Latest news with #Birmingham
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Driver who killed mother and daughter on Boxing Day was ‘racing' at up to 84mph
A driver who killed a mother and her daughter in a head-on Boxing Day crash had been 'racing' with another car at up to 84mph in a 30mph zone, a court has heard. Mohammed Ibrahim, 25, fled the scene after his BMW 420 – travelling 'in convoy' with a BMW X3 – crashed into a quad bike and then hit an MG car containing four generations of the same family. Birmingham Crown Court was told on Wednesday that Amanda Riley, 49, and Linda Philips, 72, both died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics to save them at the roadside in the Shard End area of the city. Four other family members travelling in the MG suffered injuries, including a fractured sternum, a broken leg requiring surgery and bruising to the lungs. Describing the circumstances of the crash at Ibrahim's sentencing hearing, prosecutor Philip Vollans said the victims were travelling home from family celebrations on the evening of December 26 2023. Before showing video footage to the sentencing judge of Ibrahim's car speeding past a bus towards the crash site on Meadway, at its junction with Kitt's Green Road, Mr Vollans said the driver of the BMW X3 had never been traced. Mr Vollans said of the two BMWs: 'Both cars were speeding, both cars racing each other. 'The defendant was the faster driver of the two.' Estimating that Ibrahim was speeding for at least half a mile before the 'tremendous' impact, reaching 80-84mph, Mr Vollans added that the defendant initially hit a quad bike, which had run a red light, and lost control while in the wrong lane. Ibrahim, of Old College Road, Sheldon, then hit the kerb of the central reservation and crashed into the family's car as it slowed down on the opposite carriageway. The driver's seat of the MG was knocked out of its fixings and it caught fire, leaving its occupants trapped as a member of the public attempted to free them. A witness saw Ibrahim, who was saying 'I need to go', lying on the ground near the driver's side of the BMW before he left the scene. His car was also on fire following the crash, the court heard. The court heard Ibrahim was caught on CCTV at Heartlands Hospital, where he was treated for a leg injury, and he later returned to the scene, where he was arrested but refused a breath test. Mr Vollans added: 'Both cars were completely destroyed as a consequence of this collision.' Three relatives of the victims, including the driver of the car, read victim impact statements to the court, with one describing those killed as having 'died fighting for their lives, lying on a cold roadside, scared and in tremendous pain'. In a statement read into the court record by Mr Vollans, George Philips, the husband of Linda, said: 'Our family are the centre of our world. The aftermath (of the crash) was the complete devastation of my family. 'My wife and daughter had both died. My world fell apart. I felt an immense emptiness.' Amanda and Linda were both hard-working, doted on their families and would help anyone, Mr Philips added. Defence barrister Jasvir Mann, offering mitigation, told the court that Ibrahim has no previous convictions and there was ample evidence, including references, that he had 'led a thoroughly positive life'. Mr Mann said: 'My instructions are that he has no meaningful memory of that day.' The actions of the quad bike rider, who also left the scene and has never been identified, had contributed to what happened, Mr Mann added. Ibrahim pleaded guilty earlier this year to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The defendant is due to be sentenced by Judge Paul Farrer KC later on Wednesday.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Birmingham and Solihull measles cases stabilise
Measles cases in Birmingham and Solihull have "stabilised" but parents are still being encouraged to get their children was one of the cities that experienced an outbreak earlier this year, with government figures showing 26 confirmed cases between January and of the NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) discussed the issue at a meeting on medical officer Clara Day said herd immunity and getting the population vaccinated was important to stopping the spread of the disease. She said: "There certainly has been an increase above the baseline – which is zero – and we were worried for a few weeks but it seems to have stabilised out."We still have the same concerns around immunisation rates."Chief executive David Melbourne said: "Ruth [Tennant] – public health director in Solihull – is working with our children's hospital to try and get some of the safe messaging across Birmingham and Solihull about the importance of vaccination for children."We know measles for young people can be tragic so there is some work to do there." 'Avoid misinformation' The ICB had been urging people to get up to date with their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jabs for the past few June, the ICB's chief nursing officer, Helen Kelly, said: "There are lots of myths and misconceptions about the MMR vaccination, but we know it is safe, effective and remains our best protection against a virus which can be life-threatening in the most serious cases."The MMR vaccination is safe for all faiths and cultures, and a pork-free version is available for those who avoid pork products."If you're unsure, I strongly encourage parents to speak to their GP, health visitor or nurse to get accurate information and avoid the risks of misinformation which spreads easily online."This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The anti-Semitism row tearing heavy metal apart
