were also opposition claims that Sunni leaders have been intimidated into rejecting the constitution, after terrorist groups called for the assassination of any Iraqi partaking in the democratic process.

Many women's groups also spoke out against the constitution yesterday, fearing the document will lead to the establishment of a religious theocracy. Article 2 affirms that "no law can be passed that contradicts the undisputed rules of Islam." Under Islamic law, women are often deemed to be second class citizens.

Big Brother to Give Birth?

The creators of Big Brother have announced plans to feature a pregnant woman in its Dutch production, who is expected to give birth in front of an audience of millions. The idea has provoked outrage from usually tolerant Dutch authorities, who have strict rules regarding child appearances on television.

The TV station "Talpa", founded by the billionaire behind Big Brother, John de Mol, wants to bring a seven and a half month pregnant woman, known only as "Tanja" onto the show. She told De Telegraaf, a Dutch newspaper, "I think my child will be proud of it later."

The idea has been condemned by the Christian Democratic Party in Holland, but the show's creators are unrepentant. Paul Roemer, director at Endemol, producers of Big Brother said, "I am doing something that will bring about emotions and which is innocent and can do no harm. I think it will also be good TV," he added.

Talpa TV attracted further controversy earlier this week when it aired a pilot for a show called "I Want Your Child...and Nothing Else." The show featured a lesbian who appealed for men to volunteer their sperm so she could be artificially inseminated. It has not yet been confirmed whether the show will be made into a full series.