Birmingham Post

Mps Demand Casino Inquiry ; Decisions Have Not Been Transparent, and the Highest Standards of Impartiality, Integrity and Objectivity Have Not Been Observed Conservative Backbenchers

Angry MPs have accused the Government's casino panel of lacking integrity after it refused to explain why it rejected some bids for a supercasino and accepted others. The Casino Advisory Panel provoked fury when it published long- awaited details of the decision-making process which led it to reject 19 applications for regional casinos.

How Wg Grace and a House Sparrow Teamed Up to Beat the Builders

A humble house sparrow has ruffled the feathers of developers by staging a sit-in at an historic cricket pavilion which has been earmarked for demolition. After weeks of fierce campaigning by politicians, cricketers and heritage groups, the stubborn nesting bird has earned a stay of execution for the 130-year-old black and white timbered building at the Cinderella Ground in Worcester, the former home of Worcestershire County Cricket Club.

Three New Salmonella Cases

Cadbury's last night said it was working with the Health Protection Agency after it emerged that three people had been admitted to hospital suffering from the strain of salmonella at the centre of a health scare involving its chocolate. A spokesman for the company spoke after it emerged that a baby, a child and an adult had been treated in hospital for salmonella Montevideo food poisoning in recent months. The HPA confirmed they were among 31 people nationwide who had been found to have the S...

News Digest: Trust On Trial

News Digest: Railway Charges

News Digest: Healthy Start

News Digest: Death Riddle

News Digest: City Shooting

Unions Still Cautious As Midland Ambulance Merger Goes Live

Unions have warned they are remaining cautious over the merger of three Midland ambulance services, which comes into effect today. Coventry and Warwickshire, Hereford and Worcester, and West Midlands trusts have been amalgamated to form the new West Central service, as part of the reconfiguration of 31 ambulance trusts into ten larger services.

The New Pounds 1.1m Tails On the Riverbank

The animal best known as Ratty from The Wind in the Willows is to make a spectacular return to a stretch of a Midland river bank. In fact a whole army of young water voles is being released into a Herefordshire river, and conservationists hope they will start reproducing by August. A total of 500 water voles are being reintroduced in stages to an 18- mile stretch of the River Dore in Herefordshire - in what is thought to be the biggest release of the animal yet.

Ben and Charlotte in Their Fields of Dreams

It had all the ingredients of a Hollywood blockbuster - set in the heart of rural Shropshire. A young brother and sister, fighting against the odds to save their home and their heritage, following the death of their father.

'Deadly' Scores for World Cup Scam Kids

Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis has been praised for his role in helping organise a trip to today's England World Cup quarter-final for schoolchildren who fell victim to an alleged ticket scam. Hundreds of children nationwide, including 49 from North Bromsgrove High School in Worcestershire and 17 from Blake Valley School in Cannock, Staffordshire, are travelling to Gelsenkirchen for today's Portugal match.

Dave Set to Drop in at the Royal Show

Conservative leader David Cameron will be making an appearance at this year's Royal Show in Warwickshire. He will visit a number of stalls and displays at the event in Stoneleigh Park on Monday.. The four-day event, which begins tomorrow, features a range of attractions from conferences to livestock displays.

Summer's Day Soaked in Blood of 20,000

Thousands of British people will gather on the battlefields of the Somme today to honour the 20,000 who fell in the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and Ministers will be among those taking part in a day of commemorations exactly 90 years after the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

Wood Site Will Be Forever the Somme

In 1916 the Allied forces came up with a plan they believed would help them to win the First World War. British commanders were so confident in their decision to attack a 24km front between Serre and Curlu in France that they ordered their troops to walk slowly towards German lines.

Man Guilty of Trying to Rape 100-Year-Old

A man was convicted yesterday of trying to rape a woman aged over 100. Paul Blackwood (34) broke down the front door of the pensioner's home in the West Midlands and burst into her bedroom during the night.

Third Man Accused of Killing Dj

A third man charged with the murder of a DJ, who was stabbed in the street after partying at a nightclub, appeared in Birmingham Magistrates Court yesterday. Neville Borland (35) from Milton Street in the Newtown area of Birmingham, is accused of the murder of father-of-one Marlvin Jiro.

Coroner Unable to Decide How Helicopter Crash Happened

The cause of death of two army co-pilots in a helicopter crash will remain a mystery, a coroner concluded yesterday. Captain Andrew Nicoll and his co-pilot Sergeant Simon Bennett, a married father-of-three from Telford, Shropshire, died in December 2003 when their Gazelle crashed outside Londonderry.

Cat Killer May Go to Prison

Birmingham teenagers filmed themselves hurling a terrified cat from the fifth floor of a city tower block four times, city magistrates were told. The ginger and white tomcat called Kharlo suffered severe brain damage and had to be put down.

'High Roller' Blew Clients' Money in Three Vegas Trips

A claims handler who transferred almost pounds 150,000 of clients' money into his own account in order to fund his gambling addiction has been jailed for two years and four months at Birmingham Crown Court. The court was told that Steven Frew used the cash for a luxurious lifestyle, making three trips to Las Vegas where he was treated as a 'high roller'.