:00:00. > :00:13.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Former
:00:14. > :00:15.Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg amongst four people arrested in
:00:16. > :00:24.Birmingham on suspicion of terrorism offences. The vehicles seem to be
:00:25. > :00:29.blocking the road and were seven people at the front door. We're live
:00:30. > :00:33.outside Moazzam Begg's house in Hall Green. Also tonight, hopes tonight
:00:34. > :00:37.that there will be a daily train service from Shrewsbury to London
:00:38. > :00:41.later this year. It's important for us to have the direct link with
:00:42. > :00:48.London so overseas customers have easy access. Why the boss of this
:00:49. > :00:52.new store says it will help regenerate a forgotten corner of
:00:53. > :00:57.Birmingham. # It's a long way to Tipperary. # One of the best`known
:00:58. > :01:01.songs from the First World War. Did you know it was co`written by a man
:01:02. > :01:04.from here in the Midlands? And we can only hope that days like today
:01:05. > :01:07.are a thing of the immediate future. But unfortunately, it's not as
:01:08. > :01:11.straightforward as that. Rain and winds still feature this week. All
:01:12. > :01:25.the details of which I'll have for you later.
:01:26. > :01:28.Good evening. The former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Moazzam Begg is under
:01:29. > :01:32.arrest tonight on suspicion of terrorism offences in Syria. He was
:01:33. > :01:35.one of four people detained this morning in Birmingham and Solihull
:01:36. > :01:38.as part of an operation by Counter Terrorism Officers from West
:01:39. > :01:41.Midlands Police. In a moment we'll have the latest live, but first, our
:01:42. > :01:53.special correspondent Peter Wilson has been following the day's
:01:54. > :01:56.developments. Police search teams throughout the
:01:57. > :01:59.day continued to comb through the large semidetached house in Hall
:02:00. > :02:10.Green...the raids carried out by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism
:02:11. > :02:18.Unit: lady opposite tells me that two children have gone. You do not
:02:19. > :02:24.expect that to happen next door to you. This was just one of several
:02:25. > :02:34.separate addresses in Shirley and Sparkhill. Four people were arrested
:02:35. > :02:38.but only one person named ` Moazzam Begg ` the human face of the
:02:39. > :02:44.Guantanamo Bay detainees and a fierce critic of the government and
:02:45. > :02:50.the security services: West Midlands Police do not often choose to reveal
:02:51. > :02:53.the identity of a suspect but they say because of the public interest
:02:54. > :03:01.in the case they are doing so. They also say this should not imply any
:03:02. > :03:04.guilt on the part of Moazzam Begg. Moazzam Begg is a former Birmingham
:03:05. > :03:08.book shop owner and was arrested in Pakistan by the Americans. He was
:03:09. > :03:13.held for nearly three years in Guantanamo in Cuba but never charged
:03:14. > :03:16.with any offences. I've spoken to him many times ` a devout man, a
:03:17. > :03:23.proud husband and father and fierce campaigner for human rights. Did the
:03:24. > :03:31.Americans talk to you? They tied my hands behind my back and I was
:03:32. > :03:42.punched and beaten and dragged around. In recent years, Moazzam
:03:43. > :03:45.Begg has been the director of Cage which represents prisoners around
:03:46. > :03:48.the world. Today they claimed his arrest had been politically
:03:49. > :03:52.motivated and his friends were shocked. He has never been charged
:03:53. > :03:58.with anything. Police arrest people lots of times and it does not mean
:03:59. > :04:01.that charges will be brought. Syria is still embroiled in a bitter civil
:04:02. > :04:12.war....scores of radicalised young people from Britain are said to have
:04:13. > :04:22.travelled to fight in Syria. One security expert says Al Qaida has a
:04:23. > :04:33.strong influence there. The imposed extremely harsh version of the law.
