MONKEY BUSINESS

American 'Bigfoot' is monkey suit

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Bigfoot turned out to be a rubber gorilla suit

The claimed recent discovery of Bigfoot in the US state of Georgia has turned out to be a hoax - it was a rubber gorilla suit in a block of ice.

Two men said last week they had found a 2.3m-tall (7ft 7in), 226kg (500lb) corpse of the legendary ape-like creature in a wood in June.

Two researchers bought the "carcass", encased in ice, for an undisclosed sum.

But as it thawed it turned out to be a rubber monkey outfit. Bigfoot has been the subject of decades of hoaxes.

Matt Whitton, a police officer, and Rick Dyer, a former prison officer, told a new conference in California last week that they had made the find while hiking.

'Dinosaurs'

A photograph on the men's website showed what appeared to be a large, hairy creature.

But Bigfoot experts reacted suspiciously to the men's claims and the story soon began to unravel.

BIGFOOT BASICS First documented report was prints found by Canadian trader in 1811 Name dates from 1958 reports of giant footprints found in California Ray Wallace, who died in 2002, claimed to have faked these Most famous footage shot in 1967 and contested ever since

Steve Kulls - of squatchdetective.com - observed the thawing and said that as the ice melted, the exposed head was found to be "unusually hollow in one small section".

As the process continued the feet were exposed - and were found to be made of rubber.

AP news agency reported that telephone calls to Mr Whitton and Mr Dyer were not returned on Tuesday.

But the voicemail recording for their Bigfoot Tip Line - which proclaims they also search for leprechauns and the Loch Ness monster - has been updated. It announced the duo were also looking for "big cats and dinosaurs".

MONKEY BUSINESS

American 'Bigfoot' is monkey suit

Cannot play media. You do not have the correct version of the flash player.

Advertisement

Bigfoot turned out to be a rubber gorilla suit

The claimed recent discovery of Bigfoot in the US state of Georgia has turned out to be a hoax - it was a rubber gorilla suit in a block of ice.

Two men said last week they had found a 2.3m-tall (7ft 7in), 226kg (500lb) corpse of the legendary ape-like creature in a wood in June.

Two researchers bought the "carcass", encased in ice, for an undisclosed sum.

But as it thawed it turned out to be a rubber monkey outfit. Bigfoot has been the subject of decades of hoaxes.

Matt Whitton, a police officer, and Rick Dyer, a former prison officer, told a new conference in California last week that they had made the find while hiking.

'Dinosaurs'

A photograph on the men's website showed what appeared to be a large, hairy creature.

But Bigfoot experts reacted suspiciously to the men's claims and the story soon began to unravel.

BIGFOOT BASICS First documented report was prints found by Canadian trader in 1811 Name dates from 1958 reports of giant footprints found in California Ray Wallace, who died in 2002, claimed to have faked these Most famous footage shot in 1967 and contested ever since

Steve Kulls - of squatchdetective.com - observed the thawing and said that as the ice melted, the exposed head was found to be "unusually hollow in one small section".

As the process continued the feet were exposed - and were found to be made of rubber.

AP news agency reported that telephone calls to Mr Whitton and Mr Dyer were not returned on Tuesday.

But the voicemail recording for their Bigfoot Tip Line - which proclaims they also search for leprechauns and the Loch Ness monster - has been updated. It announced the duo were also looking for "big cats and dinosaurs".

Affect of fruit juice on some medication

Fruit juice 'could affect drugs'

Concerns have been raised about fruit juice before

Drinking fruit juices may not be as healthy an option as thought - they could reduce the effectiveness of some medicines, it is being claimed.

Research presented at a US conference suggested a chemical in grapefruit juice could stop anti-allergy drugs being absorbed properly.

A University of Western Ontario team said oranges, and possibly apples, had similar ingredients.

Grapefruit juice is already known to interfere with blood pressure drugs.

This is just the tip of the iceberg - I'm sure we'll find more and more drugs that are affected this way Dr David Bailey University of Western Ontario

Some medications carry a warning that taking them alongside grapefruit juice could cause an overdose.

However, the latest finding, presented at the American Chemical Society conference in Philadelphia, points to a different problem with researchers saying it was "the tip of the iceberg".

In this case, he found that the grapefruit juice had the reverse effect on fexofenadine, an antihistamine drug, making it less potent rather than more potent.

Volunteers took the drug with either a single glass of grapefruit juice, or just water.

When it was taken with juice, only half the drug was absorbed, potentially reducing its effectiveness.

Orange warning

Researchers believe that an active ingredient of the juice, naringin, appears to block a mechanism which moves drug molecules out of the small intestine into the bloodstream.

Study author Dr David Bailey said that orange and apple juices appeared to contain naringin-like substances which might have a similar effect.

"Recently, we discovered that grapefruit and these other fruit juices substantially decrease the oral absorption of certain drugs undergoing intestinal uptake transport.

"The concern is loss of benefit of medications essential for the treatment of serious medical conditions."

So far, the three types of juice have been found to affect etoposide, a chemotherapy drug, some beta-blocker drugs used to treat high blood pressure, and cyclosporine, taken by transplant patients to prevent rejection of their new organs.

However, Dr Bailey said: "This is just the tip of the iceberg - I'm sure we'll find more and more drugs that are affected this way."

