Birmingham Post

Cameron: My Election Battle Will Be Won or Lost in the Midlands

Battlelines are being drawn across the West Midlands - in readiness for a snap election, David Cameron revealed yesterday. As speculation grows Gordon Brown is preparing to go to the polls as early as November 1, the Conservative leader said the Midlands were set to become a key battle-ground.

A Job Not for the Faint-Hearted

Intellectually-rigorous and inspirational visionaries, but who still possess the common touch, are being invited to apply for one of the most difficult jobs in the Midlands, writes Paul Dale. A national advertising campaign to find the next chief executive of regional development agency Advantage West Midlands suggests the post will appeal to candidates able to display political nous, astuteness and with the ability to get on with and impress everyone from councillors and business leaders to ...

Community Court to Start Work

New York justice is coming to the streets of Birmingham - in the form of a revolutionary community court system. Anti-social behaviour, drug crime, graffiti, burglary and prostitution in two of the city's most deprived areas will be dealt with under the local justice scheme.

Health Centre Will Unite Redditch Gps ; Health

Plans for a major new health centre in a Worcestershire town have been revealed, which could see several GP surgeries join forces. An extended range of primary care services and diagnostics could be offered at the proposed Redditch Health Centre, which is set to be located on the Car Park 7 site in the town centre.

Callous Nurse Took Dying Hero's Cash ; Theft

A nurse who stole a dying war hero's wallet to pay her telephone bill yesterday received a three-month suspended jail sentence. Veronica Harold, 47, used a cash card belonging to 83-year-old Albert Davies which she took from his bedside locker at Fazakerley Hospital in Liverpool.

Classical Music

After reviewing the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for nearly 40 years, The Birmingham Post's chief music critic Christopher Morley finally got to stand on the conductor's podium yesterday. Mr Morley, who celebrates his 60th birthday tomorrow, has been given a CBSO long-service award for services to the orchestra - believed to be the first time that one has been bestowed outside the orchestra, chorus and staff.

Election Decision Could Mean Race for Votes in Midlands

A decision by Gordon Brown to call a General Election in November could plunge tens of thousands of people across Birmingham and the West Midlands into a race against time if they want to be certain of having a vote. If the Prime Minister goes for a November 1 polling day, people who have moved to a new address during the course of the year will have until October 17 to register to vote from their new address.

Community Court Scheme Could Makeover Inner City

The new community court dealing with low-level crimes in inner- city Birmingham could stimulate economic growth and create jobs in its most deprived areas, chief crown prosecutor David Blundell claimed yesterday. The court, which will start working in Lozells and Handsworth from November, is based on a hugely successful American model that regenerated a struggling New York district.

Teenage Tennis Hopeful Says Coach's 'Threats' Led to Lesbian Affair

A girl told a court yesterday she felt "threatened" into having a lesbian relationship with her tennis coach when she was 13-years- old. The youngster was giving evidence at the trial of Claire Lyte, 29, a former coach at the Lawn Tennis Association academy in Loughborough.

Fips has Spent Thirty Years Giving Lessons in Laughter

Travelling the world and performing in circuses since he was seven, Fips the Clown's education has been anything but conventional. "I went to well over 240 different schools around the world. Some schools I would attend just for one day.

No Plans for Mick to Hang Up Mic ; Music

Thousands of music fans are on tenterhooks to find out if newly- reformed Led Zeppelin will live up to the legendary live performances of their past - including Mick Jagger. "I heard an awful rumour they were only going to play for half an hour," he said. "From what I remember the drum solos used to last half an hour.

Teen Kills Sister with Buried Gun ; Shooting

A 17-year-old boy has admitted accidentally shooting his 12-year- old sister dead at their family home with a handgun held illegally by their mother. Kasha Peniston pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his sister Kam-ilah by shooting her in the forehead with a .38 snub-nosed revolver.

Attack On Website ; Pool

Footage of an attack posted on YouTube could hold the key to the investigation into the murder of Shane Owoo, police said yesterday. The body of the 16-year-old, who could not swim, was recovered from Lunt Pool in Bilston, West Midlands, on Sunday.

Met Shooting Trial ; Court

The trial of the Metropolitan Police following the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes is based on a misunderstanding of how police work, a court heard yesterday. If successful the prosecution "test case" could result in officers across the UK losing the discretion to act as they see fit, it was claimed.

Black Widow of Sutton - Who Hired Hitmen to Kill Her Husband - Dies in Hospice

A woman dubbed the Black Widow after she hired hitmen to kill her husband has died in a hospice, her lawyer said. Ethel Trigwell died at the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham, Surrey, on Monday, said Giovanni Di Stefano.

Midland Scientists Say Cold Virus Can Help to Kill Cancer

Scientists at a Midland university are using a common cold virus to help kill cancer, it can be revealed today. A modified version of the adenovirus - which causes 30 per cent of colds and respiratory infections - is used as a 'Trojan horse' to carry a protein which targets the cell, stops its growth and causes it to die.

Diana Inquest: Al Fayed Shock at Early Revelations

Mohamed al Fayed was left surprised by the "tone and content" of the coroner's opening statement yesterday as the Diana, Princess of Wales inquest began in full. Michael Cole, spokesman for the Harrods boss whose son Dodi was killed alongside the Princess, said outside court that "highly contentious" material had been introduced and could present an appearance of bias.

One of Uk's Most Wanted Child Sex Offenders Arrested in Ireland

One of the UK's most wanted child sex offenders has been arrested in Ireland, police said yesterday. John Murrell, 39, pictured, from Worcestershire went on the run for more than seven years after failing to register with police on his release from prison in September 2000. He now faces extradition to the UK after being arrested by officers acting on behalf of West Mercia Constabulary.

Freedom of Private Schools Under Threat, Insists Top Midland Head

The freedom of private schools is under threat from "creeping Government regulation" a top Midland headteacher claimed. Bernard Trafford, head of fee-paying Wol-verhampton Grammar School, accused Ministers of attempting to bring all public schools under the influence of the Government's "Rottweiler", Ofsted. They are currently consulting on plans to transfer the "registration and regulation" of independent schools from Whitehall to Ofsted, its inspection body.

Pounds 5m Bail for Retrial Scot in Us ; Murder

A judge set bail at pounds 5 million for a Briton who faces a retrial over the murder of a two-year-old girl after his death sentence was overturned. Visiting Judge Alan Travis also ordered that Kenny Richey, from Edinburgh, must be placed under 24-hour house arrest if released from a county jail in Ohio.