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UK police to get 10,000 Taser stun guns

Police are to be armed with 10,000 Taser stun guns as part of a drive to tackle violent crime. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is expected to announce plans to train front-line response officers in all 43 police forces in England and Wales to fire Tasers at violent suspects. Read

Outrage over Youtube yobs

GLOATING thugs have posted court evidence on the internet of a violent brawl that rampaged through the city. At least eight people are caught running riot on the near seven-minute long CCTV footage on the YouTube website. Read

Comedian Frank Skinner in line for a coveted Broad Street star

FRANK Skinner could be the next person to grace the Walk of Stars despite his fears he would be snubbed for a position on Birmingham’s Broad Street. Read

Birmingham man jailed for stabbing father 16 times

A BIRMINGHAM man who stabbed his father 16 times has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years. Read

Social Enterprise West Midlands inspires new ideas

BUDDING entrepreneurs with a conscience have been taking part in 600 events across the West Midlands in a bid to boost projects to help socially deprived people. Read

Tony Iommi to have star on Broad Street

A free open air gig will be staged in Centenary Square from 4.30pm to mark the historic moment when the Aston-born guitarist will join fellow Black Sabbath star Ozzy Osbourne in having his name cemented into Broad Street’s answer to the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame. Read

Santa stars in Christmas parade through streets of Birmingham

SANTA will be the star guest of a huge Christmas parade set to take place in Birmingham city centre this weekend. Read

Santa opens up his grotto at Birmingham's Pallasades Shopping Centre

FOR the 13th year running Father Christmas has packed up his stockings, rounded up the reindeer and left the North Pole to set up home Santa-style in the shape of a Christmas Grotto at the Pallasades Shopping Centre in Birmingham. Read

Blithbury reindeer get ready for busy time

IT’S thousands of miles from Lapland and still five weeks until the festive period, but in a small corner of the Midlands, it’s impossible to escape Christmas. Read

Severn Valley Railway named as a top tourism attractions

THE popular Severn Valley Railway has been named as one of the top places to visit in the Oscars of the tourism industry. Read

200 Jaguar Land Rover workers clock off for 2008

A total of 300 production workers from Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich factory and Land Rover’s plant at Solihull have taken advantage of a unique scheme offering leave of up to three months. Read

Poor public transport will cost Birmingham jobs

BAD public transport will cost jobs in Birmingham as the recession hits home, a new study has warned. Read

West Midlands Police recruiting more black and Asian officers

But although the figure is up on last year, the force still has a long way to go before it meets targets set for it by the Home Office. Read

Brilliantly Birmingham event held in Jewellery Quarter

The home of the city’s jewellery industry will be throwing open the doors of workshops and giving behind-the-scenes glances into how much of the jewellery we wear is made. Read

Sandwell man Gary Cooper jailed for fiddling more than £42,000 in benefits over ten-year period

A FIFTY-YEAR-OLD Sandwell man who fiddled more than £42,000 in benefits over a ten-year period has been put behind bars for 14 months. Read

FA Cup turns up for fans at Walsall FC

SOCCER-mad youngsters have been getting their hands on the FA Cup. Read

Mentally ill suspects in West Midlands to be detained at Sandwell Hospital

SUSPECTS with mental health issues are to be detained in a “place of safety” suite rather than stark police cells in a new move by health bosses and West Midlands cops. Read

Ex-Land Rover worker wins Lollipop Person of the Year

IT’S official! Lollipop man Albert Turner has a winning smile that can stop traffic. Read

Police reveal more details about the murder of Patrick Mellard

POLICE today revealed more details about an anonymous letter containing clues to the fatal stabbing of a quiet family man in Birmingham as they issued a “we can protect you” plea to the author. Read

Knife attacker from Newtown, Birmingham, caught after Crimewatch is jailed for eight years

A BIRMINGHAM man who was arrested after his face featured on Crimewatch was today starting an eight-year sentence for carrying out a vicious street knife attack. Read