Martin Luther King's speech was received with rapturous applause

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The fight for racial equality in the United States moved a step closer to victory today as Martin Luther King spoke of his dream for freedom in an address to thousands of Americans.

Reverend King was greeted with rapturous applause as he delivered his heart-felt words to a 250,000-strong crowd of civil rights protesters at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.

He spoke of the need "to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice".

He promised that the struggle for equality would continue until "justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream".

Rev King, who has worked tirelessly for an end to racial discrimination through non-violent means, spoke repeatedly of his dream for equality.

"I have a dream," he said. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by their character.

"I have a dream today.

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be engulfed, every hill shall be exalted and every mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

Dr King, who is president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) first came to prominence in 1955 when he led a 382-day bus boycott in an attempt to end segregation on city buses.

Since then he has endured numerous arrests, violent harrassment and a bomb attack on his home.

But his struggle continues and it is believed today's speech will have a lasting impact on all who heard it.  

Tony Blair returned to Downing Street after over two hours of grilling

Mr Blair was giving evidence on the 11th day of the Hutton inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the apparent suicide of Dr Kelly.

The government scientist was found dead near his Oxfordshire home last month, days after it was revealed he had admitted to meeting the BBC reporter whose broadcast sparked the row.

During more than two hours of questioning, Mr Blair described the "raging storm" which erupted in the wake of the BBC story.

He called the allegations made in the report, broadcast by BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan on Radio 4's Today programme on 29 May, "extraordinarily serious".

He singled out Mr Gilligan's statement that the government "probably knew" its claim that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes was wrong.

Mr Blair said, "This was an absolutely fundamental charge... which if it were true would mean we had behaved in the most disgraceful way, and I would have to resign as prime minister."

He also said Mr Gilligan's later assertion that the prime minister's communications director, Alastair Campbell, had changed the dossier was an "attack" that "went to the heart of the office of prime minister."

Mr Blair spoke of his uncertainty over the right way to handle the issue after the Ministry of Defence press office let it be known that an unnamed official had come forward.

When asked about the later "question and answer" sheet which told MoD press officers they could confirm Dr Kelly's name if it was put to them by journalists, Mr Blair said, "I think the basic view would have been not to offer the name but on the other hand not to mislead people."

The prime minister was asked whether any concern was expressed about the pressure being placed on Dr Kelly.

"Obviously one looks back on this with a different perspective," he said, "but the best I can say is there was nothing that struck me that 'there is a problem here'". 

rapturous: feeling great rapture or delight（興高采烈的）

boycott: refuse to sponsor; refuse to do business with（聯(lián)合抵制）

segregation :a social system that provides separate facilities for minority groups（種族隔離）