Birmingham Post

Midland Pakistanis Told by Musharraf to Fight Extremism

President Pervez Musharraf last night urged Pakistani communities in the Midlands to play their part in combating extremism and help to strengthen economic ties between his nation and the UK. On the last day of his visit to Britain, the president of Pakistan told The Birmingham Post the two countries had a special relationship based on their economic needs and fighting terrorism.

Private Sector Pay Is Private Business, Says Lord Jones

It is not the job of Government to condemn private sector pay increases, otherwise it would deter investors and skilled workers, Lord Digby Jones said yesterday. Lord Jones of Birmingham, the former director general of the Confederation of British Industry, said offering public advice on wage constraint would discourage people investing in the UK.

Hip Delay 'Infringes On Right to Sell'

Estate agents yesterday called on the Government to allow homeowners to continue to put their property on the market before they have compiled a home information pack. Pressure group Splinta (Sellers' Pack Law is Not the Answer) claimed that moves to prevent owners from marketing their home before they have one of the packs is an infringement of their personal liberty to sell a property at will.

'Single-Industry Towns Repeating Past Mistakes'

The Government risks repeating the mistakes of the 1950s by creating new towns without a diverse employment base or adequate community facilities if it forces the West Midlands to build more than 400,000 new homes over the next 20 years, it has been claimed. Regional Assembly chairman David Smith said he feared the rise of a modern-day equivalent of the post-war coal or mining towns, reliant on a single industry, or the creation of dormitory towns for commuters.

The Changing Fortunes of Society After Five Decades

The changing face of UK household spending over the past 50 years emerged in official figures released yesterday. Housing costs, such as mortgage interest and rent, now take up the biggest slice of the weekly budget at an average 19 per cent compared with nine per cent in 1957, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Rising Household Expenses Are Hitting Family Budget

Spending on housing-related costs has risen by more than pounds 15 per week over the past two years, according to the ONS report. It hit pounds 143 per household per week in 2006 compared with pounds 127.40 in 2004-05, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Diana Suspected Harrods Boss Was Spying On Her, Says Sister

Diana, Princess of Wales, thought Mohammed al Fayed was spying on her during her final stay on his luxury yacht, her sister told an inquest yesterday. Diana revealed her suspicions to her sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale in a phone call just days before she was killed in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997. Diana was aboard the Al Fayed yacht, The Jonikal, on a Mediterranean cruise with Dodi Fayed, son of the Harrods tycoon.

Ub40 Air Their Grievances at Departing Frontman Ali

The war of words between UB40 and former lead singer Ali Campbell intensified yesterday, as the band prepared to head off on a final tour as an eight-piece. On Thursday, Campbell, UB40's singer, announced he was leaving the band, blaming difficulties with management as his reason. The band, however, deny this and claim the real reason is Campbell's desire to concentrate on his solo career.

Winter Still has Some Teeth with Blizzards Due

Winter will return with a vengeance later this week, bringing blizzards and snow showers to parts of the country, forecasters said yesterday. Ahead of a cold snap on Friday, gales and heavy rain could bring more misery to areas already hit by flooding earlier in the month.

Cars Towed for Being Inch Over Line

Clampers towed away up to eight vehicles from a Birmingham cash- and-carry, supposedly for being less than an inch over parking bay lines, it was claimed yesterday. Shoppers at Latif's store in New Canal Street, Digbeth, were shocked to see their cars being towed within minutes of them being parked on Saturday afternoon.

Black Country Firm Ready to Clean Up with Superbug Killer

A Black Country firm this week will launch a product containing a cleaning agent proven to wipe out Clostridium difficile. Chemex International, based in Smethwick, has spent three years developing AntiBak, which it claims is nearly 1,000 times more effective than disinfectants currently available for use in hospitals.

Pounds 21m in British Child Benefit Going to Poland

Ministers are handing more than pounds 21 million a year in child benefit to youngsters living in Poland, the Conservatives claimed last night. The UK taxpayer is supporting 26,000 children of workers from the former Communist state, which joined the European Union in 2004, according to a written Parliamentary answer obtained by the Tories.

Politics: Mp Misused Funds to Pay His Son

A former West Midlands MP has made a grovelling apology to the House of Commons after he paid his son more than pounds 40,000 to be a researcher - while he was also a full time student. Derek Conway apologised for "the misjudgments I made" after he was found to have misused his staffing allowance, which is provided by the taxpayer.

Politics: Former Prime Minister Tony Blair

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has taken his place in Downing Street's photo gallery - seven months after leaving No 10. His portrait was hung at the weekend at the top of the staircase leading to the famous building's "pillared room". It appears next to his predecessors, Conservative premiers John Major and Margaret Thatcher.

Politics: Birmingham Peer Calls for Inquiry Into Iraq Mistakes

Britain must hold an inquiry into the invasion of Iraq as the fifth anniversary of the war approaches, according to a Birmingham peer. Lord Fowler, the former MP for Sutton Coldfield, said Britain must learn from its mistakes, as he led a debate in the House of Lords.

Politics: Brown Defends Johnson in Donations Row

Gordon Brown yesterday defended Cabinet Minister Alan Johnson in the row over a "proxy" donation of more than pounds 3,000, saying the Health Secretary had done nothing corrupt. He told GMTV, in a response to a question about whether Mr Johnson's job was safe: "He has reported everything to the Electoral Commission It is for them to make up their mind.

Politics: Skills Threat From the East Spurs Brown On to Speed Up Reforms

The Government stepped up the pace of its welfare reforms yesterday with a drive to create tens of thousands of new apprenticeships and support for firms, such as fast food chain McDonald's, awarding their own qualifications. Prime Minister Gordon Brown signalled that action was needed from the Government and business, otherwise Britain would remain with an "average" level of skills.

Politics: Pounds 100k Study of the Soundbite

The rise of the soundbite in British politics will be studied by an academic who has clinched pounds 100,000 for research into how politicians talk. Dr Alan Finlayson, of Swansea University, will analyse what political leaders have said to their party conferences over the past century.

Urgent Need for New High Speed Rail Connections

Rail companies have warned that England needs a new high speed rail link linking Birmingham to London because the West Coast Main Line will soon be full. The chief executive of Eurostar urged the Government to build high-speed links across the country - starting with a new service between London, Birmingham and Manchester.

'Still Two Months to Wait for New Street Approval'

The Government may take at least another two months before deciding whether to approve the final tranches of funding for the pounds 550 million redevelopment of New Street Station, it emerged last night. West Midlands Minister Liam Byrne said he expected confirmation from the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform by April.