Birmingham City Council has been ordered to pay #38,000 to a member of its road safety team who was subjected to a lengthy campaign of discrimination and harassment.
An employment tribunal found Christine Arnold lost the chance of promotion and effectively had her career destroyed because the council gave preferential treatment to her boss, Abdul Rashid, the head of road safety.
Mr Rashid, who was himself awarded a five-figure sum about six years ago after accusing the council of racial discrimination and victimisation, claimed Ms Arnold had subjected him to racial harassment.
His accusation was dismissed and the panel criticised his performance at the hearing, where he was found "not to be a witness of truth and not to be trying to assist the tribunal in his answers".
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Business leaders have paid tribute to Roger Dickens, the hugely respected Birmingham entrepreneur who helped set up medical software giant iSoft, following his death at the age of 58.
Mr Dickens and his wife, Lainey, had renewed their wedding vows on the day he died followed a long illness.
Eight years ago Mr Dickens, who was born in the Black Country, was awarded a CBE for services to West Midlands industry, and in 2004 the University of Central England in Birmingham presented him with an honorary doctorate in recognition of his many achievements.
A past president of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, and chairman and founder of Birmingham Forward, he held a number of senior positions in accountancy giant KPMG, most notably as UK deputy senior partner.
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Chinese restaurants face ruin because of new laws which could lead to a shortage of staff, a Birmingham business leader has warned.
Skilled head chefs, who have been trained in China and Hong Kong, may be forced to leave the country.
A campaign to convince the Government to change the proposed legislation has been launched by solicitor Christine Lee, who is joint owner of two restaurants in the city.
It involves Chinese business leaders from across the country, as well as Bangladeshi restaurant owners who fear they could also be hit.
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Dozens of farms have opened their doors to schools in a bid to teach children about agriculture and the countryside.
More than 25 farmers in the West Midlands have been trained to accept school visits in the past year as part of an initiative to increase schools' access to farmland.
But as farmers are eager to open their doors to more visitors, organisations are still struggling to encourage schools to take part in farm visits.
The most recent figures show an 11 per cent drop nationwide in school visits to farms between 2000 and 2004, with 50,000 less pupils enjoying the privilege.
Warwickshire-based group Farming and Countryside Education, which has been training farmers in preparation for school visits, has launched a pilot project in the West Midlands in a bid to halt the decline.
See Tuesday's Birmingham Post for more on these stories
