Birmingham Post

Bears Sack Piper but Offer Chance of Return

Warwickshire County Cricket Club yesterday sacked wicketkeeper Keith Piper for drug taking - but left the door ajar for his return to the club in the future. Piper, who tested positive for cannabis during the first Championship game of the season, was suspended last week by the English and Wales Cricket Board until the end of the season.

Hop On the Bus and Taste This New Brew

Beer lovers have been introduced to a new brew - although thirsty customers will presumably have to wait for ages for one before the barman serves them three at once. Bus company Travel West Midlands is taking its annual support for the Wolverhampton Beer Festival to a new level, with its own beer.

Christians to Take On Brum Jerry Springer

Christian groups yesterday pledged to stage protests outside Birmingham Hippodrome's Theatre when it stages the controversial show Jerry Springer - the Opera early next year. The theatre's decision to go ahead with the performances has angered religious groups which claim the show is blasphemous. The production, which features Jesus in a nappy and described as 'a bit gay', will run for two weeks from February 6.

Venomous Hope for Stroke Medicines

Snake venom could hold the key to better heart drugs, according to researchers at Birmingham University. The results of a three-year study, using toxins from rare snakes found in Asia and South America, will be presented at a major medical conference in August.

We Must Test for Glaucoma - Bishop

The Rt Rev Dr John Sentamu, the Bishop for Birmingham, has launched a campaign to raise awareness of glaucoma among the city's Afro-Caribbean community. More than 13,000 people in the West Midlands are living with the condition - which can lead to blindness - with nearly 4,000 cases in Birmingham.

Heartlands Hospital in Talks Over Leisure Site

A hospital is in talks with a fitness firm over plans to build a multi-million pound leisure centre to help improve the community's health. Roko Leisure Ltd, which runs Birmingham Heartlands Hospital's staff gym, is now looking to see what facilities local residents would benefit from most.

Heart Attack Risk for Depressed Patients

People with clinical depression face the same risk as a smoker of having a heart attack or stroke. Researchers at Birmingham University believe a stress hormone called cortisol damages the lining of depressed people's blood vessels, in a similar way that smoking affects them.

Ex-Rover Staff Can Apply for Blues Cash

Birmingham City Football Club is asking former MG Rover employees to make applications for a share of almost pounds 60,000 the club raised with an all-star benefit match at St Andrew's. A celebrity team, managed by former Blues boss Barry Fry, was beaten 9-2 by a Blues XI in front of 8,000 fans in last month's fund- raiser.

Disputed Plans for Brum Sites Forces Government Inquiry

Two controversial proposals to develop sites to the south of Birmingham city centre will be considered by a Government planning inspector in October. The planning inquiry follows a decision to 'call in' the proposal for a 22,000 square metre retail warehouse complex on the partly council-owned site of Joseph Chamberlain College, in Balsall Heath

Get High On Life at Climbing Centre ; One of the Uk's Largest Indoor Climbing Centres and Birmingham's Only Dedicated Wall Since the Closure of Rockface in October Will Open Tomorrow. Helen Gabriel Was the First to Try It Out

I'm stuck halfway up a vertical wall, ten metres from the ground, clinging for dear life to a couple of neon blue bumps resembling large pieces of Plasticine. 'That's perfect,' shouts our photographer. 'Don't move an inch.'

Park Party Goes Ahead

Birmingham's Party in the Park will go ahead, organisers have announced. It was feared the event could be axed after its sister show in London's Hyde Park was cancelled to allow the free British Live8 concert to be staged.

Hawker Sticker Scam

Householders are being told to think very carefully if they are confronted with a dubious new sales technique - doorstep traders selling 'We don't buy from the doorstep' signs. The warning from trading standards officers in Warwickshire comes after they received a complaint from one woman who bought a sign for pounds 1.

Nhs Boss Fraud Case

A former senior NHS official is to face fraud charges for allegedly faking his CV to secure a pounds 120,000-a-year chief executive's position. Neil Taylor will appear before magistrates in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, next month to face three counts of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.

'Date-Rape' Woman On Trial

A woman who claimed she was date-raped by a man she met over the internet confessed to detectives after he was arrested that they had sex with her consent, a judge was told. Donna Drennan (22), said after the man had taken her home she had wished him 'goodnight and sweet dreams' and then gone to the police and told them he had raped her.

Rugby Club Appeals to Drop Debts

Moseley Rugby Club is appealing to its creditors to waive debts in order to safeguard the future of the semi-professional game in Birmingham. The club, which reinvented itself after crashing seven years ago owing more than pounds 1 million, has written to organisations and individuals suggesting they might wish to write off some or all of the money they are owed.

Woman Dies After Falling From Bus

A 78-year-old woman died in hospital after falling from a bus. The passenger, who has not been named, was taken to Stafford District General Hospital after the accident at a bus stop in Stone on Tuesday.

Praise Be! Churches Can Raise the Roof

Clergy and congregations who were hoping for cash to carry out much-needed repairs to their churches have had their prayers answered. Grants totalling more than pounds 1 million have been awarded to a dozen Grade II listed churches across the Midlands.

Peace Activist Vows to Stay Put

A peace campaigner has marked the fourth anniversary of his round- the-clock protest outside Parliament with a vow to 'stay as long as it takes'. Sitting among his banners, flags and placards, Brian Haw, aged 56, said: 'I'm either a hero, a villain or a silly old fool sitting on the pavement.

Spate of Violence Claims 23 Lives in Iraq

Three suicide car bombings killed 23 people in northern Iraq yesterday, including a top municipal council leader plus a bodyguard of Iraq's Kurdish deputy prime minister. Continuing violence during the past days has also claimed the lives of three children, a US soldier and a Sunni Muslim cleric, underscoring the rampant, random nature of an insurgency that has killed at least 797 people since the April 28 announcement of Iraq's new Shiite-led government.

Teachers to Strike at Blair Flagship School

Teachers have voted to strike over fears of job losses at one of Tony Blair's flagship city academy schools. Unity City Academy in Middlesbrough has been hit by severe financial problems and was classified as a failing school by inspectors last week.