Birmingham Post

Microlight Crash Leaves Camper-Van Owner Critically Ill

A Solihull pensioner was fighting for his life last night after a microlight crashed into his camper van at a Midlands transport festival. The 66-year-old man, who has not been named, had been sitting under the vehicle's awning when the aircraft came down in Weston Park, at about 3.30pm.

Ethnic Targets for Mps Sought

One of Britain's most senior black politicians has called on parties to set targets for the number of ethnic minority MPs in the House of Commons. Baroness Amos, who was educated at Birmingham and Warwick universities, was only the second black person to sit in the Cabinet, and the first black woman.

Meps Fight to Abolish Strasbourg Switch

Staff in the European Parliament have backed a campaign by Midland MEPs to end the jaunt between its two headquarters which costs taxpayers pounds 150 million a year. West Midlands MEP Philip Bradbourn (Con) said it was time for MEPs to settle in one building.

Alton Towers

Body Found in Woodland

Police are investigating the discovery of a body in woodland in Worcestershire. Detectives are treating the death as unexplained but have not revealed whether the body - found in Lower Bentley Lane, in Lower Bentley, near Redditch - is that of a man or womanIt is suspected the body, which was discovered by a local gamekeeper, may have lain undiscovered in the undergrowth for some time.

Attack Link

Police yesterday were investigating whether a driver cut from the wreckage of a car after it ploughed into a garden wall and a parked van was responsible for attempting to attack staff and smashing bottles at a supermarket just hours earlier. The man, who has not been named, was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital suffering back injuries, following the smash in Churchill Road, Bentley, Walsall, at about 2.45am on Sunday.

Driver Killed

A Birmingham man was killed when the car he was driving out of the city hit a lamp post. The man, in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene, in Walsall Road, near the junction of Cliveden Avenue, in Perry Barr, at 7.30am on Sunday.

Climbers Hurt

Two climbers were flown to a Birmingham hospital after they fell 250ft while abseiling in the Staffordshire Moorlands yesterday. Aman and a woman, both in their mid-20s, has been tackling an escarpment known as Hen Cloud in The Roaches, upper Hulme, near Leek.

So, Is the Eu Really Lost in Translation ; the European Union Last Month Played Host to President George Bush On His Visit to Brussels. Never One to Be Outdone by the Leader of the Free World, Neil Connor Also Went Continental with a Tour of the Eu Institutions

When you get used to the voice-translator systems in the EU Parliament, they really are not that bad. Built like one of those headset listening devices you get on aeroplanes, each channel represents a different language. And how different.

Green Party Charity Walk

Brum Hopefuls Are Ready to Rock

Budge over Britney, make way McFly, the moment has come for Birmingham's Killer Yogi. The band has just made its first step on the long road to superstardom in a BBC teen-music competition, inspired by the hit film School of Rock.

Have a Go Bike Show

Stunts and service will be among the attractions of the UK's biggest bike show which is due to open in the Midlands this week. The Bike Show will be at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire from Friday to Sunday.

Why Life Is a Game for Poker's Nouveau Riche ; It May Be Just a Game of Cards, but Poker Is Earning Players More Money Than Top Sportsmen and Women, As Sarah Probert Reports

Forget smoked-filled rooms full of middle-aged men. Poker is attracting a new breed of contestants. The internet and a growing number of twenty-somethings have pushed the popularity of the game to new heights, doubling the number of players in the last year and stakes of more than pounds 19 million a day being waged online in the UK.

Scientists Make Atom Breakthrough

Scientists at Birmingham University have made a major breakthrough in manipulating tiny molecules in order to induce the 'birth' of an atom. The Nanoscale Science Facility has devised a new technique of molecular dissection which results in a daughter atom being 'born' from the parent molecule.

Birmingham University

Sunna Syed and Samina Katoon with Robocop were one of the entrants when mechanical creations took part in a Birmingham University race. The robots, built by teams from the department of ElectronicElectrical and Computer Engineering students, raced against each other.

'Small' Studies in Brum Is Big for Uk's High-Tech Hopes

A pounds 10 million centre for the study of nanoscience has opened at Birmingham University. The centre, which is one of only a handful in Britain, is expected to help develop the city's growing reputation as a high- tech hub.

Time to Hit Back at Religion Bashers, Urges Archbishop

The Archbishop of Birmingham celebrates five years in the post today with a warning to Catholics that "choppier waters lie ahead". The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols told the quarter-of-a-million parishioners in his archdiocese that society increasingly assumed God played no role in modern-day life and theymust be prepared to defend their faith.

Timetable Back On Track After Rail Action

West Midlands railway timetables, which were hit by industrial action since the New Year, have been restored. Central Trains, which had been in dispute with members of the drivers union Aslef over voluntary rest-day working, began a restored service on most of the affected routes yesterday.

100 Million Players

Rural Matters : How the Early Farmer Is Beating Cheap Imports ; Asparagus Is Hitting the Supermarket Shelves One Month Early. Rural Affairs Reporter Sarah Probert Met One Farmer Who has Doubled Its Growing Season

John Chinn's vision is clear - a revitalised industry for English asparagus where farmers are making economic gains despite the continuous flurry of cheap imports. By the end of this month the Herefordshire farmer will see his freshly cut spears on the shelves of Marks and Spencer and Sainsburys, a month earlier than usual.