Colette McCready, from the National Pharmacy Association, said: "The effect on grapefruit juice on some medicines is well established and where this applies it is clearly detailed in Patient Information Leaflets.

"Pharmacists will usually draw this matter to patients¿ attention when dispensing their medicines. This new research showing that apple and orange juice may enhance or reduce the effects of some medicines is interesting but it is only one study.

"Usually further research is needed to establish that these interactions are significant."

Professor James Ritter, a clinical pharamacologist at King's College London, said: "The observation is very interesting. It will need more work to establish how important such interactions are in clinical practice and for what drugs and juices."

know about bowel cancer

Tag for aggressive bowel cancer

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK

UK scientists say they have found a marker for aggressive bowel cancers needing the most treatment.

Patients most likely to develop a more virulent strain of the disease could be pinpointed by a test which looks for a marker protein called Lamin A.

These patients should be given chemotherapy in addition to standard surgery to improve survival, the Durham University/NESCI scientists say.

Their work is published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

The team now aims to develop a Lamin A-based detection test for use in the health service.

We are potentially able to more accurately predict who would benefit from chemotherapy Study co-author Professor Chris Hutchison

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. Each year more than 36,000 people are diagnosed with the disease.

Almost three quarters of cases occur in people aged 65 and over. Chemotherapy is rarely used in their treatment as it could cause more harm than benefit in patients who are elderly and frail.

However, for the most aggressive cancers, chemotherapy can be a big help.

The scientists studied tissue samples from 700 bowel cancer patients and tracked their progress.

The patients who had the stem cell marker protein Lamin A present in their tissue were more likely to have an aggressive form of the disease.

The findings suggests that around one third of these patients will express the Lamin A stem cell marker and should be considered for chemotherapy.

Study co-author Professor Chris Hutchison, of Durham University and North East England Stem Cell Institute, said: "Currently the hospitals use a standard test to work out how far the cancer has progressed and then they use this to determine the treatment the patient should receive.

"However, we are potentially able to more accurately predict who would benefit from chemotherapy."

Colleague Professor Robert Wilson, consultant surgeon and bowel cancer specialist at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, said: "Chemotherapy can be very useful but can have a number of side effects, so we only want to use it where we think there's a good chance it will help. This test will help us determine that."

Mark Matfield of the Association for International Cancer Research said: "There is a desperate need for more effective treatments for bowel cancer. The problem is identifying which cancers need which treatments. This discovery may show us the way to do that and help save a lot of lives."

Hazel Nunn of Cancer Research UK said: "The key with treating any type of cancer is being able to decide on the best treatment for an individual patient. We welcome the findings of this study, which could take us a step closer towards an era of more personalised medicine."

A remedy for Back Pain

Back pain eased by good posture

Low back pain is one of the most common conditions seen by GPs

Long-term back pain can be relieved through encouraging sufferers to adopt good posture through the Alexander technique, say UK researchers.

The technique teaches patients how to sit, stand and walk in a way that relieves pain by focusing on their coordination and posture.

Until now there had been little evidence of the therapy's long term effectiveness.

The latest work is published in the British Medical Journal.

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Diana Maclellan gives Jane Hill a lesson in posture

About half the UK population suffers from back pain during a year with up to 15% going on to have chronic problems.

It is the second biggest cause of sick leave, accounting for five million lost working days a year.

The trial was funded by the Medical Research Council and the NHS Research and Development fund.

Longer-term relief

Researchers from Bristol and Southampton universities used a combination of normal GP care, massage and Alexander technique lessons on 463 patients over the course of a year.

They found that by the end, the Alexander patients suffered just three days back pain a month.

This compared to 21 days for those receiving GP care, which tended to include regular consultations, pain killers and exercise regimes for some, and 14 for those who had massages.

The Alexander patients were split into two - one group received 24 lessons and one six.

Those who had 24 lessons were suffering just three days pain, compared to 11 for the other group.

It may not be effective for everyone Dries Hettinga, researcher manager for Back Care Send us your comments

Lead researcher Professor Debbie Sharp said using the Alexander technique should provide help to most people with back pain.

She added: "Lessons in the Alexander technique offer an individualised approach to develop skills that help people recognise, understand, and avoid poor habits affecting postural tone and neuromuscular coordination.

"It can potentially reduce back pain by limiting muscle spasm, strengthening postural muscles, improving coordination and flexibility, and decompressing the spine."

Dries Hettinga, researcher manager for Back Care, a charity which offers support and advice to people with back pain, said: "There is little evidence available about the effectiveness of the Alexander technique so this research is welcome.

"The Alexander technique is something we do recommend and the feedback we have got is good.

"But I would say that it may not be effective for everyone. Back pain is different for each person and you often need a combination of things to help relieve it."

DIPLOMA

Diploma take-up lower than hoped

Ed Balls picked up some painting tips from students at the college

Ministers have renewed their effort to promote the new Diplomas as figures showed the number of pupils taking the first is half what they had hoped.

England's Schools Secretary, Ed Balls, went to a community college in north London, stressing the importance of the quality of learning over quantity.

Officially there is no target for the first five Diplomas beginning this autumn but 40,000 had been expected.

Figures being released during the visit showed the total signed up is 20,000.

The ''ballpark figure'' Schools Minister Jim Knight gave to the Commons education select committee last year for the take-up by teenagers in the first phase was 50,000.

