Birmingham Post

Cameron: We're Not a Racist Party

David Cameron insisted the Conservatives were not a racist party as he praised multi-ethnic Birmingham for "getting it right" during a visit to the city yesterday. He told The Birmingham Post he "profoundly disagreed" with comments by a Tory front-bencher who was removed from his post by Mr Cameron last night after claiming black soldiers should expect to be racially abused in the Army.

Pounds 40,000 Will Hypnotise Police to Kick Fag Habit

West Midlands Police is set to spend up to pounds 40,000 on hypnotism to help staff stub out their smoking habit. Director of personnel, David Williams, said the force would buy officers and staff one free hypnotherapy session ahead of the national no smoking coming into effect in July.

Nec Show Still Crufts Original

Four Still Being Questioned Over City Stabbing Death of Student

Police yesterday revealed the name of a teenager stabbed to death as he waited for a bus in Birmingham city centre. Odwayne Anthony Barnes was queuing at the stop outside Matthew Boulton College in Jennens Road when he was knifed on Monday afternoon.

Gurkhas Will Fight On After Pensions Deal

A Midlands-based Gurkha said the Nepalese soldiers had not fought their last battle against the Government after they were offered equal pensions as the rest of the British Army. Om Barkash, former regimental sergeant major at Nuneaton's Bramcote Barracks, said he welcomed a new pension deal available to all troops who left the Army from July 1997.

Policeman Who Used 'Brute Force' in Arrest Taken Off Frontline Duties

A police officer who used "brute force" when he struck a young black woman "as hard as I was physically able" while arresting her was removed from frontline duties yesterday. Pc Anthony Mulhall, of South Yorkshire Police, said he hit Toni Comer, who was 19 at the time, to subdue her so she could be handcuffed during the incident outside the Niche nightclub in Sheffield last July. The incident was captured on CCTV.

News Digest: Airlift Drama

A pensioner was airlifted to a Birmingham hospital after he was hit by a lorry in Walsall and suffered serious multiple injuries yesterday. The 73-year-old man was taken to Selly Oak Hospital along with a 71-year-old woman, who escaped with minor injuries.

News Digest: Pony Rescued

Firefighters were called in to rescue a pony which had fallen into a ditch yesterday. The 15-hand pony had fallen some time before 8.20am into a small stream on Norton Green Lane, in Norton Green, Knowle.

News Digest: Judge in Dock

One of Britain's most senior judges pleaded not guilty yesterday to two counts of exposure. Lord Justice Richards, who sits in the Court of Appeal, appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' in central London to answer charges relating to two alleged incidents on trains in south west London.

News Digest: Statue Facelift

A&E Must Stay Open, Hospital Is Advised

A Birmingham hospital trust has been told to scrap plans to close its A&E department, which treats most victims of gun and knife crime, by the city's health watchdog. Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs City Hospital and Sandwell General, concluded an extended public consultation of its proposals last month, resulting in strong public reaction.

Half Against Road Pricing

Half of people in the Midlands and north-west England are opposed to any kind of road pricing, a BBC poll has revealed. The 50 per cent of those against the idea would not be keen to see motorists charged for using roads even if the money raised was spent on improving public transport, the survey found.

Gunning for Top Prizes As Crufts Larges It ; the World's Biggest Dog Show Opened Its Doors at the Nec in Birmingham Yesterday. Joanna Geary Joined the Throngs at the Canine World's Showcase

Not a yap could be heard and any bark less than a boom was drowned out by the cacophony greeting visitors to the National Exhibition Centre. That was because yesterday was Gundog day, when some of Crufts most statuesque breeds - English Setters, Pointers, Vizslas - vie for the attention and favour of judges.

Coleen Routine for Pooches

Podgy pooches are being told to get their paws moving with a "doggy aerobics" class. Personal trainer to the stars Elise Lindsay devised a fitness regime specifically for overweight mutts and their owners.

Dogs Show

They may not hit the headlines with Best in Show, but some dogs show star status every day. For 35-year-old Tony Brown- Griffin, her dog Ajay is not only a fantastic companion, but also a life saver. Diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 15, Mrs Brown-Griffin was unable to leave her home unsupervised for fear of suffering a seizure. She was frequently admitted to hospital with broken bones from falling during a fit.

Collaring the Fashion Market

Now precocious pugs and moody mastiffs can express themselves with their very own Asbo hoody or, perhaps, the latest sparkling tutu. These are the latest designs to come from Brighton-based dog clothing company Paw Paw, which offers its customers "camp clothing for dogs".

Bank On Being Happy in Dudley, but Not in Walsall

Both towns might only be located a few miles apart from each other at either side of the Black Country - but there is a massive difference when it comes to happiness for the residents of Dudley and Walsall. That is according to a new report which claims Dudley is one of the happiest places in the country.

29 Brits Are One in a Billion Worldwide

The number of billionaires in the world has risen to nearly 1,000 - with 29 Britons now making it into the ultrarich club. Forbes's 2007 list revealed that the net worth of the 946 men and women who fall into the dollar billionaire camp is around 3.5 trillion US dollars (pounds 1.82 trillion), up EUR900 billion (pounds 467 billion) on the previous year, when 793 names figured.

Park Death

Tributes Pour in for 'Mr Humphries'

Tributes poured in for John Inman, star of Are You Being Served? following his death yesterday at the age of 71. The actor, much loved for his role as a camp, sharptongued salesman with the catchphrase "I'm free!" in the TV sitcom, had been ill for some time.