Mouth cancer, also known as oral cancer, is uncommon, but cases have risen by 20 per cent in the past three decades. It affects twice as many men as women.

High blood pressure is far more common, with about 12 million sufferers in the UK, about 7 million of whom are diagnosed.

Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, stated the campaign was being launched “to alert people that it is not just binge drinkers who damage their health”.

David Cameron has recently indicated that he might back a minimum alcohol price in England to deter excess consumption, overruling the advice of Mr Lansley, who believes the move would have tiny impact.

In 2009, Prof Sir Liam Donaldson, the then chief medical officer, called for a 50p-a-unit minimum price. However, this idea was quickly quashed by Gordon Brown, then Prime Minister, who stated he did not want to “punish the sensible majority”.

Health officials are now understood to be analyzing schemes which could prevent the sale of alcohol at under 40p or 50p a unit in shops and supermarkets.

Scotland is currently proposing a minimum alcohol price of about 45p a unit.

This which would mean a bottle of own-brand gin with about 37.5 per cent alcohol content would go up from £6.95 to £11.85, and a bottle of cheap wine would rise from about £3.75 to £4.20.

Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Tour operator packages also fall in this period – you could anticipate a seven-night Majorca package for a family of four, for example, to be reduced by more than £700 for departures on August 25.

Alternatively, you might think about traveling during the Whitsun half-term week (this year it falls in the first week of June). Prices will be lower than peak rates, yet temperatures can still make it a good time to travel to the Mediterranean (though you will probably need a heated pool). A seaside villa in Sicily, sleeping four, will cost £880 per week, compared to the peak price of £1,180. Flights and automobile hire will also be better value.

Other tips for slicing bills include traveling in midweek, at early-morning or late-night times when flights and ferry fares are cheaper (compare prices on fare-search sites such as aferry.co.uk and skyscanner.co.uk). It’s also worth booking your travel well in advance as fares will rise as the summer approaches.

You could think about sharing a massive self-catering property with another family, staying in a less popular area, self-driving rather than hiring a automobile and, if you want to avoid the high costs of eating out, booking an all-inclusive package. That way, at least you will be able to control your budget more easily once you are there.

I have traveled to the north coast of Tenerife previously, but am interested in going west of Santa Cruz. Do you know if there are any reasonably priced hotels on this part of the island?

Mongolia is a country that holds a special fascination for me. Can you suggest a low-cost group tour on which I could travel?

We want to book a villa in the Naples area of Florida in January next year. Can you suggest good websites for checking what is available?

I want to explore Vietnam and China for three weeks to a month. But can you tell me how simple it might be to travel between these countries?

It’s actually relatively simple to travel from China to Vietnam by rail but unfortunately it means that you will not have much time in each country. If this is important to you, my advice would be to focus on one destination at a time.

Football fans always find plenty to bet on when the Super Bowl draws near. This year’s huge daddy of football games is no exception.

Will the New York Giants win or the New England Patriots?

Will Eli Manning steal fan’s hearts? Or will those prayers reportedly issued for Tom Brady — thanks to an email request from his supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen — make him the hero of Super Bowl 2012?

But this year’s betting game is taking on new dimensions thanks to the presence of two uncommon forces: Madonna and Elton John.

The Material Girl is slated to perform three old hits and one new tune during the halftime show for Super Bowl XLVI. The gig is causing the seasoned performer some pre-game jitters.

“I have to state in over 25 years of performing that I have done, I have never worked so hard or been so scrupulous or detail-oriented or freaked out as much as I have maintaining my sanity and trying to make the most astonishing show for the Super Bowl,” the superstar told hundreds of reporters at a news conference on Thursday ahead of the game.

Madonna has partnered with a creative team from Cirque du Soleil, Jamie King, and multimedia artists from Moment Factory, to create a signature performance for the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show.

To pull it off, the singer told People Magazine that she did lots of cardio.

“I’m doing a combination of Pilates, dance cardio, things like that, jump rope,” stated Madonna. “I want people to be knocked out of their seats from beginning to end,” she said.

Of course, Sir Elton might have something to state about Madonna’s intentions.

Last month John and his husband, David Furnish, slammed Madonna after she won a Golden Globe for Best Song. The honour was awarded for the song “Masterpiece,” from Madonna’s most recent directorial effort, “W.E.”

Madonna beat out “Hello Hello,” Elton’s song from “Gnomeo and Juliet,” an animated motion picture he also produced.