He did stress at the time: ''It is not a target.''

The director of the 14-19 reform group at the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Jon Coles, told the MPs that if all the consortia that had expressed an interest in offering diplomas were successful, the figure could be ''in the region of 160,000''.

More recently the department has been talking about 38,000.

Staff at the college say construction job opportunities abound

But Mr Balls was bullish as he toured the college, visiting students on painting and decorating and automotive courses.

"We decided the right thing to do was to make sure we put quality first, that we move forward with schools and colleges who really were confident in the first year that they were ready.

"Any school or college who said they needed more time, we said: 'That's fine by us'."

Complicated

Andy Powell, chief executive of practical learning charity Edge, said: "That fewer students than expected have signed up to diplomas should not be seen as the failure of the qualification," he said.

"They present the chance to re-engage young people with their education by providing vocational and practical learning alongside the academic path.

At the moment every contractor and every builder we talk to tell us it's really difficult to get good managers, so in the next 10 to 12 years that's the area where there's a big opportunity Steve Lammas, Hackney Community College

We should recognise that diplomas are a complicated thing to deliver and get behind those students who have signed up to them."

The general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, John Dunford, said the numbers of pupils would be "of secondary importance" if the courses were high quality.

"Schools and colleges have put an enormous amount of work into getting diplomas off to a good start," he said.

"It is considerably more complex than putting on a new A-level, not least because of the partnership arrangements between schools and colleges which inevitably create logistical problems."

At the same time, the university admissions service, Ucas, has said one in three higher education institutions has provided statements backing the Diplomas.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY\

Oxford delays on A* grade offers

Oxford University will wait and see on how the A* grade develops

Oxford University says it will not make conditional offers for places based on the new A* grade at A-level when it is first awarded in 2010.

The higher grade is intended to identify the most able students and to help universities choose from among many candidates with A grades.

But there are concerns it will become dominated by independent schools, hitting efforts to widen participation.

Oxford University says it wants to see how such A* grades are distributed.

Pupils starting A-level courses this autumn will be the first to be considered for the upper grade of A*, which will be awarded for marks of 90% and above.

'Not social engineering'

It is expected that only about 3,000 pupils will get A* grades in three subjects - compared with about 26,000 currently achieving three A grades.

But there have been concerns from universities that this group of high flyers receiving A* will be disproportionately drawn from independent schools - and that if these grades are used for admissions that it will mean fewer state students in top universities.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families says that such fears are "unfounded". It projects that 38% of three A* grades would be likely to be awarded to independent school pupils - compared with 33% of pupils currently achieving three grade As.

Oxford University says that it is not ruling out using the A* grade in future, but initially it will adopt a wait and see policy.

"We will not be making any conditional offers based on A* in its first year. We always like to see how new grades or qualifications play out," said a spokeswoman.

"We are not looking to do any social engineering. If it becomes apparent that A* grades are a good indication of aptitude for Oxford courses, we will be very interested in looking at them."

'Half-baked changes'

The university says it wants to see the distribution of A* grades by school type and in terms of the numbers of pupils receiving the award.

"Also with any new grades and qualifications we are interested to see how they correlate with our own selection procedures, such as aptitude tests and interviews."

Oxford's stance emerged as a leading head teacher was saying A-levels no longer provided teenagers with the skills they needed for the future.

Melvyn Roffe, head of Wymondham College in Norfolk and the new chairman of the Boarding Schools Association, said the qualifications should be phased out and replaced with others such as the International Baccalaureate (IB).

In an interview with London's Evening Standard he criticised ministers for for making "half-baked changes" to the A-level system.

"I wish the government would say 'A-levels were great 50 years ago' rather than saying 'we have to keep to the gold standard'," he said.

Narrowing participation?

The 1994 Group of universities, representing research-based institutions such as Durham and Exeter, has already raised the issue of the A* potentially narrowing the recruitment pool.

Universities will be helped in finding the most able students from a growing number with A grades. More than a quarter of A-levels awarded last summer were A grades.

A report from 1994 Group says there are concerns that the A* grade will create a "dynamic that might make it more difficult for research-intensive universities to maintain a balanced intake between applicants from different backgrounds, such as those from private and state-funded schools and colleges".

But the government rejects the idea that the higher grade will have the unintended consequence of narrowing access to the most sought-after university places.

"Fears that the A* will give a significant advantage to independent school pupils are unfounded," said a spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

"Modelling work based on the 2006 A-level results shows there is no evidence that differences in A* attainment by pupils will be significantly greater than for A grade attainment and that the introduction of the A* will not greatly alter the distribution of achievement across school types."

"It is up to institutions to decide how they balance their assessments of applications with their desire to be fair and to offer places to applicants with the greatest potential, regardless of background."

• Academics at Oxford University are helping to develop the new Advanced Diplomas in academic subjects - science, languages and humanities - being introduced from 2011.

Oxford's director of undergraduate admissions, Mike Nicholson, said: "Our interest is in helping to ensure that the Diplomas can deliver the highly rigorous academic content and study skills that candidates to highly competitive universities need."

WHAT CAN AN A'LEVEL HOLDER DO AFTER HIS ADVANCE LEVEL?

Decision time 'not to be rushed'

Exam results often force difficult decisions on students

A-level students whose results are not what they hoped for will be weighing up their options on Thursday.

