Union leaders expressed dismay at the development which they promised to challenge

Union leaders expressed dismay at the development, which they promised to challenge. Neil Derrick, from GMB Yorkshire Region, said: "We are studying the position and our pension experts are exploring the terms and conditions of employment of GMB members and the pension fund trust deed to see what scope for action we have in the courts." An estimated 89% of all final salary schemes are currently in deficit, faced with collective shortfalls of £130 billion - of which around £40 billion are spread among FTSE 100 Index companies. It does not impact on 15,000 deferred pensioners who have left Rentokil or the 8,000 pensioners already being paid. Rentokil's proposal for tackling its £349 million deficit is still subject to "comprehensive consultation" but could affect around 3,000 current employees. And if it is your emotional welfare that requires tending, you can talk through your problems with our agony aunt, Virginia Ironside Bidding was at a bargain £250 last night.. Pension experts predicted today that other large firms could follow Rentokil Initial's lead and close final salary schemes to existing members.

The forecast came after the support services company became the first FTSE 100 Index business to propose shutting its scheme to current members, freezing their guaranteed pension benefits at the level they have already built up. Around one in 10 smaller companies are so far thought to have made a similar move, although a much larger number of firms have moved to control rising pension costs by closing final salary schemes to new employees. Our gardening columnist Anna Pavord's offer of expert advice on transforming your garden currently stands at £1,950, as opposed to £3,500 last year. With only three days to go until the hammer goes down on The Independent Christmas auction, bidding is getting serious. The two most popular lots are a trip to the Tower of London with Tracey Emin, at £3,600 last night, and a lunchtime lecture and questions with Robert Fisk on Islam and the West, for up to 12 people in The Independent's boardroom (£3,000 yesterday evening) But there are still bargains to be had. Ask Isabelle NamachaNa for her favourite vegetable and you receive an unusual answer for an 11-year-old. She screws her face into a grin and says: "Spinach - I like the taste." In this part of western Kenya, where Aids has seriously affected the adult population, carrots, aubergines and spinach are the latest tools in tackling malnutrition among thousands of orphans and thousands more patients with HIV.. As part of the move towards democracy, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced on 17 December that he would abdicate in favour of his son, Crown Prince Dasho Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, in 2008.The monarch, 49, whose four wives are all sisters and who is known as the Dragon King, has ruled Bhutan since 1972..

Bhutan, which has a population of just 650,000, relies on India for protection but has been holding talks with the Chinese since 1984 in an attempt to clarify the border between the two countries.Bhutan, which in 1999 became the last country in the world to introduce television, is preparing for its first elections in 2008. Under the agreement, the Chinese promised to "fully respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bhutan"."There are chances that the Chinese might build more roads further into our territory and gradually claim the land as theirs since they have their roads on our territory," said one unnamed member of the Tshogdu."Bhutan is a small country with limited land so even if we lose a small area, it would be a big problem for our future generations and it also has implications on our country's sovereignty," said another.When Bhutan first protested to China about the road-building in July, Beijing told the Bhutanese that they were "over-reacting" and that the roads were being constructed as part of the economic development of western China. Last month, Bhutan's only newspaper, the government-run Kuensel, reported that lawmakers were claiming that China had violated a 1998 agreement by building new roads. "The number of people coming across the border to collect cordyceps mushrooms has greatly increased over the past few years," said one member of Bhutan's National Assembly, the Tshogdu, in the nation's capital Thimphu. "We would be grateful if, between April and August, the government can provide security personnel along the border."The mushrooms, which are also known as the "caterpillar fungus", have become increasingly popular in the west Numerous websites in the US sell Cordyceps supplements.

The two countries have no diplomatic ties but share a disputed 285-mile border which has been closed since 1960, when thousands of Tibetans fled to Bhutan to avoid a brutal crackdown by Beijing.Melting glaciers in the passes along the border have recently made it easier for Tibetans to slip into Bhutan. Lawmakers from the tiny mountain kingdom between India and Tibet claim that Tibetans are crossing into Bhutan to harvest Cordyceps mushrooms, which are prized for their qualities as an aphrodisiac and which can sell for up to £4,000 a kilogram. The fungi furore follows protests from Bhutan that China is encroaching on its territory by building roads inside the country. Bhutan has accused China of allowing gangs of mushroom thieves to cross the disputed border between the two countries illegally in search of rare and exotic fungi. Unidentified officials in Iraq, told Associated Press yesterday that Rihab Taha, dubbed "Dr Germ", and Huda Salih Ammash, known as "Mrs Anthrax", were among 25 former senior officials from Saddam's regime released from detention over the weekend..