Feb
2009
Articles from 2nd Feb 2009
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Birmingham City Council faces massive empty property bill
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Birmingham City Council is facing an additional £800,000 tax bill for all of its empty properties after it was revealed that taxpayers nationally are footing a £690m bill for empty property rates. Read
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West Midlands hit by worst snow for 18 years
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Heavy snowfall has closed schools and made driving treacherous across the West Midlands. Read
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Former Villa and Wolves star Paul Birch loses battle against cancer
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Former Aston Villa and Wolves midfielder Paul Birch has lost his long, hard battle with bone cancer at the age of just 45. Read
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Staffordshire businessman found dead had huge tax bill
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Relatives of a millionaire businessman found shot dead have paid tribute to him amid reports that he had killed himself because of a looming tax bill. Read
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Winson Green prisoners moved north to make room for overspill
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
The report by the Independent Monitoring Board expressed concern at the “disruptive” practice of moving Midlands inmates to ease overcrowding in other jails. Inmates are often moved when they have a short time left to serve but board chairman John Smith said the practice made it harder to retain family links and could affect rehabilitation. Read
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Four injured in Warwick car crash
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Four people, including a child, have been injured in a three-car collision in Warwick. Read
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Bus has roof ripped off in collision with bridge
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Passengers were forced to dive for cover when a double-decker bus ploughed into a bridge and sliced off the roof. Read
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Birmingham City Council out to slash cost of outside consultants
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Birmingham city council bosses have ordered a clampdown on the use of outside consultants after it emerged that £67million of taxpayers cash is being spent on outside help this year. Read
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Government urges Birmingham to put social services in order
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Birmingham City Council has been ordered to make “robust and sustained” improvements to its children’s social care services following the deaths of 15 youngsters from abuse and neglect. Read
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Birmingham to get in touch with its musical history
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
From Ozzy Osbourne to Duran Duran, and not forgetting UB40, Birmingham is Britain’s very own music hit factory. Read
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MEP calls for mass response to Stratford eco-town plans
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
The battle against a planned 6,000-home new town in the Warwickshire countryside can still be won, a West Midlands MEP has insisted. Read
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Birmingham MP demands graffiti vandals clean up their own mess
Feb 02 2009 | West Midlands News
Removing graffiti from the streets of Birmingham could be the key to cutting crime and anti-social behaviour, according to a city MP. Read
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Jobs saved as Birmingham hardware firm is taken over
Feb 02 2009 | Manufacturing & Skills
More than 20 jobs have been saved with the sale of a hardware fittings firm which collapsed into administration after more than 20 years’ trading. Read
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MA 'Algy' Alagappan and his mission to keep Birmingham working
Feb 02 2009 | Manufacturing & Skills
In recent years, few sons of Birmingham have gone on to more success than MA Alagappan, who went from graduating at Aston University to running one of the biggest companies in the world. [incl video] Read
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55 face axe as Birmingham machinery firm hit by recession
Feb 02 2009 | Manufacturing & Skills
Modular Automation International, a Birmingham-based manufacturer of bespoke production-line machinery, has fallen prey to the recession. Read
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Aston Villa lose their footing in title race
Feb 02 2009 | Aston Villa FC
ASTON VILLA 0 WIGAN ATHLETIC 0 Read
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Title tilt not on agenda just yet, says Villa boss O’Neill
Feb 02 2009 | Aston Villa FC
Martin O’Neill admitted challenging for the Premier League title might not be on Aston Villa’s agenda just yet after their frustrating failure to win against Wigan Athletic. Read
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McLeish full of praise for Birmingham match-saver Phillips
Feb 02 2009 | Birmingham City FC
Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish enthused about the virtues of having a player like Kevin Phillips to call on after the striker’s late equaliser at Hillsborough on Saturday. Read
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Sheffield Wednesday 1 Birmingham City 1 - Post match analysis
Feb 02 2009 | Birmingham City FC
Kevin Phillips rescued much more than a point for Birmingham City at Hillsborough on Saturday. Read
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Crystal Palace v Birmingham City postponed
Feb 02 2009 | Birmingham City FC
Birmingham City's trip to Crystal Palace on Tuesday night has been postponed due to today's heavy snowfall. Read
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Worcester Warriors expect Latham back for Bath clash
Feb 02 2009 | RFU News
Chris Latham is expected to be fit for Worcester's next Premiership match in just 12 days time despite losing feeling in his arms and legs after an incident in last weekend's defeat to Sale. Read
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Worcester Warriors 20 Sale Sharks 37
Feb 02 2009 | RFU News
Worcester Warriors 20 Sale Sharks 37 Read
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Ford and GM hike car prices in UK
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
American car makers Ford and General Motors are raising UK vehicle prices despite falling sales as they struggle to combat the impact of the weak pound. Read