If their first choice of university or course is out of reach, many will see what is available through "Clearing".

Universities say this can lead to new opportunities, sometimes in subjects or places not considered before.

But the charity Edge, which promotes vocational education, says some people who go through Clearing rush their decisions and can live to regret them.

It says students should not feel pressured into academia by school or home and should consider taking up more practical training.

Edge's chief executive Andy Powell said: "A-level results day is a stressful time. Rather than rush into a decision about going to university, students should invest the time in re-evaluating the many paths to success including vocational courses and apprenticeships.

"Practical learning is increasingly important in the workplace and is a genuine alternative to an academic university degree which can lead to a successful high-achieving career."

The government is committed to widening the pool of people who go to university and to raising to 50% the proportion of the population opting to study at that level.

England's Higher Education Bill Rammell said: "Clearing is an important route through which over 30,000 students to access university each year and it is essential that whether you get a place at university though clearing or not, everyone should take time and think carefully about whether the course and the institution are right for them.

"There is a wealth of information available and I would encourage everyone to access all the support available to them, and this will help to keep our retention rates one of the highest in the developed world. This has been achieved and maintained at a time of rapid expansion in student numbers."

Clearing

Across the UK, universities are staffing hundreds of phone lines to take calls from A-level students anxious to find a place on a degree course through Clearing.

According to Ucas, the body which runs the undergraduate university application system in the UK, more than 30,000 people find a place this way.

Universities advertise their vacancies on the Ucas website or their own and some newspapers carry the lists, supplied by Ucas.

Students ring universities directly.

That was a route taken by Moses Adeyinka, who is about to start his third year at the University of the West of England (UWE), where he is studying business studies and human resources management.

The feeling of not knowing whether you have been accepted is nail-biting Moses Adeyinka, student

He was initially disappointed with his A-level grades but was impressed with speed of the Clearing process.

"When I found out my grades, I called up UWE and spoke to a member of staff. After about 10 seconds I was accepted on the course I wanted - and now I have proved myself with getting very good grades for my work.

"Clearing may not be a place you would like to be, the feeling of not knowing whether you have been accepted is nail-biting."

He had this advice for A-level students getting their results: "If you do find yourself in this situation, try to stay focused, calm and look at the different options open to you. It is not the end of the world and you still have plenty of time and chances to work hard."

The University of Birmingham has nearly 100 staff on standby to advise prospective students.

Part of the university's arts building has been turned into an "admissions mission control centre" where an expected 8,000 telephone calls will be managed.

The admissions team will advise students about the status of their application at the university or about going through Clearing.

Birmingham's director of admissions Roderick Smith said: "Clearing can be a stressful time for students and their families, but it's important to relax and not to panic.

"Our advisors are on hand to guide students through the whole process and help them make an informed decision."

The university has released its own top 10 list of tips for people going through Clearing.

• Have your Ucas ID number available
• Keep a pen and paper near to make notes, ticking off the universities/courses you've called about
• Make sure to find a quiet spot to concentrate
• Make the call yourself
• Speak clearly and calmly. Ask first whether they have vacancies in your chosen subject, then let them ask you questions and answer them truthfully
• Think laterally about what you might want to do. Don't dismiss suggestions of alternative but related courses without thinking it through clearly
• Don't make speculative calls saying: "what's available?" or call universities you wouldn't want to go to - you will be wasting your time and theirs
• Think carefully about any offers you are made and don't make snap decisions
• Be prepared to travel to an interview if asked
• If you verbally accept an offer and change your mind call the university back and tell them so they can then offer the place to someone else

Some students opt to have a gap year before taking up a university place.

According to Gapyear.com, having a constructive "year out" will help people to stand out on application forms for university and work.

It could also be a vital stop-gap, "preventing hasty youngsters from rushing into courses which many will simply give up or not find useful to find a future career", it says.

Tom Griffiths, Gapyear.com founder, said: "Constructive, well planned and executed gap years, more often than not based around a year spent gaining focused work experience, stick out like the proverbial sore thumb amongst the thousands of bland, identical, clone-like applications.

"Academic achievements and social background are irrelevant. Hungry, motivated graduates full of life skills - most notably initiative, communication and decision-making skills - are the gold we employers now mine for.

"Students are now using gap years to showcase their focus, talent, drive and abilities and as a result are finding themselves a step ahead of the rest.

WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE FOR GCSE?

No quick exit from GCSE challenge

Schools Secretary Ed Balls announced the £400m challenge in June

Secondary schools in England which rise above the government's exam threshold in this week's GCSE results will not automatically leave a strugglers' list.

The National Challenge requires schools to have 30% of pupils achieving five good GCSEs including English and maths.

But even if schools climb above this benchmark they will, in the short term at least, remain designated as part of this standards-raising drive.

A revised list of National Challenge schools is expected in the autumn.

The government wants all secondary schools in England to reach at least 30% of pupils achieving the benchmark level of five GCSEs grade A to C, including English and maths within three years.

Academies

There are 638 schools currently below this threshold - with the threat of closure or being taken over for those which fail to improve after a promised process of intensive support.

This week will see GCSE results published - and about a tenth of these schools could rise above this level with only a small improvement of 2 percentage points.

Although school results will not be formally published until later in the year, individual schools will know their pupils' results this week, and from that can work out whether they have reached this minimum threshold.

