What do Steph Cook, Nicole Cook, Trina Gulliver, Kate Brown, Charlotte Cornwallis, Lisa Adams, Alex Coomber, Anna Hemmings and Helen Gilby have in common? All are British, and all are world champions, in a variety of sports ranging from modern pentathlon to canoeing. And all, plus a whole host of others of both sexes, did not even get the time of day from the BBC in the recent Sports Personality of the Year Awards. “She is so good, it is frightening... 

The differences require careful attention and a loving honesty if they are ever to be resolved. And the notion of forgiveness needs to find a prominent place in all our thinking, about clashes great and small.At the end of time, says the Christian faith, we can expect to come face to face with our Maker The notion should make us tremble. There is also within that faith, however, an insight of heartbreaking beauty: namely, the belief that, in Jesus’s... 

An extra 1 per cent interest would cost £500m a year and, as these deals are typically financed over 15-year contracts, that would add up to £7.5bn.There is a perception among senior bankers in the City that investors have not been treated fairly, and this is leading banks to refuse to be involved in deals involving the Government.This will be tested in the next few weeks, when London Underground signs its first two PPP deals with two consortia,... 

She still has the brisk, friendly manner of a primary school teacher in one of New Labour’s beacon schools and retains close ties with the unions and party activists. “She’s got a fantastic mastery of detail,” says one union leader. “She’s also very good at using it against you.”Ms Hunter could charm and intimidate, sometimes simultaneously. Visitors to Downing Street were known to melt or blush when confronted... 

It is supported on the backbenches on the centre, to the left and to the right”.But Mr Byers has got himself in trouble too often to feel safe. As Secretary of State for Trade and Industry he notoriously failed to pick up the signs that BMW were planning to sell the Rover plant in Longbridge. That was a piece of cake compared to implementing the Railtrack policy. In the meantime the trains are not running on time and Ms Moore is still in place.... 

Banking industry figures believe 7.6 million of the 16 million who claim benefits or state pensions already have the money paid into their bank accounts. Under the new rules, the remainder will be able to choose the basic, Post Office Card account, or apply for a “no-frills” bank account with one of the 10 banks and building societies backing the scheme. The Government hopes the Post Office Card account will be fully operational by the... 

And there was that juicy £300m engine order from Emirates this week. The shares have responded and I have bought a few more at 159p, simply because I still feel that, on a mean and miserable p/e ratio of 10, the value in this company remains unrecognised. It may take a long time for that perception to change, but if Rolls-Royce survives this downturn then perhaps the facts will be allowed to speak for themselves.Which is what seems to be happening,... 

They score badly and are considered bad prospects.”The rules of credit scoring can also be unpredictable for the average self-employed applicant. Divorcees win more credit points than single men or women, but a divorcee whose previous partner has run up large debts gets fewer. Although having a credit card makes you a winner in the credit-score world, changing it every six months to get a better APR usually turns you into a loser. They would... 

However, existing customers on the SVR in effect pay for the cost of these discounts. Nationwide felt this was unfair to loyal customers so it introduced the lower BMR last March and stopped offering discounted and capped deals.All customers on the SVR were automatically transferred to the BMR so that they were paying the same rate as new borrowers. Customers with time left to run on their discounted or capped deal still had the pay rate calculated... 

Today representatives of Liverpool’s great and good will travel to the House of Commons to launch the city’s bid to become European Capital of Culture for 2008, the next year when that title will be awarded to an English city. They know that they are up against at least Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Cardiff, Bradford, Belfast, Inverness and ­ you can’t fault them for trying ­ Milton Keynes.Homely Beatles singalongs is not...