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Two brothers killed on Snowdon
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
Two brothers have died after falling while climbing Mount Snowdon in freezing weather conditions. Read
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Selfish adults 'threat to children'
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
An aggressive pursuit of personal success by adults is now the "greatest threat" to the wellbeing and happiness of children, according to a landmark inquiry. Read
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Man remanded over boxer's murder
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
A man has appeared in court accused of the murder of boxer John Abbey. Read
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China to double UK exports
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
Britain's recovery from recession can be helped by a doubling in exports to China over two years, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said following talks in Downing Street with the Far Eastern giant's Premier Wen Jiabao. Read
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Serial killer drops appeal bid
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
Serial killer Steve Wright has dropped his latest appeal bid but still intends to fight his conviction, his brother said. Read
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Two climbers killed on Snowdon
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
Two climbers have been killed on Mount Snowdon, police said. Read
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Protests over foreign labour spread
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
Wildcat strikes over foreign labour spread as the bitter dispute escalated despite calls from the Government for the industrial action to stop. Read
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UK hit by worst snow for 18 years
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
The worst snowfall to hit the country in 18 years caused travel chaos on the roads and railways, closing scores of schools. Read
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More strikes as labour talks begin
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
Wildcat strikes over foreign labour have escalated as talks aimed at resolving the bitter row got under way with little sign of an early breakthrough. Read
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Snow costs industry £1.2bn
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
Recession-hit British industry has been landed with a bill for an estimated £1.2 billion after millions of people missed work because of the extreme weather. Read
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Text death-crash driver jailed
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
A woman who sent and received more than 20 texts before she hit and killed another motorist has been jailed for 21 months. Read
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Snow closes hundreds of schools
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
Hundreds of schools have been forced to close due to the snow. Read
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Snow keeps workers at home
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
The extreme weather will cost British industry millions of pounds as workers were told to stay at home rather than attempt a tortuous journey to the office. Read
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'Billion dollar' wreck discovered
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
A shipwreck believed to contain more than a billion dollars of gold has been discovered at the bottom of the English Channel. Read
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Protester throws shoe at Chinese PM
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
A human rights demonstrator has thrown a shoe at Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao during a lecture Read
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One in five workers 'takes day off'
Feb 02 2009 | UK News
More than one in five people have taken the day off work because of the snow, a snapshot survey has suggested. Read
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Chopra returns to Cardiff
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Cardiff have completed a dramatic deadline-day swoop to bring Michael Chopra back to south Wales from Sunderland. Read
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Black Cats sign Davenport
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Sunderland have signed West Ham defender Calum Davenport on loan until the end of the season. Read
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England stars see IPL hopes dashed
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
England will have just seven players involved in Friday's Indian Premier League auction after the eight franchises signalled their preferences for this year's Twenty20 tournament. Read
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Arshavin deal in the balance
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin has travelled to London but a move to Arsenal from Zenit St Petersburg looked to be in the balance. Read
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Emerton out for the season
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Blackburn midfielder Brett Emerton has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a cruciate knee ligament problem. Read
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Snow go for sport
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Heavy snowfalls have wreaked havoc with this week's sporting programme with a number of fixtures called off on Monday. Read
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Keane deal going to the wire
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Robbie Keane's return to Tottenham from Liverpool was the biggest deal being negotiated on a transfer deadline day hit by snowy weather conditions. Read
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Rhinos ready to charge again
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield says the champions are as hungry as ever as they prepare to launch their bid to enter the history books. Read
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Camara leaves Latics for Stoke
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Stoke have signed Wigan striker Henri Camara on loan until the end of the season. Read
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Jo heads for Everton
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Everton have agreed a deal to loan Brazilian striker Jo from Manchester City until the end of the season. Read
