With 2008 upon us, Telegraph.co.uk is inviting you to peer into the figurative crystal ball and make your predictions for the year ahead.

Will David Cameron win the popularity battle against Gordon Brown? Will Boris Johnson wrest the role of London Mayor from Ken Livingstone?

On the international stage, which will be the places to watch in 2008? Will the future be brighter or bleaker for troubled countries such as Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan?

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Posted at: 14:01 | Permalink | Comments 78

Rail commuters are set to endure more travel misery in 2008, as further line closures and fare hikes are predicted.

The New Year will be welcomed in with delays for thousands of passengers, as Network Rail carries out repairs to major routes.

But despite the delays and station closures, train operators are preparing to increase fares by up to 14.5 per cent on some tickets.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 93

The Sunday Telegraph has picked General Petraeus, commander of US forces in Iraq, as its Person of the Year.

He was chosen for the new accolade above Nicolas Sarkozy, George Osbourne and Lewis Hamilton for, among other things, his "rare combination of great geopolitical skills as well as tactical and military ones".

General Petraeus' abilities as a diplomat, politician and leader have "given another last chance to a country that had long since ceased to expect one" and earnt him the respect of both American and British commanders.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 130

Kylie Minogue, the Australian pop singer, will receive an OBE in a New Year’s Honours list which also recognises talk show host Michael Parkinson, sports commentator Des Lynam and Stuart Rose, the chief executive of Marks & Spencer.

Sir Ian McKellen, well known for his Shakespeare performances and a starring role in the Lord of the Rings films, is to be made a Companion of Honour, while the actress Julie Walters receives a CBE.

Other awards include The Order of the Bath for both Tom Kelly, one of Tony Blair’s official spokesmen, and Debby Reynolds, who was the Government’s chief vet at the time that foot and mouth disease struck the UK.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 83

Benazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister, has died from injuries sustained in a gun and suicide bomb attack, the Interior Ministry has said.

Miss Bhutto served twice as Pakistan's prime minister between 1988 and 1996. She returned from an eight-year exile in October and was campaigning for elections due in January.

General Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, is under pressure to end emergency rule that he imposed in November.

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Posted at: 14:03 | Permalink | Comments 227

The world's top leaders have asked members of the public to join their discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos by posting videos online.

Participants are invited to post a video on YouTube answering the Davos Question: “What one thing do you think that countries, companies or individuals must do to make the world a better place in 2008?”

The best responses will be screened at public sessions during the annual meeting of heads of state and business leaders in January 2008.

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Posted at: 15:15 | Permalink | Comments 184

Hunting is enjoying a revival with increasing numbers of women and children taking part despite the sport being banned two years ago.

The Masters of Foxhounds Association reports that far from deterring people, increasing numbers of young people have been attracted to the sport since the Hunting Act was introduced in 2004, reversing ageing and declining hunt memberships.

What is the appeal of hunting?

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Posted at: 10:45 | Permalink | Comments 153

The Queen has paid tribute to the Armed Forces in her Christmas message and has called on everyone to share responsibility for "the well-being of those who feel excluded".

Earlier, Britain's most senior Roman Catholic leader, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, appealed to the nation to be more welcoming to immigrants.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said that human greed was destroying the planet.

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Posted at: 15:10 | Permalink | Comments 63

As the commercialisation of Christmas continues apace, with stores building up to the big day months in advance and even starting their sales on Christmas day, religious leaders warn that we are losing sight of the festival’s true meaning.

Yet December 25th continues to be celebrated in all corners of the world. What do you find special about Christmas? Is it the giving of presents, the warmth of assembling as a family to watch Christmas television or carols and roast turkey dinner?

Does Christmas have religious significance for you?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 40

Roman Catholicism, bolstered by an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa, has overtaken the Anglican Church as the nation’s most dominant religious group, figures obtained by the Sunday Telegraph reveal.

A survey by Christian Research shows that the number of people going to Mass last year stood at 861,000 compared to only 852,000 Anglicans worshipping each Sunday. Leading figures from the Church of England have warned that it could become a minority faith.

And just this weekend, the Catholic Church won its most high-profile British conversion in recent years when Tony Blair announced his adoption of the faith.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 172

It seems school holidays are not what they used to be, with thousands of pupils spending the Christmas period revising for exams and many youngsters no longer enjoying a normal adventurous childhood as their parents feel obliged to wrap them in cotton wool.

