It’s considered dangerous to reference race for fear of being labelled ‘racist’ - but if we don't discuss it, we can't challenge the accepted beauty ideals

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Labour MPs to rebel over air traffic sell-off

LABOUR faces yet another embarrassing backbench revolt if the Government proceeds with plans to sell off air traffic control. More than 100 MPs are deeply concerned about the safety implications, which have been brought into sharp focus by recent air accidents and the Paddington rail tragedy.

City & Business: Why the good guy was never going to win

Peter Salsbury seems like a nice guy. A conscientious company man, hard working and intelligent, who worked his way up the incredibly greasy pole that is Marks and Spencer, until he found himself on the board and in the court of the volatile Sir Richard Greenbury.

Railtrack profits rise to a record pounds 1.3m every day

RAIL INDUSTRY Anger over infrastructure firm's growing revenue and its refusal to spend more cash on safety investment

Survivor: 'Priorities are all wrong'

RAIL INDUSTRY Anger over infrastructure firm's growing revenue and its refusal to spend more cash on safety investment

Letter: In peril on the rails

Sir: Mark Steel's impressive piece (Comment, 26 October) on the Paddington accident inspires this regular user of that ill-fated service to respond.

Outlook: Railtrack is right to be open about its profits

FACED WITH a crisis of confidence and a barrage of hostile publicity, most chief executives would be desperately searching for ways of artificially inflating their profits. Not so Railtrack, which by Gerald Corbett's own admission is now one of the most hated companies in the land. In fact, it has become so unpopular following the Paddington crash that the board meeting to sign off yesterday's interim results spent time wondering whether it wouldn't be better to freeze the dividend and massage the profits down.

Stagecoach shares dive after pounds 389m fund-raising

STAGECOACH, THE bus and rail operator, struggled yesterday to convince the City of its ambitious US expansion plans as its share price slipped in the wake of a pounds 389m share issue.

The corporatisation of childhood

OPEN FESTIVE season has officially been declared, not with the official launch of Pokemon, this year's toy anointed as Most Certain To Induce a Christmas Shopping Frenzy, but with Early Learning Centre's declaration that it will not be stocking the range because it is "violent". Success is now entirely guaranteed, since no toy craze is complete without a blaze of manufactured controversy.

Gays `entitled to payouts on death of partners'

THE PARTNERS of gays and lesbians who are killed in accidents should be allowed to claim compensation for bereavement in the same way that heterosexuals can, a report published today recommends.

Former rail boss breaks down as he tells hearing of fatal journey

THE FORMER managing direc-tor of Great Western Trains broke down in tears yesterday at the Southall rail crash inquiry as he recalled his own experience as a passenger on the train when seven people died and 150 others were injured.

WHAT'S ON AROUND THE UK: World Cup rugby, world class music

Plenty of foreign tourists will be homing in on the British Isles in the coming week to see the Rugby Union World Cup. The tournament kicks off on 1 October at the new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, and a month long festival of world rugby in grounds throughout the British Isles is set to follow, culminating in the final, also to be held in Cardiff, on 6 November.

New safety device `would not have stopped rail crash' stop

A NEW train safety system backed by the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott would have failed to prevent the 1997 Southall rail disaster, the public inquiry heard yesterday.

Railway firms `putting profit before safety'

MORE RAIL disasters are "inevitable" unless the privatised train companies radically improve their safety procedures, the inquiry into the Southall crash in which seven people died will be told.

Train firm broke rules 63 times

DAMNING EVIDENCE has emerged that Great Western Trains routinely ignored safety rules, which led to the Southall rail disaster in which seven people were killed and 150 injured.
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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.
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...
The 10 Best barbecues

The 10 Best barbecues

Whether you're cooking on gas or are a convert to charcoal we've got the perfect way to cook when the sun is out.
Style icon David Beckham calls time on his long retirement

Style icon calls time on his long retirement

David Beckham never disgraced himself but former England captain ceased to be a major player years ago. Remember him at his United peak
Steve Harper: My darkest times

Steve Harper: My darkest times

As the popular Newcastle goalkeeper bows out after 20 years at the club, he tells Martin Hardy about the private battle with depression that threatened his career
Sir Torquil Norman has designed a flat-pack OX truck for the developing world

The flat-pack truck with big ambitions

After making a fortune from Polly Pocket and a doll's house shaped like a teapot, the entrepreneur has turned his creativity to a transporter truck for the developing world. Simon Usborne meets him.