Nursery staff must be alert for racist remarks among toddlers, a government-sponsored agency report has said. [...]

The 336-page guide said staff should investigate the reasons behind apparent racial prejudice.

It said: "A child may react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying, 'Yuck!"'.

That may indicate a lack of familiarity with that particular food, or "more seriously a reaction to a food associated with people from a particular ethnic or cultural community".

Over-60s are to be given free admission to public swimming pools in an £80m first stage of the initiative. [...]

Sport minister Andy Burnham indicated future funding would allow free entry to under-16s, then to everyone by 2012.

The charity's head of healthy ageing Pamela Holmes said: "Free swimming for the over-60s will help those older people who like to swim, and local authorities will welcome the financial support for this programme.

"But for those people who don't enjoy swimming, or for those with problems such as poor strength, uncertain balance and weak bones, swimming classes offer nothing at all."

Gordon Brown will not receive the Dalai Lama in Downing Street in an effort to avoid confrontation with China over Tibet, The Times has learnt.

The Prime Minister will, instead, see the Tibetan spiritual leader in Lambeth Palace, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, enabling him to claim to the Chinese that he is receiving the Dalai Lama in a spiritual rather than political capacity. [...]

Both Tony Blair and John Major saw the Dalai Lama in Downing Street. Angela Merkel became the first German head of state [sic] to meet him last September, while President Bush received him at the White House and presented him with the Congressional Gold Medal.

"There is always the possibility that mediums will be targeted by people intent on making money by suing what they see as easy targets, and that is a big concern for the individual."

At last, some refreshing signs of intelligent thinking on climate change are coming out of Whitehall. The Environment minister, Elliot Morley, reveals today in an interview with this newspaper that the Government is drawing up plans to impose a "biofuel obligation" on oil companies. This would require major firms such as BP and Shell to blend a fixed proportion of biofuels with the petrol and diesel they sell on Britain's garage forecourts. This has the potential to be the biggest green innovation in the British petrol market since the introduction of unleaded petrol a decade and a half ago.

The beauty of biofuels - petrol made from sugar beet and diesel made from oilseed rape - is that they are "carbon neutral". The quantity of C02 they produce when burnt has already been absorbed by the crops used to make them. There is no reason why a biofuel quota should not work.

From today, all petrol and diesel sold on forecourts must contain at least 2.5 per cent biofuel. The Government insists its flagship environmental policy will make Britain's 33 million vehicles greener. But a formidable coalition of campaigners is warning that, far from helping to reverse climate change, the UK's biofuel revolution will speed up global warming and the loss of vital habitat worldwide.

Amid growing evidence that massive investment in biofuels by developed countries is helping to cause a food crisis for the world's poor, the ecological cost of the push to produce billions of litres of petrol and diesel from plant sources will be highlighted today with protests across the country and growing political pressure to impose guarantees that the new technology reduces carbon emissions.

Donna Vassar, part of the Vassar education dynasty, has launched plans to build a $300m (£150m) private getaway for stressed-out presidents and prime ministers who want to "reconnect with their unique purpose in life".

The Universitas Leadership Sanctuary is intended as part monastery and part conference centre where the most powerful men and women on the planet can get away from it all with a combination of reading, contemplation and even a spot of gardening.

To remind them of their role as leaders of the planet, the sanctuary will be built in the shape of a four-storey globe on the shores of Lake Las Vegas, a privately-owned lake in the south Nevada desert where temperatures can reach 50C at the height of summer.

The main globe building will be on four levels. The ground floor will house a library and the first floor a debating chamber, while on the second floor will be technology to help make the building energy efficient. At the top, under a dome of glass, will be the spiritual heart of the development - the contemplation space where leaders will be encouraged to sit in silence.

The term hoodie initially seemed racist to me, a way of saying "a group of young black guys", without actually calling anyone black, and nobody could point it out, because the first person to say the racist connection would be the first person who made it. It never became necessary to protest over this sleight of hand, however, since the criminal connotation of the look was immediately subverted by that very association - all young people, of all races, of all classes, anyone under 25 who wanted to look a bit downtown, started dressing in this way.

Rocky lost. To a black man.