Shortly after that testy exchange, Elton took another swipe at Madonna’s Super Bowl preparations. “Make sure you lip-sync good,” Sir Elton cheekily advised Madonna, during an appearing on “Good Morning America.”

Super Showdown still in the works

Madonna’s performance will be watched by millions of people around the world.

In 2011, for example, The Green Bay Packers’ 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Texas drew a U.S. TV audience of 111 million, topping the 2010 final tally by nearly 5 million, according to data released by broadcaster Fox.

Sir Elton will also be vying for U.S. viewers’ attentions thanks to his presence in a Pepsi ad that will run during the game.

In an exclusive screening on Friday on CTV’s Canada AM, the ad featured the singer in a golden crown and the resplendent attire of a king. As King Elton presides over his court, refusing to give anyone a taste of his Pepsi, a young wench enters the room (“X Factor” winner Melanie Amaro) and sings up a storm.

“All right, Pepsi for you,” Sir Elton concedes.

“No. Pepsi for all,” Amaro replies before she turfs the sulky monarch out of the room.

The ad is humorous and cheeky. But whether it will become the king of all Super Bowl ads remains to be seen.

“Celebrities in ads can be risky, stated Susan Krashinsky, a marketing editor with The Globe and Mail, on the Friday edition of CTV’s Canada AM.

“The talent fees can be astronomical,” stated Krashinsky.

“In fact, the most effective ads in the recent past have been ones with great concepts,” she said.

Those ads, of course, have been a point of contention for Canadian fans. The ads are not seen on Canadian TV.

Some advertisers are bucking that trend in 2012.

For the first time, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will be airing the same commercial in Canada that it does in the United States.

Hyundai has also created its first ad specifically for the Canadian Super Bowl broadcast.

Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd. is also one of the few companies that has created a spot just for the Super Bowl in Canada.

Thanks to the Internet, Canadians can see some of this year’s ideal commercials before the game begins.

Some of the most noteworthy include “The Dog Strikes Back,” this year’s follow-up to the most popular spot from last year by Volkswagen,” and Honda’s ad for the CR-V featuring Matthew Broderick à la Ferris Bueller in a spot called “Matthew’s Day Off.”

All these amusements should entertain fans far and wide — except for Sir Elton’s husband, Furnish.

According to TMZ, Furnish told reporters he would not be watching Madonna’s halftime show as he left L.A.’s Red O restaurant earlier this week.

Furnish insisted that it was “nothing personal.” He just doesn’t watch football.

Protesters wearing white ribbons and holding placards reading ‘Russia Without Putin!’ and ‘For Free Elections’ are marching to a square across the river from the Kremlin where a rally will be held.

Saturday’s crowd appeared to be even larger than two similar rallies held in December, despite temperatures plunging to -20C.

The previous rallies – the second of which drew 120,000 people, according to organisers – were the biggest in Russia since the protests 20 years ago that paved the way to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The authorities have sanctioned Saturday’s march, even though they had rejected the organisers’ earlier request to gather just outside the Kremlin.

‘So many of us have come that they can’s arrest all of us,’ stated 56-year old protester Alexander Zelensky.

He and his wife, Alyona Karimova, stated they had begun preparations to emigrate to Canada in the fall, but then changed their minds and decided to stay in the hope that the nation will eventually move toward democracy.

‘This is going to be a gradual process, but we believe it will eventually lead to democracy and free elections,’ Karimova said.

Protesters, many bundled in fur coats against the cold, chanted ‘Putin, go away!’ and ‘Russia without Putin!’ Communists and nationalists also joined the protest, waving huge flags.

The protests in December were triggered by evidence of fraud in favour of Putin’s party in December’s parliamentary election. Putin has ignored the demands for a repeat election, but he has sought to assuage the mostly urban middle class protesters’ anger by making vague promises of liberalisation.

Putin also has sought to consolidate his core support group of blue-collar workers, farmers, public servants and the elderly with frequent meetings with pre-selected groups of people, which received lavish prime-time coverage on state-controlled nation-wide tv stations.

On Saturday, Putin’s backers gathered across town in an apparent attempt to demonstrate a big public support for his course, but the rally only drew about 15,000.

Municipal workers, union activists and instructors who showed up there stated they came of their own will, but some admitted they had been asked by authorities to attend.

Sometimes, the rules lead to huge gains.

First Energy, a utility based in Ohio, got such a boost Thursday, a week after the company announced it would close six coal-fired plants, blaming new federal rules aimed at slowing emissions of mercury and other toxins.

