Birmingham Post

Principal Defends Fat-Cat Salaries

A Midland college has defended paying its last principal the same salary as the Secretary of State for Education. But the wage at City College, Birmingham, has sparked a fresh row over fatcat salaries within further education.

Hemming Tries to Get Secret Vote Documents

The deputy leader of Birmingham City Council has invoked the Freedom of Information Act against his own local authority in an attempt to obtain confidential reports about alleged postal-ballot fraud. John Hemming wrote to council chief executive Lin Homer asking for an account of advice given by her, or her staff, to police in relation to electoral law during the 2004 local elections.

National Holocaust Memorial Day

Ex-Policeman to Sue the Met

A former West Midlands Police officer plans to sue the Metropolitan force after he was arrested for alleged burglary. Andrew Martin-Smith, who served as a constable for two years at Steelhouse Lane Station, Birmingham, was locked in a police cell for seven hours before being released.

Talbot Attacked in Poll Fracas

Former West Bromwich Albion manager Brian Talbot was caught up in a violent skirmish outside an Iraqi election polling station in Manchester yesterday. Talbot, who now manages Oldham Athletic FC, was driving to an FA Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers when he passed the station in Miles Platting, close to the city centre.

Mps Fight to Overturn Brussels Vitamin Ban

A last-ditch campaign to overturn a ban on thousands of vitamin and mineral supplements sold in high street shops has been launched by Midland MPs. Tony Blair has been urged to block a European directive which comes into effect on August 1 and will prohibit the sale of minerals or vitamins unless they are on a restricted 'approved list'.

Brum Seeing Increase of Tb ; Tuberculosis Is On the Increase. Health Reporter Emma Brady Looks at a Birmingham Pilot Scheme Trying to Find Out Why

A person is diagnosed with tuberculosis nearly every day in Birmingham. Across Britain, the number of cases identified each year has risen steadily from 5,000 in 1987. That figure is expected to top 7,000 this year.

Rail Passengers Told to Complain and Pocket Compensation

Train travellers could be missing out on hundreds of pounds of compensation and discounts, a national passenger group has claimed. The Rail Passengers Committee (RPC)said passengers travelling from Birmingham to Leicester on an annual season-ticket could be needlessly wasting pounds 219 by not complaining about poor performance and receiving a 10 per cent discount accordingly.

Council 'Rushed' Airport Sale

Campaigners against an expanded Coventry Airport have hit out at the city council after they 'rushed through' a sale of 11 acres of land for the project. Coventry City Council angered opponents of the airport, who fear the sale betrays the ambition of owners Tui, to gradually grow the airport into a major hub.

Labour Mp Says: No More Migrants

A backbench Labour MP last night broke with his party's line on immigration by suggesting economic migration to the UK should be halted. Roger Godsiff, MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath, said that 'enough is enough' and the country no longer needed economic migrants.

Tough Guy Competition

Appeal After Driver Injured

A driver was seriously injured yesterday after her car collided with a lorry outside Staffordshire's Tough Guy contest. The woman, who is in her late twenties, was in a Fiat Punto which collided with a lorry on Jenny Walkers Lane, outside Perton Court Farm, Perton, at just after 7am yesterday. Police are appealing for information from anyone who saw the crash.

I'll Answer Us Allegations - Begg

Moazzam Begg (right), the Birmingham father of four released from Guantnamo Bay last week, has broken his silence on the treatment he received. In a letter to a Sunday newspaper, he refers to 'continuing evils faced by captives illegally held' and that he had endured 'conditions far below those of the worst convicted criminals in the developed world'.

Reveller Dies in Dock After 'Prank'

A Stoke-on-Trent man died yesterday after jumping into a dock as a suspected prank during a night out. The 23-year-old was out with his girlfriend when he jumped into the water at Liverpool's Albert Dock at 2.40am. He failed to resurface and his body was recovered by the fire service around one hour later.

Education Matters: Teachers Ignoring 'Poor' Colleges

Colleges are suffering major problems recruiting teachers, according to research. About 40 per cent of the further education colleges studied were struggling to fill 'most or all' vacancies, the study from the Learning and Skills Development Agency showed.

Education Matters: Some Jobs Are Not About Pay - More About Duty

According to union officials, the rot of pay inflation among college principals dates back to 1992. That was the year colleges were freed from local authority control - and financing - by Parliament.

Education Matters: Law Test 'Another Hurdle for Students'

Hundreds of students from across the West Midlands find out if they have passed the controversial new-law admission test for university today. The LNat test has been employed by nine leading Universities and its introduction was co-ordinated by the University of Birmingham's School of Law in November 2004.

Education Matters: We Can Do This Without Coaching ; Erdington has the Lowest Rate of Pupils Going On to Higher Education at 13 Per Cent. Sutton Coldfield the Highest Rate at 50 Per Cent. Adam Aspinall Spoke to the Leading Sixth Forms

Josiah Mason Sixth Form College, Erdington Andy Collins, Head of Careers 'Not many students apply for law and most go local. One guy has already been offered a place at Birmingham.

Holocaust: Never, Ever Forget 'Hell On Earth'

It is 60 years since the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz- Birkenau. And for Holocaust survivor Mindu Hornick, from Edgbaston, Birmingham, the memories are as fresh and harrowing as ever.

Holocaust: And the Word Was. . .

Shoah (means chaos or annihilation in Hebrew)In the beginning was the Word and the word was Jew. And the word said Other, the word saidThem. Not me, not You.