Birmingham Post

Medieval Festival at Kenilworth Castle

Boy, 9, Dies at Alton Towers Theme Park of Natural Causes

A nine-year-old boy died after he was taken ill while staying at the Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire. The youngster, who was from the London area, had been staying at the Alton Towers Hotel with his parents and sister when he was taken ill at about 3.30am yesterday.

Rover Supply Chain's Pounds 20m of Bad Debt

Car components suppliers in Birmingham and the West Midlands could be facing pounds 20 million of bad debts, following the collapse of MG Rover. The prediction was issued by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which has been fielding the concerns of scores of small firms since the closure of Longbridge last month.

Residents Win Fight Against Hospital

Planning officials have been forced to ditch proposals for a controversial unit at a Birmingham hospital after residents staged a legal challenge. Plans for a 63-bed extension at Moseley Hall Hospital for Alzheimer's sufferers were given the go-ahead last December despite concerns from local campaigners about the size of the project.

Howard Blasts Labour Voting 'Manipulation

Labour has manipulated Britain's voting system for its own political advantage, Michael Howard claimed today. The Tory leader said Labour had 'manipulated the constitution for partisan reasons'.

Election 2005: Blair: Tories Can Still Win

The party leaders began a frantic final round of campaigning yesterday, as they insisted anything could happen in Thursday's General Election. Conservative leader Michael Howard and Labour leader Tony Blair both insisted the Conservatives could win, despite a series of polls showing Labour firmly in the lead.

Election 2005: Ancram Feels Tory Support On Ground

Conservative activists are reporting a surge in support, Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Ancram said during a visit to the West Midlands yesterday. He shrugged off opinion polls suggesting the party was still behind, as he toured marginal seats in the region.

Election 2005: Ballots From the North

Applicants for postal votes in Birmingham are receiving their ballot papers from Manchester after city council officials decided to offload the task of sending out 59,000 envelopes. The contract to deal with postal votes was outsourced by Birmingham after last year's city council elections, which were dominated by allegations of ballot fraud.

Election 2005: Hewitt Boasts That Rover Workers Got 'Quickie' Payouts

Rover workers received redundancy packages totalling pounds 20 million within a fortnight of Longbridge closing, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt has revealed. The average payment was pounds 5,000, with more money still to come.

Hospital Is Cancer Specialist

A Birmingham hospital has been selected to be part of a national network of centres which specialise in treating gynaecological cancers. The Priory, in Edgbaston, was the only city hospital among the 28 centres to be recognised as approved leading hospitals in this field.

'Snip Mum' Wants Apology

A mother has demanded an apology from health officials after claiming doctors had insisted that her partner's vasectomy meant he could not be the father of their second child. Julie Garrett is also considering legal action against Birmingham's St Patrick's Clinic for Reproductive Health for the failure of the operation.

Our War Was No Italian Picnic ; About 100 World War Ii Veterans Have Been Invited to a Reunion at the Imperial War Museum in London Tomorrow to Mark the 60th Anniversary of the Surrender of German Forces in Italy. Reg Clifton, the Only Birmingham Veteran Invited, Shared His Memories with Emma Pinch

D-Day Dodgers. That's what politician Lady Astor belittlingly branded soldiers in the Italian campaign. Sunbathing and drinking wine while their brothers-in-arms risked their lives on the beaches was the claim.

Driver Stabbed

A motorist was stabbed in the stomach during a dispute with another driver yesterday, police said. The victim, a 28-year-old man, was said to be in a stable condition in hospital after the incident in Salop Street, Dudley, at 10.15am.

Quit Cigs for a Day

Smokers in the Midlands are being urged to 'quit' for 24 hours to keep the air clean around them as part of World Asthma Day today. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which irritate the lungs. A non-smoker whose partner smokes is five times more likely to develop asthma, while people who work in pubs, clubs and restaurants face a doubled risk.

Hit-and-Run

West Midlands Police are trying to trace a driver who sped off after hitting a 21year-old pedestrian. The victim, from Wolverhampton, was struck by a car in The Boulevard, Brierley Hill, near to the Merry Hill shopping mall yesterday. A police spokeswoman said: 'A white Vauxhall Nova was in collision with the man. It failed to stop and drove off towards Netherton.'

Radio Air Scare

A pirate radio station sparked an alert when its music swamped the cockpits of planes coming in to land at Birmingham. Pilots making their final descent into Birmingham International Airport found instructions from air traffic controllers drowned out by the music.

Mother Expecting First Frozen Twins

An expectant mother is due to deliver Britain's first 'frozen egg' twins thanks to revolutionary fertility treatment, Midland scientists have revealed. The 36-year-old is said to be five months through a 'normal and healthy pregnancy' despite scientific concerns over the pioneering deep-freeze technology.

Rural Matters: It's a One-Way Ticket to Smoked Salmon Central

A Shropshire smokehouse is using a rural rail service to transport its produce to its customers in what is thought to be a unique practice. Award-winning smoked salmon from the Organic Smokehouse now journeys from Shropshire to Llanwrtyd Wells every week where it is dressed and served at the Lasswade Country House Hotel by chef Roger Stevens.

Rural Matters: Local Produce at the Touch of a Button

Nearly 200 producers from the Heart of England region can be located at the touch of a button, thanks to a new promotional website set up to highlight local food. The organisation Food from Britain has launched a new facility to making it easier for consumers to locate their nearest producers. A total of 183 producers from the West Midlands area are included on the Find My Nearest feature, which enables users to search using their postcode. To indulge in British food and drink from elsewhere ...

Rural Matters: Ludlow, Local and Best

An organisation set up to promote local food and drink in Ludlow, Shropshire, is hosting a series of events to raise awareness about the produce on offer in and around the town. Specific events include a local produce market on May 12 and guided tours of small producers on May 10 and 15 to tie with the town's first Green Festival.