Shaun Brady, the former Aslef leader, has lost his attempt to rejoin the train drivers’ union. He was dismissed as general secretary in 2004 for alleged financial irregularities. He lost an Aslef appeal and was expelled from the union. Now his appeal to the certification officer has been dismissed.

If he had won, he could have been reinstated, even though that post is now held by Keith Norman. Mr Norman said that the union would be “relieved that reinstatement was no longer on the agenda”. Mr Brady won an employment tribunal case of unfair dismissal against Aslef last year and is awaiting a hearing on compensation.

WI trip crash

Three members of a Women’s Institute branch were killed in a car crash on the A4104 in Worcestershire. Alice Harvey, 90, Mary Grimmett, 91, and Vera Palfrey, 87, members of Greet WI, had been on their way by car to a WI boat trip. The driver of a Ford Transit van was arrested and has been released on police bail.

Father arrested

A father who went missing with his two young daughters has been arrested after a nationwide police hunt. Peter Elgey, 47, was arrested in Helmsley, North Yorkshire — 58 miles from his home in Co Durham — after he was found in a phone box. His daughters, aged 13 and 16, were found safe and well near by.

Muslim leader

Muhammad Abdul Bari has been elected as secretary- general of the Muslim Council of Britain. He succeeds Sir Iqbal Sacranie. Dr Bari has been his deputy. “The duty of the council is to reassure British Muslims they can live lives in Britain as good British citizens and as devout Muslims,” he said.

Thom tops charts

Sandi Thom, the “webcast queen”, has reached No 1 in the singles chart with I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair), ending the nine-week reign of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. Thom, 24, from Macduff, Banffshire, rose to stardom after “webcasting” concerts from her basement in Tooting, southwest London.

Pensioners held under terror law

Two grandmothers could be jailed for up to a year for breaking anti-terror laws that they were protesting against. Helen John, 68, and Sylvia Boyes, 62, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, were held after breaching Menwith Hill signals intercept station in North Yorkshire in protest at the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, which makes it illegal to breach military bases. The pair also entered the base in April.

Child abduction

A man has been charged with rape, child grooming and child abduction after a girl, 14, who disappeared from her home in Warwickshire last Wednesday was traced to an address in Cumbria. The unnamed man, 46, from Carlisle, was arrested on Thursday and is due to appear before magistrates in Nuneaton today.

Police accident

An 18-year-old from Cheltenham was in a critical condition after his quad bike crashed into a car on Friday while he was pursued by a police motorcyclist. Neither the motorist nor the officer was hurt. Gloucestershire police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission are investigating.

Sperm shortage

The IVF clinic at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital has been closed because it has run out of sperm. In Dundee the fertility unit at Ninewells Hospital has closed its waiting list as some people have not had treatment after two years. New government rules mean that sperm donors can no longer remain anonymous.

Firefighter payout

A firefighter won a £70,000 payout at the High Court in Newcastle upon Tyne after claiming that the pumping equipment he used for 31 years ruined his hearing. The victory for Alec Bogle, 51, who worked for the Co Durham and Darlington Brigade, could open the door to more claims, unions said.

Desert life at risk

People and wildlife in the world’s deserts are threatened as their ecosystems succumb to overexploitation of water resources, climate change and hunting, turning them into barren wastelands, according to a UN report. Nine of the 12 biggest deserts are getting hotter and their water tables are drying out, it says.

Rare opportunity

A rare first edition of Black Beauty that is inscribed by Anna Sewell, its author, is expected to fetch up to £8,000 when it goes under the hammer tomorrow at Christie’s in London. The copy, which is said to be in very good condition, was originally owned by the author’s mother.

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