Without these plants, electricity prices in parts of Ohio dominated by First Energy are expected to almost double at a power auction scheduled for May.

The reason: There will now be a smaller fleet of power plants available to meet potential power needs. This smaller supply means the price to coax companies like First Energy to make their plants available will rise.

Julien Dumoulin-Smith, an analyst at UBS, predicted rates would rise from $126 for every megawatt available per day to $200. For the 8,000 megawatts of power plant capacity owned by First Energy in the region, that would be an extra $216 million for the year covered by the auction.

Jonathan Arnold, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, stated there is a chance prices could approach $500, which would be an enormous windfall for First Energy.

First Energy shares rose 3.3 percent Thursday on a day in which the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell slightly.

Electric utilities have complained about a raft of new and tightening environmental standards. They argue that the rules are too stringent and that utilities are not being granted enough time to prepare for them

The rules address several environmental issues: Emissions of toxins harmful to human health, pollutants that lead to smog and acid rain, the amount of water used to cool plants and disposal of power plant waste products.

Utilities argue that the cost of complying with the rules is too high, that electric power supplies could be constrained in certain regions and that electricity bills will rise.

What they do not generally say, however, is that the rules can lead to higher earnings in some cases.

Electric utilities are regulated differently in every state, so the way utilities can benefit differs too. Here’s how:

_ In states where power prices are set by market forces, fewer plants means lower electricity supply, and higher prices. Companies that have plants that comply with the new rules stand to benefit from higher prices. First Energy has nuclear and modernized coal plants that meet the new standards.

_ In states that are regulated, utilities have to ask public utilities commissions for permission to install new equipment or build new plants. But the utilities are granted to earn a higher return on these big-ticket investments than they are for selling power to customers. To the extent that the new environmental regulations grant regulated utilities to build new equipment, they will likely lead to higher earnings.

But some companies will suffer. For example, utilities in unregulated states that have to pay for upgrades themselves and can’t benefit from higher prices will not be able to offset the cost of the equipment. Similarly, if say regulators refuse to grant utilities in their say to pass the cost of the upgrades or new plants to customers, those companies could suffer too.

The industry also argues that higher prices could also lead to lower power demand and profit.

First Energy chose to close plants that likely would have been unable to operate under the new rules on toxins. These plants are generally older and inefficient, so installing emissions control equipment would have cost the company too much money. These plants were already seldom used, so by closing them the company does not stand to lose much revenue from the small amount of power they generated.

But in the markets First Energy operates, plants earn money two ways: by selling power, and by making power plants available for use during peak periods, even if they are never actually needed.

With the closure of four plants in Ohio, there will be less power available to meet demand. That is expected to drive prices for capacity higher.

“First Energy’s nuclear plants and baseload coal plants with environmental controls are the primary beneficiaries of the EPA rules,” states Hugh Wynne, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein.

Power prices have been driven lower in recent years by low natural gas prices, which in many markets set the price of electricity. Because of this, prices for capacity have become more important to company earnings.

Customers in northern Ohio will pay higher prices than they otherwise would have in the coming years. The final prices they pay, however, will depend on several other factors, including the price of coal, the price of natural gas, and power demand.

The new in-depth research on 72 patients found genetic damage to the bladders of 17 people – including three patients who developed full-blown cancer.

The proportion of patients who had suffered DNA damage may be significant, because such changes can cause mutations which in turn lead to cancer.

Orthopaedic consultants in Bristol who undertook the study stated they hope to present the results to other surgeons next month.

Their study was launched after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) warned that all 40,000 Britons with “metal-on-metal” devices should undergo annual checks, with scans and blood tests if physicians find symptoms that suggest metal leakage.

A type of device made by one company, DePuy – a subsidiary of global health giant Johnson & Johnson – which was received by nearly 10,000 patients was taken off the market in 2010 because of concerns about its high failure rate.

One of the participants in the trial, David Jose, 51, from Clifton, near Bristol, had a hip “resurfacing” operation in 2007, a year before retiring as a police officer.

The dad of two had been suffering hip pain from playing football and rugby.

In May last year he was told that the tests had found atypical cells which were not at this stage cancerous.

He saw Angus Maclean, an orthopaedic surgeon at Southmead Hospital involved in the study, who stated that the trial had established three cases in which patients had developed bladder cancer, and 14 more including Mr Jose who had changes to their chromosomes.

The physician told him researchers “could not believe” what had been found, describing the findings as “shocking”.

