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THE NEW BIRMINGHAM SUPER PRIX IMPORTANT MAJOR UPDATE Would you like to see THE BIGGEST MOTORSPORT / MOTOR
SPECTACULAR THIS COUNTRY HAS EVER SEEN on the streets of Birmingham?
We have had to have a major rethink of our plans to bring back motor racing, but
have come up with something potentially even more spectacular. We are trying to
bring together as many individuals, businesses and organisations as we can to
try to make this happen again. It could bring huge benefits to the region, but
it needs as much support as possible to make it happen.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE, VIEW VIDEO & PHOTOS FROM THE OLD SUPER PRIX, AND TO SEE
HOW YOU CAN HELP BRING ABOUT THIS SENSATIONAL AND UNIQUE EVENT. QUICK LINKS TO THE SITE NEWS
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SHOP OWNER DEATH: TWO IN COURT Two men are due before magistrates in Stoke-on-Trent charged with the murder of an elderly off-licence owner found dead at his shop in the city. The pair, aged 44 and 42 and both from Birmingham, are due at Stoke-on-Trent Magistrates' Court accused of killing and conspiring to rob Frank Bayley. A 43-year-old woman from Birmingham is charged with assisting offenders. SIR BILL TAKES UNIVERSITY ROLE Former Transport and General Workers Union leader Sir Bill Morris has been unveiled as the new Chancellor of Staffordshire University. Sir Bill, an honorary graduate of the university, said he is thrilled to take up the post and to be able to champion the values of the university. "This will be an exciting role for me," he predicted. MADRID CONDOLENCE BOOK STOLEN Birmingham mosque officials have condemned "sick" thieves who stole a book of condolence for the victims of the Madrid railway bombings. The book was taken 24 hours after it opened in Birmingham Central Mosque, chairman Dr Mohammad Naseem said. Dr Naseem described the thieves as "moral cowards" and pledged that the book would be replaced. TIPTON THREE SPEAK OF CUBA Three Tipton men detained at Guantanamo Bay have told how their humanitarian mission to war-torn Afghanistan led to them being imprisoned by America. Ruhal Ahmed, 22, Asif Iqbal, 22, and Shafiq Rasul, 26, have repeated claims of human rights abuses in Cuba. Mr Rasul said: "You'd look at people and see they'd lost it. There was nothing in their eyes." STOLEN CAR CRASH VICTIM NAMED A 16-year-old killed when he was thrown from an allegedly stolen car which collided with three other vehicles in Worcestershire has been named. Gavin Connelly, from Kidderminster, was among four occupants hurled from the Ford Escort by the impact of the crash on the A456 at Callow Hill. A police spokesman confirmed that three men were arrested at the scene. PETROL BOMB LAUNCHED AT HOUSE Police are hunting for an offender who launched a petrol bomb attack on a house in Bedworth. Fire crews and police were called to the scene in Kathleen Avenue, but only minor damage was caused to the detached property. Anyone with information or who saw any suspicious activity in the area is urged to contact police. 'NON-FINE' SPEEDING APPROACH Motorists using the A499 near Worcester have become the first in Worcestershire to experience a new "non-fine" approach to deterring speeders. Electronic signs at Powick automatically flash up the speed drivers are travelling at to highlight the need to slow down if necessary. It is the first stage in a £20,000, six-month pilot scheme. LIBRARY MOVE CONSIDERED Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council is considering moving Shelfield library after a spate of vandalism and intimidation of staff at the site. Councillors are looking at a number of options to relocate the Birch Lane facility, including a possible site at Shelfield Community College. A spokesman said: "We will ensure it is still accessible to local people." GROUP CONDEMNS GM MAIZE MOVE West Midlands Friends of the Earth has attacked the Government for "ignoring" public opinion after it gave qualified approval for development of GM maize. WMFoE spokesman Chris Crean said: "The Government has ignored considerable scientific uncertainties. "We will now fight this all the way -through the remaining official approval stages and through the market." MEP BACKS CHRISTMAS DAY OFF West Midlands Euro MP Michael Cashman has backed a Private Member's Bill that would guarantee shop workers a day off at Christmas. The Labour MEP said he is pleased to support the bid to prohibit large stores from trading on December 25. He said: "Christmas is a very busy and stressful period for shop workers. They deserve at least one day off."
