It's sad, it's unfortunate - but I'm being honest about the reality of Belfast today.". The letter dropped through the door in the morning post but George, a busy shopkeeper, did not get around to opening it until lunchtime When he did, the contents astonished him. The unsigned letter was from a nationalist accusing George (not his real name) of being heavily involved in loyalist roadblocks, and announcing a Catholic boycott of his shop. It was no idle threat; nearly two weeks on and the Protestant businessman has seen his trade almost halved."My customers were about 50-50 Protestants and Catholics," said George, who lives and works in the small town of Castlederg, Co Tyrone, a few miles from the Irish Republic."Since the week of Drumcree I have had hardly any of my Catholic customers in - I reckon my trade has gone down by more than 40 per cent. At first I thought it might be down anyway because of the holiday period - but now it's clear they are staying away."George is not alone. At least seven other Protestant businessmen in the town have received the same letter - always ending "yours disappointed" - which bears the sign of an orchestrated campaign.In nearby Omagh, where a Protestant dry-cleaning business was burnt down, there was an even more ominous letter in a local Catholic newspaper. It finished: "Do not spend your money in support of Orangemen and their Orange Order. Buy only from Catholic businesses and invest in your own people - the only people who truly want full civil rights and a future for Catholics in these northern counties."It was signed "General Boycott".The word carries a heavy historical resonance in the island of Ireland, emanating from the eponymous Captain Boycott, one of the principle victims of tenant farmers withholding rent and co-operation in the last three decades of the 19th century.George, who denies helping with the loyalist roadblocks which caused disruption locally during the Drumcree siege, is shocked and bemused by its return."I thought 'boycott' was the language of the past.

I have been in business for 25 years and I have not come across this kind of thing before."The sadness is that Castlederg is not noted for actions like this - we have a good spread of people from both communities."The danger now is of Protestant retaliation. "You could see things turn the other way," said George, "and people could boycott Catholic businesses. I wouldn't like to see that - it would not be very helpful."Perhaps inevitably, some Protestants are urging a tit-for-tat severing of all ties with the Republic - a reflection of the view that the boycott is being whipped up by "outside elements".A local Ulster Unionist councillor, Derek Hussey, calls the letters "sinister" and adds: "I do believe they are part of something organised, probably from outside the area."However, Social and Democratic Labour Party councillor, Joe Byrne, from Omagh, while condemning the boycott, thinks loyalists simply do not understand the depth of Catholic feeling provoked by the week of unionist civil actions during Drumcree. These included the roadblocks, which were often tolerated by the Royal Ulster Constabulary."Basically nationalists without strong political affiliations have felt almost exasperated. They have seen that the institutions of state, such as the police, do not act even-handedly.". The Government knew that millions of pounds worth of gold was looted by the Nazis and placed in Swiss bank accounts although it has previously denied all knowledge, Jewish organisations claimed yesterday.

They believe long-secret documents just uncovered in the United States show that at least pounds 1bn which should have been returned to Jews at the end of the Second World War is still secreted away in Switzerland. Labour MP Greville Janner, who is chair of the Holocaust Education Trust and vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, said the papers are the first evidence of the whereabouts of the missing millions taken from Jewish families before and during the war.They show there was a post-war deal between Switzerland and the Allies to split the proceeds of the Nazi accounts although it is unclear whether Switzerland handed the money over.A five-page paper produced in 1946 by the Allies estimated there was $400m (pounds 260m) - at least $4bn at today's prices - of Nazi gold in Swiss banks and it was "perfectly possible" all of it was looted. British intelligence was concerned about Nazis using Swiss banks as early as October 1941 and in January 1942 the British embassy in Washington detailed movements of 21 tons of gold from Berlin to Berne.Mr Janner said: "It is an absolute certainty that there is a huge amount of money still in Swiss banks that doesn't belong to them The interest must amount to multi-millions. This was Nazi loot taken from murdered people."The development is the latest twist in decades of efforts by Jewish organisations to find out what happened to tons of gold which they claim the Nazis stole.Previous appeals by Mr Janner to the Government for information have drawn a blank. Last month, Malcolm Rifkind, the Foreign Secretary, said they knew nothing about documents concerning the funds deposited by the Nazis. "None of the intelligence agencies is aware of having such information," he said.But after the papers were uncovered by the Holocaust Education Trust in America, Mr Rifkind yesterday promised to make further inquiries.Mr Janner said they needed to see the Government's papers from the time to pursue the matter and said the previous failure to find evidence was "either culpable negligence or a cover-up".In the recently de-classified documents from the US national archives, the paper dated 2 February 1946 on Allied claims against the Swiss "for the return of looted gold" laid out detailed figures. Regular exercise can't be beaten (also good for meeting toyboys).6 Dress to kill Even M&S have brought themselves up to date.7 Watch Top of the Pops again Most of the bands on it will be your age anyway.8 Forget gardening, Monopoly and quiet nights in Relive Saturday Night Fever instead.9 If in doubt, cheat Face lifts, tummy tucks .. Everyone else does it.10. Hormone therapy - HRT or testosterone patches.Teresa Gorman swears by it.4 Desert your own generation and go out with a toyboy You're as young as the man you feel.5 Join a gym.