For all its thrashing guitars and screamed lyrics, the world of heavy metal is actually relatively peaceable. Unlike other parts of the music industry, it wears its politics lightly, with fans much more interested in headbanging to their favourite songs than anything else. While this year's Glastonbury crowds were a sea of Palestine flags, hard rock fans tend not to bother with such overt virtue-signalling. So it came as a surprise that, amid the joyous scenes at Ozzy Osbourne's final gig at Birmingham's Villa Park on July 5, a performer was apparently booed for being supportive of Israel. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BUDDYHEAD ☭ Travis Keller (@buddyhead_) As David Draiman, the Jewish frontman of Chicago rockers Disturbed, took to the stage, he was met with a chorus of disapproval, likely prompted by his outspoken defence of Israel. In 2024 he shared pictures of himself signing artillery shells that the Israel Defence Forces were planning to use during the Gaza campaign, with the inscription 'F--k Hamas'. He has also publicly criticised fellow rockers Green Day for changing the lyrics to some of their live songs to be supportive of the Palestinian cause, and recently publicly condemned the controversial Glastonbury set by English punk duo Bob Vylan, who led death chants to the IDF and are now under criminal investigation. Draiman, who was part of an all-star ensemble set to cover Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf, responded by simply asking the audience: 'We gonna start this?' It was only the day after the performance that the 52-year-old Draiman let his frustration at how he was treated be known. 'Yes, there were a few boos when I walked out, but I came to pay homage to my teachers, my idols, the mighty Black Sabbath, and I wasn't about to let a few Jew-hating morons deter that. It's all about feeding their narrative, generating clickbait, and inciting hatred of Jews,' he wrote on social media. 'Still coming back to the UK in the fall to what's shaping up to be a VERY successful run, if ticket sales are any indication. And I am STILL, UNAPOLOGETICALLY, A FIERCELY PRO-ISRAEL JEW,' he added in his post on X. 'I will ALWAYS stand up for my people, and I won't be deterred, intimidated, or shamed out of rocking the asses of the masses. Put that in your pipes and smoke it.' That could have been that, pipes smoked, but it was instead an early shot in an ugly row about Israel and Palestine that threatens to tear heavy metal apart. On July 11, comments made by Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello – the organiser of the Black Sabbath gig that raised more than £140 million for charity – 10 days previously surfaced on a music podcast, on which he discussed contemporary artists who hold a similarly anti-establishment attitude. Morello, 61, said that Kneecap were 'clearly the Rage Against The Machine of now' and praised the Irish punk rappers for championing the Palestinian cause. The Belfast trio have found themselves at the centre of controversy this year for their pronouncements about the Israel-Hamas war and have regularly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. One of their number, Mo Chara (aka Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh), has been charged with a terrorism offence after allegedly displaying the flag of the Hezbollah terrorist group at a London gig last November; Ó Hannaidh denies the charges, has been granted unconditional bail and is set to appear in court again on August 20. 'What they're doing in their art is what people could probably stand to do more in their lives: to really speak truth to power. And, you know, Kneecap are not terrorists,' Morello said on The Strombo Show. 'What is terroristic is, you know, 20,000 dead Palestinian children. That's the story. Not some Irish rappers who don't like that that's happening. [That] should not be the story.' (Ironically, Osbourne's wife, Sharon, has previously called for Kneecap's American visas to be revoked for saying 'F--- Israel / Free Palestine' at California's Coachella festival in May.) For Draiman, Morello's public lauding of Kneecap was like a red rag to a bull. Draiman wrote online that Morello's comments were 'shameful' and that he wished he 'could say [he] was shocked'. He added, again on X, last Saturday: 'Guess my family doesn't count, when it comes to my 'friend's' virtue signaling for those who support terror, and incite Jew hatred.' Morello has not publicly responded to Draiman. All of this could be seen as an unwelcome distraction for Draiman, as Disturbed are one of the most successful heavy metal bands of this century. Their debut album, 2000's The Sickness, was a commercial hit powered by singles Down With the Sickness and Stupify, and their subsequent five records all hit number-one in the American charts; they have also had three top 10 albums in the UK. The success of Disturbed is often put down to their ability to combine the sounds of crowd-friendly nu-metal and lusty heavy metal, much of which is a result of Draiman's atypical baritone voice (the band regularly plays Simon & Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence, for instance). Ian Christe, author of Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal, says that Draiman is 'certainly an outlier in having a specific advocacy for one cause' but that the genre's stars, from Osbourne onwards, have always been willing to make points about society through their music. 