:04:34. > :04:51.Officers attended three addresses and arrested four people. All four
:04:52. > :04:54.people are currently in custody. Moazzam Begg has rarely been out of
:04:55. > :04:57.the news tonight rather than campaigning for prisoners.....he's
:04:58. > :05:00.under arrest and being held at a West Midlands Police station. Peter
:05:01. > :05:03.Wilson is outside Moazzam Begg's home in Hall Green in Birmingham
:05:04. > :05:07.this evening. Peter, what's the latest you can tell us about this
:05:08. > :05:12.investigation? The lights are still on the house and the police are
:05:13. > :05:16.still inside. It is more than 12 hours since they arrived here.
:05:17. > :05:22.Computer equipment has been taken away. Police say that all four of
:05:23. > :05:25.the arrests were coordinated and it was an intelligence led operation
:05:26. > :05:29.with no risk or danger to the public.
:05:30. > :05:35.Has there been any further reaction tonight to Moazzam Begg's arrest?
:05:36. > :05:43.The organisation that he is a director of, Cage, are outraged by
:05:44. > :05:53.the arrest which they say is politically motivated. They say he
:05:54. > :06:00.did go to Syria for legitimate purposes and that MI5 were well
:06:01. > :06:08.aware of that visit. They also say that his passport was seized in
:06:09. > :06:14.December 2012 and they are wondering why this arrest is happening now.
:06:15. > :06:25.This police operation is ongoing tonight but that investigation is
:06:26. > :06:28.under close scrutiny. Good to have you with us this evening on Midlands
:06:29. > :06:31.Today, coming up later: The floods that caused so much heartache in
:06:32. > :06:39.town and country. Today, the farmers found out where government emergency
:06:40. > :06:42.cash will be spent. The re`introduction of a daily train
:06:43. > :06:46.service between Shrewsbury and London has moved a step closer
:06:47. > :06:49.tonight. Virgin Trains hopes to run two
:06:50. > :06:54.services a day to Euston from the end of this year. The details still
:06:55. > :06:57.have to be approved by the Office of Rail Regulation, but the MP for
:06:58. > :07:02.Shrewsbury and Atcham told us he was confident the plans would get the go
:07:03. > :07:06.ahead. This has been a top priority for all the MPs in Shropshire and
:07:07. > :07:15.all of us have understood the absolute urgency and need of the
:07:16. > :07:20.service for our county town. It is the number`1 income generator for
:07:21. > :07:28.tourists and choose Billy and we want to secure more tourism and more
:07:29. > :07:32.business investment. So, what'll it mean for people in Shropshire who've
:07:33. > :07:35.been calling for a new daily train service ever since the last one was
:07:36. > :07:40.scrapped three years ago? Joanne Writtle has been talking to two
:07:41. > :07:43.businesses that stand to benefit. This family`run metal pressings firm
:07:44. > :07:48.has been pushing for a rail link to the capital. Foreign customers often
:07:49. > :07:54.travel from London to Salop Design and Engineering, and the lack of a
:07:55. > :07:58.train service has been problematic. We have to manage our customers when
:07:59. > :08:04.they are coming over to the extent that it is sometimes easier to send
:08:05. > :08:08.a car to pick them up and using the infrastructure which is they are and
:08:09. > :08:14.should be used. Workers here say links to the capital are crucial. We
:08:15. > :08:20.will get job security which is a big thing. As a company, it will be
:08:21. > :08:31.ideal because we will get more work coming to the company. A rail link
:08:32. > :08:38.to the capital would go some way to helping increasing revenue. This
:08:39. > :08:49.small business helps Chinese customers with marketing. When
:08:50. > :08:57.clients come to London, the need to be there. You can only do that by
:08:58. > :09:07.sitting round a table or even going out to dinner. It is important to
:09:08. > :09:10.businesses in China. Shrewsbury lost its direct link to London three
:09:11. > :09:13.years ago, and Midlands Today filmed the last journey. Since then,
:09:14. > :09:16.Shrewsbury's become the country's only county town without a service
:09:17. > :09:19.to the capital. Tonight, Virgin Trains said it wouldn't be giving
:09:20. > :09:22.any details before further talks with the Office of Rail Regulation.
