Birmingham Post

Tories in Centre Funds Row

The row over party political funding was reignited last night after it emerged the Conservative Party's election nerve-centre in Warwickshire is funded by leading West Midlands businessmen. The Conservative Party was accused by Labour of breaking funding rules while the Electoral Commission said it was looking at the links between the Tories and the Midlands Industrial Council (MIC).

Bishop Attacks Abuse Claims

The Catholic Church last night hit back over claims that Pope Benedict XVI played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by its priests. One Archbishop labelled a BBC documentary broadcast as unwarranted, misleading and a "deeply prejudiced attack" against the Pope.

Man, 29, Dies in Great North Run

A 29-year-old man collapsed and died yesterday while taking part in the Great North Run. In a brief statement, race organisers Nova International revealed "the tragic loss of life of a 29-year-old male runner at the BUPA Great North Run today and offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and friends".

Donation Call for Lost Paintings Is Dismissed

An offer to settle a dispute over the ownership of historic oil paintings with a pounds 20,000 charity donation has been dismissed by Birmingham City Council. The request came from Julian Nettlefold whose ancestor, the engineer Joseph Henry Nettlefold, bequeathed a collection of 34 oil paintings to Birmingham Museum and Art Galleries in the 19th century, on the proviso they should be kept on display to the public all year round and free of charge.

News Digest: Crash Man Dies

A man of 62 died after a road crash involving two cars and an ambulance answering an emergency call in Coventry. The ambulance, which had its blue lights flashing and sirens on, was on an emergency call when it collided with two other cars in Allard Way, in the Stoke area of the city at about midday on Saturday.

News Digest: Car Baby Injured

A baby was taken to hospital along with its parents after their car crashed into an embankment in Sutton Coldfield. The accident happened at 12.30am yesterday when the car hit an earth embankment in Bassetts Pole on the southbound carriageway of the A38 Sutton By-Pass in Minworth.

News Digest: Monkeys See Red

Children wearing blue face paints have been ordered out of a zoo's monkey house after staff discovered they were scaring the animals. Keepers of the small Geoffrey's marmosets at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire were baffled when certain visitors made the monkeys sound warning calls and run up and down their branches.

Midlands May Have Link to Scots Killing

Church worshippers in Coventry were asked to help in the nationwide hunt for a murder suspect wanted over the "violent death" of a Polish student whose body was found in a Scottish church. It is thought convicted sex attacker Peter Tobin, who is being questioned over the murder of Angelika Kluk, had in the past visited the drop-in Jesus Centre in Coventry city centre.

'Raleigh's Potato' Is Back in Britain

A potato has been created from primitive plants in South America where it is thought Sir Walter Raleigh first discovered the vegetable before bringing it back to Britain and presenting it to the Queen. Plant scientists have bred the potato directly from an original South American potato species called Phureja -a plant which has been unchanged for 7,000 years.

As Death Rate Rises, Warning That Dangers of Asbestos Still Exist

Asbestos-related deaths have risen sharply in the West Midlands with the mortality rate set to peak in 2011. The heat-resistant material, used in the building industry from the 1950s to 1980s, can cause mesothelioma, a particularly aggressive cancer for which there is no cure.

Battle for a Child Much Harder Than My Cancer ; Cancer 2020 When Mike Peters, a Rock Veteran of More Than 30 Years and Frontman with the Alarm, Was First Diagnosed with Cancer in 1995, It Turned His World Upside Down. Then He and His Wife Jules Were Dealt a Cruel Double Blow As They Battled to Have Children. They Told Health Reporter Emma Brady About How They Are Fighting Back

"This is a disease you'll more likely die with rather than die of." Those are the words Welsh rock legend Mike Peters has clung to since he was diagnosed last December with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), a cancer that usually affects people over 60.

New Plea to Find Prisoner On the Run

Detectives have made a direct appeal to the criminal fraternity as part of their hunt for a "violent and dangerous" prisoner who was freed from a prison van at gunpoint. Craig Hickinbottom (24) was serving a five year and 11 month sentence for armed robbery when he escaped on Wednesday after appearing before magistrates in Red-ditch, Worcestershire.

Midlands Men Prefer Gadgets to Sex and Are Biggest Geeks in Uk

One in three men would choose gadgets over beer or sex - and the men of the Midlands are the biggest "techno-geeks". According to a survey released today, London and the South are just behind the Midlands while most techno-phobe men in the UK hail from Northern Ireland and Wales.

How Not to Make the Good Hotel Guide ...

Loud piped music, charges for wi-fi and the "menace" of wedding parties are among the problems faced by hotel guests, reveals a guide out today. One establishment charges pounds 20 for a day's wi-fi, while music played in some hotels is so loud it cannot be described as being "background" music, reports The Good Hotel Guide 2007, edited by Desmond Balmer and Adam Raphael.

Stop Dumping Beer Cans in Pools - Warning to Anglers

Beer-swilling anglers who dump empty cans have been warned that one of the best Midland fishing sites of its kind might close if they do not clean up their act. The Izaak Walton (Stafford) Angling Association, which bought the rights to Hopton Pools 15 years ago, has sent letters to its 800 members warning that the site is being used as a rubbish ground.

'Our Long, Hard Road to Being in Power'

The Conservatives still have a "long, hard road ahead" before they are likely to form a Government, shadow Cabinet member Andrew Mitchell has warned. But the shadow International Development Secretary and MP for Sutton Coldfield claimed the party was "on the right track" for victory.

Quality the Key in Nhs - Letwin

The Conservatives' policy chief Oliver Letwin yesterday refused to set any limits on the extent of private sector involvement in the NHS. It was the quality of the service provided to patients that mattered, he told the BBC, not who provided it.

We'll Build Slowly but Surely, Says Cameron ; As the Conservatives Meet for Their Annual Conference in Bournemouth, Political Editor Jonathan Walker Examines David Cameron's Performance so Far

Midland MPs Andrew Mitchell and Caroline Spelman will head off to a disused church this afternoon, armed with paintbrushes. While Conservatives debate the issues of the day at the party's annual conference in Bournemouth, the pair will be busy turning St Mary's Church into a community centre.

Soldiers in City Hospitals 'Betrayed' - Tories

Injured British soldiers have been "betrayed" by the Government by being placed with civilians on mixed wards in Birmingham hospitals, Conservatives have claimed. Liam Fox, the shadow Defence Secretary, said he was contacted by a distressed soldier who telephoned from Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

Leader: Stick to the Plan and We Can Win an Election

The Conservatives are finally in a position to win a General Election, David Cameron insisted yesterday. He compared his party's fortunes today to 1997, when he stood and lost in Stafford, in the West Midlands.