What went through Tony Blair's mind when he was invited to take part in The Iraq War, the latest of Brook Lapping's fascinating exercises in behind-the-scenes history? Better out than in, presumably.

The eldest son of Sir Terence Conran, Sebastian Conran runs his own design studio in Barons Court, London. He has recently launched Universal Expert collection of homewares, available from www.johnlewis.com. He talks to Annie Deakin about his mentors, common design mistakes and his dream project.

"Arab spring" is about to gain a new meaning. The famous French department store, Printemps – spring in French – is about to be taken over by a Qatari consortium for a reported €1.6bn (£1.3bn).

The ageing and fuel-thirsty Boeing 747 is no longer an economic option, says travel correspondent Simon Calder

One of London’s most prestigious hotels was today bought by the Qataris for more than £400 million.

The man who pays his way

His aim was to convey precise information rather than seeking to make our pulses race

The Loose Women host has been clocking up the air miles to fulfil a lifelong dream of obtaining a pilot's licence

Part of Amsterdam's Schiphol airport was evacuated today after workers unearthed a suspected Second World War bomb near its main terminal building.

United Airlines passengers faced delays and massive queues today after some of its major computer systems and its website failed.

An Aeroflot plane carrying 256 people from New York to Moscow made an unscheduled landing in Iceland following a report of a bomb on board, authorities said.

A bogus website offering jobs in the airline industry has been uncovered by trading standards.

Bored by in-flight safety demos? A group of bikini-clad beauty queens in Vietnam recently strutted through a packed aeroplane as dance music blasted a song with the lyric “I'm crazy for banana.”