Both A-level and GCSE students are now burdened with a growing proportion of January exams while experts warn that children of all ages are being prevented from enjoying a healthy and robust lifestyle by “health and safety” extremists.

Are relentless testing and health and safety regulations blighting young people's lives? Do we expect too much of our children nowadays?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 17

Men are naturally funnier than women, according to a male scientist, who believes that humour develops from aggression caused by male hormones.

Professor Sam Shuster, of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, rode a unicycle around Newcastle upon Tyne and recorded the reaction of 400 onlookers.

He told the British Medical Journal: “The difference between the men and women was absolutely remarkable and consistent. At 11-13 years, the boys began to get really aggressive. Into puberty, the aggression became more marked, then it changed into a form of joke.”

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 33

Workers who take two weeks off for Christmas and New Year will cost the British economy a record £21 billion this year, according to business leaders.

The financial burden is predicted to be £3 billion more than last year because many employers have decided to give their staff Christmas Eve off as it falls on a Monday, even though it is not a Bank Holiday.

Stephen Alambritis, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “It adds to the gloomy economic outlook and means businesses will have to work doubly hard to regain their competitive advantage when they come back in January.”

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 144

The BBC may have to share the licence fee with other broadcasters under radical proposals being considered by Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator.

One option under review is “top slicing” the licence fee so that public money can be taken away from the corporation and given to other commercial broadcasters to make public service content like children’s television and regional news.

Do you think the BBC or any other of the UK's leading broadcasters still deserve public funding? Would you feel happier about paying your £135.50 licence fee if it funded a range of different services?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 141

Patients will be able to travel to hospitals across Europe for health treatment and claim back the costs on the National Health Service under new European Commission proposals.

British ‘health tourists’ worried about hospital superbugs and poor care would be given the opportunity to ‘vote with their feet’ against the NHS by taking advantage of facilities in France and Germany.

Would you go abroad for health treatment?

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Posted at: 09:20 | Permalink | Comments 52

People are putting their health at risk by going for expensive body scans which use dangerous blasts of radiation, Government experts have said.

The “worried well”, or those who do not display symptoms of disease but who choose to have expensive body scans which claim to pick up early signs of cancer and heart disease, are at risk of exposure to around 100 times the radiation dose associated with a normal x-ray.

Would you welcome tighter control of the body scanning industry, as is proposed in the report? Do you trust your GP to pick up warning signs of disease at an early stage? If you have had a whole body scan, do you think it was worthwhile?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 24

Nick Clegg has vowed to transform British politics and seize 150 seats within two general elections after being crowned the new leader of the Liberal Democrat Party.

The 40 year-old won a narrow victory over rival Chris Huhne, with 20,998 votes to Mr Huhne's 20,477.

Mr Clegg has pledged to take on both Conservatives and Labour, armed with "one simple ambition: to change Britain to make it the liberal country I believe the British people want it to be".

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Posted at: 16:01 | Permalink | Comments 75

Gordon Brown should act immediately to clean up the honours system, only allowing people paying British taxes to sit in the House of Lords, an influential committee of MPs will suggest tomorrow.

In the aftermath of the cash-for-honours scandal, the Public Administration Committee (PAC) will advise the Prime Minister to publish lists of people he wishes to recommend for peerages who could then be selected by an independent vetting committee.

The committee also recommends that peers should not automatically have the right to sit in the House of Lords.

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Posted at: 10:01 | Permalink | Comments 81

Families have been warned to expect a major economic downturn next year, with City experts predicting it will be the worst year for the economy since 1992.

Experts at investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort said that the chance of a recession in 2008 was now 50-50. The warning comes as new evidence suggests that landlords are abandoning the property market at the fastest rate for almost three years while higher borrowing costs are forcing rent rises.

Is Britain is heading for a recession? Do you think that the cut in interest rates earlier this month will be enough to prevent a slump in the New Year?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 119

Britain has formally returned control four provinces, including Basra, to the Iraqi government, paving the way for a dramatic reduction in the number of British troops stationed there next year.

"I came to rid Basra of its enemies and I now formally hand Basra back to its friends," Maj Gen Graham Binns, who led the British Army into the city in 2003, said at a ceremony at its airport marking the transfer.

But Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qa'eda's deputy leader, mocked the "decision of the British to flee" and praised the strength of the insurgency against coalition forces.

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Posted at: 10:02 | Permalink | Comments 74

Britain spends more on cancer than any other major European countries but still has lower survival rates, according to figures released by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

The data suggests cancer services in the UK are highly inefficient and patients here are less likely to survive the disease despite the massive amounts of money pumped into treating it. The UK is 15th in the European league of survival rates for women and 4th for men, whereas Germany comes eighth in the table for both sexes.

Prof Karol Sikora, cancer doctor and advisor to the World Health Organisation, who uncovered the new figures, said there needs to be more intelligent use of resources such as radiotherapy machines if survival rates in the UK are to match those in other western European countries.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 37

The Government is to announce a crackdown on foreigners from non-EU countries visiting Britain in what one minister described as "the biggest shake-up of the immigration system in its history".

Liam Byrne, the immigration minister, will propose that anyone who “sponsors” visits from relatives who are not citizens of EU countries should put up a cash bond before their guests are allowed in. They will forfeit the bond, likely to cost around £1,000, if their visitors breach the terms of their visa.

The time limit on ordinary tourist visas is also set to be halved from the current six months to three.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 174

Letters written by Diana, Princess of Wales to the Duke of Edinburgh and to Dodi Fayed have been read out at the inquest into her death and published.

The letters reveal her affection for the Duke, who she addressed as “Dearest Pa”, and her love for Dodi. In one the Princess wished Dodi “all the love in the world”.

Should the Princess’s private letters be made public? Is this necessary to conduct a full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death and dispel speculation as to what really happened 10 years ago?

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Posted at: 18:30 | Permalink | Comments 99

Millions of middle class drinkers are drinking as much as 50 per cent more alcohol than they thought and putting their health at serious risk.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that its guidelines on what constitutes a unit of alcohol no longer hold good because of the popularity of stronger New World wines. Larger wine glasses which hold two units rather than one have only encouraged people to underestimate the amount of alcohol they are consuming.

The new figures appear to show that the number of women drinking the dangerous level of 35 units a week has more than doubled to one in 20, whilst almost one in 10 men drinks more than twice the recommended safe level of 21 units a week.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 165

Gordon Brown has formally signed the new European Union treaty, three and a half hours after the rest of Europe's leaders, including the Foreign Secretary David Miliband, endorsed the document.

Mr Brown earlier provoked controversy by referring to the new treaty as a "constitution" during interviews but he insisted that Europe must now stop looking inwards and concentrate on "the big issues ahead of us" such as the economy and climate change.

What do you think that the signing of the treaty will mean for the UK? Do you agree with Mr Brown that Europe can now focus on "big issues" rather than on its own structures? What are these "big issues"?

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Posted at: 16:50 | Permalink | Comments 276

Toy retailers are struggling to meet demand for some of this season’s must-have gifts: from the hi-tech Nintendo Wii to the traditional remote-controlled aeroplane or Etch-a-Sketch.

Parents are also having trouble getting their hands on toys based on the BBC children’s programme In the Night Garden, an animation from the creators of a previous toddlers' favourite, Teletubbies.

A survey of the most popular shopping websites and toy retailers by Telegraph.co.uk has found that “currently unavailable” signs are being posted alongside a host of popular toys, games and gadgets.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 98

Police officers will be balloted over their right to strike as part of their response to the descision by the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, not to backdate a new pay deal.

The Police Federation’s senior members today called for her immediate resignation and described the 1.9 percent pay offer as "disgusting".

Would you support police officers if they went on strike, something they are currently forbidden to do by law? Is it unfair that certain professions are denied the right to strike?

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Posted at: 18:30 | Permalink | Comments 352

Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, has admitted that the Government's research shows that Britain’s education system is not "world class".

A number of reforms will be unveiled as part of a new Children's Plan, a blueprint shaping policies for young people over the next 10 years. The plan is being proposed amidst growing concerns that progress in educational basics has stalled under Labour.

How can we make Britain’s education system truly "world class"? Why are we lagging behind so many other European countries?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 179

The population of Britain is rising at the fastest rate since the 1960s baby boom, fuelled in part by immigrant mothers who are having more babies than their British counterparts.

One in five babies born in Britain last year belonged to a woman from overseas, according to the first official analysis of the impact of migration on fertility.