:09:23. > :09:25.MPs, though, are hopeful the service will return by December. Joanne
:09:26. > :09:31.Writtle, BBC Midlands Today, Shrewsbury.
:09:32. > :09:34.A teenager has pleaded guilty to murdering a 16`year`old student
:09:35. > :09:38.after an argument on a bus in Birmingham. Azim Azam, who was on
:09:39. > :09:47.his way to a first day at college, was stabbed in the chest as he
:09:48. > :09:51.stepped off the bus. Today, 18`year`old Azeem Akhtar, who was 17
:09:52. > :09:55.at the time, was told he'll be sentenced next month and faces a
:09:56. > :10:02.life's detention. That is too young lives wasted. This highlights the
:10:03. > :10:10.futility and stupidity of carrying knives. If people carrying knives
:10:11. > :10:19.they will lose their life or inflict injury on people and spend serious
:10:20. > :10:22.time in prison. A teenager who died in a crash in the Black Country
:10:23. > :10:25.yesterday morning has been named as Natasha Whale from Pelsall. The
:10:26. > :10:28.13`year`old was pronounced dead at the scene in Bloxwich. Her mother,
:10:29. > :10:32.Shelley, remains in a critical condition after the car they were in
:10:33. > :10:35.collided with a school bus. Her 17`year`old brother, Callum, has now
:10:36. > :10:44.been discharged after being treated for minor injuries. A 43`year`old
:10:45. > :10:48.man from Stoke`on`Trent has been charged following an attack on the
:10:49. > :10:51.websites of both the Home Office and Home Secretary, Theresa May. Mark
:10:52. > :11:07.Lynden Johnson was arrested in connection with the attacks which
:11:08. > :11:09.took place in June 2012. Both websites were forced offline and
:11:10. > :11:12.prevented visitors accessing them. He'll appear in court next month.
:11:13. > :11:16.It'll breathe new life into a forgotten corner of Birmingham `
:11:17. > :11:20.that's the message from the head of John Lewis ahead of the opening of a
:11:21. > :11:22.new store in the city centre. But some independent retailers are
:11:23. > :11:25.worried about the potential impact. Here's our Business Correspondent,
:11:26. > :11:29.Peter Plisner. A first look around what will be a flagship store in a
:11:30. > :11:32.location that according to the Lewis boss is breaking new ground. The
:11:33. > :11:34.unique thing is the connection to the station. This has not been done
:11:35. > :11:37.department store anywhere in the country. It the ease of access.
:11:38. > :11:40.Today the construction phase was completed ` now John Lewis will
:11:41. > :11:44.begin fitting the building out. But Andy Street maintains that there's
:11:45. > :11:49.more to it than just another store opening. We are not just coming to
:11:50. > :11:53.bring a shop. We want to be the catalyst for the regeneration of
:11:54. > :12:03.this quarter of the city. I think this will happen pretty quickly. And
:12:04. > :12:06.this is what it will look like when it's finished next year ` above the
:12:07. > :12:09.new New Street station it'll become part of the Grand Central
:12:10. > :12:12.development boasting a host of new stores. New shopping centres are
:12:13. > :12:21.good news for consumers but it is not the same for independent
:12:22. > :12:24.retailers such as these. This footwear retailer has worries about
:12:25. > :12:30.the impact Grand Central and John Lewis will have on the rest of
:12:31. > :12:37.Birmingham. It is a big concern but it is a city so we should have
:12:38. > :12:46.another offer rather than just a shopping centre. Areas to the north
:12:47. > :12:50.will find it challenging but Birmingham as a whole will benefit
:12:51. > :13:04.from this as it competes and becomes one of the top retail destinations
:13:05. > :13:07.in this country. And there could be a further boost. There are still
:13:08. > :13:10.strong rumours that the clothing chain Primark, wants to turned the
:13:11. > :13:13.city's Pavilions centre into its biggest UK store. Peter Plisner, BBC
:13:14. > :13:16.Midlands Today. Coventry City Council's been debating plans to
:13:17. > :13:19.save ?19 million on its budget for next year. Jobs and services are
:13:20. > :13:22.under threat although the Council says it'll protect children's
:13:23. > :13:25.services and social services. Councillors claim that, if cuts
:13:26. > :13:29.continue at their current rate, then the Council won't be able to operate
:13:30. > :13:32.by 2025. Joan Cummins joins me now from our Coventry studio. So what
:13:33. > :13:37.services are likely to be under threat from this, Joan? Adult social
:13:38. > :13:42.services will be hardest hit. These other services that help the elderly
:13:43. > :13:45.in the community and adults with learning difficulties and carers.
