The director of the BBC World Service has apologised for the offence caused by a debate on its website yesterday asking readers to debate whether gays should be executed.

The vast majority of firms are unlikely to have to comply fully with Harriet Harman’s plans for them to detail any difference in pay for men and women.

The Equality Bill sets out groundbreaking new laws which will help narrow the gap between rich and poor; require businesses to report on gender pay (1); outlaw age discrimination (2); and will significantly strengthen Britain's anti-discrimination legislation.

The three-year appointments will further strengthen the Commission's work on gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion and belief, and human rights, as well as its work with employers in the public and private sectors, and trade unions

The House of Lords voted again yesterday to include an amendment protecting free speech in a bill designed to protect gays and lesbians from homophobic hatred.

Jan Moir, the Daily Mail columnist whose column on the death of gay Boyzone singer Stephen Gately provoked widespread anger, won the Stonewall Bigot of the Year Award.

Christian groups have been holding protests outside a Glasgow theatre which portrays Jesus as a trans woman.

The Fawcett Society and Unison have called on employers to disclose pay levels and to rectify unfair treatment. It sounds sensible. But will it be enough?

Wage inequalities and scarcity of women at senior levels weigh on rankings.

After 30 minutes of singularly concentrated fire – almost everyone present directing their contempt at just one of the politicians present.

The British National Party will amend its constitution so its rules on membership do not discriminate.

Top fashion magazine Vogue has been criticised after publishing pictures of a white model painted black.

A letter signed by celebrities including Ewan MacGregor, Stephen Fry and Jo Brand has asked Tory leader David Cameron to oppose the views of his party's new European allies.

Labour Deputy Leader Harriet Harman today insisted the recession was no excuse to scale back plans to combat unequal pay.

The Commission Disability Committee today publishes its strategic priorities, setting out how it will use its powers and responsibilities to tackle some of the major issues faced by disabled people.

The default retirement age will remain at 65, the court ruled. But it is seen as a stay of execution ahead of a review being undertaken by the Government next year.

The first ever international same-sex hand holding (Sshh!) Saturday will take place on September 26th. On this day, same-sex couples and friends all over the world are encouraged to hold hands in public to support the visibility of lesbian, gay, bi, trans (LGBT) people.

The Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland has launched a brand new web based Practice Briefing, Equality, diversity and housing. This free publication is aimed at providing good practice guidance for housing organisations on the impact of equality and diversity issues in the communities that they serve.

Liz Reay, chief executive of Equality North East, the organisation hosting the conference said: ?The Equality Bill is the most far-reaching discrimination legislation for many years and will have a major impact on every employer.

Gay couples in Scotland are to be given the same rights as heterosexual couples to adopt children under legislation that comes into force next week.

Liverpool and Everton FC joined with unions in Liverpool on Wednesday (16 September) to step up the fight against homophobia in sport.

Plans have been unveiled which will provide LGBT tourists and London's community with its first ever purpose built LGBT tourist information office.

A Sikh police officer was ?humiliated? by his Greater Manchester Police colleagues after refusing to remove his turban for training and undergoing practices that would breach his faith, an employment tribunal heard.

Scotland Yard said today that it was altering a "potentially racist" form which asks clubs whether they play music popular with the black and Asian communities, after pressure from politicians, musicians and equality campaigners.

The British National Party is poised to give up its whites-only membership policy after a legal challenge accusing it of racial discrimination.

The British National Party is facing legal action over claims that its membership restrictions are in breach of racial discrimination laws.

A camp run by the Equality and Human Rights Commission might seem an unlikely attraction for teenagers, but the outdoor course is inspiring a diverse range of young people to start campaigning.

The Commission has today launched a consultation on how private and voluntary sector employers with at least 250 staff can measure and report on their gender pay gap.

Long-term unemployed older people are at risk of never working again unless tailored support is offered to help them back into work, a new TUC report warns today (Tuesday).

Equality chief Trevor Phillips is to bring in a power-sharing regime to save his troubled watchdog organisation.

The UK Contractors Group has warned that that the industry faces a huge challenge trying to increase its number of ethnic minority workers during the recession.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has welcomed a Court of Appeal ruling which found that people with mental illnesses are protected from discrimination by the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Equality Measurement Framework (EMF) was developed for the Commission and the Government Equalities Office by a team based at the London School of Economics.

A renewed legal battle to outlaw compulsory retirement at 65 has begun in the High Court.

The Commission has today published its three-year strategic plan setting out its priorities and work programmes to March 2012. The publication comes the day after the Government announced the reappointment of Commission Chair Trevor Phillips and Deputy Chair Baroness Margaret Prosser for further three year terms.

Trevor Phillips, whose chairmanship of the equalities watchdog has been criticised by campaign groups, was appointed for a second three-year term tonight.

An exodus of MPs at the next election has provided a one-off chance to get more women and black people into the Commons, a special MPs committee says.

A charity has launched a quality mark for housing and homelessness organisations working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Actor Sir Ian McKellen, patron of the charity, was present at the launch along with junior housing minister Ian Austin.

There is no evidence that new arrivals in the UK are able to jump council housing queues, an Equality and Human Rights Commission report says.

Rubber suits, drag costumes and knee-high boots were the order of the day as central London was awash with colour during the annual Pride celebrations.

In a speech to the 12th annual TUC LGBT conference later today (Thursday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber will celebrate recent advances in lesbian and gay equality but warn there's still a long way to go before social attitudes catch up with changes in the law.

The Government Equalities Office (GEO) today outlined further proposals for a new legal ban on harmful age discrimination, which will make sure older people do not face unfair or substandard treatment when they are buying goods or using services, such as in shops, hospitals, or when accessing car and holiday insurance.

Up to 15,000 people aged over 75 may be dying unnecessarily from cancer each year in the UK, according to research.

The North West Cancer Intelligence Service said their lives would be prolonged if UK cancer survival rates matched the best in Europe and the US.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to leader Nick Griffin saying the party's constitution, membership criteria and employment practices could be breaking the Race Relations Act.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has today (22 June) launched a Strategic Funding Programme available to organisations offering legal advice on equality and human rights issues.

Unemployment rates in the recession have risen the fastest among young people, those living in deprived areas and men, a report revealed today.

The study, published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Department for Work and Pensions and the Government Equalities Office, found that 16.2%, or one in six, of 18 to 24-year-olds were unemployed in the first quarter of this year, compared to 12% in the same period last year.

A British Airways captain was abused by fellow pilots after exposing a 'canteen culture of racism? at the airline, a tribunal has heard.

The Government Equalities Office (GEO) today set out its proposals for the new single Equality Duty, which will require public bodies to tackle discrimination and advance equality of opportunity, including reporting annually on their gender pay gap and considering using procurement to drive equality.

The British National Party is likely to face a number of legal challenges relating to issues such as discrimination, employment law and even criminal offences, legal experts have said.

Girls have a greater fear of failure than boys despite outperforming them at all stages of school, a report said.

And these worries could seriously affect their chances of succeeding in school and work, the Equality and Human Rights Commission study claimed.

The UK has today ratified an international treaty that enshrines the human rights of disabled people, Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Disabled People has announced.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a powerful and explicit statement, which states that disabled people must be able to enjoy, on an equal basis, the same human rights as others.

New laws to bring in tougher penalties for hate crimes have been passed unanimously by MSPs.

Under the legislation, crimes motivated by hatred of gay or disabled people will be considered as aggravated offences.