But getting to the 30% benchmark on Thursday will not immediately lift schools out of the improvement programme that will accompany the National Challenge.

Instead it is expected that the schools on the National Challenge list will be re-assessed in the autumn - taking into account those whose results might have lifted above and those which have now fallen below this level.

Nudging above this 30% benchmark might not necessarily be sufficient to leave the list of National Challenge schools.

The government is planning a £400m drive to lift schools above this 30% benchmark - including the anticipated opening of 70 academies.

Failing but outstanding

In some areas more than half of schools fall into this struggling category - including in Bristol, Manchester and Sandwell, with local authorities ordered to deliver plans for recovery. Local authorities themselves could be taken over if progress is deemed to be insufficient.

Teachers' unions reacted angrily to the suggestion that schools on this list should be labelled as failures facing the threat of closure - arguing that many are already improving in the face of tough circumstances, with commendations from Ofsted inspections.

The government has subsequently sought to accentuate the positive in the National Challenge - emphasising the support available to schools and playing down the ultimate sanction of closure.

There are signs that there will be other factors taken into account.

Specialist schools with two specialist subject areas which fall below this threshold could lose one of these specialisms and the accompanying funding - but such a sanction will not apply if a school is assessed as outstanding by Ofsted.

There have also been concerns that inclusion on such a list creates a sense of uncertainty about a school's future - which will damage its ability to recruit pupils and staff.

WHAT IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS ?

Crown buyout 'good for business'

Akzo Nobel is selling Crown so it can buy ICI, which owns Dulux

The British buyout of Crown Paints heralds an exciting time for everyone in the Lancashire-based business, its new chairman says.

The deal, backed by UK investment fund Endless and thought to be worth £70m, was agreed with Dutch owner Akzo Nobel.

It will help secure jobs for 600 workers at the firm's headquarters in Darwen. Crown also has sites in Hull, Warrington, Belfast and Dublin.

Crown's new owners have promised "significant investment" in the firm.

Workers at Crown's UK sites were facing an uncertain future after the European Competition Commission ordered the sale of the business earlier this year.

It followed Akzo's £8bn purchase of Dulux-owner ICI, giving the group more than half the UK paint market.

'Sales growth'

Crown Paints has annual revenues of about £180m and 15% market share in the UK and Ireland.

Established almost 200 years ago, the company was famous for sponsoring Liverpool Football Club during the 1980s and currently sponsors Blackburn Rovers.

Crown chairman, Graham Hallworth, said: "This is a very exciting time for everyone in the business as we return to independence.

"Crown is an extremely strong brand that is experiencing sales growth and it is essential that we remain competitive in current trading conditions."

Mr Hallworth said the level of investment from Endless had put the business in a strong position to boost sales.

Endless managing director Warwick Ley said the Crown deal would be "supported by a significant level of investment behind the business".

The European Commission still has to give approval for the buy-out, which is expected within the next two months.

WHAT IS HAPPING TO UK BANK RATES TODAY?

Three-way split again on UK rates

The Bank is facing tough choices over interest rates

Bank of England policymakers were split three ways for the second meeting in a row at their interest rate-setting meeting earlier this month.

Minutes of the meeting showed seven members of the Bank's nine-strong rate- setting body voted to hold rates at 5%.

However, Timothy Besley voted to increase rates to 5.25%, while David Blanchflower voted for a cut to 4.75%.

The minutes showed most wanted to hold rates because although inflation was rising, growth prospects had worsened.

Rate dilemma

In recent months, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has faced tough choices over the level of UK interest rates, with the economy experiencing both accelerating inflation and slowing growth.

Latest figures showed CPI inflation hit 4.4% in July, more than double the 2% target rate. However, the UK economy grew by just 0.2% in the second quarter of the year.

There was more worrying news for the Bank on Tuesday as a survey suggested that Britons' inflation expectations were running at their highest level for 16 years.

The latest Barclays Survey of Inflation Expectations found inflation was expected to be at 4.8% in two years' time, the highest reading since comparable records began in 1992.

The tone of the discussion confirms that the interest rate debate remains finely balanced for now Jonathan Loynes, Capital Economics

The minutes of the August meeting showed the MPC considered the pros and cons of raising, holding and cutting rates.

It noted that a rise in rates would "send a strong signal to wage and price setters" that the Bank would not allow inflation to remain above the 2% target rate for long.

However, it also noted that a rate increase could hit business and consumer confidence, making a downturn "unnecessarily deep".

Against this, while a rate cut might prevent the worst of any downturn, it could increase the risk of "elevated inflation persisting".

Most members of the MPC concluded that the current level of rates was "broadly appropriate".

The committee noted that in the past month, while news on economic activity had continued to worsen, news on the inflation outlook had been more mixed, with oil prices falling.

Recession warning

"The tone of the discussion confirms that the interest rate debate remains finely balanced for now, with most members concluding that the outlook for growth had worsened, but that the risks to the inflation outlook remain on the upside," said Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics.

"Accordingly, there is little here to suggest that other members are about to join Blanchflower in voting for a cut in the very near future," he added.

"Nonetheless, with inflation close to a peak and the economy heading towards recession, we still think rates could be falling by year-end and will eventually drop much further than the markets expect."

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said it expected rates to remain at 5% for the next two to three months.

