A scathing report has prompted a call for a rethink of schools oversight as MP threatens to name council officials who took no action. A group of fundamentalist ‘activists’, mostly men of Pakistani origin, infiltrated the management of at least ten schools in Birmingham, sometimes breaking the law in order to introduce Muslim worship and sex segregation, according to a highly critical report. Their activities were unimpeded by council officials who were fearful of allegations of Islamphobia, and who forced ousted teachers to sign gagging clauses rather than treat their complaints seriously as whistleblowers, Ian Kershaw, the authority's independent adviser, concluded. Sir Albert Bore, leader of the city's Labour-run council, apologised on Friday to the people of Birmingham ‘for the way the actions of a few, including some within the council, have undermined the great reputation of our city’.

A woman who had an abortion at 39 weeks has prompted outrage from British politicians. The women in question allegedly terminated her pregnancy just days before her due date as her unborn child was considered at risk of being disabled. ‘I do not understand how we can have a law which allows the life of a baby with a disability to be ended at full term,’ Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group, has commented. ‘It is a graphic illustration of society's inconsistency on disability. After birth we work hard to ensure equality, but before birth we have laws to prevent the disabled taking their first breath.’  MP Rob Flello added: ‘We have a Jekyll and Hyde approach to disability. On one hand the entire country can be united in praise of Paralympians. On the other we can permit the abortion of children at nine months simply for the crime of having a disability.

The Republic of Ireland is to investigate the homes for children born outside marriage and their mothers, run by religious institutions for most of the last century. It follows concerns over the deaths of almost 800 children at a convent-run mother-and-baby home in Galway over several decades and controversy about whether they were given proper burials. Mairead Enright of the Faculty of Law at the University of Kent said the inquiry could help to create a new Ireland in which the attitudes of shame and exclusion could never again be fostered. ‘There are plenty of people in Ireland not much older than me who remember girls who were sitting next to them in school who weren't there the next day because they'd got pregnant and they'd been shipped off somewhere,’ she said. ‘It has had influence on families, on how parents raised their daughters, on how women were perceived.’

Last month two men from Cardiff and one from Aberdeen featured in an online recruitment video by Isis urging western Muslims to join the fighting with the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria. On Monday Theresa May warned the Home Secretary of the impact on families when loved ones join fighting. 400+ people from the UK have travelled to Iraq and Syria and a new campaign, Families Against Stress and Trauma (FAST) was launched this week urging people to stop their relatives from travelling to join wars. Mrs May said, ‘This campaign addresses one of the most significant issues facing communities up and down Britain – the extremely damaging effect of young people choosing to travel to Syria and Iraq.’ Mrs May added, 'I am clear, in relation to people who are going to Syria and returning as terrorists. The Government will take action.’

We give thanks for the Queen's Baton Relay and the many churches across Scotland who gave away Penny Gospels, shortbread medals and balloons, painted faces, served lunches and teas to demonstrate hospitality to thousands. Now More Than Gold 2014 invites us all to participate in prayer for events throughout the games:- the performance of Chariot, Luke’s Gospel; Fit for the King Holiday lubs; Holidays at Home for the elderly; Community Festivals; youth Cafes' Sports Quizzes; and give thanks for the hundreds of volunteers making this possible. 150,000+ bottles of water, Penny Gospels and other resources will be given away. Give thanks for the thousands of opportunities people will have to encounter the goodness of God throughout the games. Pray for Games Pastors and Police caring for visitors. Prayer request boxes will available for visitors and the requests will be prayed for by the Flourish team. Pray that many will ask for prayer and see God move as a result.

660 suspected paedophiles have been arrested as part of a six-month operation targeting people accessing child abuse images online. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the 660 included doctors, teachers, scout leaders, care workers and former police officers. More than 400 children have been protected as a result, the agency said. Arrests were made across the UK and the majority of those held had no previous contact with police. The NCA said 39 of those arrested are registered sex offenders. Charges already brought range from possessing indecent images of children to serious sexual assault. The NCA stressed that none of those arrested is a serving or former MP or member of the Government.

The number of customers complaining to the independent ombudsman about their energy bills has soared with more people making official complaints in the first six months of this year than the whole of last year put together. Official complaints more than doubled to 22,671 in the first six months of 2014 from 10,598 in the previous six months. The 2013 total was 17,960. Complaints to the ombudsman – who deals with disputes unresolved after at least eight weeks – also reached a record for one month at 4,124 in June, an increase of 216% on a year ago. Chief energy ombudsman Lewis Shand Smith said: ‘The spike in complaints is in part a result of the rising cost of living, but also as a result of consumers becoming more aware of their rights and feeling more empowered to act and fight for a fair deal. Addressing these concerns is crucial to restoring consumer confidence in the sector.’

Nearly 500 children a week are being admitted to hospital with rotten teeth, NHS figures show. It is now the main reason for youngsters needing hospital treatment and dentists say the main culprits are fruit juice and fizzy drinks. Most children need between four and eight of their baby teeth extracted, although some are having all 20 taken out. Figures also show that more than a quarter of five-year-olds have some degree of tooth decay and in some areas of England it is well over a third. Only last month new NHS guidelines urged the public to slash sugar intake to as little as five teaspoons a day, due to concerns that it is to blame for rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Experts are also worried that sugar is behind an increase in tooth decay in children and could affect their ability to learn.

Thousands of women a year are giving birth after admitting having drunk too much alcohol during their pregnancies, a Sky News investigation has found. Although government guidelines warn pregnant women against drinking more than four units a week - equivalent to two large glasses of wine - hospitals have recorded a significant number drinking much more. The first hospital figures of their kind suggest that more than 2,000 babies a year are born to mothers who have breached alcohol guidelines. Dr Raja Mukherjee, lead clinician for the national foetal alcohol spectrum disorder clinic in Surrey said ‘We know that women are drinking more. 90% of women in this country drink and they don't all suddenly stop when they are pregnant.’ Heavy drinking during pregnancy increases the risk that babies will be born with foetal alcohol syndrome - a life-long condition that can leave children physically and mentally disabled.

David Cameron announced on Monday that the government will invest an additional £800m in boosting the military’s surveillance, intelligence and Special Forces plus £300m on extending existing capabilities. He said that the Armed Forces must adapt to deal with unseen enemies and spending on intelligence and surveillance equipment, such as drones, is a national necessity.  He warned that Britain faces changing threats in the form of global terrorism and unseen cyber-criminals who can target the country from abroad, stating, ‘We cannot defend the realm from the white cliffs of Dover.’ See also: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10965217/Huge-investment-in-Armed-Forces-means-a-more-secure-future-for-Britain.html