Birmingham Post

Jobs Hope As Pounds 1bn Makeover of Paradise Circus Revealed

Major private sector firms and Birmingham City Council are drawing up a regeneration framework to deliver a pounds 1 billion makeover of Paradise Circus and the surrounding area. The West End project will create four million square feet of high- quality mixed use development and attract thousands of new jobs in the professional services sector. The scheme could involve demolition of the Central Library and construction of a new library on the Paradise Circus site.

Man Left Critical After 100 Fans Riot

A man was critically injured and another was taken to hospital after at least 100 football fans from two rival clubs attacked each other with bottles, bricks and flares after a game. The fight started after Nuneaton Borough beat Kettering Town 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Manor Park stadium.

Teenagers Are Anti-War and Anti-Blair

Labour could be set for a major upset in the once safe seat of Sparkbrook & Small Heath, if the views of the young in the area are anything to go by. A survey of teenagers in the inner city constituency suggests they are united in their opposition to the Government.

Kennedy Calls for Urgent Postal Vote Reforms

Urgent reforms are needed to Britain's election system to stamp out fraud, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has warned. Speaking to The Birmingham Post, he called for postal votes to be counted separately from votes cast in a polling station, to make cheating easier to spot.

Land Sale Dilemma If Rail Route Is Axed

Land bought for pounds 500,000 to build two train stations will have to be handed back if Government plans to scrap a route between two of the biggest population centres in the West Midlands go ahead. The Strategic Rail Authority wants to axe trains on the poorly used Walsall to Wolverhampton line in order to ease overcrowding on busier Birmingham-bound services.

Central Fare Dodging Fines to Double

People caught travelling on West Midland train services without a ticket will pay double from tomorrow as the Penalty Fare increases to pounds 20. The increase was announced by the Government three weeks ago and welcomed by Central Trains, which recently launched a new crackdown on fare evaders by naming and shaming those who fail to pay.

Sit Back, Relax and Take Train

A campaign has been launched to persuade over-burdened Birmingham students to take some time off from exam stress - by taking the train. Central Trains is offering undergraduates at Birmingham, Aston and UCE universities a day of pampering and free rickshaw taxi rides to promote the Young Person's Railcard.

Letters of Love Talk of Maths

Most men pursue their sweethearts with chocolates and roses, rather than trigonometry and calculus. But not Sir Barnes Wallis, the inventor of the bouncing bomb. He won the heart of his future wife with letters explaining how she should tackle her university maths homework.

Mp Debra: Flowers Aided My Recovery

Former Midland MP Debra Shipley has thanked the hundreds of well- wishers who have contacted her since she announced she had breast cancer. Currently recuperating from a double mastectomy, Ms Shipley said the messages of support had been invaluable in helping her on the road to recovery since the operation last month. Ms Shipley announced in March she was standing down from her Stourbridge seat after being diagnosed with cancer.

Andy Gray 'in Split-Up

Former Aston Villa striker Andy Gray has split from long-term girlfriend Suzanne Dando, it was claimed yesterday. Gray, aged 49, is believed to have walked out on former Olympic gymnast Dando, aged 43, from Stratford-upon-Avon, who friends say is devastated.

City Second Worst for Parking Fines in Uk

Brighton might be best for a Bank Holiday visit but motorists looking to take the car there should beware, according to figures out yesterday. For excluding London, the Sussex seaside town is top of the parking ticket table, the RAC revealed.

Morris and Turner to Return to Parliament As Labour Peers

Former Birmingham MP Estelle Morris is set to return to Parliament as a peer, after quitting the Commons. Ms Morris, the former Education Secretary, stood down as a Labour MP after criticising the way the media report politics.

Education Matters: Never Mind the Bullock: Time for Victims to Make School Scandals Very Public

Remember 'education, education, education'? Well, in the run up to the election, politicians of every hue are telling us, just how their party is going to repel the tide of disorder and disruption that now bedevils our school. But do we believe them? If we believe two recent television programmes on the subject then we can see that nothing seems to have been done to address the problems.

Education Matters: Teachers Give Twigg Tough Time Over Tables

Angry head teachers hissed and booed a Government Minister yesterday after he insisted Labour would keep school league tables. Schools Minister Derek Twigg received a stormy reception at the National Association of Head Teachers' annual conference in Telford.

Education Matters: Police Escort Money Vans

West Mercia Police is to shadow security vans following the shooting of a security guard during an armed robbery. As part of the operation, which is being run in partnership with six other forces in the region, officers will be using marked and unmarked cars to support security vans as they carry out their daily business.

Education Matters: They're Against the War and Don't Trust Blair ; Shahid Naqvi Finds Out What the City's Asian Youth Thinks of Blair, Howard and the Scottish One

One of them believes Michael Douglas is leader of the Lib Dems. Another wants to be Prime Minister. But two things unite them: all oppose the war with Iraq and none of them would vote Labour. In the run up to the General Election,The Birmingham Post canvassed a group of teenagers from Small Heath School and Sixth Form Centre for their political views.

Land Rover Heritage Run

More than 100 vehicles took part in the annual Land Rover heritage run from the firm's factory in Solihull to the Heritage Motor Museum in Gaydon. From the first one ever built in 1948 (left) to the latest Range Rover Sport, they made an unusual sight as they spent an hour winding through the lanes of Warwickshire.

Tv Needs Asian Wife-Swap ; the Producer of Tv's Wife Swap Is Searching Birmingham for an Asian Family to Take Part in the Fifth Series of the Show. He Told Helen Gabriel Why He Thinks Reality Tv Needs Its First Asian Family

When Rajesh Thind knocked on one Asian businessman's front door and asked if he'd be interested in taking part inWife Swap, the answer was a resounding no. The man had never heard of Channel 4's controversial and chaotic reality TV series, and thought Mr Thind's proposition was something altogether different.

Russian Tycoons Pick Over Rover Scraps

Two Russian tycoons are interested in buying collapsed car manufacturer MG Rover. The millionaire owner of sports car maker TVR, Nikolai Smolenski, has approached administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) about buying the Longbridge-based group.

Survey for Favourite Car Names

British-built is best when it comes to special names for cars, a new poll has revealed. Aston Martin's Vanquish was the favourite car name in a survey by internet company eBayMotors.co.uk.