:13:46. > :14:00.They will be hard hit by the Scout but children will have their
:14:01. > :14:09.services ring fenced. The council are awaiting their report on the
:14:10. > :14:16.structural changes to services for children. How many jobs could go?
:14:17. > :14:21.The council would not be drawn on how many jobs could go in the next
:14:22. > :14:24.few years but the man in charge of balancing the books said that if
:14:25. > :14:34.cuts from central government continued, the future of the council
:14:35. > :14:42.was less than rosy. The situation, if things stay as they are, will be
:14:43. > :14:47.very bleak. There will be no library service or bin collections each week
:14:48. > :15:02.and no budget for maintenance and cleaning the streets. Will not have
:15:03. > :15:09.the money. There was a meeting in Warwickshire today. One of the
:15:10. > :15:23.solutions they have come up with is to create a unitary authority to run
:15:24. > :15:28.Warwickshire in future rather than the current system of county and
:15:29. > :15:36.district councils. This is our top story tonight: Former Guantanamo
:15:37. > :15:38.detainee Moazzam Begg among four people arrested in Birmingham on
:15:39. > :15:49.suspicion of terrorism offences. Shefali's standing by with the
:15:50. > :15:53.weather for the West Midlands. Also ahead: She set her latest novel in
:15:54. > :15:56.the Potteries, now Joanna Trollope will star at Stoke`on`Trent's first
:15:57. > :15:59.literary festival. And a world`famous song that rallied the
:16:00. > :16:06.troops in the Great War, co`written by a musician from the Midlands. The
:16:07. > :16:15.National Farmers' Union annual conference has begun in Birmingham.
:16:16. > :16:19.Top of the agenda ` ways to help farmers affected by flooding, and
:16:20. > :16:21.the future of the badger cull. Our Rural Affairs Correspondent David
:16:22. > :16:24.Gregory`Kumar is there. David, I gather we've heard more details
:16:25. > :16:29.about government cash for farmers to help them get over the flooding? It
:16:30. > :16:33.is not a new announcement about cash but we have been hearing about what
:16:34. > :16:42.farmers can apply and what they can use it for. Just like a flooded
:16:43. > :16:45.house farmland needs time to recover and this money will help pay for
:16:46. > :16:51.things like uninsured damage to land. It is welcome to the farming
:16:52. > :16:57.industry and we need to assess whether Nader 's and make sure the
:16:58. > :17:03.right people get the help they need. Once we have a better picture of the
:17:04. > :17:18.damage, we will assess the upper limit and ensure that we are
:17:19. > :17:22.targeted in meeting the needs. I think you also get a sense from this
:17:23. > :17:26.announcement that this is a long term process, that it can be
:17:27. > :17:29.revisited once the flood waters do drop and the extent of damage to
:17:30. > :17:33.farmland has been revealed. And what about the future of the badger cull?
