Birmingham Post

Car Shaping Jaguar's Future

Jaguar's drive to shake off its fuddy-duddy image picks up pace this weekend when the West Midlands carmaker shows off this C-XF concept car at the Detroit Auto Show in the US. The car, which may or may not ultimately go into production, is a highly stylised version of the XF sports saloon that is due to replace the Castle Bromwich-built S-Type in 2008.

Drunken Surgeon 'Risk to Patients'

A consultant surgeon who was drunk while on duty at a Midland hospital posed a danger to patients, a disciplinary hearing was told yesterday. Ramasankerpersad Jairam was said to have consumed three bottles of vodka a day and was found wandering the grounds of Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital in such a drunken state that he did not know who he was.

Deportation-Threat Sisters Are Granted Extra Time in Britain

Twin sisters facing deportation have spoken of their relief after being granted a stay of execution. Birmingham students Karina and Kamila have been granted extra time to remain in the UK while the Israeli government considers their emigration applications.

Midland Man Denies Soliciting Murder

A West Midlands man called for the murder of American and Danish people during a demonstration in London, the Old Bailey heard yesterday. Umran Javed, aged 27, was said to have been one of the leaders of the demonstration against the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed.

B&Q Blame It On Boogie

DIY giant B&Q came under fire yesterday after candidates at job interviews for van drivers were asked to dance and pull funny faces. Several jobseekers attending an interview at the store in Norwich faced the bizarre request to dance.

Alas, Poor Gorick - Give Him the Cash

One of the Midlands' oldest churches, where William Shakespeare worshipped and is buried, launched a multi-million pound appeal yesterday to fund a raft of urgent repairs. Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, is one of the first stops on the town's tourist trail and welcomes more than 250,000 visitors a year. The church, which dates back to the mid-13th century, is where Shakespeare was baptised in 1564, as were his children, and a monument to the Bard was erected at Holy...

Bosses Told to 'Sunset' Their Blue Sky Jargon

Workers and managers who use office jargon such as "blue sky thinking" and "singing from the same hymn sheet" were yesterday warned that the phrases were out of date and should be replaced with newer buzzwords. A survey of 1,600 office staff revealed the best and worst phrases as well as the "downright ugly", guaranteed to be a huge turn-off for colleagues.

Police Say Killer Dog Was 'Pit Bull Type'

The dog that killed five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson was a "pit bull terrier type", Merseyside Police confirmed yesterday. Ellie was mauled by a dog belonging to her uncle in the early hours of New Year's Day in St Helens.

News Digest: Rail Attack Arrests

Three youths have been arrested in connection with an attack which left a Birmingham freight train driver with life-threatening injuries. The suspects, aged 16, 18 and 21, have all been bailed until February pending further inquiries into the incident in Kid- derminster, British Transport Police said.

News Digest: Qe2 Mystery

News Digest: Charity Pays Off

News Digest: Tree Crash

A man was yesterday airlifted to hospital after his car hit a tree and flipped over. The crash happened in Wynall Lane, Wolles-cote, at 8.30am.

Midland Seven in 'Bible'

Nearly 40 years ago the selection of Basil D'Oliveira in England's Test team against South Africa sparked an international race row. The refusal of the South African authorities to allow D'Oliveira into the country of his birth - he was a Cape coloured, or of mixed race - as part of the England party led to the cancellation of the 1968/9 tour and intensified attention on the fight against apartheid.

Prostitutes Murder Case Remand

A 48-year-old man accused of murdering five prostitutes was remanded in custody when he appeared before a judge yesterday. Steve Wright, of Ipswich, Suffolk, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court charged with the murders of Gemma Adams, 25' Tania Nicol, 19' Anneli Alderton, 24' Paula Clennell, 24, and Annette Nicholls, 29. Judge John Devaux adjourned the hearing until May 1 and remanded Wright in custody. Wright entered no plea and there was no application for bail. Judge Devaux said a High Court j...

Inmates Get Access to Emails

Prisoners are to be given access to email for the first time in a bid to cut reoffending. The Home Office is drawing up plans for a pilot scheme in a single jail to give inmates internet use - despite previous fears that it could be a security risk. Officials said the project at Wandsworth jail in south London would only go ahead if there were systems in place to prevent "abuses".

Our Local Police Will Still Attend Burglaries

Midland police forces yesterday ruled out following the example of their London counterparts who are no longer sending officers to burglaries if the suspect has already fled the scene. Instead, they send civilian "crime scene" staff to examine the burgled property for forensic evidence.

Us Mourns As Ford Is Laid to Rest

Gerald Ford left his beloved US Capitol for the last time yesterday as national mourning for the former president gave way to an elaborate invitation-only funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. The public had filed into the Capitol Rotunda in their thousands over the previous two days, paying their respects to the man summoned to America's highest office when the Watergate scandal consumed Richard Nixon's presidency in 1974.

Car Bomb Destroys Eta Peace Process

The peace process launched by armed Basque separatists is dead following a weekend car bombing, Spain's ruling Socialist party said yesterday. "The process is over, because this is what Eta has chosen," said party official Jose Blanco, naming the militant group blamed for the powerful explosion on Saturday at Madrid airport that left 26 people injured and two missing and feared dead.

Festival for 70 Million Hindus

Nearly 70 million Hindus are expected to take a dip in frigid temperatures at the confluence of three major rivers in north India as part of a religious pilgrimage aimed at washing away earthly sins. For one of the largest gatherings of people in the world, authorities have put up nearly 50,000 green, blue and brown tents and 25,000 makeshift toilets in a sprawling area of 30 square miles on the banks of the Ganges River.

Sunni Muslims Take to Streets Over Saddam's Execution

Sunni Muslims, angered by the execution of Saddam Hussein and the hurried and undignified way his hanging was carried out, have taken to the streets of Iraq in mainly peaceful demonstrations. A crowd of Sunni mourners in Samarra marched to a bomb-damaged Shiite shrine and were allowed by guards and police to enter the holy place carrying a mock coffin and photos of the former dictator.