YOBS CRACKDOWN RESULTS REVEALED Payment rates of on-the-spot fines for yobs being piloted in the West Midlands are "significantly lower" than two of the four trial areas, a study has said. Home Office research showed 53% of penalties were paid within 21 days for offences such as being drunk in a public place or causing harassment. Eight out of 10 police officers said they were satisfied with the scheme. PLAN FOR £80m BUSINESS CENTRE Proposals for an £80m business centre in Edgbaston are due to go before Birmingham City Council planners. Designs for a complex of three, five and 13-storey buildings include a base for Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, restaurant and fitness unit. Developers hope building will start in late 2005, providing permission is granted, and be complete by late 2007. POLICE CHARGED OVER BIKE CRASH Two Warwickshire Police officers have been charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice after a motorcycle they were pursuing crashed. The officers followed the bike in a marked car when it failed to stop in Bedworth and collided with it - causing leg injuries to the pillion passenger. Both have been suspended after the hurt passenger criticised their conduct. READ SHAKESPEARE'S WILL ONLINE The will of Stratford-upon-Avon's most famous son, William Shakespeare, is now available on the internet. The historic document, in which Shakespeare famously bequeathed his "second-best bed" to his wife, has been put online by the National Archives. Among those whose final wishes are on the new DocumentsOnline website are Jane Austen and Sir Francis Drake. HEALTH PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED A partnership tasked with improving the health of 5.3 million people across the West Midlands has been launched. Organisers say the Regional Health Partnership will tackle health inequalities and help to regenerate disadvantaged communities. It will focus particularly on infant mortality, child health, teenage pregnancy, employment and drugs. BOY KILLED IN CRASH NAMED A 15-year-old boy killed when the car he was travelling in collided head-on with another vehicle in Brierley Hill, near Dudley, has been named by police. Robert Bick, of Kingswinford, suffered fatal head injuries in the accident. The 17-year-old driver sustained serious leg injuries. The driver of the other car and his passenger suffered shock and whiplash. MAN STABBED AFTER STREET ROW A man was stabbed following a row which broke out in a street in Telford, West Mercia Police have reported. The victim, in his mid-20s, was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital with back injuries following the incident in West Street, St Georges. Police said the victim was stabbed by another man who pulled up in a car and chased the pair into Dukes Street. POLICE OFFER 'MUGGINGS' AMNESTY Police in central Birmingham are offering an amnesty to people who have made false robbery claims. The week-long "false reporting amnesty" allows anyone who has made a false report of robbery within the last three months to avoid prosecution. New figures show that in February alone in the city centre 12 out of 70 reports of "muggings" were false. BOOK OF CONDOLENCE REPLACED A book of condolence for the victims of the Madrid railway bombings which was stolen from Birmingham Central Mosque has been replaced. The book was taken on Saturday - just 24 hours after it was opened in the foyer of the building. Mosque chairman Dr Mohammad Naseem described the thieves as "sick" and "moral cowards". 30 HOMES EVACUATED AFTER BLAST Up to 30 homes in Brierley Hill, near Dudley, were evacuated following an explosion caused by a faulty underground electricity cable. Forty residents within a 200m radius of the blast in Bower Lane spent three hours at a nearby social club while a gas main was checked for fractures. Energy distributor Aquila said more than 4,000 customers lost power 17th. March 2004
MAN DIES AFTER STREET ATTACK A man has died after being attacked in the street near a Birmingham school. The victim, who has not been named, is thought to have been struck with an object in Wheeler Street, Newtown, close to Holte School. A police spokesman said: "Paramedics took the man to hospital, where he sadly died. It's not clear how the man came by his injuries." FEARS FOR JOBS AT TRAIN MAKER Unions representing thousands of staff at a leading train manufacturer in the West Midlands are braced for job losses and possible factory closures. Engineering giant Bombardier is due to announce financial results and plans for its rail transportation business. Its UK plants include Derby (2,300 workers), Crewe (1,100) and Burton-upon-Trent (430). DIDO TO HEADLINE V FESTIVAL Dido will be the star performer at this summer's V Festival which will be partly staged in Shropshire. She will join British rock bands Muse and Primal Scream along with The Pixies and The Strokes at the two-day event. The festival will be held at Weston Park, Shropshire, as well as at a site in Chelmsford. Dido said: "V was the natural choice for me." MOBILE STATION TAKES TO ROAD A new mobile police station has hit the road in east Staffordshire to take the fight against offenders into rural and urban crime hotspots. The £60,000 unit will also be used to reassure the public during a series of visits to towns and villages across the Trent Valley division. A police spokesman said: "It will be a high-profile point of contact." MAN JAILED OVER INDECENT IMAGES An American man who sent indecent images to a Birmingham girl aged 13 has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Police found images of child abuse on Raymond Bohning's computer after arresting him at a hotel in the city, Birmingham Crown Court heard. The Vietnam veteran, 57, from Florida, who met the girl over the internet, admitted possessing indecent images. CREATION OF AEROSPACE ALLIANCE The aerospace industry in the West Midlands is set to benefit from a new industry-wide alliance designed to help firms compete globally. The Midlands Aerospace Alliance is being set up following