:17:34. > :17:36.Well, of course, on the eve of the conference this weekend we had a
:17:37. > :17:39.sizeable march of about 1000 people protesting the cull. We are hoping
:17:40. > :17:43.to hear from a local MP. Owen Patterson was expected to talk here
:17:44. > :17:49.but he is recovering from an operation at the moment. But the
:17:50. > :17:53.outgoing president of the NFU Peter Kendall has praised the 32 new areas
:17:54. > :17:57.that have so far come forward to express their interest in rolling
:17:58. > :18:00.out the badger cull on a wider scale after the pilot here in the
:18:01. > :18:11.Midlands. `` in Somerset and Gloucestershire. But we'll know more
:18:12. > :18:22.about the future of the cull once the independent report into the cull
:18:23. > :18:26.is published later in the spring. It was the home of the famous author
:18:27. > :18:29.Arnold Bennett, but until now Stoke`on`Trent has never had its own
:18:30. > :18:31.literary festival. All that will change this summer, though, when
:18:32. > :18:35.best`selling novelist Joanna Trollope will be among the stars at
:18:36. > :18:52.a new event for book`lovers in the city. Liz Copper reports. The girls
:18:53. > :18:55.cutting the sponge ships. `` shapes. Words from the opening chapters of
:18:56. > :19:02.Joanna Trollope's latest novel ` based on a family`run pottery firm.
:19:03. > :19:06.The men do the casting of the women do the decorating but there is a
:19:07. > :19:13.great crossover and a great sense of family there. Once I had started, I
:19:14. > :19:23.could not stop. I fell in love with all of it. She will be back here in
:19:24. > :19:31.the summer to talk about the work and take part in the first literary
:19:32. > :19:37.festival for the city. This popular book group's been running for more
:19:38. > :19:41.than 30 years. You felt that she wanted to get to the murders? Its
:19:42. > :19:46.members are delighted they'll have a high`profile festival in the city. I
:19:47. > :19:52.have travelled to literary festivals all over the country but to have one
:19:53. > :19:56.here would be wonderful. For readers, the festival, which will be
:19:57. > :19:59.held in June, will be a chance to meet internationally acclaimed
:20:00. > :20:03.authors. It will not just be me, there will be masses of modern
:20:04. > :20:13.writers with connections to the Midlands. It has a literary
:20:14. > :20:24.heritage. The hope is that this festival will attract literary
:20:25. > :20:28.enthusiasts from all over the world. As part of our First World War
:20:29. > :20:39.commemorations, the BBC has teamed up with the Imperial War Museums to
:20:40. > :20:42.tell the story of the war at home. Most of us know the world`famous
:20:43. > :20:46.song that helped rouse thousands of troops into battle during the Great
:20:47. > :20:49.War. But how many of us know the tune "It's a Long, Long Way to
:20:50. > :20:52.Tipperary" was co`written by a Birmingham musician? Many feel Harry
:20:53. > :20:55.Williams isn't given the credit he deserves. Bob Hockenhull reports. A
:20:56. > :20:59.cold winter's night in Warwickshire. The song that became a tonic for the
:21:00. > :21:12.troops in World War One is echoing down the years at this country pub.
:21:13. > :21:15.And what better place ` the man who co`wrote it, Harry Williams, lived
:21:16. > :21:19.here. The pub near Kenilworth is named after his famous song and the
:21:20. > :21:25.remains of his old piano are still evident. I can feel that Harry was
:21:26. > :21:32.here. The old piano is still around and for me it is wonderful. The
:21:33. > :21:39.players from the rugby club come down and sing it and it is a great
:21:40. > :21:50.song. # It's a long way to Tipperary. # "It's a Long, Long Way
:21:51. > :21:52.to Tipperary" was originally composed as an Irish ballad by
:21:53. > :21:55.Birmingham`born Harry and his writing partner, Jack Judge. Their
:21:56. > :21:59.publisher turned it into a marching tune. At the advent of the First
:22:00. > :22:08.World War, it was gradually adopted by soldiers everywhere. It is a very
:22:09. > :22:12.rousing but also very emotional song and it brings tears to my
:22:13. > :22:24.daughter's guys because you think of those prove soldiers in the
:22:25. > :22:29.trenches. It even went into Germany. # It's a long way to Tipperary. #.
