The Muslim extremist threat had previously been a vague and undefined war against the West. But in the last year Britain has reinforced its position in the eyes of the Islamic world as the major ally of the US."The company analyses business risks for a number of the US Fortune top 100 firms, as well as those in the FTSE 100.. Another former Palace employee has come forward to dispute a claim by George Smith, a royal servant, that he saw the Prince of Wales in a compromising situation. Simon Solari, who worked for Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, for 15 years, insisted Mr Smith could not have witnessed the alleged incident in a bedroom.Mr Solari said the claims were unsustainable due to the strict hierarchy of servitude among those working for the House of Windsor, and also because Prince Charles never took breakfast in bed.Mr Smith, being an assistant valet and orderly, would not have been deemed senior enough to take breakfast into a royal bedroom, said Mr Solari. Suicide bombings, either by individuals, or a vehicle packed with explosives would be relatively easy for terrorists to carry out, while delivering a psychological blow to the general public, Mr Stratton said. "It is very simple to set up and very difficult to guard against It is vital to do everything possible to combat the threat. British Muslims staged a suicide bombing in Israel earlier this year, and the country's alliance with the US has raised the risk rating for London from low to medium, the company warned.Jake Stratton, research director of the 2004 RiskMap report said: " London has become a pre-eminent terrorist target in Western Europe It is a very attractive target for Islamist extremists. A combination of these factors makes an attack on a single US city less likely than an attack on London, Control Risks says.

Britain has a large Muslim population and London is the only place of political significance in the country. London is at greater risk of attack from Islamist terrorists than Washington or New York, one of the world's leading security firms warned yesterday. Local authorities said the full 7 per cent could not be paid until the Audit Commission verified that firefighters had co-operated with agreed changes.. They can see that other public sector employees are getting less.

Teachers have received a 5.2 per cent offer phased over two years."Left-wingers assert that the employers have reneged on an agreement to pay the increase in full from 7 November. Some fire authorities have been trying to distance themselves from the decision to phase in the increase. We are also deeply unhappy, but we believe that people are capable of making up their own minds about whether a rise of 7 per cent in two stages is acceptable."Moderates think that members will accept the deal One official said: "Firefighters are not daft. But moderates in the union point out that such gatherings are often dominated by the hard left. The result of the consultative vote - which will be held by post to minimise the influence of activists at fire station meetings - should be known within the next three weeks.A union spokesman said: "We know that firefighters are unhappy. Britain's 53,000 firefighters are to vote on whether to accept a staged 7 per cent increase in wages or move to a ballot on national strikes. It is understood the Fire Brigade Union's executive decided on the consultation process to thwart more militant union members who wanted an immediate vote on stoppages.Around two thirds of fire brigades were hit by unofficial action recently, after local authorities said that firefighters would be paid 3.5 per cent from 7 November, but would have to wait until the New Year for the remaining 3.5 per cent which would be backdated.Left-wing activists had been pressing for an emergency national conference to discuss the actions of management. The Crown Prosecution Service has been consulted at length, and the Cheshire Constabulary is satisfied that no criminal offences have been committed.