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Keane back at Spurs
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Robbie Keane has completed his sensational return to Tottenham after six months at Liverpool - making him the third player Harry Redknapp has brought back to White Hart Lane in this transfer window. Read
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Milan hand Beckham UEFA spot
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
AC Milan have confirmed David Beckham has been included on their updated UEFA Cup player list - fuelling speculation they may try to keep him beyond his short-term loan. Read
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Wolves snare Berra
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Wolves have completed the signing of Hearts captain Christophe Berra on a four-and-a-half-year contract. Read
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Blues appeal Lampard red card
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Chelsea have appealed against the red card received by Frank Lampard during Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Liverpool, the Football Association confirmed. Read
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League consider deadline extension
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
The Premier League have held discussions with the Football Association and FIFA about an extension to the transfer window for clubs to complete medicals and agree personal terms. Read
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Basinas joins Pompey
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Portsmouth have strengthened their midfield with the signing of Greek veteran Angelos Basinas from AEK Athens. Read
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Cottagers swoop for Dacourt
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Fulham have signed France midfielder Olivier Dacourt on loan from Inter Milan until the end of the season. Read
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Canaries go for Gow
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Norwich have signed Rangers forward Alan Gow on loan until the end of the season. Read
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Cipriani left out of England plans
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Danny Cipriani will play no part in England's RBS 6 Nations opener against Italy at Twickenham. Read
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N'Zogbia and Taylor swap clubs
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Charles N'Zogbia's colourful Newcastle career has finally come to an end after his swap deal with Wigan's Ryan Taylor was completed on Monday. Read
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McIlroy up to 16th
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Rory McIlroy, just the sixth teenager to win on the European Tour, now stands 16th in the world. Read
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Arshavin deal off
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Andrei Arshavin made a last-ditch trip to London ahead of a proposed move to Arsenal but a transfer from Zenit St Petersburg was this morning called off. Read
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Defoe to undergo surgery
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe will endure more Wembley misery after being ruled out for up to 10 weeks with a stress fracture to his right foot. Read
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Gunners wait for Arshavin confirmation
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Arsenal will have to wait until Tuesday to discover if their frantic attempts to clinch the signature of Andrei Arshavin have proved successful. Read
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Quaresma wings in
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Chelsea have signed Portugal winger Ricardo Quaresma from Inter Milan for the rest of the season. Read
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Marland pulls out of ECB race
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Jonathan Marland, the former Conservative Party treasurer, has withdrawn from the election to become England and Wales Cricket Board chairman. Read
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Keane fee agreed to return to Spurs
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Liverpool have reached agreement with Tottenham for the transfer of Robbie Keane back to White Hart Lane. Read
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Strauss ponders Harmison recall
Feb 02 2009 | National Sport
Andrew Strauss' first selection of an England side since taking the captaincy permanently will include a decision on whether or not to recall paceman Steve Harmison. Read
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Gabi Whitfield is new chairman at MIPAA
Feb 02 2009 | Automotive Business
Gabi Whitfield, communications director of Nissan in Britain, has moved into the driving seat as chairman of the Motor Industry Public Affairs Association (MIPAA). Read
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Toyota piles on misery for auto industry
Feb 02 2009 | Automotive Business
Fresh shock waves raced through the global car industry after Toyota warned unprecedented financial losses this year will be worse than predicted. Read
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Major Redditch car components supplier Metal Pressings goes bust
Feb 02 2009 | Automotive Business
A major West Midland supplier to the car sector has gone bust after 75 years – leading to another 90 job losses in the deepening recession. Read
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Birmingham engineering firm Sorion wins £400,000 deal
Feb 02 2009 | Automotive Business
Birmingham engineering company Sorion has bucked the automotive industry downturn by winning an order worth more than £400,000 against competition from Germany. Read
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Ford claims Transit van costs less than it did in 1995
Feb 02 2009 | Automotive Business
Ford claims a Transit van now costs less new than it did in 1995. Read
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Swedish supplier's tantalising glimpse of new Land Rover
Feb 02 2009 | Automotive Business
A Swedish components supplier has lifted the veil on Land Rover’s closely-guarded future model plans. Read
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Auto Industry Summit to attract over 200 delegates
Feb 02 2009 | Automotive Business
More than 200 delegates are expected at Tuesday's West Midlands Auto Industry Summit to discuss the challenges still facing the industry despite the launch of the “Mandelson Plan” last week. Read
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Will Barack Obama go protectionist?