Almost 70 per cent of the 10 million rise in population increase over the next 20 years will be attributable to immigration, either directly or via higher birth rates, figures from the Office of National Statistics have revealed.

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Posted at: 18:38 | Permalink | Comments 218

A new museum celebrating Britain's culture and history should be established in London, former Education Secretary Lord Baker has proposed.

Writing in support of the Telegraph's Call Yourself British campaign, Lord Baker makes the case for a museum that would teach schoolchildren about the values and traditions which have evolved in Britain over hundreds of years.

It would include information about the contribution Britain has made to the world, as well as a celebration of music, art and inventors, with a special focus on the English language and great literature, including the works of Shakespeare.

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Posted at: 00:02 | Permalink | Comments 188

A Mediterranean diet and regular exercise are the secrets of good health and longevity, according to two new studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

One study of more than half a million people found that a diet rich in fish, fruit and vegetables cut the risk of dying early by a fifth. In another study, those who took 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days cut their risk of dying young by more than a quarter. Both studies found that even smokers and the obese benefited from the diet and exercise.

Do you agree that a good diet and exercise are the secrets of a long and healthy life? What else is important for good health and longevity?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 90

The increasing commercialisation of childhood has fuelled a rise in bullying among British youngsters, with many targeted simply for wearing the wrong brands, damning research carried out by the National Union of Teachers has revealed.

Companies are accused of routinely hiring child and consumer psychologists to help them target children effectively, with devastating consequences ranging from obesity to depression.

The research found that about 70 per cent of children surveyed felt there was too much pressure to look perfect and wear the latest goods. Nearly a third said that how they looked made them unhappy.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 70

David Cameron has revealed himself as a staunch Unionist in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, refusing to pander to what he described as 'English Nationalism'.

The Tory party leader offered his backing to the Telegraph's Call Yourself British campaign and championed Britain's shared values and history.

While conceding that there is increasing discontent over thorny issues such as the distribution of public spending across Britain, Mr Cameron argued for the need to persevere with the Union.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 201

More than two thirds of people in England want the Union with the rest of the United Kingdom to continue and less than a fifth feel "English, not British," reveals an ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph to mark 300 years of the Acts of Union.

Asked to choose between independence, an English parliament within the Union or the status quo, just 15 percent of those polled preferred independence and only 20 percent a new English parliament. No less than 57 percent believed that Westminster should continue to legislate for England, even though Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now have devolved parliaments or assemblies of their own.

Do you feel British or do you think of yourself as, first and foremost, English, Scottish, Welsh or coming from Northern Ireland? Do you agree with Andrew Porter that the Union is the root cause of British greatness?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 392

Ministers will target parents in a new drive to boost education standards and improve children’s lives.

Millions of pounds will be earmarked for safety equipment to prevent children being injured at home as part of the Children’s Plan, which will also include advice for parents on how to get involved in school life and how to keep their children healthy.

Critics have accused the Government of persistently intruding into family life after previous policies to extend school opening hours and open waves of children’s centres failed.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 83

Led Zeppelin reform on Monday for a concert at the O2 arena, a gig so historic that 11 million people signed up for the chance to buy tickets.

Telegraph.co.uk has been celebrating the occasion by streaming classic live performances every day this week.

But are they really the best rock band of all time, as many people believe? What makes them so special? Were you a fan of the band in their heyday? Are you worried that your favourite youthful memories will be ruined by the spectacle of a group of elderly men on stage? How do you think they will have changed?

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Posted at: 11:10 | Permalink | Comments 128

New Government guidelines will tell local councils and other public bodies that translating too many documents and signs into foreign languages is hampering integration of immigrants.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has gathered examples of "unnecessary or bizarre" translation, including reports translated into languages that are not spoken in the local area and routine road signs translated in languages such as Polish.

Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, will call for a greater emphasis on teaching people to speak English.

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Posted at: 11:01 | Permalink | Comments 193

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of John Darwin, who re-appeared almost five years after he was declared dead, took a dramatic twist today when it emerged that his son has now left home leaving only a cryptic note to his girlfriend.

Have you ever dreamed of disappearing? Where would you go?

What do you think you would miss most while you were gone? How would you plan your re-appearance?

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Posted at: 17:01 | Permalink | Comments 154

High streets are quieter than a year ago with retailers reporting they have been forced to knock as much as 50 per cent off their prices, adding to the pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates today.