"However, we remain convinced that the threats of recession are more immediate and severe than the risks of higher inflation," said David Kern, economic adviser to the BCC.

"Once it is clear that inflation has peaked, the MPC must cut rates without delay in October or November."

WHAT DOES NIGERIANS THINKS OF OBAMA.

Row in Nigeria over Obama money

The Barack Obama campaign disassociated itself from the event

A Nigerian group backing US senator Barack Obama for president has told the BBC the money it raised from a gala event was never meant for his campaign.

It is illegal for campaign groups outside the United States to donate funds to US political parties.

Earlier this week, the Obama campaign wrote to the Nigerian press saying it was not affiliated to Africans for Obama and would not accept its money.

The group said it wanted to use the funds to urge US Nigerians to vote.

Tickets to the lavish event in Lagos on 11 August cost more than $21,000 (£11,000) for an eight-person table.

Africans for Obama chairwoman Ngi Okereke-Onyiuke, who is also the head of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, told the BBC News website there had been a misunderstanding in the press regarding the event.

"We never said we were going to donate money for the campaign," she said.

"We paid for the hall and the entertainers and the surplus we said would be spent on advertisements aimed at persuading Nigerians to tell their relatives in America to register to vote.

"There is not one Nigerian who doesn't have a relative or friend in America. Our aim was to encourage those people to tell their family who have the right to vote in America to vote for Obama."

'Not unusual'

Local media had reported the event raised more than $840,000 (£420,000), but Mrs Okereke-Onyiuke said the group's accountant had not finished counting the proceeds yet.

I am a woman of the highest integrity Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke Africans for Obama chairwoman

Full-page adverts in major newspapers publicising the event did not mention what the organisers were planning to do with the money.

Tickets to the gala dinner at the Muson Centre, usually used for conferences and trade shows, were split into two price ranges: "gold" and "platinum".

Individual tickets for more expensive platinum range cost $2,754 (£1,300) with an option to buy a "corporate" table sitting eight for more than $21,000.

A line-up of Nigerian musicians and comedians were billed as the evening's entertainment.

Mrs Okereke-Onyiuke said the cost was "not unusual".

"This year a newspaper put on a concert where tables cost 10m naira ($87,000, £43,500) and no-one blinked an eye then, why should they now?"

'Jealousy'

Prominent figures such as opposition People's Democratic Party grandee Chief Sonny Iroche and human rights lawyer Femi Falana had warned the group to cancel the event and give back any money.

The Barack Obama campaign wrote to Nigerian newspaper The Punch this week to confirm it would not be taking any money from the group.

"We want to make it clear that the event and this organisation are in no way associated with Obama for America of the Democratic National Committee should this organisation seek to place additional advertisement in your paper," the letter said.

Mrs Okereke-Onyiuke hit back at critics who have accused her of abusing her position as head of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

She said the press was trying to attack her because they were jealous of her success.

"I am a woman of the highest integrity," she said.

Bombing In todays news in Algeria.

Bombing kills dozens in Algeria

The school entrance was destroyed as well as several nearby buildings

A bomb at a police college east of the Algerian capital, Algiers, has killed 43 people and injured a further 38, the interior ministry says.

The bombing targeted a paramilitary police training school at Issers, near Boumerdes, about 50km (31 miles) east of Algiers.

An attacker drove a car full of explosives into the school's entrance, witnesses told the AFP news agency.

Algeria has suffered regular attacks blamed on militants linked to al-Qaeda.

Tuesday's attack hit exam candidates who were waiting outside the police school, witnesses said.

The interior ministry said 42 of those killed were civilians and one was a gendarme, or paramilitary police officer.

It said 13 of the injured were gendarmes and the rest civilians.

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Aftermath of the bombing east of the Algerian capital, Algiers

The bomb destroyed the entrance to the school as well as several nearby buildings.

It also hit cars and other vehicles on nearby roads, wounding several passengers.

"It's utter carnage," the elderly father of one of those killed in the attack told AFP.

These terrorist gangs are seeking through attacks against civilians to loosen the net closing around them Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni

"May God punish them for the crime they have committed against these youngsters, and their country," he said, weeping.

Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni, who went to the scene surrounded by heavy security, called the bombing "an act against Algerians".

"These terrorist gangs are seeking through attacks against civilians to loosen the net closing around them as the security forces drive them to the wall," he was quoted as saying by the official APS news agency.

The Algerian government has long said that Islamist insurgents are desperately seeking to raise their profile as they are isolated by security forces.

Ambush

The French EU presidency and Spain condemned the bombing, while Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi expressed his support for Algeria's leadership.

The attack came as Algerian newspapers reported that Islamist militants had ambushed eight policemen, three soldiers and a civilian near Skikda in eastern Algeria on Sunday.

ATTACKS IN ALGERIA 2007-2008 10 August 2008: Eight killed by suicide bombing outside police station in Zemmouri 8 June 2008: French engineer and driver killed east of Algiers 5 June 2008: Roadside bomb kills six soldiers east of Algiers January 2008: Suicide bombing kills four policemen in Naciria December 2007: Twin car bombs kill at least 37 including 10 UN staff in Algiers 8 September 2007: 32 die in bombing in Dellys 6 September 2007: 22 die in bombing in Batna July 2007: Suicide bomber targets barracks near Bouira, killing nine April 2007: 33 killed in attacks on government offices and a police station

Algeria has been struggling to emerge from a long civil conflict that started in 1992 when the army intervened to prevent a hardline Islamist party winning parliamentary elections.