Feb 02 2009 | City View
It’s funny how quickly economic “isms” and “isations” can be transformed from accepted wisdom to heterodoxy once the cold waves of recession come rolling in. Read
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Academies are simply privatisation
Feb 02 2009 | Agenda
Richard Hatcher, of the Alliance Against Birmingham Academies, spells out why this approach to education should be scrapped. Read
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Birmingham MP Mitchell says Government dithered over auto industry support package
Feb 02 2009 | Politics News
Birmingham MP and Tory front bench spokesman Andrew Mitchell has accused the government of dithering over its support package for the UK car industry. Read
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Boarding schools help disadvantaged children
Feb 02 2009 | Education News
Boarding school transforms the lives and prospects of vulnerable children, a study found. Read
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Birmingham independent school's free places funded by old boys
Feb 02 2009 | Education News
Former pupils of one of the country’s leading independent schools are dipping into their pockets so less affluent Midlands children can benefit from the same prized education. Read
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Midland schools closed due to snow
Feb 02 2009 | Education News
These are the schools closed due to heavy snowfall across the West Midlands. Read
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Coffee innovation wins firm excellence award
Feb 02 2009 | Innovation & Technology
Witton-based Fracino, the UK’s only manufacturer of cappuccino and espresso machines, has won an innovation award for its latest coffee system. Read
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50 years since the death of Buddy Holly
Feb 02 2009 | Music
Buddy Holly is remembered by Terry Grimley, half-a-century after the singer’s death. Read
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Shared at Birmingham Town Hall
Feb 02 2009 | Music
The line of guitars at the rear of the stage gave a hint of what to expect from this evening of acoustic sets from a range of musicians. Read
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Seasick Steve at Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
Feb 02 2009 | Music
Seasick Steve is the complete antidote to the glossy, commercial, over-hyped world of popular music. Read
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Vintage Don’s still well ahead
Feb 02 2009 | Music
Those of a nostalgic frame of mind might claim that the jazz of yesteryear had more larger than life characters among its players and that those players had much more character in the sound they made. Read
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CBSO/Nelsons at Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Feb 02 2009 | Music
After his heartwarming La Boheme with the CBSO last October, Andris Nelsons further affirmed his operatic credentials with a meaty Wagner menu on Wednesday, delivered to a packed auditorium where you could have heard a pin drop. Read
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Murray Perahia at Symphony Hall
Feb 02 2009 | Music
This recital celebrated the musical tradition binding together four great composers while also revealing their ability for innovation. Murray Perahia demonstrated the imagination and technique to embrace their individual styles. Read
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Richard Thompson at Birmingham Town Hall
Feb 02 2009 | Music
Singer-songwriter Richard Thompson may be approaching his 60th birthday but he is still pushing the musical envelope in the most amazing way. Read
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Punctuation is all the rage
Feb 02 2009 | More Columnists
It’s not difficult to teach the use of the apostrophe. Read
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Wolves sign Christophe Berra on four-and-a-half year deal
Feb 02 2009 | Wolves FC
Wolves today completed the signing of Hearts captain Christophe Berra on a four-and-a-half-year contract. Read
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Supermarkets buoyant as retail sector suffers
Feb 02 2009 | Other UK business news
As a steady stream of job losses plagues the rest of the retail sector, supermarkets have spread rare cheer in recent weeks with the creation of about 30,000 jobs. Anna Blackaby looks at why the sector is so upbeat. Read
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Catalyst wins £1.2bn Birmingham schools building contract
Feb 02 2009 | Other UK business news
Birmingham’s beleaguered construction sector received a much-needed boost as the developer awarded a £1.2 billion school revamp contract said local companies would get the lion’s share of the work. Read
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Property high-flyers Regal forced into liquidation
Feb 02 2009 | Other UK business news
A high-flying property developer is the latest credit crunch scalp after his multi-million pound firm was destroyed by the onslaught of a depressed market and recession. Read
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Birmingham cancer patients died after being given drug overdose
Feb 02 2009 | Health News
Two cancer patients died after being wrongly given five times the normal dose of a side-effect drug at a Birmingham hospital, the city coroner’s court heard today. Read
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Incompetent speech therapist struck off after series of blunders
Feb 02 2009 | Health News
A Midland speech therapist has been struck off for incompetence after a catalogue of failures, including a blunder that left a schoolchild unable to eat and drink for the whole day. Read
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Albion's growing injury list has Mowbray studying priorities
Feb 02 2009 | West Bromwich Albion FC
West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray has revealed he is close to reinforcing his disintegrating squad before the transfer window slams shut. Read
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Capital idea for Birmingham's fashion talent
Feb 02 2009 | Creative industries
More needs to be done to stop Birmingham’s home-grown fashion talent heading for the “bright lights” of London, according to the city’s acclaimed designers. Read
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Foreign correspondent Dame Ann at Birmingham Press Club
Feb 02 2009 | Creative industries
One of Fleet Street’s top journalists has been lined up by Birmingham Press Club for a celebrity dinner event in May. Read
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Midland software firm EG Solutions wins Nationwide deal
Feb 02 2009 | Creative industries
Midlands based software company EG Solutions has won a new contract with the Nationwide Building Society. Read
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Kerrang! bangs the drum for West Midlands radio
Feb 02 2009 | Creative industries
Birmingham-based Kerrang! 105.2 is celebrating its double whammy of overtaking BRMB for the first time locally, as well as making it into the top 10 UK stations for its nationwide DAB broadcast. Read
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Fashion student Amy Edgar on why she picked Birmingham over London
Feb 02 2009 | Creative industries
Originally from Essex, Amy Edgar is studying fashion at Birmingham City University. She pointed to several reasons why she moved to Birmingham rather than London to study. Read
