Birmingham Post

School to Drop Gcse Maths

The top independent school in the West Midlands is to abandon some GCSE exams because it says they fail to challenge students. King Edward VI High School for Girls took first place in the region, and fourth place nationally, in league tables for independent schools published today. But the school, in Edgbaston, is to ditch the GCSE in mathematics, and may consider doing the same in science.

Saxophonist Back On Jazz Stage After Crash

Birmingham jazz musician Steve Ajao will tonight perform his first gig since he almost died in a road accident three months ago. Doctors feared the 52-year-old saxophonist, of Woodstock Road, Moseley, sustained permanent brain damage after being hit by a car as he crossed a road.

Us Planners Failed Katrina Victims

US Emergency planners were "caught with their trousers down" after failing the most vulnerable victims of Hurricane Katrina, an expert said yesterday. Les Moseley, director of the Centre for Disaster Management at Coventry University, criticised the strategy for stranded people in New Orleans for not catering for those unable to evacuate.

Blooming Marvellous Award, Says the Mayor

The mayor of a Shropshire town said she was "gobsmacked" yesterday after it was named the overall winner of this year's Heart of England in Bloom competition. The various category winners across the region were announced at an awards ceremony in Staffordshire, with Newport taking the top prize.

Residents On Former Landfill Want Answers

Residents living on land contaminated by arsenic, cadmium, lead and nickel have formed an action group to speed up the clean-up process. The Priory Mill Action Group, consisting of homeowners from Willson Croft, Graith Close, Bach Mill Drive and The Launde, was formed after an announcement from the council last year stated their houses were built on top of a former industrial landfill site.

Nutcracker-Wielding Bank Robber Sentenced to Eight Years

A businessman who owed more than pounds 100,000 who carried out a series of bank raids armed with nutcracker in a brown paper bag has been jailed for eight years. Garry Mottram (43) forced cashiers at Barclays Bank branches in Birmingham, Stourbridge and Penkridge, near Stafford, to hand over nearly pounds 6,000.

Sikh Priest Jailed for Illegal Visa Operation

A Sikh priest has been jailed for seven years for an immigration scam where he used his religious credentials to get visas for Indians. Jaswant Singh Kalsi, from Rugby, Warwickshire, was convicted of facilitating the entry of up to 13 people to Britain.

Pounds 90,000 Was Not Burnt On Barbie

A Birmingham woman who claimed she destroyed pounds 90,000 on a barbecue during a bitter legal wrangle with her ex-lover has been ordered to pay more than pounds 126,000 or face six months in jail. Diane Fisher (39) said she burnt the cash during a legal battle with former partner Paul Clark. But yesterday at a confiscation hearing at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Alistair McCreath said he believed the money had not been destroyed and ruled she pay it back.

Visit New Street - in Sutton Coldfield

Commuters are being given the chance to have a look round Birmingham's New Street station - in a Sutton Coldfield back garden. Don Jones runs a scale model of the city centre station at his Douglas Road home, complete with 12 platforms and today and tomorrow he is opening up to the public for charity.

Terror Plot Denials

A British housewife and two men have denied they were part of a plot to provide weapons and funds to terrorists. Frzana Khan (41) of Anerly Way, Mohammed Ajmal Khan (30) of Broad Street, and Palvinder Singh (29) of Freeman Street, all in Coventry, are due to stand trial next January.

Appeal for Bends Man

A pensioner who contracted decompression sickness while he was on holiday in Egypt has been told he is now well enough to return home. Tony Allen, aged 68, from Shirley, became ill with the bends. Lloyds TSB Insurance refused to pay out his insurance while he was treated in a recompression chamber in an Egyptian hospital in Marsa Alam for three weeks at a cost of pounds 2,000 a day.

Police Plea Over Dead Farmer

Detectives investigating the killing of a Warwickshire farmer two weeks ago have issued a re-appeal for information about a silver car seen at the time. Michael Boffey was run over by thieves who had stolen his green Land Rover at his farm on Featherbed Lane, Withybrook, near Rugby, on August 20 at 11.20am.

Naturists Cover Up From Sun

A Birmingham woman has been busy convincing British naturists to cover up as holidaymakers enjoy summer sun. Signing up to Cancer Research UK's SunSmart campaign, officials from British Naturism have adopted the cause as its charity of the year.

British Miniature Golf Association

Jeff Chandra Correction

Dyslexia Expert has His Say

A Warwickshire businessman who set up an institute to 'cure' dyslexia after his daughter tried to commit suicide because of the condition has refuted an academic's claim it does not exist. Wynford Dore, who set up the Dore treatment centre in Kenilworth in 2000, said 90 per cent of people there were found to be suffering from impaired brain development.

Brum Mayor Could Set a New Trend

Birmingham could set a trend among major British cities if it opts to be run by a directly elected mayor, a Government Minister predicted last night. Phil Woolas, Local Government Minister, said: "Birmingham is interesting in important ways because it is by far the largest local authority in the country.

Should Boar Stay or Should They Go

Wild boar could be eradicated from the Midlands, 300 years after they first became extinct in Britain. The fierce animals were common in Britain's woods and forests until hunted to extinction in the 17th century.

Town Hall Tv Plan Hits Buffers

City leaders are rethinking plans to beam Council House debates on to a big screen in Chamberlain Square. Frustrated councillors want to commandeer the giant BBC-owned screen because the public no longer attend monthly council meetings.

Spate of Summer Biker Fatalities Prompts Stark Police Warning

Police have urged road users to drive more responsibly after a spate of fatal accidents involving motorcyclists. Five people died in collisions involving motorbikes in Staffordshire last month, which officers said was "tragic and avoidable'.