Al Qaeda will be "on the march in 2007," predicts journalist and terrorism expert Ahmed Rashid. "Osama bin Laden has not been driven underground or lost touch with his followers," he writes. "Al-Qaeda is using the internet extensively to communicate with its supporters and to further its aim of creating new bases from which to organise terrorist attacks. ... If any single individual is responsible for the continuing expansion of al-Qaeda, it is President Bush. America's failed policies in the Middle East and Afghanistan, its failure to rebuild either Iraq or Afghanistan after invading them, and its support for Israel's roles in Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories, have created unprecedented anger in the Muslim world."

UK Food Standards Agency 'traffic light' food label

The United Kingdom government's Food Standards Agency (FSA) is planning to launch television advertisements explaining its traffic light labelling on food packaging. The label will display red, green or amber lights depending on the fat, salt and sugar content of the food. The introduction of the symbol is an attempt to reduce the rate of obesity. Felicity Lawrence reports in the Guardian that one agency regulator described opposition by the food industry industry to the new labelling scheme as "the most ferocious we've ever experienced". The director of communications at Kellogg's, Chris Wermann, said that "in principle we could never accept traffic light labelling." A coalition of food companies, including Kellogg's, Tesco, Danone, Unilever, Nestlé and Kraft are planning a major marketing campaign for their preferred labels which detail the percentage of "guideline daily amounts" of fat, salt and sugar in their products. The FSA is bracing itself for a legal action by the food industry.