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FOOTBALLER HUNTED OVER CRASH Police are continuing to search for a footballer accused of running from the scene of a car accident in Coventry in which an elderly man died. West Bromwich Albion striker Lee Hughes is alleged to have fled from his car following a crash in the city centre. Police have been unable to trace the 27-year-old, despite visiting his home and contacting his employers. MAN FOUND DEAD OUTSIDE PUB A man has been found dead in the road outside a Birmingham pub, police said. The victim, who has not been named, but who is thought to have been in his late 30s, died near the Red Lion in Soho Road, Handsworth. His death is not being treated as suspicious. West Midlands Police are urging witnesses to the incident to contact them on 0121 4286080. PASSENGER KILLED IN ROAD CRASH A car passenger has been killed in a single-vehicle accident on the A449 near Kinver, south Staffordshire. The driver of the purple Rover 220 was also seriously injured in the crash and is being treated at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, police said. Anyone who witnessed the incident, near Dunsley Hall Farm, is urged to contact police on 01785 235114. MAN STABBED IN CITY PUB A man, 27, was stabbed several times in a Birmingham pub, police have said. Officers attended The Sportsman Pub in Garrison Lane, Bordesley, where they found the victim with several stab wounds to his stomach and back. He was taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition. West Midlands Police are urging anyone with any information to contact them, ROVER PUTS BRAKES ON PRODUCTION Midlands-based car manufacturer MG Rover is to halt production for three days in the face of falling sales, it has been reported. The Longbridge-based company will halt production of its 25, 45 and 75 models from Tuesday night until next Monday. Sales at MG Rover have slumped by 50% over the past three weeks. No comment has been made by the company. NO PROGRESS ON DETAINEES President Bush's state visit to Britain did little to resolve the fate of four West Midlands men being held by the US at Guantanamo Bay, it has been claimed. The Liberal Democrats questioned if anything had been achieved regarding the Cuba detainees, including one man from Birmingham and three from Tipton. A spokesman said: "I don't think there is very much to show for the visit." PRINCE TO SWITCH ON FOUNTAIN The Prince of Wales will turn on a 19th-century fountain in Worcestershire which has been restored with a £700,000 grant from English Heritage. Charles will switch on the Perseus and Andromeda fountain at Witley Court during a tour of the West Midlands and Shropshire. The Prince will then open the new Jubilee Stand at Ludlow Racecourse. BUDGET BUS SERVICE TO BE SET UP The founder of budget airline easyJet is setting up a low-cost inter-city bus company which will initially run between Birmingham and London. EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou plans to launch easyBus "within a few months" with fares starting at £1. Mr Haji-Ioannou is in talks with bus manufacturers and operators about buying a fleet of minibuses. MP WELCOMES FUNDING BOOST Worcester MP Michael Foster has welcomed a 5.9% funding increase for Worcestershire, including a £15m hike in cash for schools. The Labour MP said: "It is early days, and the devil is always in the detail. "But this settlement should keep council tax increases lower than last year, which will be welcome news, especially for those on fixed incomes." CAMPAIGN FOR WEB CHAT ROOMS North Worcestershire Police have joined forces with schools to raise awareness about the dangers of paedophiles using internet chat rooms. The aim of the publicity campaign is to inform people about how to use the web safely and to provide parents with vital information. A police spokesman said: "This project aims to raise awareness." MG ROVER PRODUCTION SUSPENDED Birmingham-based car giant MG Rover is suspending production for the rest of the week to balance dealer stock levels in the face of falling sales. The company will stop building its 25, 45 and 75 models and production workers will be sent home from the Longbridge factory but will still be paid. Union leaders have made no official comment on the move. FOOTBALLER HELD OVER ROAD DEATH West Bromwich Albion striker Lee Hughes remains in police custody on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Hughes, 27, surrendered himself to police in Coventry after allegedly leaving the scene of an accident near Meriden early on Sunday. Douglas Graham, 56, a passenger in a Renault Megane, died when it was in collision with Hughes's Mercedes CL55. SANDWICH CHAIN IN JOBS BOOST A major sandwich chain is poised to create more than 1,000 jobs in new expansion plans which will involve outlets in Coventry and Wolverhampton. The expansion of Benjys is expected to double the current £40m turnover. The group said it was likely to recruit the staff during the next two years