Birmingham Post

Saic Circles Rover

The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has written to the administrators of MG Rover expressing an interest in buying some of the collapsed carmaker's assets. SAIC, which was in talks with MG Rover before it collapsed, said it had formally expressed 'preliminary interest' in some of the assets at Longbridge.

Cricketers Stumped by 50 Per Cent Fees Rise

A Midland cricket club which has been in existence for 60 years is facing a battle for survival because it cannot afford the fees for the ground. Four Oaks Cricket Club faces an uncertain future after the charitable trust which manages its home ground in Walmley Road, Sutton Coldfield, raised the amount it pays to use it by nearly 50 per cent, from pounds 2,700 to pounds 4,000.

Fourth Couple for Fertility Treatment Chosen

The fourth and final couple who will benefit from fertility treatment funded by The Birmingham Post has been chosen. Mr and Mrs D, of Walsall, will receive funding for frozen embryo transfer from a previous cycle of IVF treatment.

Tony V Pleased

Tony Christie has been added to the line-up for this year's V Festival. Christie, enjoying a revival with the Comic Relief single Is This The Way To Amarillo?, appears at the Weston Park, Staffs, festival on the weekend of August 20 and 21.

Grenade Attacks

Cat Dies in Fire

Bank Cash Grab

Time to Test Men for This Sex Disease, Too

Scientists at Birmingham University are calling on the Government to actively screen men for chlamydia. A national screening programme already targets women when they attend a GP surgery or family planning clinic - but not men.

Coughton Court

Saga of Peter's Move From Tiswas to Children's Hospital

The man behind Tiswas and who first brought Chris Tarrant on to our television screens has been given the job of marketing a Birmingham hospital. Peter Tomlinson, who began his media career in 1972 as ATV's weekend host, has been appointed director of marketing, development and communications at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

21-Year-Old Downed 12 Pints Then Killed a Man Driving Home

A young motorist who was warned not to drive after drinking 12 pints of strong lager said he did not see a man he knocked down and killed as he crossed a road, a judge was told. Robert Meacham (21) ran off after hitting Adrian Darby and when he was breathalysed one-and-a-half hours later he was between two and three times over the drink-drive limit, Stafford Crown Court heard.

Jury Retires in Sweetie Trial

A jury has begun to consider its verdicts in the manslaughter case of a tax worker who was killed when the pleasure cruiser she was partying on capsized and sank. Jane Turner, aged 45, died after becoming trapped when the 23ft- long Sweetie Pie overturned on the evening of September 6 2003 at Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire.

Charity Kick-Off Just for Little Barney

Parents of a Warwickshire boy who died from meningitis last month have set up a charitable trust in his memory. Three-year-old Barney Adlington died on March 19, just 36 hours after he complained of a headache.

Union Wants Rover Inquiry

Amicus union officials have called for a more extensive inquiry by the Department of Trade and Industry into the finances of MG Rover. The officials are concerned that Phoenix Venture Holdings, which is not at present in administration, may be subject to an existing third party claim from Techtronic - PVH's ultimate holding company, whose directors include the Phoenix four: John Towers, Peter Beale, Nick Stephenson and John Edwards.

How Brum Is Beating Scourge of Gun Gangs

Birmingham will never return to the level of gun violence that led to the murders of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare, it has been claimed. Supt Peter O'Neill, who heads West Midlands Police's fight against armed crime and gang-related violence, made the prediction yesterday after the force revealed gun-related incidents in Birmingham had dropped by 23 per cent.

Bishop Enters Gipsie Camp Row

An Anglican bishop has stepped in to a planning row involving a group of gipsies who have set up camp on a civic centre car park. About ten families have moved to within yards of Wychavon District Council's offices in Pershore, Worcestershire, in protest at being evicted from land at Eckington, in the south of the county.

I Feel Guilty for Having Survived Attack - Sophie

After three operations, the scars from the bullets are still visible on Sophie Ellis's arm but the wounds go much deeper for the 21-year-old who survived the New Year shootings. Time may have healed the three bullet holes in her chest and arm, but the pain of losing her sister and the guilt of surviving the attack will never go away.

Strategic Tale of Two Cities for New Brum ; the Birmingham Strategic Partnership Threw Open Its Doors to the Public for the First Time Yesterday but There Was Nothing New About the Main Topic of Discussion, Says Chief Reporter Paul Dale

Executives from leading public and private sector organisations are struggling to come to terms with what amounts to the twin triumph and dismay of Birmingham. Triumph in that 83,100 jobs are likely to be created over the next decade, largely off the back of rapid expansion in financial and business services and distribution and catering. Growth in these areas will be fuelled by massive regeneration in the city centre, including construction of prestige office blocks at Paradise Circus and Ar...

Local Partnerships with Agenda to Help

Local Strategic Partnerships are part of the Government's agenda to improve local areas. The Birmingham Strategic Partnership, established in 2001, brings together key public agencies and representatives of the business, community and voluntary sectors to achieve more effective joined-up action, particularly in relation to neighbourhood renewal.

Job Forecast 2005-2015