A crackdown on Islamophobic bullying in schools has been ordered by the Government because of increasing “fear and suspicion” of Muslim students in the classroom (Alexandra Frean writes).

Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, said that it was necessary to make head teachers more aware of the need to stamp out the problem, which often went unreported or was mistakenly classified as racist bullying.

There are an estimated 450,000 Muslim pupils in England and Wales, only a tiny proportion of whom attend Muslim schools.

Mr Knight said that there was now a growing body of anecdotal evidence about bullying of Muslim pupils, which suggested that action was needed.

“As new forms of prejudice emerge we have to stay ahead of the game,” he said.

Terrorism books

A woman was charged with hoarding terrorist handbooks, including the al-Qaeda Manual, The Terrorists’ Handbook and the Mujahideen Poisons Handbook on her computer. Samina Malik, 22, of Southall, West London, will appear before City of Westminster magistrates today.

Bread price rise

The price of a large white sliced loaf may rise by 3p and a small loaf by a penny before the end of the year because of the high price of flour. World wheat stocks are at their lowest level for 25 years yet consumption is increasing. Some supermarkets may absorb the higher costs and sell bread at a loss.

Driver in clear

A black motorist banned for a year and fined £430 for reversing down the M23 has been cleared after video evidence showed that the car’s driver was white. Edmond Taylor’s car was stolen from Bermondsey, southeast London, but the man stopped by police gave his name, Guildford Crown Court heard.

Internet sex abuse

An internet paedophile was jailed for ten years by Inner London Crown Court for blackmailing schoolgirls into sending him indecent photos of themselves by taking control of their computers. Adrian Ringland, 36, of Ilkeston, Derbyshire, terrorised girls in Britain and Canada. He pleaded guilty.

Vine for Panorama

Jeremy Vine will present Panorama when the programme moves to a new early-evening BBC One slot on Mondays in January. Vine will introduce each edition, narrate reports and conduct big interviews for the BBC current affairs show. He will continue to present his Radio 2 lunchtime show.

Planning reform on power plants

Moves are being made by the Government to reduce the time it takes to approve power plants, including nuclear generators. Alistair Darling, the Trade and Industry Secretary, wants to streamline the planning inquiry system by tightening time limits and limiting submissions.

He said yesterday: “We need a significant amount of new investment to keep the lights on, and we want much of it to be low-carbon. The country cannot wait for it. We need a system that allows objectors to have their say, but that is also effective.”

NHS deficit crisis

The financial forecast for the NHS has deteriorated in the past three months (Nigel Hawkes writes).

Officials have admitted that the gross deficit is expected to be nearly £300 million greater than forecast, and strategic health authorities have been asked to save more money.

Dr Beverly Malone, General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “These figures confirm our worst fears. They are clear proof that we need a long-term plan to tackle the deficit crisis.”

School chef chief

The cookery writer Prue Leith has been put in charge of the campaign to improve school dinners. Leith, who helped to transform the British Rail sandwich, was named by the Government as the chairman of the School Food trust.

The author of Leith’s Cookery Bible said that her new job was the most important she had had.

The Government’s drive came after the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver exposed the poor quality and underfunding of school meals.

Girl, 7, deported

A girl aged 7 has been sent back to Kenya while her mother remains in Glasgow. The girl was in the care of social services for six months before the Home Office flew her home. Whitehall officials said that Joan Kinyanjui, 31, had not seen her daughter since she was 2, and that the girl had arrived at Heathrow with a human trafficker. The Home Office said that Ms Kinyanjui had not proved that Lavendah was her daughter and the priority was to protect the child.

Veils allowed

Judges must allow lawyers and other legal advisers to wear the Islamic veil in tribunals unless it interferes with the interests of justice, temporary guidelines say. Mr Justice Hodge, president of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, said that if the client agreed and the lawyer could be heard, she should be allowed to wear the veil. The ruling comes after the refusal by an adviser at an immigration tribunal in Stoke-on-Trent to remove her veil at the request of a judge.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Sarah Brown says 'no thanks' to veal at G8 - twice
• Stockton-on-Tees is obesity capital of Britain
• Stores blame poor sales on Murray factor