Scotland and Britain today

Welshpool: A school headteacher has been banned from teaching for a year after humiliating and manhandling children. Eirios Hall, 59, subjected nursery pupils to a reign of terror that reduced children as young as four to tears. Infants would begin crying in panic when they learned Mrs Hall would be taking their class, a hearing was told. Mrs Hall was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct by the General Teaching Council for Wales. The incidents took place at Ardwyn Nursery and Infant School.

Streets were evacuated in the Aberdeenshire town of Banff while bomb disposal experts examined materials discovered in a property.

Police were called to the Low Shore area yesterday following concerns raised by a member of the public.

About 40 homes were cleared and police said more than 50 officers assisted residents from their homes.

Officers said there had been no injuries and a 100m cordon was set up around the site. Residents affected were offered a place at a reception centre.

The former leader of the Conservative party on Slough Borough Council who admitted having two wives at the same time is to be electronically tagged.

Pervez Choudhry, of Slough, had married his second wife in Pakistan but was still legally married to his first “arranged” wife. He was given a community order with a curfew, ordered to pay £5500 to his second wife and fined £750.

The body of a man has been recovered from the sea off the Dorset coast.

It is believed to be one of three missing fishermen from the vessel Purbeck Isle, based in Weymouth, which was reported missing on Thursday evening.

The man was found at about 5.30pm yesterday. The families of the three crew members have been informed.

Five men arrested as part of an investigation across Northern Ireland into dissident republicans have been charged with a range of offences.

A 47-year-old arrested on Monday in Lurgan, County Armagh, faces the rarely used charge of directing terrorism. He and two men aged 41 and 42 are to appear in court in Lisburn, charged with offences including conspiracy to murder and to cause an explosion.

Two men arrested in County Tyrone last Saturday are due in court in Omagh.

A school headteacher has been banned from teaching for a year after humiliating and manhandling children in Welshpool. Eirios Hall, 59, subjected nursery pupils to a reign of terror that reduced children as young as four to tears. Infants would begin crying in panic when they learned Mrs Hall would be taking their class, a hearing was told. Mrs Hall was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct by the General Teaching Council for Wales. The incidents took place at Ardwyn Nursery and Infant School.

Nottinghamshire: The wife of an MP has been sent a dead bird in the post. Jo White, wife of Bassetlaw MP John Mann, said she found the package among a pile of post. Ms White, a newly-elected councillor at Bassetlaw District Council, said the discovery at their home near Retford left her feeling “really sick”.