Kevin Hawkins, director of the British Retail Consortium, has called on the BoE not to “duck the issue” and recommended a cut now and another in early 2008 in order to avoid a hard landing in the New Year.

Are you spending less this Christmas than you did last year? Have the recent rate rises left you counting your pennies?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 58

The nine members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee face one of their toughest ever decisions tomorrow on interest rates.

The crisis that has engulfed financial markets since July has left Governor Mervyn King under huge pressure to slash interest rates from their current level of 5.75pc.

Add into the mix a slowing housing market and increasingly brittle consumer confidence, and the case to cut seems clear.

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Posted at: 06:41 | Permalink | Comments 97

British Christian traditions are being threatened by "Christianophobia" created by a "politically correct brigade", a Tory MP has warned.

Mark Pritchard, MP, who is leading a parliamentary debate on the issue today, said that he feared that Christianity could be hijacked by extremists if mainstream political parties fail to support this country's Christian tradition.

Do you agree with Mr Pritchard that British Christian traditions are being undermined? Is this the result of "political correctness"? Does "Christianophobia" actually exist and, if so, how would you define it?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 317

Over a decade after Labour came to power with the pledge of prioritising “education, education, education”, British schoolchildren have slipped down an international league table of reading, mathematics and science standards.

In reading 15-year-olds in the UK dropped from seventh in 2000 to 17th, behind countries such as Estonia and Liechtenstein. In maths, pupils fell from eighth to 24th - placing them below the international average for the first time. In science, secondary school students in the UK dropped from fourth to 14th.

The performance tables, compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, were based on independent tests taken by 400,000 secondary school pupils worldwide.

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Posted at: 12:01 | Permalink | Comments 136

Almost 2 million speeding tickets are being inflicted on motorists in England and Wales each year, because of a dramatic increase in the number of speed cameras since Labour came to power in 1997.

The data, released by the Home Office, reveals that the total sum drivers paid in fixed penalty notices for speeding fines has increased almost four-fold since 1997 to nearly £120 million.

A road safety charity defended speed cameras, though road deaths have not declined as sharply as speeding fines have increased. In 2006, 3,172 people were killed on British roads, while 3,421 died in 1998.

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 247

Ministers are to abandon proposals to hold terrorist suspects for up to 56 days without charge, after a public outcry over the planned rise from the current 28 days.

Campaigning group Liberty has been at the forefront of this and other debates where it identifies attempts by the British state to increase its powers over ordinary citizens.

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Posted at: 18:45 | Permalink | Comments 174

Some 12,700 British troops will this year spend Christmas abroad on active service, facing danger in Iraq and a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, while hundreds more man bases in Cyprus and on the Falklands Islands.

As well as spending the festive season in treacherous conditions far from home, the 7,700 troops in Afghanistan and 5,000 in Iraq are also contending with chronic Government under-funding, former heads of the military have complained.

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Posted at: 15:00 | Permalink | Comments 322

The number of British children living in poverty rose by 200,000 in 12 months, according to a new survey which highlights the Government’s failure to tackle the issue.

The report comes after it emerged that a key Government committee to cut child poverty, headed by Gordon Brown, had not met for nearly five years.

With the Government still well short of its original targets, David Cameron has labelled the Prime Minister’s methods ineffective and called for a change.

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Posted at: 07:01 | Permalink | Comments 111

Gordon Brown has launched a desperate attempt to restore Labour’s credibility after the “Donorgate” scandal, promising a major clean up of party funding.

The Conservatives have dismissed the plans as a “smokescreen” to mask the damage done to the party and former Blairite MP Brian Wilson has criticised Mr Brown’s lack of “strategic vision”, suggesting he may be approaching his “sell-by date.”

Do you think the Prime Minister can distance himself from the latest sleaze allegations or is his future now seriously in doubt?

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 151

British retailers are battling for the right to extend their opening hours on the final Sunday before Christmas to boost last-minute sales of festive food and presents.

Department stores, clothes shops and supermarkets want the Government to ease Sunday trading laws and let them stay open an extra four hours on December 23rd.

Rob Templeman, the chief executive of Debenhams, argued: “With shoppers leaving their shopping later and later every year, the 23rd is going to be a really big day. We would really like a few extra hours.”

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Posted at: 00:01 | Permalink | Comments 33