Violence has been much reduced compared with the levels of the 1990s, but there has been a surge in high profile attacks - including suicide bombings - since late 2006.

In September 2006 the last significant insurgent group to survive the conflict, the Salafist Group for Call and Conflict (GSPC), confirmed an alliance with al-Qaeda.

Shortly afterwards it changed its name to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Algeria is a major exporter of oil and gas.

In the most recent reported bomb attack, a suicide bomber at a beach resort killed eight people on 10 August.

In December two consecutive bombings in Algiers - including one at the UN's offices - killed at least 37 people.

Those attacks were claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

No immediate claim of responsibility for Tuesday's bombing was reported.

Air disasters timeline

A chronology of some of the world's recent air disasters:

2008

20 August: At least 45 people die and dozens are injured when a Spanair plane with some 160 passengers and crew skids off the runway on take-off at Madrid's Barajas airport. There are fears the death toll could be much higher.

31 May: Five people die and 65 are injured as a TACA passenger plane landing in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa overshoots the runway and crashes into a busy street.

Five died when a passenger plane overshot a runway in Honduras in May

2 May: South Sudan's defence minister is among 22 people killed after engine trouble causes a plane carrying a military delegation to crash about 400km (250 miles) west of Juba.

19 April: Eleven Mexican soldiers are killed as their Bell 212 helicopter crashes - apparently due to engine failure - in the western state of Michoacan.

15 April: Some 40 people die when a DC-9 skids off the runway while attempting to take off in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma during heavy rain, smashing through a wall and into a busy residential area.

24 January: Nineteen people die when a Polish Casa C-295M military transport plane crashes in the country's north-west, carrying officials who had attended an air safety conference.

19 January: Eleven people die when a privately-owned twin-engine Beechcraft-200 aircraft crashes in the mountains of central Angola.

2007

30 November:All 56 people on board an Atlasjet flight are killed when it crashes near the town of Keciborlu in the mountainous Isparta province, about 12km (7.5 miles) from Isparta airport.

16 September: At least 87 people are killed after a One-Two-Go plane crashed on landing in bad weather at the Thai resort of Phuket.

17 July: A TAM Airlines jet crashes on landing at Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo, in Brazil's worst-ever air disaster. A total of 199 people are killed - all 186 on board and 13 on the ground.

5 May: A Kenya Airways' Boeing 737-800 crashes in swampland in southern Cameroon, killing all 114 on board. The official inquiry is yet to report on the cause of the disaster.

7 March: A Boeing 737-400 belonging to Garuda Indonesia bursts into flames after landing at Yogyakarta on the island of Java. A total of 22 people are confirmed dead but there are 118 survivors.

1 January: An Adam Air Boeing 737-400 carrying 102 passengers and crew comes down in mountains on Sulawesi Island on a domestic Indonesian flight. All on board are presumed dead.

2006

29 September: A Boeing 737 carrying 154 passengers and crew crashed into the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, killing all on board, after colliding with a private jet in mid-air.

22 August: A Russian Tupolev-154 passenger plane with 170 people on board crashes north of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine.

9 July: A Russian S7 Airbus A-310 skids off the runway during landing at Irkutsk airport in Siberia. A total of 124 people on board die, but more than 50 survive the crash.

3 May: An Armavia Airbus A-320 crashes into the Black Sea near Sochi, killing all 113 people on board.

2005

10 December: A Sosoliso Airlines DC-9 crashes in the southern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt, killing 103 people on board.

6 December: A C-130 military transport plane crashes on the outskirts of the Iranian capital Tehran, killing 110 people, including some on the ground.

22 October: A Bellview airlines Boeing 737 carrying 117 people on board crashes soon after take-off from the Nigerian city of Lagos, killing everyone on board.

The Mandala crash in Medan in Indonesia killed more than 100

5 September: A Mandala Airlines plane with 112 passengers and five crew on board crashes after take-off in the Indonesian city of Medan, killing almost all on board and dozens on the ground.

23 August: A Tans airline Boeing 737-200 crashes on an internal flight in Peru, near the city of Pucallpa. There are 40 people reported dead and 58 survivors.

16 August: A Colombian plane operated by West Caribbean Airways crashes in a remote region of Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board. The airliner, heading from Panama to Martinique, was packed with residents of the Caribbean island.

14 August: A Helios Airways flight from Cyprus to Prague with 121 people on board crashes north of the Greek capital Athens, apparently after a drop in cabin pressure.

16 July: An Equatair plane crashes soon after take-off from Equatorial Guinea's island capital, Malabo, west of the mainland, killing all 60 people on board.

3 February: The wreckage of Kam Air Boeing 737 flight is located in high mountains near the Afghan capital Kabul, two days after the plane vanished from radar screens in heavy snowstorms. All 104 people on board are feared dead.

2004

21 November: A passenger plane crashes into a frozen lake near the city of Baotou in the Inner Mongolia region of northern China, killing all 53 on board and two on the ground, officials say.

24 August: Chechen suicide bombers destroy two Russian airliners carrying a total of 90 passengers and crew on domestic flights out of Moscow.