'Compared with hard rock bands of the day, like Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith or Deep Purple, who were singing about girls and cars, Black Sabbath were singing about war pigs and the machinations of politicians sending young people, who are basically their audience, off to fight in these wars,' he says. 'So much of what happens in heavy metal happens in this bubble. When, all of a sudden, there's a sound within this bubble it could seem like the entire heavy metal world is full of this Zionist, pro-Netanyahu warmongering, which is definitely not true. What I think it is is a cauldron of extremely passionate people,' Christe adds. 'Heavy metal crosses class lines, it crosses racial lines and ethnic lines — but it amplifies things. So the heavy metal factor is like a tripling of whatever existed: that goes with the fashion, that goes with the relationships, it goes with the music but it also goes with the politics.' Draiman is unusual in the music industry for his outspoken support of Israel before and during the current war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Hamas attacks of October 7 2023. He was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Chicago as a child. Growing up, he sang traditional Jewish songs during religious festivals, which 'led to choir and cantorial training', and when he was in his early teens, Draiman was leading the singing at services as well as discovering his love of rock through the likes of the Sex Pistols and The Cure. So devoted was Draiman to his faith that he has said that he was 'about two years away from being ordained as a rabbi' before suffering a 'crisis of conscience'. Instead, after graduating from university he started work as a healthcare administrator, but gave up his six-figure salary to try and make it as a full-time rock star. It was a gamble that his parents thought 'was nuts', but paid off handsomely. To all of you who are surprised by my #Zionism, and continued defense of #Israel and and the Jewish people, allow me to clarify a few things; 1. I'm a Jew. 2. My entire family lives in Israel, and I have had family living there for over a century. #AmYisraelChai — David Draiman 🟦🎗️🇺🇸🇮🇱✡️☮️ (@davidmdraiman) October 22, 2023 Draiman has repeatedly publicly sparred with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, who criticised Disturbed for playing a gig in Tel Aviv (at which they played the Israeli national anthem) six years ago. Waters, who caused controversy himself in 2023 when he appeared in Berlin wearing what many said looked like a Nazi-style uniform (though he argued that depicting an 'unhinged fascist demagogue' has always been a key feature of Pink Floyd shows as a challenge to authoritarianism), is a long-time supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which lobbies for the cutting of ties with Israel. 'Regardless of whether it's Israel or anywhere else, boycotting an entire society and an entire people based on the actions of its government is absolutely ridiculous. And it doesn't accomplish anything,' Draiman said of Waters's criticism of his band in 2019. 'The very notion that Waters and the rest of his comrades decide that this is the way to go ahead and foster change is absolute lunacy and idiocy – absolute. It makes no sense whatsoever. It's only based on hatred of a culture and of a people and of a society that have been demonised unjustifiably since the beginning of time. You wanna be able to bring people together? You wanna effect social change on a real level? Bring them together for a concert.' For all the talk about bringing people together, Draiman appeared to have the self-awareness to know that not everybody liked what he was saying; Disturbed's 2022 album was called Divisive. It only reached 13th and 17th in the American and British album charts, respectively. 'I think that we're the kind of band that people either really, really love or really, really hate. There's not a whole lot of in-between, right,' he told Revolver magazine that year. 'I think that anything that's worth feeling passionate about brings extremes of polarity to it. The art that should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed, right? I've definitely figured out how to come to peace with it. I like the fact that people are passionate one way or the other about what we do.' While Morello has not responded to Draiman's recent criticism of him, the members of Kneecap have supported their new champion. 'We don't care what religion anyone is…or if they've one at all. We love all sound c--ts,' they wrote on X on Sunday. 'Smiling and signing bombs to murder kids and other people's families just makes you a straight up c--t. Simple as. Free Palestine.' Inevitably, as has been the case throughout this conflict, Draiman replied in kind later that day. 