Birmingham Post

'Good Life' Exodus From Urban Areas

Families and business are continuing to move away from Birmingham and the West Midlands conurbation for a safer and more tranquil life in the countryside, new research has shown. The exodus is pushing up house prices and putting pressure on rural services in south Warwickshire and mid-Staffordshire, according to the regional assembly's annual monitoring report for 2006.

Brum to Make Army's Sporrans

They are identified the world over as a symbol of Scottish pride and manhood. So where else would the new Royal Regiment of Scotland go to for its sporrans but Birmingham.

Eu Tells Iran to Let 'Hostage' Sailors Go

European governments last night demanded the "immediate and unconditional" release of 15 Navy personnel held in Iran. And EU foreign ministers meeting in Bremen made clear that further steps would be taken if Iran ignored the request.

Blonde Who Helped in Gems Theft

This is the attractive blonde who helped pull off a jewellery theft at a Midland sports club after flirting with an unwitting victim. After sneaking into the male changing rooms at Wolverhampton's prestigious Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, she distracted the man before she, and her accomplices, made off with pounds 100,000 of jewellery that had been left in the boot of his car.

News Digest: Internet Inquest

The inquest into what could be Britain's first internet suicide was opened yesterday. Father-of-two Kevin Whitrick was found hanging at his home in Telford, Shropshire, after taking part in a "friendly insult" chat room last week.

News Digest: Boy Missing

Police are searching for a ten-year-old who went missing after being told off by his family. Michael Kennedy was last seen in the grounds of his school in Middlewich, Cheshire, at 6.30pm on Thursday.

News Digest: Parks Cash

Parks across the country have been awarded Lottery funding to spruce them up and improve facilities, it was announced yesterday. Development grants of pounds 860,000 are being awarded to five parks, including War Memorial Park in Coventry, to back their existing regeneration plans.

A Man Was Being Treated for Burns

A man was being treated for burns yesterday after being blown off an oil tank as it exploded into flames. Police sealed off a 200m exclusion zone around the blaze, which broke out at an engineering firm on the Kingsnorth Industrial Estate, on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, just before 9.30am. More than 100 firefighters in 21 fire engines surrounded the burning tank in an attempt to bring the flames under control. Surrounding businesses were evacuated and nearby residents urged to stay indoors wit...

Call for Corporate Manslaughter Law

The bereaved families and survivors of the Paddington rail disaster yesterday called for a new corporate manslaughter law, as Network Rail was fined pounds 4 million for its part in the tragedy. The company was handed the fine for the "systemic and unacceptable" safety failures leading to the crash, which killed 31 people and injured more than 400.

Mum Cast Dead Baby Into River

A woman who wrapped the body of her dead baby in a carrier bag and dumped it in a river has pleaded guilty to concealing the birth of her child. Rachel Davies, aged 26, appeared before Magistrates in Stratford- upon-Avon yesterday and admitted disposing of the baby, named Lily by police, in the River Alne near Warwickshire, last year.

Desperately Seeking

I have been doing some family history research for a friend who lost many of her family in the bombing raids on Birmingham during the Second World War. I have established her grandmother, Amy Shepherd, Amy's three sons, Howard, Cyril and William, Howard's wife Molly and their son, John, all died at 64 Sherborne Street (in Ladywood, I think), on November 22, 1940.

Eh-Oh! How Fab Four Won Over the World ; From Humble Beginnings in Birmingham to Global Fame and Adoration, It's Been a Decade of Success for a Children's Tv Phenomenon Once Described As Being Bigger Than Shakespeare. Tom Scotney Reports

It's a classic rags-to-riches tale - four bright young things, plucked from obscurity, endure scandal and hostility to achieve worldwide fame. This group of entertainers travelled a long way from their humble Birmingham origins to win the admiration of fans around the world and create one of the best-selling and most recognisable songs in the history of music.

Rsc Closes Down for Changes

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre will hold its last performance this weekend before closing for a multi-million pound redevelopment. The world famous listed building - opened in Stratford-upon- Avon, Warwickshire, in 1932 - will undergo a pounds 100 million transformation when it closes at the end of the month.

Soccer Sports Coup for Itv

ITV and Setanta Sports have won the rights to screen the FA Cup and England home football internationals in a new deal worth pounds 425 million, it was announced yesterday. The FA said the two broadcasters had won the bidding for a four- year deal from August 2008 - snatching the live rights away from the BBC and BSkyB, who have held them for seven years.

Senior Official Quits Top Brum Post

David Maxsted, one of Birmingham City Council's senior officials, sur-prised colleagues yesterday by announcing he was quitting his highly-paid job with immediate effect. Mr Maxsted, who is one of five strategic directors, ran the development and culture direc-torate and was responsible for overseeing the devolution of council services to constituency committees.

Black Country College Told to Improve or Face Possible Closure

A Black Country college has been given a year to improve or face possible closure following a damning Ofsted inspection report. Dudley College was slammed for its leadership, standards of achievement, effectiveness and ability to improve, which were all judged as "inadequate".

News Digest: Levy Loophole ; Politics

Serious offenders who are sent to jail or handed a community penalty will escape paying a new "victims surcharge". The pounds 15 levy will only apply if a criminal is given a fine by the courts, the Home Office confirmed.

News Digest: Jail Hint ; Politics

News Digest: Tory Warning ; Politics

News Digest: Pounds 60m 'Fbi' Costs ; Politics

The Government's flagship crime-fighting unit has cost more than pounds 60 million to set up and run. The Serious and Organised Crime Agency, dubbed "Britain's FBI" was set up last year to tackle people-traffic king, drugs gangs and major fraud.