Media Watch – July 22
Top Birmingham City Council
£1.5m mission to get Brum running (Birmingham Mail): Coverage of the launch of RUN Birmingham – a joint initiative between the council, Sport England, England Athletics and the Great Run company – at Aston Hall. Mission aims to get people who don’t exercise to start running. Deputy Leader Cllr Ward quoted.
Interview with Cllr James McKay (Big Centre TV): Cllr McKay responding to David Cameron’s speech on Monday, stating we should celebrate the good in Birmingham, rather than the bad.
Baby-fit classes run by Active Parks at Cotteridge Park (BBC WM): Interviews with Gaynor Roberts, Active Parks, and mums taking part in the baby-fit session at Cotteridge Park.
Number of councillors to be cut (BBC News Online): Coverage of the Boundary Commission report, which calls for the number of councillors to be reduced from 120 to 100, with all councillors put up for re-election every four years. Leader Sir Albert Bore quoted.
Regional headlines
Fragments of the Koran, thought to be the oldest in the world, have been found by the University of Birmingham. Radiocarbon dating found the manuscript to be at least 1,370 years old.
More than 20 people in the West Midlands, suffering from Clostridium have been saved by being fed liquid faeces. Scientists claim the treatment, used where antibiotics have failed, has a 90% success rate.
National headlines
A Manchester pensioner has become the first person in the world, suffering from age related macular degeneration, to be fitted with a bionic eye which restores part of his vision.
The first drug that may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is to be unveiled later today – US drugs company Eli Lilly will announce results of latest trial of Solanzumab, which targets amyloid proteins that cause the disease.
