Birmingham Post

Small Print Means Families Could Miss Out On Airport Payouts

Small print could exclude hundreds of blighted properties from a scheme designed to compensate families whose homes will be hit by expansion at Birmingham International Airport. One man planning to buy a house said he had been forced to pull out fearing the property would lose value after discovering it was just a few doors outside the area eligible for a pay-out. And scores of home-owners living within the designated area could also miss out - if they bought their properties after May 2002. ...

Water Leaks Shock As Bills Rise

Water leaks are draining off more than a quarter of the supply Severn Trent puts into its pipes every day for its 8.5 million customers. As much as 540 million litres of water is lost each day from the 1,900 million litres pumped into West Midlands households, the company has said.

Lawyers Urged to Learn About Islamic Practices

Prosecution lawyers in the West Midlands are to be sent on courses to learn about Islam. The training will be aimed at Crown Prosecution Service lawyers who handle 'significant cases' involving Muslim defendants, such as terrorism trials.

Windies Bowled Over: Five of the Best for Ashley Giles

Close Call As Motorway Drivers Are Caught Tailgating

Nearly half of all motorway drivers drive too close to the car in front, a report out today claims. As many as 70 per cent were found to be tailgating on some motorway stretches, the survey of 15,000 vehicles found.

Hunt for Family of Brum Crewman Killed in Crash ; a Birmingham Man Was Among Seven Crewmen Killed When Their Plane Was Shot Down Over Holland in 1944. Helen Gabriel Reports On Plans to Salvage the Aircraft and the Quest to Trace the Tragic Airman's Family

At 11pm on 24 May, 1944, Sergeant William John White, a 22-year- old flight engineer from Birmingham, left his base in Breighton, Yorkshire, and set out for Germany on his 22nd operational raid. He never made it back. He and the other six members of No 4 Group Bomber Command, from the 78 Squadron known as 'Preston's Own', left Britain in a Handley Page Halifax Mk III bomber, series number LV905. Theirs was one of 432 planes sent out by RAF Bomber Command to attack the railway yards in Aachen,...

Veterans Rally for Comrades

Their numbers may have dwindled but, 90 years on, their remarkable spirit lives on. On Wednesday, four veterans of the First World War will travel to the Cenotaph in London to remember the 750,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who lost their lives.

Poland Remembers: Schroeder Pays Tributes to Warsaw's Heroes

Veterans salute and a scout kneels during a mass at the opening of the Warsaw Uprising Museum in Warsaw, where German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder later paid his respects (right) German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder yesterday honoured Poles who fought Nazi occupiers in the doomed Warsaw Uprising 60 years ago, acknowledging the 'immeasurable suffering' Germans inflicted on their neighbours.

Hope Quits to Become a Parish Priest

The Archbishop of York, the Church of England's second most senior clergyman, announced his resignation yesterday. Dr David Hope, archbishop since 1995, will give up his palace and position to become a humble parish priest in Ilkley near Bradford.

Mackay Defends 'Fact-Finding Trips' Coincidence

The husband of a Midland MP has hit back at claims that the pair take advantage of essential 'fact-finding trips' to jet off to exotic locations together. The latest register of MPs' interests has revealed that Julie Kirkbride, Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, and husband Andrew Mackay (Con, Bracknell) have been on official trips to three destinations at the same time.

Muslims Must Ignore Faith to Heal Say Leaders

Leading Muslims have been touring Midland medical schools to convince students they must not let their faith get in the way of treating patients. Officials from the Muslim Council of Britain have visited the universities of Birmingham and Warwick as part of a UKwide tour following concerns some conservative GPs have refused to treat patients with sexually transmitted infections claiming it goes against the teachings of the Koran.

Police Name Victim of Gym Killing

A 35-year-old man shot dead as he worked out in a city gym was named by police yesterday. Azmat Yaqub, from the Yardley area of Birmingham, was gunned down in a hail of bullets at the Chic Physique Health and Fitness Gymnasium in the Sparkhill area on Thursday night. The shooting happened in the weights room next to an area where a group of youngsters were taking part in a kick-boxing class. No one else was injured.

King Swaps Film Glitz for Birmingham Grit ; He's Already Worked On Hollywood Films Land Girls and Oscar Wilde, but Birmingham Film-Maker David King Told Helen Gabriel Why He has Come Back to the Midlands with the Dream of Breaking Into the Independent Film Market

Shooting a film about attitudes towards HIV on a grey day in Birmingham city centre, David King is a long way from his glamourous dream of walking the red carpet at the prestigious Cannes film festival. But the Birmingham-based film-maker hopes this is where his latest project will eventually take him.

Brain-Drain Study Too Simplistic Say Experts

A study which concluded that the economic influence of London threatens to overwhelm more than half the country and that the north- south divide is growing has been condemned as 'simplistic' by experts in Birmingham. Research by Sheffield University depicted a nation split in two, with the entire southern half from Lincolnshire to Cornwall dominated by an everexpanding London metropolis. Birmingham, on the fringe of the metropolis, was said to be suffering a brain-drain with the brightest gra...

Experts Meet to Discuss Death of Exhumed Addict, Rachel

Experts who examined the exhumed body of heroin addict Rachel Whitear are preparing for a key meeting which could raise the question of a fresh inquest into her death. Forensic scientists and a pathologist are meeting police leading a reinvestigation into the 21-year-old's death to discuss whether tests on her remains throw any light on the cause of the tragedy.

Fires Rage in Empty Hotels

Firefighters battle to control two separate blazes in disused hotels on Birmingham's Hagley Road last night. The road was closed for several hours following fears the neighbouring Victorian buildings, used by squatters, would collapse.

Education Matters: Lenses Equal Bright Future for Dyslexics

Hundreds of schoolchildren are struggling to read in the Midlands because of a 'hidden' form of dyslexia that can be rectified by wearing tinted spectacles, a pressure group claims. The condition, called visual dyslexia, affects about five per cent of schoolchildren according to Colour for Vision, a non-profit organisation which is holding a conference in Birmingham to raise awareness of the phenomenon.

Education Matters: Carjacking Highlights Routine Risk for Wealthy

Parents from affluent areas who drive their children to school in expensive cars are being warned to vary their route after an Erdington businessman and his daughter were targeted by carjackers. Police believe criminals could be examining the driving patterns of wealthy parents and lying in wait for them on school run.

Education Matters: Academy's Founder Puts Faith in Religion

A Midland multi-millionaire behind a Christian city academy being built in Solihull said he wants to create a chain of religious schools to help combat loutish behaviour in society. Bob Edmiston, founder of the evangelical international charity Christian Vision, has put up pounds 2 million of his own money to construct the pounds 25 million city academy in Chelmsley Wood.

Education Matters: Cash-Strapped Universities Give Degrees to Failing Students

Universities who are finding it difficult to generate funds by attracting students are awarding degrees to people who should be failed, an investigation has revealed. Cash-strapped universities involved with the scandal range from prestigious institutions to former polytechnics.