:00:00. > :00:00.Coming to you for the first time in the UK,
:00:00. > :00:17.We wash it, we squash it, wd injected into the National Grid
:00:18. > :00:20.Midlands Today at 50, looking back on the 80s and 90s with
:00:21. > :00:23.And although we're just about clinging onto the warlth
:00:24. > :00:25.today, we're already working towards a noticeable change by the weekend,
:00:26. > :00:38.Moazzam Begg, the former Guantanamo detainee,
:00:39. > :00:41.is expected back in Birmingham after being released from prison.
:00:42. > :00:45.He was due to go on trial ndxt week until, unexpectedly, all
:00:46. > :00:49.the charges he was facing connected with terrorism were dropped today.
:00:50. > :00:52.But friends say being back in jail has opened wounds connected
:00:53. > :00:58.While West Midlands Police `dmit the case has challenged the force's
:00:59. > :01:04.It all began in February when officers swooped
:01:05. > :01:07.On the 1st of March 2014 he was charged with
:01:08. > :01:11.seven counts of terrorism rdlated to the civil war in Syria.
:01:12. > :01:14.Then today, 1st October, following the review of new material,
:01:15. > :01:23.Here's our special correspondent Peter Wilson.
:01:24. > :01:32.This afternoon, he walked to freedom. Moazzam Begg (Maas's top
:01:33. > :01:38.security prison head held hhgh, all charges against him dropped. West
:01:39. > :01:44.Midlands police had arrested him seven months ago in a fanfare of
:01:45. > :01:48.publicity. An investigation they describe as long and complex. Next
:01:49. > :01:52.week, he was due to go on trial at the Old Bailey, instead the
:01:53. > :01:58.prosecution team pulled the plug. We have come to the conclusion, and it
:01:59. > :02:02.is the CPS's decision, that there is no longer sufficient evidence to
:02:03. > :02:06.provide a really realistic prospect of a so it is right today at the
:02:07. > :02:12.earliest opportunity that the case is withdrawn and Moazzam Begg is
:02:13. > :02:17.innocent. Who is Moazzam Begg? Quietly spoken but always a fighter.
:02:18. > :02:21.First against racist gangs hn Birmingham, then taking his family
:02:22. > :02:25.to Afghanistan to start a ndw life, arrested by the Americans. He was
:02:26. > :02:30.held at Guantanamo Bay. Fridnds say the latest month in prison have
:02:31. > :02:37.reopened old wounds. This is what he told me about his treatment as a
:02:38. > :02:41.detainee. They ordered the need to be hogtied, with my hands bdhind my
:02:42. > :02:47.back to my legs, with a hood over my head, to begin, beaten and dragged
:02:48. > :02:51.around. The Muslim communitx and mini `` many civil rights groups
:02:52. > :02:57.protested long and hard when he was arrested. The police face qtestions
:02:58. > :03:00.tonight. It is important for the West Midlands police to be open
:03:01. > :03:04.honest and transparent with the community as to the circumstances of
:03:05. > :03:07.the arrest, the information they had which led to the arrest and the
:03:08. > :03:12.reasons why the charges havd been dropped. I have just spoken to
:03:13. > :03:17.Moazzam Begg's young son. Everyone in the house is excited aftdr seeing
:03:18. > :03:21.the pictures of his release on TV. He is either going to return to his
:03:22. > :03:25.home here in Birmingham tonhght or tomorrow morning.
:03:26. > :03:28.Joining us now is Kerry Bullivant from CAGE, an organisation that
:03:29. > :03:31.works with communities affected by the War on Terror.
:03:32. > :03:34.Moazzam Begg is their Outreach Director.
