ROYAL Insurance, commonly regarded as the weakest of the large composite insurers, has separated its UK life company from its general insurance business in a move that gives a substantial boost to its stated solvency margin. In an extraordinary departure from the usual official reticence on interest rates, an official declared: 'It probably has brought forward the time when British interest rates will move.' He meant downward.Nobody was fooled. AN IRAQI opposition leader said yesterday he hoped President Saddam Hussein would give the allies an excuse to attack because such a strike would help usher in the Iraqi leader's overthrow. Whether chivvying out his underworld contacts or hammering away at an ancient typewriter, Lulu brings a kind of spiritless tenacity to his work. His conscientious and apolitical father was a local GP.One of Dr MacGregor's patients was Peggy Herbison, the local Labour MP. All together: 'Stevie Bull's Fruit 'N' Veg Army.' TO ALL fans harbouring suspicions that there are snakes in the boardroom, here's proof. For example, Abboud himself admires traditional British clothing, particularly the knitwear and tweeds of the Scottish Borders.

But there would be little chance of him agreeing to synchronise action with the National Union of Mineworkers unless he smelled ministerial blood.The complications of his public life are echoed by a complex private existence. The company eventually has to limit its ambitions.Many in the venture capital community thought Mr Drummond was mad to allow the cameras access to his firm. Buckingham Palace desperately needs someone who understands how tabloid newspapers work instead of the present bunch who wring their hands at the idea of there being such things as tabloid newspapers at all. Michael likens working in a shop to being an amateur psychologist, because he tries to judge how much attention a customer wants.AGNES BCatherine Montgomery, 23, and Heston Slyfield, 22, work at Agnes B in Floral Street.

The elephant likes a drop, too, and will down three bottles for every one his master drinks.The best thing a Keralian can say about a woman is that she walks like an elephant, with an elegant sway. They believe that fluid from the backbone, unique because it is not of bone but a hollow tube of cartilage, will set them up nicely for the 22nd century and beyond.Attempts to protect the fish have been unsuccessful. OPEN DEFIANCE of South Africa's two-week-old state of emergency was on display again yesterday as 30,000 supporters of Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi's Inkatha Freedom Party turned the centre of the northern Natal town of Vryheid into a sea of knobkerries, shields and sticks. SHARES in Body Shop International were nervous all last week ahead of next this week's annual results from the politically correct retail chain created by Anita Roddick created. Staples and Halpin decided to catch an early flight to Dublin for an Ireland squad training session. Portables figured prominently in the two companies' new line-ups and many others are now offering inexpensive machines.To complete the mobile package, excellent 'use anywhere', small printers are available, with Citizen, Kodak and Canon producing the best known. He seized the opportunity to learn all he could about the game and about other racket sports played there.The young Dan soaked up the atmosphere and eventually joined the ranks of teaching professionals.

With seven short, ferocious pieces on the programme, the temperature started high and rose steadily. I do not whistle as the opposition kicker prepares to go for goal and I do not even sing the national anthem. It was all tacitly accepted and no one dreamt that they would ever have to pay for it. His life is more complicated, more interesting shall we say, than anyone else I know.During Zeppelin I saw them hundreds of times and it cost me a fortune. Most of it is owed to French banks - mainly the recently privatised BNP and Banque Indosuez.