A legal change allowing police to keep DNA samples from suspects even if they were cleared in court has led to 7,990 crimes being solved. The change was made in 2001 amid criticism from civil liberty groups. Andy Burnham, a Home Office minister, told a Commons select committee that forensic science teams have made DNA matches against samples in 96 murder investigations, 116 rapes and 50 attempted murders.

Pollution victory

The Government has won a legal battle against the European Commission after a row about the EU’s “emissions trading” scheme, under which national authorities set CO2 emission quotas for companies. The Government was refused permission to increase its original estimate, but this has been overturned.

Drug sentences

Two men who admitted possessing 200kg of ketamine, a horse tranquilliser known as “Special K”, were jailed by Isleworth Crown Court. Paul Nally, 41, of Harrow, Middlesex, and Bernard Calder, 55, of Hillingdon, Middlesex, were sentenced to 15 months and ten years and 15 months respectively.

Citizenship review

An Australian terrorist suspect held at Guantanamo Bay has won permission to challenge the rejection by the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, of his bid for British citizenship. Mr Justice Collins, in the High Court in London, heard the application immediately because of its urgency. The hearing continues today.

Wine 'offensive'

A Muslim insurance salesman, Imran Khan, 25, took offence when his employer offered bottles of wine as a reward for good performance. He is suing Direct Line insurance in Bristol for racial and religious discrimination, claiming that the offer of alcohol, which he is not allowed to drink, made him feel excluded.

Daughter charged

Nicola Edgington, 25, appeared in court accused of murdering her mother, Marion Edgington, 60, whose body was found at her home near East Grinstead, West Sussex, on November 5. Ms Edgington was remanded in custody by Lewes magistrates to Lewes Crown Court on December 5.

Dogs attack girl

A six-year-old girl with Down’s syndrome is critically ill in hospital after being savaged by a neighbour’s three pitbull terriers while playing in her back garden. Sashana Wellington has extensive head injuries after the attack in Bordesley Green, Birmingham. The dogs escaped from a pen. They will be destroyed.

Malta greets the Queen

The Queen arrived in Malta to open the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting amid the tightest security operation ever mounted on the island. She was welcomed by President Eddie Fenech Adami in the capital, Valletta, in a ceremony watched by at least 1,000 people, while three helicopters circled and army officers watched from the presidential palace roof. Every policeman in Malta is on duty.

Castle charges

A 17-year-old boy who allegedly tried to climb a wall at Windsor Castle last month in the early hours of the morning is due to appear at Maidenhead Youth Court next week. The unnamed teenager, from Bracknell, Berkshire, is charged with public order offences. A second youth was cautioned for drunkenness.

Hoodies banned

For security reasons Imperial College London has banned students from wearing hoodies and Islamic headscarves that obscure the face. Either may be worn if security guards can identify faces. Students are said to be unhappy about the rule. “We are definitely not banning any religious dress,” a college spokesman said.

Chocolate alert

Cadbury has recalled 360,000 advent calenders because ingredients in the chocolate treats could trigger allergic reactions that are not named on the packaging. The Cadbury Dairy Milk Miniatures Advent Calenders contain some products that could be harmful to people with nut and soya allergies.

Rail fires charge

The police have charged a former rail worker with arson attacks, one of which brought rail services in the West Midlands to a standstill this month. Alan David Nicol, 46, from Yardley, Birmingham, will appear before magistrates in the city today to face a charge of arson with intent to endanger life.

Christmas killer

Detectives are hunting a killer who dressed as Santa Claus when he stabbed a trainee accountant to death. Sikander Shaheen, 25, was attacked in his bedsit in Leyton, East London. A witness said that he saw Mr Shaheen shouting at the man as he ran out of the victim’s room. An inquest was opened and adjourned.

Avenger crashes

The maiden competition flight of the Avenger, the paper plane that won a design award, ended prematurely after it hit a wall. The winning plane, the Spruce Moose, which was described by the organisers as a “simple schoolboy design”, flew for 6.55 seconds after being launched vertically.

Pipeline repair

A water pipe leaking one million litres a day under a street in Inverness will be fixed as part of an initiative to prevent the loss of four million litres of water every day. Scottish Water said that repairing the leaky pipe in the Longman area would go a long way to meeting the company’s target.

Mosquitoes are choosy eaters

Malarial mosquitoes have a taste for certain people over others, according to research that could lead to improved ways of preventing the spread of the parasitic disease (Mark Henderson writes).

About 20 per cent of the people in malarial regions receive about 80 per cent of potentially infectious mosquito bites. The study, undertaken by American and British scientists and reported today in the journal Nature, suggests that biological characteristics make people more or less likely to be bitten and infected.

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