THE FUTURE of James Boyle as Radio 4's controller will be bolstered this week by new listening figures showing that the station has recovered from its apparent reverses of earlier last year.

PLANS BY Sotheby's to steal a march on rivals with the first major auctions in Britain through the Internet have angered art and antique dealers.

Terrified of displaying your treasures? You don't need to be.

AN ANTIQUES dealer who police believe raided the homes of up to 400 pensioners, escaping with valuables worth pounds 6m, was jailed for seven years.

STYLE GURUS predict that 1999 is the year that we will gravitate towards unusual, one-off or hand-crafted home furnishings. This is all very well but, by their very nature, such items are hard to track down. Antiques fit the bill perfectly, but if you lack the patience to trawl the countryside then "The Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair" is a great way to gain an overview of what's available.

AUTHORITIES IN Pakistan are threatening to take action against Jemima Khan, wife of the country's cricketing legend Imran Khan, over the alleged smuggling of antique tiles.

On the street: In Ely, Cambridgeshire, older shoppers have to look elsewhere for smart, warm clothes, as Hannah Hunter discovers

"THE WINTER Olympia is like an exclusive store," says Victoria Borwick, director of Olympia Winter Fine Art and Antiques Fair. "While luxurious items - from spectacular jewellery to elegant furniture - appeal to the serious collectors and buyers, other visitors appreciate the choice, particularly of decorative pieces, either for themselves or as gifts."

Many households are not adequately covered for their antiques. Tim Collison reports

Alan Borg has been director of the Victoria & Albert Museum for three years.

Roger Cook returns next week with a bold inquiry into art fraud. Tim Dowling investigates

AN ANTIQUES dealer who is nearing the end of a life sentence in jail for murdering his wife was yesterday handed back his retirement nest egg - a collection of rhino horns that is expected to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds.

You'll need deep pockets to afford most of the items on sale at the Olympia Fine Arts and Antiques Fair - or you could just go window shopping.

I HAD TO go up to London the other day and who should I bump into but my old friend Adrian Wardour-Street? Adrian, as you may know, is the doyen of British PR.