Birmingham Post

Two Police Officers Charged After Death in Custody

Two West Midlands Police officers are to be prosecuted following the death of a father who died in custody. The Police Complaints Authority confirmed that two unnamed officers would face charges of common assault in relation to the death of Michael Powell.

Schools Told to Merge or Close

More than 250 Midland schools have been threatened with closure under Government plans to tackle surplus places. Local authorities have been told to either close the schools, merge them or find new uses for them.

Rooms with a View: Flats Plan for Rotunda Landmark

Birmingham's best-known landmark is to be transformed into luxury city centre apartments. The Birmingham Alliance, which developed the Bullring, is to join forces with Urban Splash to revamp the Rotunda.

Bees Counting Cost of Cup Upset

Despite causing the biggest upset in the history of professional rugby, Solihull club Pertemps Bees has admitted its success in reaching the last four of the Powergen Cup could have a sting in the tail. After defeating Zurich Premiership champions London Wasps on Sunday, Bees sacrificed a semi-final spot in the Powergen Shield and with it a potential pounds 30,000 pay day for making the final.

Good Old Tap Water Is Real Thing

Coca-Cola is selling purified tap water in a bottle. The company confirmed the source for its new Dasani bottled water was the mains supply to its factory in Sidcup, Kent. It said a 'highly sophisticated purification process' meant the product was 'as pure as bottled water gets'.

Virtual Robots Patrol Chatrooms As an Answer to Suspicious Users

A software programmer from Wolverhampton has developed an army of 100,000 virtual robots to search internet chatrooms to track down paedophiles. Jim Wightmanhas invested pounds 35,000 of his own money developing the virtual roving watchdogs that target suspicious chatrooms and masquerade as young users to monitor conversations.

Life Jail for Sex Beast Who Attacked Boys in Secret Pit

A serial paedophile who subjected two seven-year-old boys to horrific sex attacks in a subterranean pit at his home has been jailed for life. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that Thomas Titley (46), carried out a string of sex attacks on the victims in a cellar and a 6ft hole he had dug underneath the floorboards of his flat in Walsall.

Couple Deny Killing in Shop Explosion

A couple killed a man living in a flat above their Staffordshire newsagents after setting the business on fire in a bid to claim insurance money, a court heard yesterday. Sibel Kemalzade (32), and her husband, Cinar Kemalzade (35), of Chell Heath Road, Bradley, Stoke-on-Trent, pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Colin Salt, who died after his flat caught fire.

Tories Want to Scrap Library

Conservatives would look to scrap ambitious plans for a pounds 175 million New Library of Birmingham at Eastside if they win control of the city council at the June elections. Tory group leader Mike Whitby said the Eastside scheme, which also involves demolishing the existing Central Library at Paradise Forum, had not been properly costed and the council had no idea how it could fund the project.

Delegates' Designs On Eastside Urban Park

The design of Birmingham's first new urban park since Victorian times will be thrashed out a special conference. More than 150 delegates, including national experts, have been invited by the city council to give their views on the nine-acre development in Eastside.

Holiday Rail Misery to Last From Easter

West Midland rail passengers face delays this Easter with more major engineering work to be carried out on the West Coast Main Line. The improvements are to prepare the network for September and the long-awaited introduction of 125mph trains which will tilt around corners, improving journey times between the Midlands and London.

Cancer Fight Dj Back On Air

DJ Johnnie Walker returned to the airwaves last night after treatment for cancer and said it felt 'right to be back'. The Radio 2 host said returning to his two-hour drivetime slot had been a 'really big thing to do'.

Bore Attacks Postal Closures

Plans to close 29 Birmingham post offices will threaten the vitality of local shopping centres and have a substantial impact on vulnerable people, according to city council leader Sir Albert Bore. Sir Albert (Lab Ladywood) hit out at the 'discourtesy' of Post Office bosses who did not inform the council in advance of its closure proposals.

Retailers Sold On City's New Look

Retail chiefs from across Britain yesterday hailed Birmingham's regeneration as extraordinary. Managers attending the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) management conference heaped praise on the city, singling out Bullring and Brindleyplace as 'extraordinary examples of how regeneration should work'.

Mast Ban On Council Buildings

Health fears have prompted Birmingham City Council to halt the siting of mobile phone masts on civic buildings. Telecommunications companies will no longer be able to place masts and antennae on local authority properties, such as residential tower blocks, offices and shopping centres.

Strongest Opinions Matched by Weakest of Knowledge

How has it come about that a small handful of people are moulding a future for millions of others without any comprehension of what they are doing? Hunting, and increasingly shooting and fishing, are being demonised by a small but vociferous number of Parliamentarians who have the strongest opinions dangerously matched by the weakest of knowledge. The 'politically correct' crowd has declared open season on traditional country activities. The reasons for this vehement hostility are varied, but...

Trust Back to Campaign Along Countryside Trail

How many of you have not seen a sheep before? This was a question put to a group of city children on a recent visit organised by the National Trust to the Shropshire countryside. Two-thirds of them put their hands up. This reaction, along with impending threats to the countryside, has prompted the trust into becoming a vociferous campaigner on all things rural.

'Cruel' Farmer Jailed for Slurry Attack

A farmer was jailed for two years yesterday for plunging an animal health inspector and a woman vet into a pit of slurry. Roger Baker (61), dubbed the 'cruellest farmer in Britain' by the RSPCA, was found guilty in January of attacking Trading Standards officer Jonathan McCulloch and government vet Susan Potter on his land at Ventongimps, near Truro, Cornwall, last year.

Boom in 'Quick-Fixes' May Wreck Economy

A boom in caravan parks, small factories and houses on farmland could wreck the English countryside, campaigners warned yesterday. It is feared that Government policies now in the pipeline will squander the great value of the rural areas as an economic asset.

Scheme to Encourage Support for the Shows

A campaign has been launched in a bid to boost the number of visitors attending rural shows. Regional development agency Advantage West Midlands is working with organisers to boost attendance to increase the region's tourism economy.