Birmingham Post

Spies in the Sky Threat to Gardens

The Government was last night accused of spying on homes to raise council tax rates and identify back gardens for future housing development. Midland MP Caroline Spelman, the shadow Local Government Secretary, said she had obtained documents which she believes proves the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) was planning to use "spy in the sky" technology when council tax revaluation is carried out in England.

Painted Faces

Police Force Goes to Court Over Merger

West Mercia Police are set to seek a judicial review this week, as the force opposes the Home Office's plans to merge four Midland constabularies into a super-force. Last week Home Secretary John Reid had seemingly thrown West Mercia a lifeline, claiming he did not want to impose an unpopular merger.

Emergency Service Thrown Into Doubt by Pcts

The country's top performing ambulance service may be forced to reduce its accident and emergency cover because primary care trusts (PCTs) are refusing to pay for it. Staffordshire Ambulance said unless health chiefs sign the service level agreements through which the trust is funded, it may have to scale back services.

Ambulance Chiefs Vow to Fight On

Midland ambulance chiefs have vowed their service will not be merged "by default" but will remain independent. The comments came after plans to amalgamate five ambulance trusts across the region were thrown into disarray amid confusion over a two-year reprieve for Staffordshire Ambulance Service.

Uk Must Improve Its Energy Efficiency

The Government was today urged to step up efforts to improve energy efficiency, as a report found it would not only cut Britain's production of global warming gases but also improve economic growth and employment and reduce inflation. By contrast, attempts to bring down CO2 emissions by increasing the price of fuel to consumers and businesses risk damaging the UK's economy by driving up inflation and reducing growth, warned the report.

Tide May Be Turning Against Animal Rights Extremists

Families living in constant fear of terror attacks on their homes, as a result of their links to the animal research industry, believe public opinion of activists is changing following the grave robbery of a Staffordshire grandmother. Gladys Hammond's remains were stolen from her grave at St Peter's Church, Yoxall, by animal rights extremists in October 2004 in an attempt to have a guinea pig farm - owned by her son-in-law Christopher Hall -shut down.

He Was Loved by All, Says Susan

The widow of car crash victim Richard Adams has spoken movingly of her love for the chartered surveyor. As the Birmingham Post reported last week, Mr Adams was killed when his VW Golf was crushed by a Suburu Impreza in Nechells ten days ago. The car, allegedly travelling at speeds up to 120mph, clipped a central reservation and was catapulted into the air, landing on top of the 34-year-old's vehicle as it waited at lights.

Death Toll From Quake Hits 4,000 ; Indonesian Earthquake Disaster

Clutching his dead daughter in his arms, Poniran says: "I have to start my life from zero again." He dug his still breathing five-year-old from the rubble of her bedroom, but she died in a hospital awaiting treatment along with hundreds of others. The injured lie in their thousands on plastic sheets, straw mats and even newspapers outside overcrowded hospitals, some hooked to intravenous drips dangling from trees.

Historic Temple Left Badly Damaged ; Indonesian Earthquake Disaster

Indonesia's world-renowned Prambanan temple complex, built in the 9th century, was badly damaged by the earthquake. Debris from broken walls and carvings at the temple, the largest Hindu compound in Indonesia, was scattered over the ground, with some pieces as big as a child.

Time Is Running Out in the Hunt for Survivors ; Indonesian Earthquake Disaster

British aid workers involved in the relief effort said they were making good progress in getting urgent supplies to survivors. But others warned that time was already running out to find anyone alive in the rubble of buildings toppled by the tremor that hit the island of Java.

Failure to Jail Offenders Makes Mockery of Knife Plan ; Indonesian Earthquake Disaster

The Government's clampdown on knife crime came under fire last night after it was revealed no-one has been jailed for selling knives to children under 16 for nearly a decade. The figures were revealed as a Birmingham teenager was recovering in hospital after being stabbed outside his school on Friday.

A Prayer and a Pint for Late Night Drinkers ; Indonesian Earthquake Disaster

A Black Country church, which is surrounded by a number of bars and clubs, has opened its doors to establish an early hours ministry for drinkers. St Paul's, The Crossing, in Darwall Street, Walsall, will be operating the service between 10pm on Fridays and 2am on Saturday mornings.

Labour Mps Sharpen Knives for Prescott

Labour parliamentarians yesterday spoke publicly for the first time about the possibility of replacing John Prescott as Deputy Prime Minister. Baroness Helena Kennedy said it would be "timely" for Mr Prescott to go, while former Minister Denis MacShane said that the party needed renewal "from the very top" and that nobody should be immune.

New Crime Figures Put More Pressure On Reid

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith last night defended the Government's record on prosecuting crimes, following the release of new statistics suggesting conviction rates for some of the gravest offences have never been lower. Figures compiled for The Observer suggested that conviction rates for many of the most violent crimes have fallen below ten per cent in the years since Labour came to power, while incidences of offences like serious wounding and rape have soared.

Grandchildren Help Mend Clare's Broken Heart

She has become one of the most outspoken Labour MPs in recent years, but now Clare Short is enjoying a new role - as a grandmother and being in love. Three years ago life seemed bleak for the Birmingham MP, who felt she had no option but to resign from her job as Overseas Development Secretary in protest over the Iraq war.

Conservative Peer and the Skeleton in Blair's Property Past

A gruesome skeleton lurking in the depths of the Prime Minister's property portfolio was revealed yesterday. It has emerged how an elderly tramp was once found dead in the cellar of the Blairs' multi-million pound 'retirement home' in Connaught Square, central London.

Cameron Opens His Heart On Radio 4

Conservative leader David Cameron has spoken about his shock at discovering his son Ivan was suffering from a rare form of cerebral palsy that left him needing 24-hour care. Speaking on BBC 4's Desert Island Discs, broadcast yesterday he told candidly how the news of his child's disability hit him and his wife, Sam, "almost like mourning the loss of something, because you are mourning the gap between your expectation and what has happened".

Taking Pride in Their Outfits for Day

Tottering on three-inch-high platforms, these ribbon-laced boots were among some of the tamer costumes that entertained the hundreds of spectators who lined the streets of Birmingham's "pink village" for the city's tenth annual Gay Pride celebrations. Drag queens, dancers and musicians paraded around Hurst Street in an array of glittering, eye-catching, and predominantly pink costumes.

Police Hunt Women in Murder Inquiry

Police are appealing for two Latvian women to come forward to help them find out how a car worker came to have his throat slit following a rowdy party at his house. The man, whose decomposing body was found in a back garden in Coventry, has been identified as 22-year-old Ukrainian Pavel Makhovya.