:03:35. > :03:52.Did use of `` was it a surprise It caught us by surprise, we wdre
:03:53. > :03:56.making sure that we were gohng to get our work together for the trial
:03:57. > :03:59.and then we saw that all thd charges were dropped. It is telling that
:04:00. > :04:02.they say that they have been doing this at the soonest opportunity but
:04:03. > :04:06.they have had this evidence for a number of months and they h`ve
:04:07. > :04:12.waited until the very last second to release him. I gather he has accused
:04:13. > :04:16.the government of demonising the Muslim community? I think anyone
:04:17. > :04:23.within the Moslem community can speak first`hand and say th`t right
:04:24. > :04:29.now the feeling of Islamophobia especially in Birmingham on Muslims
:04:30. > :04:33.is part of cool. `` is palp`ble I live in sparkle, I live in the
:04:34. > :04:38.community and this is how wd feel now. Is he angry about how he was
:04:39. > :04:42.treated? He has always been a voice of reason. He went on tours of the
:04:43. > :04:49.guards of Guantanamo Bay and spoke with them and reconciled with them.
:04:50. > :04:57.When you hear him speak, it is never anger he says, it it is a positive
:04:58. > :05:00.message. Do you except that the authorities have to be vigilant with
:05:01. > :05:05.terrorism especially with the alarming events in Syria and Iraq?
:05:06. > :05:09.Of course, that they lack ntance in the understanding of what is going
:05:10. > :05:13.on. They seek to group up everyone which is going on in silhoudtte as
:05:14. > :05:19.if it is all one group and one thing. It is better to be s`fe than
:05:20. > :05:22.sorry. Not if you are imprisoning innocent people and demonishng and
:05:23. > :05:28.attacking an entire community. That will create more problems that your
:05:29. > :05:30.original problem in the first place. Thank you very much. Thank
:05:31. > :05:33.you for having me. Good to have you with us thhs
:05:34. > :05:36.evening here on Midlands Today. What on earth tempted these people
:05:37. > :05:41.to apply for a job in dark, smoky, And when racing cars roared through
:05:42. > :05:44.Birmingham, looking back The fire service has scaled back its
:05:45. > :05:56.plans to reduce full time cover in Hereford and Worcester to jtst one
:05:57. > :05:59.fully`staffed engine for each city. It still needs to save ?2 mhllion
:06:00. > :06:03.by 2016. But while frontline services won't
:06:04. > :06:08.now been as severely affectdd as was first feared,
:06:09. > :06:24.the long term problem of how to find Another busy morning at Herdford
:06:25. > :06:27.fire station. At present, there are two macro full`time crews and one
:06:28. > :06:33.part`time crew who can respond to emergencies across the county. But
:06:34. > :06:38.at a meeting today, Hereford and Worcester Fire authority voted to
:06:39. > :06:42.keep all three appliances btt reduce staffing to cut costs. Sincd the
:06:43. > :06:46.austerity regime started in 201 `12, this authority has saved ?4 million
:06:47. > :06:51.without affecting the front line services delivered. The onlx area
:06:52. > :06:57.that we have not explored is the front line services and we `re there
:06:58. > :07:00.today for that. Councillors voted to keep two full`time crews and one
:07:01. > :07:04.part`time crew during the d`y, but only one full`time crew at night,
:07:05. > :07:10.supported by two part`time crews. There were concerns. In Herdford,
:07:11. > :07:16.51% of the incidents happen doing the day and 41 #49 at night. If they
:07:17. > :07:23.say we need a day crew during the day, but not for 49% of the
:07:24. > :07:31.incidents at night, funny, ht is a bit difficult. Let's not mess
:07:32. > :07:34.around. People's lives are on the line, if a firefighter or someone is
:07:35. > :07:40.killed because they have not turned up, it is on your heads. Despite the
:07:41. > :07:47.cuts and concerns about avahlability of part`time staff, the chidf fire
:07:48. > :07:50.officer was confidence safety would not be, might. We do have pdriods of
:07:51. > :07:56.an availability across the two counties, the same as across the
:07:57. > :08:00.site `` country. We are aware of whether it because we backfhll to
:08:01. > :08:05.move around. The service provider is there. Today's outcome might not be
:08:06. > :08:09.as damaging as people first feared. But it will not make all thd savings
:08:10. > :08:12.needed to balance the books. There will still be a shortfall. Ht will
:08:13. > :08:15.need to be addressed further down the line.
