Birmingham Post

City Split Over Plan to Move Big Screen

The ambience and "calm magnificence" of the city centre will be destroyed by the relocation of the "big screen" to Victoria Square, conservationists have claimed. The Victorian Society has clashed head-on with city council officials, who claim the plans will raise Birmingham's global profile.

Mp's Warning Over Long-Term Economic Hurt to Flood Towns

Businesses in Worcestershire could face economic ruin once the media spotlight leaves flooded areas, a Midland MP has warned. Tory Peter Luff believes that lessons must be learned from the chaotic floods in Droitwich, Pershore and Evesham.

Longbridge Car Maker Manoeuvres Into Position for Chinese Merger

A possible merger between the new owner of the recently re- opened Longbridge car plant and another Chinese carmaker moved closer last night. The announcement was hailed as a "major boost" to the Birmingham car plant, where limited production of MG sports cars resumed in May.

Road Open for Congestion Charges

Greater Manchester local authorities have agreed to press ahead with a congestion charging scheme, days after West Midlands councils failed to reach agreement on a similar proposal. The decision means that Manchester is now the outright favourite to trial the first major road pricing scheme outside of London - and get its hands on up to pounds 2 billion of Government cash to improve public transport.

Divers Try to Coax River Whale Back Into Sea

Experts last night expressed fears for a whale spotted in a river. The whale - thought to be a Northern Bottleneck - was seen swimming in the river Orwell, near Ipswich, Suffolk, at around 2pm.

Steve Bridgewater

Drop-Out Rates Top 10pc at Trio of Universities

Worrying numbers of students are failing to continue studying at universities in the West Midlands after their first year, new figures show. Three institutions in the region had rates in excess of 10 per cent of students quitting during or after their first year.

Cleaner Charges Dropped in Judge Blackmail Case

Brazilian cleaner Roselane Driza walked free from court yesterday after charges that she stole two sexy videos from a male judge and blackmailed a female judge were dropped. The sensational development came a fortnight before Driza, 37, was due to face a retrial at the Old Bailey.

Wealth of Millionaires On Midlands Landscape

Birmingham may not be known for its wealth compared to London - but it is fast attracting some of the country's richest inhabitants, a report has found. According to the 2007 edition of the UK Millionaires Map, which has revealed the postcode areas where the UK's millionaires reside, the city has become a hotspot for the rich and famous.

Langham 'Didn't Want to Be Labelled'

Actor Chris Langham admitted to a court yesterday that he was guilty of looking at child pornography but denied the charges because he did not want to be labelled a paedophile. The actor is also accused of having underage sex with a 14-year- old girl.

Shambo the Bullock Slaughtered

Shambo the temple bullock has been slaughtered, it was confirmed yesterday. The six-year-old Friesian, which tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, was put down following a three-month fight by members of a Hindu community to keep him alive.

500 Tickets in 17 Days for Warden ; Motoring

A new traffic warden has issued 500 parking tickets in her first 17 days in the job. Angela Powell started work in the borough of Nuneaton and Bed- worth, Warwickshire, on July 4, and passed the milestone last Saturday after averaging nearly 30 tickets a day.

Airport 'Fast Lane' Scheme Concerns ; Aviation

An air passenger watchdog expressed major concerns yesterday about an airport's new scheme to let travellers buy their way past security queues. Liverpool John Lennon Airport has introduced a voluntary "fast lane" scheme in which passengers can pay f 2 to avoid lengthy queues.

Expansions Impact ; Aviation

A politician from Greenland said yesterday that British airports should not be expanded because of the impact of climate change. Aqqaluk Lynge, 59, a former environment minister in Greenland, said the Arctic is under threat from climate change and flights must be curbed.

Bid to Be Cool ; Olympics

Test Case to Settle Overdraft Battle Between Banks and Customers

The competition watchdog launched a court case against the major banks yesterday to establish whether their unauthorised overdraft charges are unfair. The Office of Fair Trading lodged papers with the High Court after eight high street banks agreed to a test case to settle the issue.

Surgeon's Pounds 800,000 Race Case Payout Overturned

An award of more than pounds 800,000 made to an Asian surgeon over race discrimination claims was taken away yesterday by the Court of Appeal. Rajendra Chaudhary received the largest award in a race discrimination case after he took his own professional body, the British Medical Association, to an employment tribunal.

Psychosis Risk Prompts Call to Upgrade Cannabis Class

Campaigners pressed the Government to reclassify cannabis yesterday as new evidence emerged that the drug could more than double the risk of psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia. Research found any use of cannabis, which means even taking the drug just once, was associated with a 41 per cent greater risk.

One Week Ago Floods Arrived to Bring Misery to the Midlands. How Have People Coped, and Can Any Hope Be Drawn From the Aftermath of the Birmingham Tornado Two Years Ago?

July 20: Torrential rain swept the UK, causing roads to become impassible and leaving huge areas of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands suffering from floods. July 21: More than 2,000 people spent the night in emergency centres and hundreds of others were left stranded by flooding in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Thousands of vehicles were stranded overnight on the M5 and authorities in Worcestershire called for military help after more than 750 people stranded in cars...

Pounds 600,000 Aid Trickling in for Flood-Hit Classrooms

Only pounds 600,000 out of a pounds 10 million Government relief fund to repair schools damaged by last month's floods is to be distributed in the West Midlands. The vast majority of the cash has been earmarked for the North- east, with Kingston Upon Hull gaining the biggest pounds 3.2 million slice, followed by East Riding with pounds 1.4 million.