But if they did they would face international opprobrium, and the risk of trade sanctions from the US.. Britain's first ever "granny creche", where people can leave elderly relatives, is due to open in Oxford this summer. Employees of the Radcliffe Hospital NHS Trust can leave grandparents in a "stimulating environment" with art classes, cookery, memory strategies and indoor hockey. There will also be outings to Blenheim Palace, shopping centres and pubs. The trust is running a pilot scheme with 20 places in an adapted day unit staffed by nurses and occupational therapists. When the idea was first suggested by the occupational department it was "greeted with delight" by carers and their relatives, said Mike Fleming, the director of personnel.

The great majority of its 39 member nations are now opposed to whaling and have no interest at all in what little remains of a once great industry, but the original aims of the commission and the treaty underpinning it remain in force. James Martin-Jones of the Worldwide Fund for Nature said: "It's a dramatic development and a very welcome one."Britain sold the last of its whaling ships and its IWC quotas to the Japanese in the late 1950s because stocks were so low that the industry was no longer profitable.The IWC was founded 50 years ago to exploit whales rationally, but it failed dismally. But the ministry had no explanation of what makes whales so special. Its change of policy is based on public and cross-party opinion.The United States, New Zealand and Australia have made similar declarations in recent years Yesterday wildlife groups were surprised and delighted.

But Britain will still vote against any resumption at IWC meetings. "Commercial whaling is opposed by the vast majority of our citizens and by Parliament," said Mr Baldry.His announcement follows a year long review involving the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAFF), the Foreign Office and the Department of the Environment."We've decided to make our stance more explicit," said a MAFF official. Even if whales can be humanely hunted without any threat to their populations, the UK will always oppose any slaughter of the huge marine mammals by other nations, said fisheries minister Tony Baldry. The moratorium on commercial whaling is 10 years old this year, but two nations - Japan and Norway - continue to kill hundreds of minke whales every year in Antarctic waters and the North East Atlantic.At next month's annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Aberdeen the two countries will be arguing that stocks have now recovered and management techniques improved to the point where commercial whaling is acceptable and the moratorium should be lifted.For years, Britain's opposition had been based on the low state of the stocks following decades of over-exploitation, the cruelty of techniques such as explosive harpoons and electric lances, and defects in the management of whaling.Whalers might soon be able to counter all those objections. "I think it will be ugly," said a senior diplomat.Edited text of report, page 9. The Government yesterday said it was morally opposed to any resumption of commercial whaling.

It is the first time it has declared an entire order of animals to be totally off-limits for exploitation by humanity. "I think it was a scandal," he added, "that they were permitted into the camp without [the UN] letting us know about it."The Security Council meeting broke up with no agreement yesterday and will resume this morning to consider a resolution drafted by Lebanon which criticises Israel and demands compensation. Already 42 per cent of the over-65s report they are suffering from a limiting long-term illness, so the demand for care is going to rise dramatically.A recent survey showed that two in three expect family and friends to look after them should they become dependent But traditional care is declining. Divorce, increased mobility, working women, a reduction of family ties and, perhaps, an increased awareness of self and selfish needs have reduced the supply of family help.The Government, realising that it can no longer afford to foot an open- ended bill, especially with a declining tax-paying workforce, is looking more and more to insurance for long-term care as the answer.The insurance industry uses a chilling set of initials, ADLs, to calculate when the benefits pay out begins on any long-term care ADLs are the "activities of every day living". The big six are considered to be walking, dressing, feeding, using the toilet, mobility and transferring from bed to chair.