Of princes, peace and Posh and Becks.

Publication: Europe Intelligence Wire

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COPYRIGHT 2002 Financial Times Ltd.

(From The Northern Echo)

Byline: Nick Morrison

Easing world tension, new feelings of hope, and a revival of the age of gaiety - all are in the stars for next year. Nick Morrison looks at what may lie ahead

THE omens do not look good. Even if UN inspectors fail to find evidence that Saddam Hussein is hoarding weapons of mass destruction, it seems that removing the Iraqi dictator has become a must for President Bush, even if only to ensure his re-election. War in the Middle East seems a certainty.

And the situation in Palestine is as critical, not to mention North Korea's nuclear ambitions and the continued threat from al Qaida cells, said to be scattered across the world. If ever a year had the makings of instability, it is 2003.

So it is all the more surprising that one established authority is predicting an easing of the tension which is now gripping the world, at least for the first few months of the new year.

Old Moore's Almanack, first published...

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