He stated he was anticipating the research to “make front page news”, when it was published in a couple of months’ time. Nine months on, the findings have not been published.

Mr Jose, who now suffers from a host of unexplained health problems has now undergone further procedures which have established that so far he does not have bladder cancer.

However, he remains in fear about the consequences of the cell changes, and is desperate to have the device removed.

He said: “I do not know what this thing is doing to me; that is what is frightening, the fact that this is all unknown.”

Mr Maclean stated he could not speak about the study, except to state that he hoped the findings would be presented next month, at the annual British Hip Society conference.

A spokesman for the University of Bristol, which is running the study, stated analysis of the results from the trial was still ongoing, and that the research would be peer reviewed and published.

The MHRA stated there was no evidence of an increased incidence of cancer among people with metal-on-metal replacement hips.

A spokesman for DePuy stated that since the recall decision, the company had worked to provide patients and surgeons with the information and support they needed.

Metal-on-metal implants were introduced in the UK in the 1990s when they were promoted as offering better mobility than replacements which use a metal ball and plastic socket.

They were seen as a better option for younger patients, who were likely to be more active and put more pressure on the joint.

The problems have been found to affect people of all ages but studies have found young and petite women are particularly at risk.

“I had a burning desire to see black people presented on tv in a positive light,” stated Cornelius.

Cornelius created Soul Train in 1970, with just $400. He hosted the hugely popular music and dance show for more than two decades. It was must-see TV for the latest fashion trends, innovative dance moves and black music hits.

Ralph Herndon is a pianist with the Choral Arts Society of Washington. He has fond memories of the show.

“Soul Train was like having a party at your house every Saturday. Something that our black youth had to look forward to, something they could identify with,” stated Herndon.

Soul Train helped to propel the musical careers of giants such as Michael Jackson, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye. The weekly show was the first TV program specifically geared towards African Americans.

By the time it went off the air in 2003 Soul Train had become one of the longest-running syndicated shows in U.S. tv history. Cornelius hosted the show until 1993. Herndon stated the TV icon helped so many recording artists.

“We probably would not have come this far had it not been for Don Cornelius and Soul Train being a catapult for a lot of black artists,” stated Herndon.

Other Soul Train fans concur and state Cornelius introduced the music of black Americans to the world, and to their fellow Americans.

“I’m Don Cornelius and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul.”

“Cereal in the cupboard. Bread by the toaster. Oh, and put the kettle on while you’re over there.”

Clunk. And back down to earth we crashed. We wouldn’t be going down to breakfast because while we were ensconced in five-star luxury, it was five-star self-catering luxury. Cancel the kedgeree; Coco Pops anyone? Oh. That’s a bit of a downer.

It was an simple mistake to make, lulled as were into a false sense of escapism by the sheer sumptuousness of Bruern Holiday Cottages, near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, which advertise themselves as the sine qua non of upper-crust self catering.

There are 12 cottages, accommodating anything from two to 11 people, which have been refurbished from a variety of ancient and venerable outbuildings – stables, byres, the carriage house, an old mill – built to accommodate the horses and grooms of 18th-century Bruern Abbey, which stands nearby. To one side of the extensive garden lies a dinky – but exceptionally good – spa, called Spa@The Stables, where I had one of the ideal massages of my life. There is also a naturally lit indoor heated pool to be shared by guests: here our kids immediately made friends with twins (one each, mercifully, so no bickering).

Situated just by the spa was the communal play area, kitted out with enough paraphernalia to cover dawn until dusk; child-sized croquet sets and tennis racquets, tractors and dumper trucks to pedal, swings, slides and the sort of fully furnished, two-storey wooden Wendy house that could turn even Christopher Robin into an illegal squatter. In case of inclement weather, or indolent teenagers, there was also a dedicated playroom, with a couch for lounging, games, a tv and DVD and even a piano.

But while it was fun to wander, ideal of all was our private walled garden. At the far end, tastefully screened from view, was another, private tiny play area which we theoretically shared with a nearby cottage, but in practice had to ourselves, which meant grown-ups could have a five-star lie-in knowing the offspring were safe and keeping themselves amused.

What made Bruern really special was the fact that our honey-stoned cottage, a former barn, had its own orchard of characterful old apple and pear trees. And seen in autumn, when we visited, Keats could have hardly contained himself at the generous fruitfulness.