So, yeah, they do have something in common after all.

Jedi Master Jonba Hehol - known to family and friends as Barney Jones, 36, of Holyhead - was giving a TV interview in his back garden for a documentary when a man, dressed in a black bin-bag and wearing Darth Vader's trademark shiny black helmet, leapt over his garden fence.

Wielding a metal crutch - his lightsaber presumably being in for repairs - the Sith Lord proceeded to lay about his opponent, whose Jedi powers proved inadequate for the task of defending himself.

After besting Master Hehol in single combat, Vader, who The Sun reports was under the influence of alcohol, went on to assault the camera crew and a hairdresser.

Master Hehol, a hairdresser, who founded the first-ever British Jedi Church in loving homage to the world-famous science fiction franchise with his brother Daniel, was unimpressed by the revenge of the Sith. "This wasn't a joke. This was serious," he said.

Police are investigating a claim of assault.

Brits take an average of 22 dates, three one-night stands and three long-term relationships before settling down, says a new poll. Couples revealed how long it had taken to find The One for entertainment website BT PodShow.

Some needed as many as 50 dates with potential partners. And nine per cent reckon it takes at least ten one-night stands.

Talking regularly and an active sex life were what people were looking for. Poor personal hygiene, no sense of humour and being bad in bed were the biggest turn-offs, the poll found.

The good news for those still searching is this weekend is the best chance of the year to banish those single days.

Relationship expert Jo Hemmings said: "The four-day Bank Holiday gives us double the free time of a normal weekend, so double the chances to enjoy ourselves and find love. And the onset of spring, a full moon and an abundance of chocolate Easter eggs will all play their part."

"Hooters" is American slang for breasts and the waitresses wear white vests and orange hotpants.

But [Scottish Labour deputy leader Cathy] Jamieson said: "Scotland does not want these so-called restaurants coming to our cities.

"Violence against women is a big problem in Scotland and these types of establishments do nothing to promote equality or positive images of women in the workplace.

"Hooters is a rather old-fashioned 1980s concept. I think both men and women have moved on from this kind of quite degrading spectacle."

A spokeswoman for Scottish Women's Aid said: "A company that not only promotes but demands the objectification of women in the workplace should have no place in Scotland."

"Hooters girls have the same right to use their natural female sex appeal to earn a living as do supermodels Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell.

"To Hooters, the women's rights movement is important because it guarantees women have the right to choose their own careers, be it a supreme court justice or Hooters girl."

A man who planned to walk from Bristol to India without any money has quit, after getting as far as Calais, France.

Mark Boyle, 28, who set out four weeks ago with only T-shirts, a bandage and sandals, hoped to rely on the kindness of strangers for food and lodging. But, because he could not speak French, people thought he was free-loading or an asylum seeker.

Mr Boyle, a former organic food company boss, belongs to the Freeconomy movement which wants to get rid of money altogether.

In his online diary at the start of his journey to Porbander, Gandhi's birthplace [of course - E], he said he was given two free dinners on his first evening away in Glastonbury.

Later, he was joined in Dover by two companions, and the three managed to get to Calais. But in one of his last entries, he wrote: "...not only did no one not speak the language [sic], they had also seen us as just a bunch of freeloading backpackers, which is the complete opposite of what the pilgrimage is really about.

Everyone we spoke to was enthused by what we were attempting to do, but given it was a Sunday and that all management were off, no one had any power to do anything about it. [...] We also learned that the ferry companies there had to really cut back on free tickets last year as they were – and still are - being killed by the cheap fare airlines.

Six hours after we were meant to have left the country, a mother and daughter who had been on the hunt for pilgrims heard my tin whistle playing and miraculously found us.

The daughter, Katie, wanted to come on the pilgrimage, and for three hours we debated it. [...] Sitting mentally exhausted from the emotions of fear and joy and pressure the whole discussion brought up, my thoughts turned to getting across to France. Just then Katie's mum, the other half of this crazy afternoon, said that she would love to contribute to the journey. And after a few minutes thinking about whether this gift fitted in with our belief of doing everything unconditionally, we decided to accept the universe's offer and we were on our way.