:22:30. > :22:35.The song's popularity with soldiers endured on into the Second World
:22:36. > :22:38.War. But Harry Williams' family feels he hasn't received the
:22:39. > :22:49.recognition he deserved. Partner, Jack, took a lot of the credit. Many
:22:50. > :22:55.people got together to make songs and they were music Hall artists and
:22:56. > :23:00.Jack was a great extrovert while Harry was crippled and he could not
:23:01. > :23:18.get around some much but he was a great piano player and composer and
:23:19. > :23:26.poet. At least Harry lived to enjoy the fruits of his labour. His
:23:27. > :23:31.family, lifelong publicans, started renting the Tipperary, then called
:23:32. > :23:35.The Plough, in 1900. The success of "It's A Long, Long Way to Tipperary"
:23:36. > :23:38.meant it could now be bought ` a relief to his family who were
:23:39. > :23:49.struggling with tough new licensing laws. The number of hours was
:23:50. > :23:53.limited, they had to shut for a while in the afternoon, that was
:23:54. > :23:59.very much brought in the First World War and it went on for basically the
:24:00. > :24:02.next 80 to 90 years. Guilty he'd not been able to fight because he was a
:24:03. > :24:06.cripple, Harry Williams also gave money to the war effort. In the eyes
:24:07. > :24:09.of many, he needn't have felt guilty. He helped compose a song
:24:10. > :24:13.that gave thousands of soldiers some comfort in their most desperate of
:24:14. > :24:21.hours. Bob Hockenhull, BBC Midlands Today. It has been a fairly decent
:24:22. > :24:39.day weather`wise. Here's Shefali. There will be a few showers around
:24:40. > :24:43.and a lot of sunshine in between. The nights are what we have to watch
:24:44. > :24:50.out for because they could be wet and windy. The two features that
:24:51. > :24:56.stand out more as this cold front which will head in tomorrow night
:24:57. > :24:59.and this next feature will run across the southern half of the
:25:00. > :25:03.country on Thursday night. It is that a deal we really have to keep
:25:04. > :25:07.an eye on because it to develop into something more and if it moves a
:25:08. > :25:12.little more north it could affect us. At this stage, it looks as if
:25:13. > :25:17.Friday could be a deal showers. Tonight is one of those dry notes
:25:18. > :25:21.although we have the chance of a few showers through the evening but
:25:22. > :25:30.these will drift off to the east, leaving all parts try and clearer,
:25:31. > :25:37.particularly rural parts. In Shropshire, temperatures could dip
:25:38. > :25:42.low enough for frost. The winds will pick up into tomorrow where we are
:25:43. > :25:47.looking at the odd shower cropping up here and there. Another breezy
:25:48. > :26:07.day for the South West but probably one of the drive space for the week
:26:08. > :26:13.`` driest days of the week. This front could bring quite a lot of
:26:14. > :26:18.rain with it. But like last night it will move along quite quickly and
:26:19. > :26:23.leave behind a lot of clear sky. There will be lows of around five
:26:24. > :26:31.degrees are six Celsius. Showers will develop through Thursday and
:26:32. > :26:37.then we have the potential area of low pressure which could develop
:26:38. > :26:40.into something more on Friday. It will be unsettled through the
:26:41. > :26:41.weekend and the temperatures will drop a little bit lower during the
:26:42. > :26:58.days. Tonight's headlines from the BBC: A
:26:59. > :27:01.suspected IRA terrorist accused of murdering four British soldiers in
:27:02. > :27:04.London won't stand trial ` because of what's being cold a 'reckless'
:27:05. > :27:07.police error. And former Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg amongst four
:27:08. > :27:10.people arrested in Birmingham on suspicion of terrorism offences.
:27:11. > :27:28.That was the Midlands Today. I will be back at ten o'clock. By for now.
:27:29. > :27:29.`` Bye for