Birmingham Post

Tata Set to Seal Deal for Jaguar and Land Rover

Indian conglomerate Tata is expected to complete the pounds 1.15 billion takeover of Land Rover and Jaguar next week. Tata executives including Ravi Kant, managing director of Tata Motors, are set to travel to the Midlands for a joint signing ceremony with bosses of Ford, current owner of JLR.

Pensioner, 82, Jailed for Stabbing Wife

An 82-year-old retired industrialist who killed his wife in a frenzied stabbing attack at their Warwickshire home after arguing over money has been jailed for four years. Sentencing Kenneth Mack at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday, Judge Howard Morrison QC said he had taken into account the former businessman had terminal prostate cancer and had an inexact but short time left to live.

Businesses in Urgent Plea for Tax Relief

Birmingham businesses need tax relief, not more oil production, to ease the pressures of the petrol crisis, the city's chamber of commerce said yesterday. As Prime Minister Gordon Brown met oil producers to ask for an increase in North Sea oil production, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCI) said firms would go out of business unless the 2p fuel duty rise, proposed in the March Budget and due to come into effect in October, was axed.

Internet Paedophile Face Life in Jail ; Courts

One of Britain's worst internet paedophiles was facing life behind bars yesterday for a sickening child porn collection showing newborn babies being abused by adults. Builder Arthur Morley, a 65-year-old convicted rapist, had amassed over 2,000 illicit images altogether. Most were of babies - a number of them only weeks old - and young children.

Elton and Kiki Piano Under the Hammer ; Celebrity

Saw-Cut in Man's Arm ; Emergency

Khyra Death-Charge Couple in Court As Council Review Goes On

The mother of a seven-year-old girl who died after allegedly being starved at her Birmingham home appeared in court via video link yesterday. Angela Gordon, 33, and her partner Junaid Abuhamza, 29, are both accused of "causing or allowing" the death of Khyra Ishaq.

It's an Art, Music and Fantasy Family Day

Artist Who Painted Like 'Rubens with Jokes' Dies at 81

Painter Beryl Cook, renowned for her comical representations of fat people, died yesterday at the age of 81. Jess Wilder, co-owner of London's Portal Gallery, which has shown Cook's paintings exclusively for more than 30 years, said: "She died peacefully this morning with her family around her."

Bard's Crumbling Tombstone Retrod

Alas poor Shakespeare. The Stratford grave of the world's greatest writer is getting the builders in.

'Demoralised' Midwives Turn Down Pay Deal

The Prime Minister faced fresh anger over public sector pay yesterday when midwives rejected the Government's offer of a three- year deal amid warnings that they felt "dejected and demoralised". The Royal College of Midwives said a consultation of its members in England and Wales showed a massive 99.7 per cent rejection of the deal, worth just under eight per cent.

Special Constable's Husband Had Her Killed to Cash in On Insurance

The cheating husband of special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri was found guilty yesterday of organising her murder. Fadi Nasri, 34, had his wife stabbed at their home in Wembley, north London, in May 2006 while he went out to play snooker.

Premiere for Mozart's Unfinished Work

Birmingham composer and horn-player Stephen Roberts will give the premiere of his completion of an unfinished horn concerto by Mozart at Worcester Cathedral tomorrow night. Known as the Horn Concerto no.0 in E- flat, the concerto was sketched by Mozart in 1781. It has long been known in fragmentary form, with the second movement performed and recorded on its own under the title Concert Rondo over the last 50 years.

Britain Vows to Ditch Cluster Bombs ; Weapons Politics

Real Knife Wounds in New Campaign ; Crime Politics

Overseas Review ; Mayor Politics

Brown Holds Out Olive Branch with Darling's Fuel-Tax Pledge ; Politics

Gordon Brown reached out yesterday to millions of families hit by the soaring costs of running a car as his Chancellor pledged to review a planned increase in fuel tax. The Prime Minister warned that high oil prices were a long-term global issue that could not be tackled by Britain alone. But Alistair Darling held out the prospect of relief to motorists by promising to revisit a 2p increase in fuel tax set to be introduced in October.

Uk Oil Industry Factfile ; Politics

There are around 280 oil and gas platforms around the UK with most located in the central and northern North Sea but some to the west of England. They are run by companies including BP, Maersk and Shell The UK oil and gas industry is worth around pounds 30 billion a year

Expanding Nuclear Power an Option ; Politics

Britain will have to expand its nuclear power capacity, rather than simply replace ageing reactors, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday. There was no immediate indication whether the Prime Minister envisaged building reactors at new locations or developing existing sites to produce more energy. But his comments sparked concern among environmentalists, with Greenpeace warning that an expansion of the nuclear industry would do nothing to ease the UK's problems over spiralling oil costs.

Oil-Price Rise Blamed On Speculators ; Politics

Oil prices are being pushed up by speculators to the detriment of the aviation industry, an airline chief said yesterday. It was vital that prices were reduced to "realistic levels", added Duncan Gambrill, UK general manager for Jet Airways, whose services include London to India routes.