'That shell was meant for Hamas. You know, the organization who has sworn to murder all Jews, not just Israelis, time and time again, including my family. You shoot at Jews? Expect Jews to shoot back,' he wrote to Kneecap. 'All innocent lives lost in this conflict are due to Hamas using their own people as cannon fodder so that they can gain the sympathy of those who are only too eager to jump on the Jew hating train. If the hostages were released and Hamas surrendered, the bloodshed would end. But neither you, nor Hamas really want that. Because without dead martyred Palestinians to fuel your zeitgeist, both you and them lose power,' Draiman added. 'Enjoy your five minutes gentlemen. It could have been done with your art, but instead you chose to do it with hatred. Bye now.' Draiman may have said goodbye, but that is unlikely to be the last word in this increasingly fraught heavy metal conflict.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's What to Expect From Vulcan Materials' Next Earnings Report
With a market cap of $35.7 billion, Vulcan Materials Company (VMC) is the largest U.S. producer of construction aggregates like crushed stone, sand, and gravel, also supplying asphalt and concrete. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, it operates over 400 facilities nationwide. The company is expected to report its Q2 earnings on Tuesday, Aug, 5. Ahead of the event, analysts expect VMC to report a profit of $2.63 per share, up 11.9% from a profit of $2.35 per share reported in the year-ago quarter. It has exceeded analysts' earnings estimates in two of the past four quarters, while missing in the other two quarters. Dear Nvidia Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for July 16 Seeking Passive Income? This 'Strong Buy' Dividend Stock Yields 8.6%. This Longtime Tesla Bull Just Issued a New Warning for TSLA Stock Holders Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! For the current year, analysts expect VMC to report EPS of $8.56, up 13.7% from $7.53 in fiscal 2024. Looking ahead, analysts expect its earnings to surge 16% year-over-year to $9.93 per share in fiscal 2026. Over the past year, VMC shares have soared 3%, trailing the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 10.9% gains but outpacing the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund's (XLB) 1.3% decline over the same time frame. On April 30, Vulcan Materials shares surged 6.9% after posting Q1 results. While revenue rose 5.8% year-over-year to $1.6 billion, it missed Wall Street expectations by 3%, primarily due to a dip in aggregate shipments. However, the bottom line impressed as adjusted EPS jumped 25% to $1, surpassing analyst estimates by a robust 26.6%. Underscoring its optimism, the company reaffirmed its full-year 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance in the range of $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion. The consensus opinion on VMC stock is strongly optimistic, with an overall 'Strong Buy' rating. Out of the 21 analysts covering the stock, 16 recommend a 'Strong Buy,' one recommends a 'Moderate Buy,' and four suggest a 'Hold.' Its mean price target of $301.87 indicates a robust 15.4% upside potential from current price levels. On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bulls unleashed across Birmingham as part of art trail
A herd of more than 120 bulls has been set loose in a city as part of a free art sculptured creations, inspired by the iconic Bullring bull, have been decorated by local artists and placed in locations across by Birmingham Hospice in partnership with Wild in Art, the interactive Bulls in the City trail includes 40 large fibreglass statues sponsored by local chief executive Paul Bytheway asked trail visitors to consider donating to the charity and said the project was an opportunity to "shout" about its work. Wild at Art has previously installed bear and snow dog statues across majority of larger bulls will be found in the city centre, with four on Harborne High Street and three on Boldmere High features a unique design, such as murals celebrating local history, while others have been transformed to look like dragons or is also a version of Ozzy, the giant mechanical bull featured in the city's opening ceremony for the Commonwealth mini bulls, created by local schools and groups as part of an associated community programme, can be found in Birmingham Hospice shops and other city-centre venues. Mr Bytheway said a positive impact of the project had been to educate the community about the charity's work, which he estimated would cost £19m this year."We are not fully funded by the NHS, and we heavily rely on voluntary income such as fundraising activity, income from our shops and donations to continue funding our services," he said. "Even the smallest amount can make a big impact." West Midlands mayor Richard Parker said the trail paid tribute to the Brummie Bull, which was "a symbol of Birmingham's strength and spirit"."These sculptures will help to boost trade in the city centre and champion the work of local artists while shining a well-deserved spotlight on the tremendous work and dedication of staff at Birmingham Hospice," he added. The trail runs for eight weeks until 14 September, after which the sculptures will be auctioned to raise money for Birmingham are available digitally on a Bulls in the City app or can be collected from locations across the city. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
