Marked man: Huhne arrives for sentencing last Monday at Southwark Crown Court

Friends of jailed ex-minister make claim ahead of court hearing to settle costs of his trial

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High-fliers chill out in the big top

How many of us have dreamed of leaving work behind and running off to join the circus? Most of us, if we're honest, have our own customised escapist fantasies, but few have the courage - some would say the stupidity - to carry it through.

Six disasters; 368 people dead; no successful prosecutions. Now the Government acts

A new offence of corporate killing is being planned by the Government to prosecute directors of companies where people died as a result of failures at the top. Colin Brown, Chief Political Correspondent, says the Home Secretary is certain to introduce legislation.

Crash fail-safe `not working'

A fail-safe system that should have prevented Friday's Southall train crash, which killed six people and injured more than 160, was fitted but may not have been working properly, Railtrack admitted last night.

Urban warriors get on their 'peds

Retro scooters are for softies. South London's black youth have adopted the modern moped, all curves and chrome, and made it hip, says Howard Byrom

Horse trials: Watson holds world's best at bay

Horse trials

Signal fault 'another Clapham'

A Richard Branson Virgin Trains express was almost involved in a repeat of the Clapham rail disaster last week.

CRIME Drugs policy should be revised

Two-thirds of expenditure on tackling the drug problem is spent on law enforcement and one-third on prevention, education and treatment, according to a report published today by the Penal Affairs Consortium.

Taste of English beer to pull the Peking crowds

China's capital is to get its first taste of an authentic pub. Teresa Poole reports

'Wicked' prostitute jailed for life

A prostitute was sentenced to custody for life at the Old Bailey yesterday for murdering a wealthy banker who tape-recorded his own horrific death.

With my help Mr Hamilton's victory is assured

The Agreeable World of Wallace Arnold

Theatre: Kind Hearts and Coronets Palace Theatre,Watford

Like its hero, the first ever theatrical adaptation of Kind Hearts and Coronets shows an early interest in its own ancestry. The curtain rises to reveal a television showing the scene from Robert Hamer's Ealing Comedy in which the hangman peeks into the cell of Louis Mazzini, Duke of Chalfont and serial killer, on the eve of his execution. On stage, Mazzini silences the television with a flick of the remote control. "Tonight, for the first time," he says, "I can tell my own story."

In my week: We are talking about serendipity... on the two occasions in my life when I have reached absolute desperation I have found a pounds 50 note on a busy street

We're playing pinochle. I am winning by about a million points, but tragically I'm the one who vetoed playing for cash, and it'll be a bit obvious if I change my mind now, so I have to settle for the simple pleasure of humiliating my companions. The coffee table is crowded with the usual mass of empty wine bottles, full ashtrays, lumps of driftwood and bank statements on which Dan, who is 19, has doodled so many marijuana leaves that the figures have been obliterated. Dan has gone out, looking insulted when asked conversationally where he was going. Dan and Charlie exist, I think, to remind me that, in some people's eyes at least, I am now a member of the older generation. I wish they'd tell that to the 70-year-olds. Charlie is lying on the sofa in the kitchen watching a Steven Segal film on cable.

Me'shell NdegeOcello: The Grand, Clapham

It was a strange sight. Young white men - at least half the audience - swaying alongside their black brothers and sisters, mouthing the words: "All I ever wanted was a niggerman."
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The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

The experts' guide to summer

From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in
The real thing? Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'
Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'
Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.
Why bitters are back on the bar: A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...