:08:16. > :08:18.CCTV images have been released of a man police want to talk to
:08:19. > :08:20.following three separate arson attacks in Birmingham last week
:08:21. > :08:23.He's seen hiding behind a c`r on 24th September before cycling
:08:24. > :08:32.The three fires took place `t A and S supplies in nearby
:08:33. > :08:39.Reddings Lane on the 24th, 27th and 29th of September, causing
:08:40. > :08:43.A self`proclaimed paedophile hunter from Warwickshire says
:08:44. > :08:45.the police don't give him the credit he deserves.
:08:46. > :08:47.Stinson Hunter features in ` Channel Four documentary called
:08:48. > :08:51.The Paedophile Hunter which is due to be shown at 10 o'clock tonight.
:08:52. > :09:16.He poses as an underage girl online in order to catch people he thinks
:09:17. > :09:20.Our message is, leave it to the police, we are about bringing
:09:21. > :09:22.offenders to justice. For the first time in the UK,
:09:23. > :09:25.Severn Trent Water is supplxing gas generated by one
:09:26. > :09:27.of the region's sewage plants into the National Grid, providing gas to
:09:28. > :09:30.help power around 4000 homes. It's created from the waste produced
:09:31. > :09:32.by the people of Birmingham. Our Science Correspondent D`vid
:09:33. > :09:59.Gregory`Kumar has been findhng out Since 1998, 14% of the meth`ne has
:10:00. > :10:02.been used to generate electricity and heat. It is too noisy to talk on
:10:03. > :10:07.here but as you can see frol my elegant mining, this is a vdry hot
:10:08. > :10:19.room. This process waste a lot of energy in the form of excess heat.
:10:20. > :10:26.So now they are trying something different, the way we do it is we
:10:27. > :10:33.wash it, squash it with checking with the National Guard and get it
:10:34. > :10:40.into the network. Very rarely, you can see the gas if it is behng fled.
:10:41. > :10:45.This is a fairly new idea and a lot of green energy is supported. The
:10:46. > :10:49.government is consulting on subsidies and it needs if it changes
:10:50. > :10:57.drastically, it is an idea that may not be rolled out to other sites. So
:10:58. > :11:02.how long from Flash to freshly washed gas? By the time it reaches
:11:03. > :11:09.our digestion plant, it sits two weeks while it is being digdstion by
:11:10. > :11:14.the bacteria in there and then it starts to digests. With angdr at gas
:11:15. > :11:19.that we can put into the network. It is a flow of the Jed gesturds into
:11:20. > :11:22.the network. `` it is a flow of the digests in.
:11:23. > :11:25.The Conservative Party confdrence in Birmingham has now closed with
:11:26. > :11:32.the Prime Minister's keynotd address to the party delegates at the
:11:33. > :11:35.Mr Cameron promised to cut taxes for low and middle income e`rners
:11:36. > :11:38.and also attacked Labour's record on the National Health Servhce
:11:39. > :11:41.in the Midlands, accusing them of being the party that gavd us
:11:42. > :11:46.The CBSO's headquarters in Birmingham has officially rd`opened
:11:47. > :11:50.The Orchestra's rehearsal space and small performance venue has had
:11:51. > :11:54.The CBSO's patron His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex listened to
:11:55. > :11:56.students from Shenley Acadely at the official opening.
:11:57. > :11:58.The improvements are part of plans to mark the CBSO's
:11:59. > :12:15.We are taking Birmingham's name around the world and also wdlcoming
:12:16. > :12:18.the world to Birmingham, so all of the great musicians will be
:12:19. > :12:25.rehearsing here and using these fantastic facilities. Then hopefully
:12:26. > :12:27.the next place, telling a form at the great job is.
:12:28. > :12:30.All this week we're celebrating 50 years of Midlands Today bringing
:12:31. > :12:33.It's the half way point tonhght 1984 to 1994.
:12:34. > :12:36.Richard Uridge was in this seat for part of the time.
:12:37. > :12:39.And he takes us back to a ddcade marked by excess not just in
:12:40. > :12:51.# But I'm dancing on the valentine... #
:12:52. > :12:57.The 1980s brought wild fashhons and wilder hair and these Birmingham
:12:58. > :13:09.The Reflex was their most successful singld.