for 100 new store franchises and up to 700 van delivery franchises. CLUBBER LEFT BLIND IN ONE EYE A clubber has been seriously assaulted in Birmingham city centre and left without sight in one eye. The 30-year-old victim, who has not been named, was found collapsed in Thorp Street, near the stage door entrance of the Birmingham Hippodrome. A police spokesman said: "If anyone saw him being attacked, or bleeding from his injuries, please contact police." ARSON ATTACKS LINKED BY POLICE An arson attack on a flat in Ombersley, near Droitwich, is being linked to a spate of other suspicious blazes. West Mercia Police say the occupant of the property was fortunate to escape injury after the fire broke out, the fourth incident in recent weeks. A police spokesman said: "The occupant was very lucky. We are linking it to several fires in the vicinity." MAN FOUND DEAD OUTSIDE PUB A man has been found dead in the road outside a Birmingham pub, police said. The man, who has not been named, but who is thought to have been in his late 30s, died near the Red Lion in Soho Road, Handsworth. His death is not being treated as suspicious. West Midlands Police are urging witnesses to the incident to contact them on 0121 4286080. TRAFFIC REDUCING PROJECT OPENED A Government minister has opened the latest project in Birmingham in a scheme to take two million car journeys a year off the region's roads. Junior transport minister Tony McNulty cut a ribbon at the park-and-ride rail facility at Selly Oak station before catching a train to the city centre. A £1.8m investment from transport promoter Centro funded the scheme. PRINCE SWITCHES ON FOUNTAIN The Prince of Wales has "fired up" a 19th-century fountain in Worcestershire - restored thanks to a £700,000 English Heritage grant. The prince, who arrived at Witley Court by helicopter, was greeted by more than 100 local primary school children waving Union flags. The visit was part of the prince's tour of the West Midlands and Shropshire. THIEVES STEAL 12 DONKEYS Thieves have stolen 12 donkeys, a horse trailer and a caravan from a stable block in Curdworth, Warwickshire. The raiders, who struck at Dunton Stables in Kingsbury Road, also escaped with a Yamaha quad bike and 15 saddles and bridles. Police are urging witnesses or anyone with information about the stolen goods to contact them on 01926 415000. UNIVERSITIES ACCUSED OF ELITISM Coventry University Vice-Chancellor has accused five leading universities of elitism after they called for variable top-up fees to be introduced. Dr Michael Goldstein said: "Tuition fees have to increase if the Government refuses to increase public funding. "But allowing universities to charge what they like will be extremely damaging to the majority of students." STRIKER DUE IN COURT West Bromwich Albion player Lee Hughes is set to appear in court charged with causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident. The 27-year-old striker is due before magistrates in Coventry following a car crash near Meriden in which Douglas Graham, 56, died. The collision involved Hughes' silver Mercedes CL55 and a Renault Megane. FOUNDATION STATUS LIST DRAWN UP Five NHS Trusts in the West Midlands, Warwickshire and Staffordshire are to be given the opportunity to gain foundation status. Health Secretary John Reid revealed the shortlist of hospitals allowed to apply for Foundation Trust status at a meeting of chief executives. Successful hospitals will get greater freedom to manage their own finances. BABY KILLED 'AS WOULD NOT FEED' A Birmingham mother killed her three-month-old baby after becoming frustrated at his refusal to breastfeed, a court has heard. Chah'Oh-Niyol Kai-Whitewind, of Northfield, is charged with asphyxiating her baby Bidziil after a failed attempt to feed him. Kai-Whitewind denies murder. The case at Birmingham Crown Court continues. DRIVER ABDUCTED IN LORRY THEFT Thieves threatened a driver with a stun gun before kidnapping him and stealing his lorry packed with £250,000 of alcohol, police in Daventry have said. The 42-year-old victim was awaiting an escort for the lorry on the Royal Oak Way industrial estate when two men climbed in and threatened him. They bound his hands and feet releasing him in Birstall after two hours. ARM INJURY DEATH NOT SUSPICIOUS The death of a man found with a serious arm injury in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, is no longer being treated as suspicious, police have said. The 40-year-old died in hospital after the man was found in Bleak Place. A post-mortem revealed he died from a wound to the artery in his left wrist. A 43-year-old local man who had been arrested has been released. PHILOSOPHERS DISCUSS ANIMALS Philosophy experts are gathering at the University of Wolverhampton to discuss whether animals can think. Such questions as "Can dogs daydream?" will be wrestling over by delegates at the Animal Thoughts conference. The event has been organised by the Royal Institute of Philosophy and aims to promote philosophy among