P558ORACLE 558 Mon 3 Feb C4 9703:13   1/3      with Simon Hardeman HI THERE, HALLEY! The shuttle disaster has turned attention away from the flgtilla of probes heading towards Halley's comet. But today the American Pioneer 12 will pass withing 24 million miles of it ─ the closest a US craft will get. That doesn't compare too well with the Euro-probe Giotto (due to get within 300 miles) but Pioneer was not intended as a comet-studier. Launched in 1978 to look at Venus, it was re-aligned by NASA to make comet observations. more > Kids index 550 Tea time quiz 559 Barclaycard Theatre Guide *** 231

P558ORACLE 558 Mon 3 Feb C4 1701:20   2/3      with Simon Hardeman BARKING UP THE RIGHT TREE? This week may be of immense importance to the future of countless plants, creatures ─ and, possibly, Man. The first-ever environmental summit (top level meeting) between the world's rich and poor countries takes place in Paris during the next few days. Half the world's rainforests have already been destroyed and, if the clearance rate continues, they will ALL disappear in our lifetime ─ forever altering the ecological balance of the Earth ─ with potentially cataclysmic consequences. more > Kids index 550 Tea time quiz 559

P558ORACLE 558 Mon 3 Feb C4 1701:07   3/3      with Simon Hardeman SHELLING OUT Stealing birds eggs used to be almost an accepted prank, like scrumping. But today, with so many rare species around, it is a crime against nature that could cost you a lot. One person has just been fined £500 (and made to pay another £84) for taking, possesing, and destroying various eggs in Hampshire. So remember it's a lekal crime even if you manage to forget that egg stealing is an environmental crime. more > Kids Index - 407 Tea Time Quiz - 559 CARS FOR SALE 496 RECRUITMENT 498  PROPERTY FOR SALE 497