1.   A number of people said they had seen the stolen van earlier in the day.

2.   A similar number said a further increase in court fees would make them more reluctant to litigate.

3.   A number of MPs said they would continue to support Mr Clarke because they were strongly opposed to possible successors from the right wing of the party.

4.   Also, a larger number of manufacturers said they plan to increase hiring, marketing spending, and production in the next three months, the report found.

5.   Although a number of students said they continued to feel friendly toward the American people, they were keeping their distance for now.

6.   An increasing number of lawyers say they are full- or part-time animal law specialists interested in testing the boundaries of established legal principles.

7.   And a growing number of critics say the practice is unfair because it favors drug kingpins over small-time peddlers.

8.   An increasing number of investors say Gerstner can do it.

9.   And a number of consultants said money managers had lost accounts because of recent poor performance.

10.   And a number of travel agents said their corporate clients had called to express concern about the need to send employees aloft in commuter planes.