3 January: An Egyptian charter plane belonging to Flash Airlines crashes into the Red Sea, killing all 141 people on board. Most of the passengers are thought to be French tourists.

2003

25 December: A Boeing 727 crashes soon after take-off from the West African state of Benin, killing at least 135 people en route to Lebanon.

8 July: A Boeing 737 crashes in Sudan shortly after take-off, killing 115 people on board. Only one passenger, a small child, survived.

26 May: A Ukrainian Yak-42 crashes near the Black Sea resort of Trabzon in north-west Turkey, killing all 74 people on board - most of them Spanish peacekeepers returning home from Afghanistan.

8 May: As many as 170 people are reported dead in DR Congo after the rear ramp of an old Soviet plane, an Ilyushin 76 cargo plane, apparently falls off, sucking them out.

6 March: An Algerian Boeing 737 crashes after taking off from the remote Tamanrasset airport, leaving up to 102 people dead.

19 February: An Iranian military transport aircraft carrying 276 people crashes in the south of the country, killing all on board.

8 January: A Turkish Airlines plane with 76 passengers and crew on board crashes while coming in to land at Diyarbakir.

2002

23 December: An Antonov 140 commuter plane carrying aerospace experts crashes in central Iran, killing all 46 people aboard.

The 2002 collision in Germany was blamed on air traffic control

The delegation had been due to review an Iranian version of the same plane built under licence.

27 July: A fighter jet crashes into a crowd of spectators in the west Ukrainian town of Lviv, killing 77 people, in what is the world's worst air show disaster.

1 July: Seventy-one people, many of them children, die when a Russian Tupolev 154 aircraft on a school trip to Spain collides with a Boeing 757 transport plane over southern Germany.

25 May: A Boeing 747 belonging to Taiwan's national carrier - China Airlines - crashes into the sea near the Taiwanese island of Penghu, with 225 passengers and crew on board.

7 May: China Northern Airlines plane carrying 112 people crashes into the sea near Dalian in north-east China.

7 May: On the same day, an EgyptAir Boeing 735 crash lands near Tunis with 55 passengers and up to 10 crew on board. Most people survive.

4 May: A BAC1-11-500 plane operated by EAS Airlines crashes in the Nigerian city of Kano, killing 148 people - half of them on the ground.

15 April: Air China flight 129 crashes on its approach to Pusan, South Korea, with over 160 passengers and crew on board.

12 February: A Tupolev 154 operated by Iran Air crashes in mountains in the west of Iran, killing all 117 on board.

29 January: A Boeing 727 from the Ecuadorean TAME airline crashes in mountains in Colombia, killing 92 people.

2001

12 November: An American Airlines A-300 bound for the Dominican Republic crashes after takeoff in a residential area of the borough of Queens, New York, killing all 260 people on board and at least five people on the ground.

8 October: A Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) airliner collides with a small plane in heavy fog on the runway at Milan's Linate airport, killing 118 people.

4 October: A Russian Sibir Airlines Tupolev 154 en route from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk in Siberia explodes in mid-air and crashes into the Black Sea, killing 78 passengers and crew.

11 September: Two passenger planes hijacked by Islamic militants are rammed into the World Trade Center in New York. A third is flown into the Pentagon and a fourth crashes south east of Pittsburgh. In total more than 3,000 people are killed.

3 July: A Russian Tupolev 154, en route from Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountains to the Russian port of Vladivostok, crashes near the Siberian city of Irkutsk, killing 133 passengers and 10 crew.

2000

30 October: A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 bound for Los Angeles crashes after take-off from Taipei airport in Taiwan, killing 78 of the 179 people on board.

23 August: A Gulf Air Airbus crashes into the sea as it comes in to land in Bahrain, killing all 143 people on board.

25 July: Air France Concorde en route for New York crashes into a hotel outside Paris shortly after takeoff, killing 113 people, including four on the ground.

17 July: Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 crashes into houses attempting to land at Patna, India, killing 51 people on board and four on the ground.

19 April: Air Philippines Boeing 737-200 from Manila to Davao crashes on approach to landing, killing all 131 people on board.

31 January: Alaska Airlines MD-83 from Mexico to San Francisco plunges into ocean off southern California, killing all 88 people on board.

30 January: Kenya Airways A-310 crashes into Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, en route for Lagos, Nigeria. All but 10 of the 179 people on board die.

1999

31 October: EgyptAir Boeing 767 crashes into Atlantic Ocean after taking off from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on flight to Cairo, Egypt, killing all 217 on board.

24 February: China Southwest Airlines plane crashes in a field in China's coastal Zhejiang province after a mid-air explosion. All 61 people on board the Russian-built TU-154 flying from Chongqing to the south-eastern city of Wenzhou are killed.

1998

11 December: Thai Airways International A-310 crashes on a domestic flight during its third attempt to land at Surat Thani, Thailand, killing 101 people.

2 September: Swissair MD-11 from New York to Geneva crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Canada killing all 229 people on board.

16 February: Airbus A-300 owned by Taiwan's China Airlines crashes near Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek airport while trying to land in fog and rain after a flight from Bali, Indonesia. All 196 on board and seven people on ground are killed.

2 February: Cebu Pacific Air DC-9 crashes into mountain in southern Philippines, killing all 104 people aboard.

The question is where is the world going to!