It was possible to order gourmet ready meals in advance, and the first night we arrived we tucked into lasagne and baked chocolate and raspberry tart, and thereafter made inroads into what was a trencherman’s welcome basket, including eggs, milk, biscuits, tea, coffee, chocolates and a bottle of champagne (which, I felt, once the bubbles kicked in, easily hiked the weekend up to six-star).

The weather was so glorious it did feel as though we’d stumbled on, at the very least, a microclimate and I could fully comprehend why an extended family might take a cottage or two here for a week or even a full fortnight in the summer rather than schlepping young kids and elderly relatives abroad. Providing they brought their own Michelin-starred chef to maintain standards in the kitchen, of course.

Although I was genuinely reluctant to leave my walled sun trap, I was persuaded to go on outings to Burford, where the kids fed the ducks dabbling in the River Windrush, and then picked up the most wonderful booty in the (top-notch) charity shops while my husband browsed in the butcher’s.

But I made sure our final afternoon was spent pretending we were to the manor (or, more appropriately, to the barn) born.

After attempting to scale any bough in our orchard which lent itself to climbing, the girls set about collecting windfalls and picking the ripest fruit on low branches so we could make an enormous Bruern apple crumble. It was, we agreed, a delicious end to our unforgettable taste of fine living.

Holiday cottage bargains for half term

Sheepskin (01865 764087; sheepskinlife.com) has a small collection of well-sited and smartly decorated properties, chiefly in Wales and the West Country. Some have 10 per cent off at half term, including the handsome Georgian Great House in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, the tiny coastal town where the poet Dylan Thomas once lived. It sleeps up to 10 and has two sitting rooms plus a tv or DVD lounge, a grand dining room and a well-equipped kitchen. A week’s stay costs £1,612 or £269 per person for a group of six, arriving on February 10, or £2,329 (£233 per person) based on 10 sharing for the same week.

Huhne, who will continue to serve in parliament with the Liberal Democrat party, will appear in court later this month to face a criminal charge of perverting the course of justice.

The charge follows an eight-month police investigation into an allegation that Huhne persuaded his now ex-wife, economist Vicky Pryce, to accept a speeding penalty on his behalf in 2003, to avoid a driving ban.

Pryce, who is also charged with the same offence, split from Huhne in 2010 after he was exposed as having an affair with his public relations adviser, Carina Trimingham.

A police inquiry was launched after Pryce was interviewed by The Sunday Times newspaper last year and alleged that Huhne had asked someone else to take the rap for the 2003 speeding offence, as he feared losing his diving licence.

Huhne, who was energy and climate change secretary, denies any wrongdoing. In a letter sent to Cameron tendering his resignation, he stated he would ‘mount a robust defence’ against the criminal charges.

‘I am innocent of these charges and I intend to fight this in the courts and I am confident a jury will agree,’ Huhne told reporters on Friday.

Cameron confirmed Huhne’s fellow Liberal Democrat, Ed Davey, 46, would take over the position handling the climate change and energy ministry.

Davey had been a junior minister in the business department since 2010, responsible for the country’s postal service and consumer affairs. However, Cameron’s office insisted that did not signal there would be a new, pro-business approach toward the climate brief.

A lawmaker since 1997, Davey was honoured by Britain’s Royal Humane Society in 1994 after he rescued a woman from the path of an oncoming train at London’s Clapham Junction – one of the country’s busiest railway stations.

Greenpeace director John Sauven stated Huhne’s successor, Davey, was the right man for the climate change role.

‘Given his strong track record in Parliament in voting for tougher climate change laws and stricter pollution controls for power stations, we are optimistic that he will be a robust and passionate advocate for the green agenda,’ Sauven said.

The reshuffle marks another unplanned change to Cameron’s cabinet, after Liberal Democrat David Laws stepped down in 2010 over an allowances row and following the dramatic departure of Defence Secretary Liam Fox, who resigned last year after a furore over a close friend who had posed as an aide.

Prosecutors stated the offence Huhne and Pryce face carries a maximum sentence of life in jail, even though those convicted typically face much more lenient punishments.

They were married for 26 years and had three kids and two step-children together. The ex-couple is scheduled to appear at a London court on February 16.

The case relates to a speeding offence committed as a automobile used by the couple traveled from Stansted Airport, near London, to Huhne’s home in Clapham, south London in 2003, when Huhne was a member of the European Parliament.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who defeated Huhne to become Liberal Democrat leader in 2007, stated in a letter that he hoped his colleague would return to a key role in government ‘as soon as possible’. The Liberal Democrats are the junior member in Britain’s coalition government.