The Attorney-General will challenge a High Court ruling today that gives expert witnesses such as Sir Roy Meadow immunity from disciplinary proceedings over evidence in court (Frances Gibb writes).

Lord Goldsmith, QC, is intervening in an appeal being brought by the General Medical Council against the decision that it did not have power to bar doctors who make mistakes in court as expert witnesses.

Professor Meadow, who gave evidence in the Sally Clark case, was restored to the medical register by the ruling. The GMC had struck him off. The hearing today will not affect Professor Meadow’s position. Lord Goldsmith will argue that the ruling by Mr Justice Collins has an impact far beyond medical witnesses and the particular case involved.

Terror alerts

A new system to alert the public to threats from al-Qaeda and other terror groups will be introduced. Although the Home Office would not give details of how it will operate, it is understood that it will be simpler than the existing seven-tier system, which is based on descriptions of threats such as “substantial”.

MP in hospital

Peter Viggers, the Conservative MP for Gosport, Hampshire, has been taken to hospital after suffering a suspected heart attack during a charity lunch. Mr Viggers, 68, who was treated after suffering chest pains, was having lunch in support of the Winchester Young Carers Project charity when he fell ill.

Women bishops

More than two thirds of the members of the General Synod of the Church of England backed proposals that will bring the introduction of women bishops closer. The Synod approved the concept of women bishops as “theologically justified” after a debate led by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu.

Father killed

Ronald Theodore, 40, a father of two from Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, died in hospital after being attacked by five thugs as he walked home after midnight on Saturday morning with his wife, Josie. Police, who believe that the attack was random, have arrested three men, a youth and a woman, 17.

High earners

Able children who received subsidies to attend private schools earned more as adults than their counterparts in state schools, research suggests. Nearly one in five pupils on the Assisted Places scheme was earning more than £70,000 a year by their 30s, according to the Sutton Trust. The scheme was abolished in 1997.

Tesco accused over food labels

Tesco has confused shoppers by ignoring official advice on food labelling, according to the consumer group Which?

The supermarket rejected the Food Standards Agency’s colour-coded “traffic light” nutrition labels and chose a labelling system that is more difficult for shoppers to interpret. A survey indicated that 86 per cent of people understood the Tesco labels, compared with 97 per cent for the FSA system.

Briton murdered

A Jewish campaigner was stabbed to death in the United States as he walked with his girlfriend. Alan Senitt, 27, from London, was the director of the Coexistence Trust. He had been returning to his home in Georgetown, Washington. Two men, a youth and a woman have been charged with murder.

Tube death charge

A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder after a London Underground traveller in his 50s was pushed in front of a train at Highbury and Islington station during the evening rush hour on Friday. The suspect, who has not been named, is due to appear before Horseferry Road magistrates today.

Jet ski accident

Police are investigating an incident in which a man’s legs were amputated in an accident between a jet ski and a speed boat at Hythe Marina, Southampton Water, Hampshire. The 40-year-old, from Southampton, lost his right leg and part of his left leg when they became tangled in the speedboat’s propeller.

E coli outbreak

A girl of 5 and a woman of 82 are among 14 people struck down by an outbreak of E. coli. They are among six men and eight women affected by the potentially fatal strain, E. coli 0157, which was sparked by people eating cooked meats from a local butcher’s shop in Leeds, and health chiefs fear that the figure could rise.

Cyclist killed

A cyclist has died after colliding with a Transit van during an annual night ride. The 38-year-old man, from Walthamstow, East London, who has not been named, died at the scene of the accident in North Weald, Essex. Police have arrested a 62-year-old man on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Tate TV to launch

The Tate is to transform its website into an arts channel. In an attempt to take art to a wider audience, Tate Online, which attracts about a million visitors a month, will launch Tate Media in September. Planned programmes include a series, co-produced by Channel Four, on this year’s Turner Prize.

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