:13:10. > :13:14.And talking of wild hair, it seems a long time ago th`t I was
:13:15. > :13:19.Today, I work in my own training company but the
:13:20. > :13:23.programme was a big part of my life and I guess it was for you too.
:13:24. > :13:26.Miners and their supporters turned up in their thousands
:13:27. > :13:30.In 1984 one story dominated the headlines.
:13:31. > :13:33.The miners' strike that was to last a whole year.
:13:34. > :13:35.Union leader Arthur Scargill led a march through Birmingham.
:13:36. > :13:40.We're going into the 18th wdek of a strike.
:13:41. > :13:46.We've come too far for anything other than to win a victory
:13:47. > :13:50.Eventually, of course, the liners went back but pit after pit closed.
:13:51. > :13:54.It was a long and painful ddath for a once mighty Midlands lining
:13:55. > :14:00.The final chapter only last year with the closure of Daw Mill
:14:01. > :14:03.colliery, our last deep pit in Warwickshire.
:14:04. > :14:05.There were men with tears in their eyes this morning when they
:14:06. > :14:10.Knowing that that's it, thex're finished, they're on the scrapheap.
:14:11. > :14:13.Today community leaders and the police are counting
:14:14. > :14:27.We saw two days of violent rioting, mainly along the Lozells Ro`d.
:14:28. > :14:30.It flared up following the `rrest of a black man in a stop
:14:31. > :14:38.But Handsworth today is a thriving multi`cultural part of Birmhngham.
:14:39. > :14:43.Sometimes you have to dig a little bit deeper for a story
:14:44. > :14:45.Two weeks ago, the covers were being taken off
:14:46. > :14:49.There was a strange sucking noise and a crater 40 feet wide
:14:50. > :14:55.100 feet below ground, the cause of all the troubld.
:14:56. > :14:59.The remains of the limestond mine that meant work for the men of
:15:00. > :15:09.But our cameras were well above ground to tell this next tale.
:15:10. > :15:18.With a spire just over 200 feet high
:15:19. > :15:25.Waves from Rachel, and a bit of history made in Birmingham today.
:15:26. > :15:33.Anxious? Of course not.
:15:34. > :15:37.How would you feel going flxing in a basket?
:15:38. > :15:39.My presenting colleague Sue Beardsmore was determindd to go
:15:40. > :15:44.Yes, Midlands Today had its own balloon.
:15:45. > :15:51.Of course, there have been times when ht hasn't
:15:52. > :16:03.Five words, Alan Towers with a parachutd.
:16:04. > :16:07.It certainly was. Ouch!
:16:08. > :16:12.For Alan's fearless pursuit of the story, Alan earned a broken ankle
:16:13. > :16:17.With improving television technology, and increased
:16:18. > :16:27.competition to report the Mhdlands news, there was a need for speed.
:16:28. > :16:30.The Birmingham Superprix saw thousands throng to an inner`city
:16:31. > :16:34.racetrack but only after the Birmingham Road Race Bill became
:16:35. > :16:42.Staying on the roads, in 1981, legendary Midlands Today reporter
:16:43. > :16:46.John Yates met Britain's oldest motorist, just three months short
:16:47. > :17:06.So what do you think of people who come up behind and beep you
:17:07. > :17:12.There were some big news stories in the early '90s that gripped viewers.
:17:13. > :17:15.River flooding isn't unusual in the Midlands of course, but when the
:17:16. > :17:20.Severn burst its banks 24 ydars ago, many of you struggled to cope and
:17:21. > :17:24.Here's your pudding rice. Thank you.
:17:25. > :17:27.I hope you're all right. Thank you very much.
:17:28. > :17:29.For Rose, her problem should soon be over
:17:30. > :17:32.Her daughter is coming here today and taking her away.
:17:33. > :17:35.But for a lot of people herd in Worcester, there's nowhere else
:17:36. > :17:42.to go and for the foreseeable future, the floods are set to stay.
:17:43. > :17:46.In 1991 a royal opening for the International Convention Centre
:17:47. > :17:51.bringing much needed investlent and jobs in the depths of a recdssion.
:17:52. > :17:54.In 1994, the world was gripped by thd crisis
:17:55. > :17:59.in Rwanda with hundreds of thousands fleeing massacres and starv`tion.
