Volte-face over vote farce

Birmingham University's senior management had egg on their faces this week, according to a website for black communities in the UK. Black Information Link claims that Jonathan Nicholls, the registrar, apologised for accusing Muslim students of fraud in an election for delegate places at the NUS conference in 2004.

A joint statement from the university and Birmingham's Guild of Students reads: "The university and the guild confirm that no candidate... was personally implicated in any electoral misconduct, particularly voter intimidation, slating and ballot fraud."