a decision by the regional development agency to provide £750,000 of funding. About 350 companies, employing 45,000 people, are involved in the industry. COMPENSATION RULING CHALLENGED A ruling which increased compensation for two men wrongly convicted of a Staffordshire paperboy's murder is being challenged in the Appeal Court. Michael Hickey, 42, received £990,000 and Vincent Hickey, 49, got £506,220, with a 25% deduction to take account of living expenses saved while in jail. They had been jailed after the death of Carl Bridgewater in Stourbridge. MAN CONVICTED OF BASE TRESPASS A Greenpeace activist from Shropshire has received a two-year conditional discharge after being convicted of aggravated trespass at a military base. Jim Footner, 26, was one of 14 people who broke into Marchwood Military Port, Southampton, and chained themselves to tanks, Southampton magistrates heard. The group, who claimed they were trying to stop the Iraq war, vowed to appeal. PUB GIVEN RACING FLAVOUR A Solihull pub manager has built a mock racecourse at his business to mark this year's Cheltenham Festival, giving punters a feel for the three-day event. Paul Hunt, manager at the Highwood pub, has laid turf along his bar and built a stable with a fake horse's head to mark the festival. The redecoration is part of a bid to raise money for charity. TEENAGER PICKS UP BRAVERY AWARD A Worcestershire teenager has been honoured at the prestigious Pride Of Britain awards for an "outstanding act of bravery". Lynsey Walters, 18, risked her life to save a man being viciously stabbed on a late-night bus in Redditch. Lynsey, who was just 16 at the time of the incident, received her award from Prime Minister Tony Blair. AIMHIGHER ROADSHOW GETS PUPILS ON BOARD IN BIRMINGHAM The latest UCAS figures show that applications to university are rising
faster in Aimhigher areas than they are in other locations. This encouraging
news comes as the Aimhigher roadshow marks its third year with visiting
a further 3480 pupils in Birmingham. CLICK
HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF DATES AND SCHOOLS TO BE VISITED
A lawyer for a Tipton man held in Guantanamo Bay has dismissed new claims against him, saying US intelligence was gathered through a regime of "torture". Greg Powell, acting for Ruhal Ahmed, 22, spoke out over allegations he had been an al-Qaeda or Taliban fighter. He said security services in the US and Britain had concluded "Ahmed did not present any kind of security risk". THREE QUIZZED AFTER CAR CHASE Three men are being questioned by police following a motorway car chase in Birmingham during which a patrol car collided with the central reservation. The pursuit near Junction 6 of the M6 began when officers spotted a Peugeot 206 linked with suspected offences. Both the Peugeot and the police car hit the crash barrier before the chase was ended in Handsworth. SHORT TO GET WRITTEN WARNING Birmingham Ladywood MP Clare Short is to receive a written warning over her attacks on PM Tony Blair and her claims that Britain bugged the United Nations. Labour's chief whip Hilary Armstrong will be writing to Ms Short to remind her of her "responsibilities", a party spokesman said. Some of Ms Short's critics had called for her suspension from the party. THREE ARRESTED OVER MAN'S DEATH Three people have been arrested over the death of a man who was attacked as he waited to pick up his stepdaughter from a Birmingham school. Post-mortem tests revealed the victim, believed to be Somalian, died from stab wounds as he sat in a car at Holte School in Wheeler Street, Lozells. He was taken to City Hospital following the incident on Tuesday but later died. TRANSPORT MUSEUM TO REOPEN A Coventry museum housing the world's largest collection of British-made cars, motorbikes and bicycles is reopening after a £7.5m refurbishment. Coventry Transport Museum now features a dramatic new look which includes a sweeping glass frontage and four additional galleries. Chiefs at the free attraction hope to attract 250,000 visitors annually. COMEDIAN TO OPEN NEW BAROMETER Birmingham's BT Tower - the West Midlands' tallest building - is to shed new light on local weather conditions thanks to a "flashing barometer". Comedian Jasper Carrott has been invited by BT to open the new feature, which will glow red, amber or green depending on atmospheric pressure. The barometer will be placed at the top of the 150-metre structure. BUSINESSES CRITICISE BUDGET Birmingham's business leaders have said the Chancellor's Budget offered little of substance, and accused the Government of playing politics. Chamber of Commerce and Industry policy director Jerry Blackett said Gordon Brown had his eyes on the election. Mr Blackett said there was "little cheer for businesses and specifically no help for the manufacturing sector" AGENCY NURSE COMMENTS PROBED Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust is to launch an inquiry after its chairman was recorded saying agency nurses "killed more people than they saved". Barrie Blower aired his opinions during a meeting with the daughter of a woman who had died while being cared for at Manor Hospital in December last year. During the appointment, Mr Blower said there were problems with agency nurses. GYMNASTIC EVENT PLANS WELCOMED Regeneration chiefs have welcomed news that Birmingham is to host the Gymnastics World Cup, providing a £1m windfall for the area. The event is being held at the National Indoor Arena from December 11-12. Ian Ward, a city council cabinet member, said: "As a National City of Sport we are always looking to stage top international sports events." AWOL COCKEREL HITCHES RIDE A cockerel made an 86-mile trip out of the West Midlands after sneaking on to the back of a lorry. The bird, newly-named Linford after ex-sprinter Linford Christie, was found by the driver who had just driven along the M5 from Stourbridge to Bristol. Linford was captured by the RSPCA. It will look for a new home for him if his owners do not claim him within a week.
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