:18:00. > :18:02.You wanted to help, the donations poured in.
:18:03. > :18:05.With Midlands aid money, with your money,
:18:06. > :18:09.Oxfam is providing all of them with at least ten litres of water a day.
:18:10. > :18:12.But are camps like this really sustainabld?
:18:13. > :18:15.With the spotlight on other trouble spots, does the world's comlunity
:18:16. > :18:21.In fact I think you still hold the record for the amount raised by any
:18:22. > :18:35.Your generosity really did lake a difference.
:18:36. > :18:41.Now there are showers and washbasins, the mortality r`te is at
:18:42. > :18:46.tiny fraction of what it was ten months ago. Another ten years older
:18:47. > :18:49.and ten years more grey, a decade of jewellery memories.
:18:50. > :18:53.Did you know that for the 25th anniversary we even had
:18:54. > :18:56.a train named after the programme by British Rail?
:18:57. > :19:12.Happy birthday, be on time `ll the time! The train now leaving platform
:19:13. > :19:18.one, the BBC Midlands Today. And if you missed this one, there will be
:19:19. > :19:21.another one along in 25 years. Wonderful stuff, good to sed people
:19:22. > :19:23.there! And there's a page on our wdbsite,
:19:24. > :19:26.with lots more video and melories You can find it
:19:27. > :19:30.at bbc.co.uk/birmingham Birmingham City Football Cltb have
:19:31. > :19:38.announced they're not renewhng the contract
:19:39. > :19:40.of acting chairman Peter Pannu. However he does remain a director
:19:41. > :19:43.of the club and On the pitch, there was relhef
:19:44. > :19:48.for the manager Lee Clark l`st night Birmingham City arrived in
:19:49. > :19:55.South East London last night with They hadn't won since the mhddle
:19:56. > :19:59.of August and the club's parent company had just announced `nnual
:20:00. > :20:04.losses of nearly ?13 million. But there was clearly nothing wrong
:20:05. > :20:07.with the team spirit as they took the lead at thd New Den
:20:08. > :20:10.through Clayton Donaldson. David Cotterill created that one
:20:11. > :20:13.and eight minutes later he scored the goal of the night to dotble
:20:14. > :20:16.their advantage. But Birmingham have thrown `way 11
:20:17. > :20:18.points So when Lee Gregory pulled ` goal
:20:19. > :20:24.back for Millwall the nerves set in. The fans needn't have worridd
:20:25. > :20:27.though, Wes Thomas confirming It opens up
:20:28. > :20:31.a five point gap over the rdlegation Now the challenge is to
:20:32. > :20:39.maintain that momentum. A former owner of the Birmingham
:20:40. > :20:43.Brummies speedway team, Tonx Mole, is hoping to take a first step
:20:44. > :20:47.towards reviving the club tonight. The Brummies folded in July when
:20:48. > :20:51.financial problems meant thdy could A meeting's being held
:20:52. > :20:56.at the track in the next hotr to see if a consortium can be formdd to
:20:57. > :21:00.bring speedway back to the city Now,
:21:01. > :21:02.how about this for a job advert Are you willing to work in dark
:21:03. > :21:05.smoky and potentially Are you open to the possibility
:21:06. > :21:11.of wearing prosthetics and lasks? But scores turned out to take on the
:21:12. > :21:16.challenge at Alton Towers today They were auditioning to be one of
:21:17. > :21:19.the cast for this year's Sc`refest, which is the Staffordshire theme
:21:20. > :21:33.park's busiest time of year. There is some flashing imagdry in
:21:34. > :21:34.this report. This is not your average job
:21:35. > :21:47.interview. Next! Usually, you try to bd polite
:21:48. > :21:53.and impress your future employers. Not scare the living daylights out
:21:54. > :21:57.of them! It takes people who can get in people's faces, who can be
:21:58. > :22:03.intense. We put people into a story, most of them in a story, not just a
:22:04. > :22:07.dark room where people say boo. Over 300 people have auditioned for the
:22:08. > :22:13.85 acting roles at this year's Scarefest. Some with plenty of
:22:14. > :22:17.experience. It is so versathle, different, it is dark, it is totally
:22:18. > :22:23.different to being on a fill or TV set or in a theatre. And sole with
:22:24. > :22:27.none at all. I always thought it would be cool and fun to work it and
:22:28. > :22:32.that is why I have auditiondd. Every time I went through a Maze, I
:22:33. > :22:39.thought, I could do that. Those are successful will end up doing this. I
:22:40. > :22:44.enjoy scaring people. I scare my friends all the time. It is just a
:22:45. > :22:51.bit of fun. It is not just businesses such as Alton Towers
:22:52. > :22:57.developing Halloween benefits. For fancy dress shops, it is vital.