the wider public. CHEMICAL CONCENTRATED IN CITY A highly toxic chemical blamed for serious health problems has been found in more Birmingham people than anywhere else in the UK, a study has found. A WWF report entitled ContamiNation said four out of 10 people had Deca-BDE, a flame-retardant chemical, banned in the 1970s in their system. It has been linked to cancer and nervous and immune system conditions. MAN IN COURT OVER MURDER A second man has been charged with the murder of a teenager who died a week after being shot while chatting to friends in a Birmingham street. Daniel Bogle, 19, died after being hit in the head and chest in Smethwick. A 21-year-old man from Dudley is appearing at Warley Magistrates' Court charged with murder. A 22-year-old man appeared at the same court on Monday. PREHISTORIC BOAT DISCOVERED Birmingham University archaeologists have prevented an access road being built on a bustling Bronze Age trading route through Derbyshire. The team found a nine metre long prehistoric log boat buried beneath Shardlow Quarry, in Shardlow. The vessel is thought to have sunk between 1500BC and 1000BC when the area was a tributary of the River Trent. EX-FOOTBALLER DUE IN COURT A former Kidderminster Harriers goalkeeper is due to appear before magistrates in the town accused of stealing more than £340,000. It is alleged the money was stolen from a bank account belonging to Habitat founder Sir Terence Conran. Thirty-three-year-old Darren Steadman, from Kidderminster, faces charges of theft and attempted theft. ROBBERY CONVICTION QUASHED A Coventry man who served over half of a 15-year armed robbery sentence after a West Midlands Serious Crime Squad probe has had his conviction quashed. John Joseph Cummiskey, 49, told the Court of Appeal he was "fitted up" by officers from the squad who fabricated evidence against him. The police squad has since been disbanded amid evidence of corruption. PLANE-SPOTTERS TO SUE LAWYERS Nine British plane-spotters, including a Staffordshire man, acquitted of spying in Greece are taking their lawyers to court. The Greek judicial authorities have failed to hand back £120,000 bail money to the plane-spotters. The group, including Wayne Groves, 38, of Tamworth, were jailed in November 2001, but were released on appeal. STOP HOUSE DEMOLITION, MAN TOLD A West Midlands man who is demolishing his home to stop his ex-wife receiving half of it in a divorce settlement has been ordered to carry out repairs. Alfred Jones, 50, from Wednesbury, has been taking the £72,000 residence apart in a bid to render it worthless. The local council has ordered him to replace the roof and he faces arrest if he continues to pull down the house. SUSPECTED GUNMAN HUNTED Police are hunting a suspected gunman who evaded capture as officers laid siege to a flat in Birmingham. Officers were called after the man was reportedly seen brandishing a knife and a firearm. He was found to have escaped when entry was forced to the property. Police said the offender is described as black, about 5ft 10ins, in his 30s with close cropped hair. MAN QUIZZED OVER ARSON ATTACKS A man has been arrested over a string of suspicious fires in the village of Ombersley near Droitwich. Police said the suspect had been bailed to report to Worcester police station after helping with inquiries into four incidents of suspected arson. In the latest incident, the occupant of a property fled after fire engulfed his front door and hallway. TEN ARRESTED IN DRUGS SWOOP Ten people have been arrested by Warwickshire Police during two operations to smash suspected drug dealing rings in Leamington Spa. Crack cocaine and cannabis was seized in raids on properties in Lillington, Radford Road and Sydenham. Four suspects, including three men from Sheffield, face Leamington magistrates charged with supplying class A drugs. TEACHER SCHEME GETS GOING The first of a generation of supply teachers appointed under a new scheme is heading to a West Bromwich school. The Black Country Supply Service was set up to provide local schools with highly-trained support staff. King George V School is the first in the region to take advantage of the scheme, which was established in a bid to recruit more teachers. GROUP PROTEST OVER SQUATTERS A small band of protesters have occupied a consulate building in Birmingham to highlight the plight of a community centre in Holland. It followed a move by Dutch authorities to evict squatters who set up a social centre in a derelict building. The protesters took over a room at the Consulate for Belgium and the Netherlands. ELTON TO PERFORM UNIQUE CONCERT Elton John is to perform at a unique concert next summer, staged at
the NEC Arena in Birmingham. The event on June 29 will see the star with
a 108-piece orchestra and a 50-voice choir conducted by acclaimed film
composer James Newton Howard. Tickets priced £60 and £40 are
on sale at www.necgroup.co.uk/boxoffice and from the box office on
0870 909 4133.
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