Birmingham Post

Labour Fears Clarke Backlash

Birmingham's Labour MPs stood by embattled Home Secretary Charles Clarke last night but warned that the party will pay the price in the local elections for the scandals that surround it. The row over releasing foreign prisoners due for deportation back into Britain, John Prescott's affair with his secretary and job cuts in the NHS could lead to voter apathy or Labour supporters casting a protest vote for the BNP on Thursday, some MPs said.

Council Pledge: We'll Still Back Blues Stadium ; Relegation Gloom at St Andrew's but Fans Have Multi-Million Pound Silver Lining

Birmingham City Football Club has been reassured its dream of a new super-stadium is still alive despite the club's relegation from the Premiership. On a black weekend for West Midlands football, Blues went down following Saturday's goalless draw with Newcastle United while West Bromwich Albion were also relegated despite not playing.

Schools Ready to Fight Back Against 'Demoralising' League Tables

Schools could invite parents to send children in late deliberately to miss national curriculum tests as part of a major campaign against league tables, headteachers' leaders said. Britain's biggest heads' union demanded action to oppose national tests - particularly for 11-year-olds in primary schools - and the tables based on the results.

News Digest: Death Inquiry

The death of a man found lying in a city street is to be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The 61-year-old died in hospital four hours after a member of the public alerted the ambulance service in Stoke-on-Trent to his predicament.

News Digest: Murder Hunt

A murder inquiry has been launched into the death of a 42-year- old man who was found critically injured at the side of a road, police said. Neil Powell, from Telford, Shropshire, was taken to hospital suffering stomach injuries and died a short time later. A postmortem examination showed he died from multiple injuries, including stab wounds.

News Digest: 'Dora' Awards

Nominations from community figures in Walsall are now being accepted for the borough's annual "Dora" awards. Named after Sister Dora, one of the town's best known historical figures, the fourth annual Mayor's Civic Awards are organised by Walsall Council.

News Digest: Fight for Life

A 14-year-old boy was fighting for his life in hospital last night after he was knocked down by a car in Staffordshire. The teenager, who has not been named, was hit by a saloon car on the A34 Liverpool Road in the Cross Heath area of Newcastle-under- Lyme at 7.40pm on Friday.

Invisible Disability That Will Hit Ipod Generation ; One in Seven People in Britain Are Deaf or Hearing Impaired. Health Reporter Emma Brady Became Deaf for a Day to See Why People Must Take Care of Their Hearing

Living in a busy city like Birmingham, it is easy to get used to the noisy cacophony of traffic, roadworks, passing conversation and emergency sirens. Some people might think blocking out these sounds would make their world more peaceful, but for those with hearing problems it is very disorientating.

Depression and Frustration Followed by Learning to Cope

When Sandra McDougall was diagnosed with a hearing problem in 1997, doctors told her she would be deaf by her 50th birthday. Ms McDougall, then aged 42, was given a set of hearing aids and told by staff at a Birmingham hospital there was nothing else they could do.

Union's Plea to Peugeot Bosses

Peugeot bosses have been urged to sit down with union leaders and discuss proposals they believe could save the firm's Coventry car plant. The plea was made as workers from the Ryton factory gathered for a cross-union rally in Birmingham over the weekend in a bid to drum up support for alternative proposals they claim would prevent its closure.

Five Held Over Suspected 'Honour Killing'

Five people remained in custody yesterday being questioned over the discovery of what is thought to be the body of a missing 20- year-old woman in a suitcase. The remains, thought to be those of Banaz Mahmod Baba-kir Agha who went missing from her home in Mitcham, south London, three months ago, were discovered during a search of a property in Birmingham.

Jackson's a No-Show

Former Olympic athlete Colin Jackson failed to appear at a tennis event in Birmingham yesterday. The Strictly Come Dancing star (left) had been due to promote the Lawn Tennis Association's free coaching sessions for children.

Eyesore to Be Turned Into More City Living

An empty building on Birmingham's Ring Road is to be demolished and developed as a 12-storey block of shops, restaurants, bars and offices. Bulldozers will move in quickly on the vacant two-storey building on Snow Hill Queensway after councillors gave planning permission.

Teenage Girl Killed in Road Crash

A 15-year-old Birmingham girl died and four other people were injured in a road crash in Scotland, police said last night. Asreena Gul, of Dora Road, died at the scene, and a one-year-old baby was among those hurt in the accident on the northbound carriageway of the M74, near Crawford.

Website Changes for the Birmingham Post

The Birmingham Post online service is changing as part of a continuing programme of improvements to the website. From today, the Post's web address will be www.birminghampost.n- et, replacing the current icbirmingh am/post address.

Midlanders Are Rudest Drivers ...

Midlanders may be renowned for their friendliness and laid-back manner but, when it comes to the open road, any politeness goes out the window, according to new research. Motoring experts the AA said usually mild-mannered Midlanders top the nation's charts when it comes to aggressive driving.

..And Most Superstitious People in the Country

Superstitions are still "rife" in Britain and Midlanders are the most superstitious group in England - despite most people's belief that they create their own luck, a survey said yesterday. Almost two-thirds of people regularly touch wood and half avoid walking under ladders, according to the figures.

Debt in Nhs Is 'Tip of Iceberg'

Hospitals are set for another round of swingeing cuts because the real level of NHS debt is far higher than the Government admits, MPs have warned. The House of Commons Health Committee is to examine the state of hospital finances, following the concern that reported debts of pounds 800 million may be only the tip of the iceberg.

Education: Ofsted has Forced Me to Quit Job

A head teacher with 20 years' experience said he was quitting the profession because he was not prepared to allow inspectors to ruin his school in a two-day Ofsted visit. The country's biggest head teachers' union condemned the new inspection system in which Ofsted visits are cut to just a few days as "punitive" and "humiliating".

Education: Association Raises Fears Over Role of Headteachers

Headteachers could become a thing of the past with schools run by chief executives or health service administrators in future. Members of the National Association of Head Teachers called on the Government to "come clean" over their plans for how schools will be managed in the future.