:22:58. > :23:02.Without it, we would find it very hard to get through the year. We do
:23:03. > :23:07.40% of our Ye `` yearly salds in two to three weeks. This year, ht is
:23:08. > :23:11.polluted we will spend ?300 million in this country on Halloween with
:23:12. > :23:13.around 60% of families taking part. Making it the third biggest event
:23:14. > :23:29.behind Christmas and Easter. Screaming. ! Very funny! As for the
:23:30. > :23:35.audition is, it is a few daxs to see if they will be the ones getting
:23:36. > :23:37.paid to scare people silly. It is a funny old world. Is there
:23:38. > :23:47.anything scary in the weathdr? Depends on your train of thought. It
:23:48. > :23:49.might be October but there `re still a few loose ends to tie up from
:23:50. > :23:54.September which illustrate just how dry it was. It is the driest
:23:55. > :23:58.September on record. These facts and figures from Worcester illustrate
:23:59. > :24:02.that quite well. Normally Worcester would see an average of 50
:24:03. > :24:07.millimetres of rain in Septdmber, this year however they only saw 19
:24:08. > :24:12.which is just under half, and most of that fell on the 19th of the
:24:13. > :24:17.month. Obviously all of us `re wanting a bit of rain now, but I
:24:18. > :24:21.think that we will see that by the end of the week. The temper`tures we
:24:22. > :24:27.will hold onto but the change is coming where that is concerned as
:24:28. > :24:30.well. A combination of factors is causing this, a frontal system from
:24:31. > :24:35.the Northwest `` Northwest by the end of Friday and into the weekend,
:24:36. > :24:42.and the isobars are starting to squeeze together tighter indicating
:24:43. > :24:46.that the winds will be pickhng up so it is more breezy into Saturday
:24:47. > :24:51.Behind the cold front, we h`ve a dash of cold air, you can sde the
:24:52. > :24:55.blue sweeping in from the wdst, so it is cooler, wetter and brdezy by
:24:56. > :25:01.Friday and over the weekend. Feeling a lot more autumnal by them. But for
:25:02. > :25:04.this evening and overnight, we are beginning to see the changes. We saw
:25:05. > :25:09.some spots of rain through the day, in fact in some places quitd a lot
:25:10. > :25:13.of rain, it was very localised but it was there. It was brought in by a
:25:14. > :25:16.cold front which will be cldaring to the first part of tonight and then
:25:17. > :25:22.behind it slightly fresher conditions. Still a lot of cloud and
:25:23. > :25:27.when we get breaks, we will get mist and fog patches. Temperaturds were
:25:28. > :25:32.lowest in the north of the region, nice Elsie is, into the countryside
:25:33. > :25:36.it could go lower than that. `` nine Celsius. Just about holding into
:25:37. > :25:41.double figures into Central and southeastern parts. A bit of mist
:25:42. > :25:47.into tomorrow morning, murkx and cloudy, through the day we see
:25:48. > :25:50.breaks with brightness and sunshine. It will be an mostly dry dax,
:25:51. > :25:59.temperatures lower in the North The headlines from the BBC. At the
:26:00. > :26:02.Tory party conference in Birmingham, that I minister `` Prime Minister
:26:03. > :26:06.promises a double dose of t`x cut if the Tories win the election. And on
:26:07. > :26:09.the way home to Birmingham, Moazzam Begg, the former Guantanamo Bay
:26:10. > :26:13.detainee is freed from prison. I will be back at 10pm, Jonathan.