Birmingham Post

Midlands Counts the Cost of Pounds 60m Defeat

The West Midlands economy was counting the cost today after West Bromwich Albion blew the chance of a pounds 60 million windfall in British football's richest match. The Baggies Championship play-off defeat to Derby at Wembley cost it a place in the Premiership and a lucrative television deal.

Beach Won't Tug On Public Purse Strings

The summer beach planned for Chamberlain Square in Birmingham city centre will be provided at no cost to the public purse, a senior councillor has promised. Ray Hassall, cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture, said the estimated pounds 50,000 bill for providing the beach from the middle of next month until the end of September would be covered by sponsors bmiBaby. The airline will also meet night time security costs of pounds 8,500.

Miserable Monday for Most

Bitter winds and temperatures 10C (5 0F) below average chilled Britain yesterday, on what forecasters said was one of the wettest Bank Holidays in recent years. The deluge forced the cancellation of one of the UK's biggest carnivals, which was due to be attended by more than 100,000 revellers.

Teenager in Court Over Murder ; Court

A second teenager appeared in court yesterday charged with the murder of 16-year-old schoolboy Sam Brown. Thomas Knowles, 18, of Chipping Grove, Blackpool, appeared at the town's magistrates' court to face that charge and also one count of attempted murder.

Parents Invited to Voice Opinions ; Education

Parents of children with special educational needs in Birmingham are being urged to voice their views on developing a new strategy for special schools. It comes in the wake of concern by campaigners that the city council is planning to shut down its existing special schools in favour of inclusion in mainstream centres.

Vote Prices Cut ; Tv

Fortune Favours the Brave in the Gloucester Cheese Race

Dozens of fearless competitors took part yesterday in one of the country's most bizarre and dangerous sporting challenges - chasing a giant cheese down a steep slope. They flipped, somersaulted and tumbled 200 metres down the face of Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, in pursuit of the giant runaway circle of cheese.

Wembley: Pounds 9.50 for a Pie and Pint and Not a 'Boing' in Sight ; Pricey, Wet and Miserable. Neil Connor Joined the Ticketless Baggies Fans Outside the New Wembley and Found Some Things Just Haven't Changed

"When I grow up I want to play at Bicken Hill", said the Wembley smear campaign in a sneering broadside at the lack of tradition on the M42 corridor. (That was during the competition to decide the location of a new national stadium. And we all know the outcome of that).

Gazza has Emergency Surgery

Former England football star Paul Gascoigne has undergone emergency surgery for a perforated stomach ulcer, his agent confirmed yesterday. Gascoigne is understood to have been taken ill as he was celebrating his 40th birthday with family and friends in his home town of Gates-head, Tyne and Wear.

Paramedics Airlifted to Hospital After Bus Crash

Two paramedics were airlifted to hospital last night after this collision between a bus and an ambulance in Birmingham. The ambulance was responding to a 999 call when the crash happened at 5.45pm at a crossroads near the Barton Arms pub in Newtown.

More Asians Are Adopting the Western Way of Life

Asians in the West Midlands are increasingly adopting a "western society model" characterised by small families, working women and divorce, according to a study. Despite "myths" to the contrary, the region's Asian community is becoming more similar in aspirations and lifestyles to the white population.

Immigrants Who Want to Stay Forever

The proportion of eastern European immigrants who intend to settle in Britain forever increases five-fold within months of them coming here, research showed. Only six per cent told the Joseph Rowntree Foundation they planned to live in Britain permanently when they first entered.

Worker Shortage Threatens Traditional Summer Pudding

The traditional British summer pudding of strawberries and cream is under threat due to a shortage of migrant workers, a farmers' union warned. Strawberries, raspberries and seasonal salad crops could be left to rot in the fields because of a shortage of EU workers travelling to the UK for harvesting jobs.

Round-the-World Gipsy Back Home After Epic Voyage

Hundreds of people cheered to welcome home the sailing legend Gipsy Moth IV, which yesterday completed its second global circumnavigation - 40 years to the day after the first. It was on May 28, 1967, that yachtsman Francis Chichester brought the ocean-battered ketch into Plymouth Sound, Devon.

Man Ordered to Tear Pounds 50,000 Extension On House Down

A man who paid pounds 50,000 to extend his Solihull house before applying for planning permission has been ordered to tear it down by the council. Moazim Ali, a 37-year-old landlord and hotelier, who lives in Solihull with his wife and three children, was issued with an enforcement notice on a property he owns in Hobs Moat Road on May 21.

Stroke Victims Sought to Take Part in Study

Researchers at a Midland university are appealing for people who been victims of strokes to take part in research aimed at helping draw up new mobility programmes. The Stroke Association-funded study at Birmingham University will look at the physical skills patients need to walk along a busy street or navigate a fully furnished room.

Pupils and Teachers Offered Drugs After Child Becomes Infected with Bird Flu

School pupils and staff are being offered anti-flu drugs after a child became infected in the bird flu outbreak in north Wales, health chiefs said. A dozen schoolchildren aged nine and ten and two teachers are being given Tamiflu treatments as a precaution after it emerged they had spent time with the youngster.

Images of Maddy Looking Forward to Her Holiday

Clasping her smart pink Barbie rucksack, Madeleine McCann excitedly clambers up the steps to the aircraft. Holding hands with another little girl, she loses her footing and slips, grazing her shin on the third step.

Man Quizzed After Armed Robbery ; Crime

A man was questioned by police yesterday following an armed robbery in which a have-a-go hero was shot in the chest. Police arrested the man on Sunday in connection with the shooting of 24-year-old commuter, Adam Mapleson, in an armed robbery at Rayleigh, Essex.

Probe Turns Up No Fraud Evidence ; Police

A probe into financial mismanagement at the National Black Police Association has turned up no evidence of fraud, the body said yesterday. The Home Office imposed a funding freeze on the association last month after it emerged no proper accounts had been filed since 2003.