Birmingham Post

Pounds 23m Land Deal Collapses ; Eyesore Stays As Pounds 100m Regeneration Scheme Falls Through

The pounds 100 million regeneration of a prime Birmingham city centre site off Great Charles Street has fallen through. Developers HBG Properties pulled out of the deal on the eve of signing contracts with the city council.

Ldv Is Sold

Arson Attack Blacks Out Thousands

Thousands of homes were still without power last night after a suspected arson attack caused a huge blackout across Birmingham. About 30,000 homes and businesses were plunged into darkness in the early hours when a 40ft blaze erupted at a substation containing 11,000 volt cables.

Pc Jailed After Man Was Tortured

A corrupt West Midlands Police officer who disgraced his force by helping kidnap and torture a businessman has been jailed for five years. Pc Colin Hester was part of a gang which subjected Thomas Scragg to a six-hour ordeal in which his face was slashed to the bone with a machete.

Friendly Fire Death Caused by Lack of Training and 'Inaccurate' Gun

A British tank commander who died in a "friendly fire" incident during the invasion of Iraq was killed by a single round from a type of gun known to be inaccurate at short range. According to the official report, published yesterday, the gunner who fired the fatal shot had not been taught about the problems with the L94 machine gun during his training.

Big Stores Don't Own Us - Council

The politician responsible for bringing economic development to Birmingham last night insisted the city council was not in the pockets of supermarket chains and would not automatically sell land for new stores. Ken Hardeman, cabinet member for regeneration, defended a council study which welcomed the growth of superstores, said they were popular with shoppers, and suggested they bring significant benefits to the local economy.

Better Late Than Never for City's Newest Councillor

Birmingham's newest city councillor has spoken of her relief at finally being sworn into office almost three months after a counting mix-up mistakenly gave her seat to the British National Party. Labour's Cath Grundy began her first official day in the Council House yesterday, following a High Court ruling quashing the election in May of the BNP's Sharon Ebanks. Tellers at the Kingstanding count double-counted the BNP votes, allowing Ms Ebanks to be declared the winner. Labour had to raise an...

New Plan to Help Small Centres Survive

Private sector developers could be invited to breathe new life into some of Birmingham's under-performing suburban shopping centres. The strategy is being considered as a response to a city council study showing that almost one-third of retail areas outside of the city centre are struggling to survive.

Pounds 3. 6m for Woman Left Paralysed by Operation

A Black Country woman left severely brain damaged and wheel- chair bound after an operation to remove a brain cyst has been awarded more than pounds 3 million in damages. Elaine Silvester, aged 49, was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Edg-baston, Birmingham, two days after she had awoken with a "vice-like" headache in March 1999.

Breakdown Causes 'Serious Interruption' to Nhs Computer Services

Health trusts across the Midlands were among 80 NHS organisations hit by a "serious interruption" to their computer services, the body running the Government's controversial IT programme said yesterday. NHS Connecting for Health said equipment failure led to the collapse, on Sunday morning, which left trusts struggling to access data.

Huntsman 'Pursued Foxes in Clear Breach of Hunting Act'

A huntsman pursued foxes across Exmoor in "wilful disregard" of the Hunting Act, a court was told yesterday. Tony Wright (52), appeared in court in a private prosecution brought by the League Against Cruel Sports.

Gambling Firm Accused of Mafia Link

Online gambling firm Beton-Sports shared an office with a company US prosecutors allege is linked to a New York Mafia family, according to reports yesterday. Safe Deposit Sports (SDS) was allegedly part of an illegal gambling ring which netted millions for the notorious Bonanno mob family and operated out of BetonSport's Costa Rica office, the Financial Times said.

Library for Eastside Fails

Any last lingering hopes that the new Library of Birmingham might be built at Eastside disappeared last night. Members of the city council cabinet agreed to open formal discussions to sell part of the site once earmarked for a pounds 180 million library by the award-winning architect Lord Richard Rogers to the University of Central England.

Coursework Stays in School to Stop Cheats

Teenagers will not be allowed to take coursework projects home in many GCSE subjects under plans from the exams watchdog designed to stamp out cheating. The proposals came amid fears that the growth in internet plagiarism and the desire of parents to "help" with their children's work were compromising the integrity of GCSEs.

New Plan to Make a Levels Harder

A levels and GCSEs should be overhauled to allow teenagers to sit fewer but tougher exams at school, the new national head of higher education said yesterday. Professor David Eastwood, who will take charge of England's pounds 6 billion university funding body in September, has backed calls to reform the school exam system.

Finding a Beautiful Wife Could Be About to Get Easier

The search for a beautiful wife should soon get a good deal easier. According to the latest research, beautiful parents are a third more likely to have daughters than sons.

It's Official: Fish and Chips Are a National Treasure

Fish and chips, the Oxford English Dictionary, the pint and The Archers have joined off-beat comedians Monty Python and the mythical Robin Hood as "icons" of England. The newest set of national treasures, which also include Sherlock Holmes and the bowler hat, were drawn up by experts and voted for by the public as part of the Icons - A Portrait of England collection.

Lakes Find On Saturn Moon

Lakes up to 60 miles long have been discovered on Saturn's giant moon Titan. Dozens of well-defined dark patches are shown in radar images from the Cassini spacecraft.

Cows Destroyed After Farm Owners Are Jailed

Up to 90 cows at a farm in Worcestershire have had to be destroyed after being abandoned by their jailed owners. Owners of Emmadale Farm in Rowley Green Lane, Alvechurch, Lionel David and Stephen Tonge, were jailed in May for non-payment of fines for animal welfare breaches.

City Is Named the Uk's Tornado Alley

Birmingham has been named the UK's 'tornado alley' by experts who claim conditions in the West Midlands are ripe for twisters. Studies by the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (Torro) show that Birmingham's inland geography leave it especially prone to summer storms similar to those that savage the east coast of the USA.