Easing world tension, new feelings of hope, and a revival of the age of gaiety - all are in the stars for next year. Nick Morrison looks at what may lie ahead.

THE omens do not look good. Even if UN inspectors fail to find evidence that Saddam Hussein is hoarding weapons of mass destruction, it seems that removing the Iraqi dictator has become a must for President Bush, even if only to ensure his re-election. War in the Middle East seems a certainty.

And the situation in Palestine is as critical, not to mention North Korea's nuclear ambitions and the continued threat from al Qaida cells, said to be scattered across the world. If ever a year had the makings of instability, it is 2003.

So it is all the more surprising that one established authority is predicting an easing of the tension which is now gripping the world, at least for the first few months of the new year.

Old Moore's Almanack, first published in 1697, bases its forecasts on the positions of the planets and boasts some notable successes in the past, including the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II and the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

And the latest edition paints a more optimistic picture than escalating world tension gives us any right to expect.

While the last few years have seen the world caught between a rock and a hard place, Old Moore says, in the first few months of 2003 this situation will ease, and in June the separation of Saturn and Pluto reduce the influences that have produced the war against terrorism. Indeed, Old Moore says that by March we will begin to sigh with relief, with a feeling of hope spreading through the world.

But beware false dawns, as among the hope lies confusion and deception, obscuring the truth, Old Moore says.

Mid-May is said to be the time of greatest instability, with signs of an era of American imperialism, although the implications of the United States extending its war against terrorism make this a fairly safe bet. Old Moore singles out drugs, water and oil as key words, connected to ill-judged conflicts and fluctuating prices. Given that oil is a key motivation in the US attitude towards Iraq, and prices are already rising with the prospect of war, this looks like a no-brainer.

Next year will see us preparing the ground for the next super-alignment of Uranus and Pluto, which you won't need reminding takes place in 2012. How we behave next year will determine whether this alignment has a positive or negative effect, although by then we may well have forgotten anyway.

Saturn in Cancer is the key to the middle of the year, meaning some "abusive penetration of national boundaries around Europe", which will probably be less painful than it sounds, but this will be accompanied by a serious economic crisis, and a major setback for the US.

Economic power will shift away from the US, says Old Moore, and towards the euro-zone, despite indications that European leaders have lost touch with their electorates, a warning which may already be too late for some quite close to home. And bad news for President Bush: October will see a decline in his power and prestige.

From mid-March, Uranus will be moving though Pisces. It doesn't sound like the fastest mover, though, with this particular alignment lasting until 2011. But the last time the world saw such a conjunction was from 1919-1928, suggesting that we could be in for a repeat of the Jazz Age, all flappers and hedonism, although hopefully without the Prohibition.

Sounds like something to get excited about. But not so fast, says Old Moore, it's not quite as straightforward as that. The 1920s may have been the age of gaiety, financial disaster and the rise of fascism, but history will not repeat itself quite so closely.

Financial problems will come at the end of the decade, not the beginning, he says, and the age of gaiety also ought to come later, although he warns of the appeal of false feelings of well-being, masking the true problems. But there could be a repeat of the 1920s feeling that anything is possible and nothing should be forbidden.

Perhaps worryingly for our beloved leaders, Old Moore sees a worldwide collapse in respect towards politicians and authority over the next year. This may be a surprise to them, but for most of us it's saying what we already know, our only quibble over whether a trend which has been underway for at least 20 years can be described as a collapse.

As far as the UK is concerned, 2003 will be a year free from major upheavals, but that doesn't mean it will be free from incident. Pluto's position means there is a serious risk of transport accidents throughout the year, but particularly in late February and early November, mainly the result of human error, although whether this is because drivers keep seeing Pluto in their rear view mirror, Old Moore doesn't say.

Those same periods will see the possibility of disruption in the education and postal system, putting a spanner in the works of plans to break up the Post Office. Rather disturbingly, late August or early September is a time for nuclear leaks, but don't despair, as those few weeks will also see the birth of a new, perhaps revolutionary, entertainment phenomenon. So while our hair is falling out and our skin peeling off, we can console ourselves with watching Celebrity Autopsy.

The outlook is not quite so cheery for Prince William's love life, where Old Moore predicts that he could be disillusioned as his quest for the ideal partner hits the buffers. Uranus in March and September points to developments on the social front for the young prince, albeit on a platonic basis, and Jupiter's transit signifies an inheritance, although whether it's the throne or not isn't clear.

But for the country's real royalty, times of change lie ahead. For David Beckham, Neptune's square to his sun, presumably a type of cross from the right, means he may be feeling unsure of his direction, and confused over his professional allegiance, so it seems now is the time for Darlington's George Reynolds to start flourishing his cheque book. Neptune's influence will also prod Becks into seeking new kinds of publicity, the conventional ones presumably suffering from exhaustion.

For wife Victoria, Saturn's influence means it will be a challenging time for her career, which is at least confirmation that it still exists, but Old Moore reckons she may welcome a period of withdrawal from the public eye, which is perhaps one of his more far-fetched observations.

* Old Moore's Almanack 2003 is available in bookshops, price £1.75