Colors: Blue Color

Amazon has warned there are two new circulating scams targeting its customers, as UK Google searches for ‘Amazon Scams’ have surged by 825% over the past 48 hours. The two scams are called ‘Prime membership scams’ and ‘Account suspension/Deletion scams’. 

Tech platform BettingApps have highlighted a huge spike in searches for various terms related to these scams as well as revealing what each scam entails, and how customers can be vigilant whilst shopping on Amazon. 

This year, the festival of lights, Diwali, will be celebrated in a free City of Wolverhampton event at Phoenix Park on Saturday 14 October. The Diwali Mela takes place between 4pm and 8.30pm at the park, off Dudley Road in Blakenhall, and is hosted by the Shri Krishan Mandir and The Elias Mattu Foundation.

A year since the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has seen "Raging Bull" Ozzy finally in his permanent home at the city's New Street station.

Standing 10 metres high, the sculpture formerly known as the "Raging Bull" made its grand entry at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony at the Alexander Stadium. The name Ozzy was revealed last month after a public poll and is in honour of rock singer and Black Sabbath lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, who grew up in Birmingham.

Birmingham’s biggest taxi and private hire vehicle operator, A2B Radio Cars, has donated £500 to the Solihull branch of Guide Dogs.

A2B Radio Cars, a regional hub of the UK’s fastest growing taxi and private hire technology platform Veezu, stepped in to donate to the worthy cause through their new community support programme ‘Funded by Veezu’. The programme is a way in which local not-for-profit initiatives can apply for grants between £500 and £1000.

It was announced that Irish singer, songwriter and activist Sinéad O'Connor has died. In a statement, the singer's family said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad.

"Her family and friends are devastated and request privacy at this very difficult time." She was best known for her rendition of the Prince-penned song ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, which reached number one worldwide following its release in 1990. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar paid tribute to her, saying her music "was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare".

Irish President Michael D Higgins described O'Connor as ‘authenticity’ as well as having a beautiful and unique voice. "What Ireland has lost at such a relatively young age is one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades, he said. “She had a unique talent and extraordinary connection with her audience, all of whom held such love and warmth for her."

Born Sinead Marie Bernadette O'Connor in Glenageary, County Dublin, in December 1966, the singer had a difficult childhood. As a teenager, she was placed in Dublin's An Grianan Training Centre, once one of the notorious Magdalene laundries, originally set up to incarcerate young girls deemed to be promiscuous.

One nun bought her a guitar and set her up with a music teacher - which led to the launch of O'Connor's musical career. She released her first critically acclaimed album The Lion And The Cobra in 1987, which entered the top 40 in the UK and US. Her follow up was I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, which included Nothing Compares 2 U.

O'Connor, who was outspoken in her social and political views, released 10 studio albums between 1987 and 2014. In 1991, she was named artist of the year by Rolling Stone magazine and took home the Brit Award for international female solo artist. The following year, one of the most notable events of her career took place when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on US TV show Saturday Night Live, where she was the invited performer.

Following an acapella performance of Bob Marley's War, she looked at the camera and said; "fight the real enemy", a protest against child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Her actions resulted in her being banned for life by broadcaster NBC and protests against her in the US, which saw copies of her records destroyed in New York's Times Square.

O'Connor's last studio album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss, was released in 2014. Converting to Islam in 2018, the Dublin singer changed her name to Shuhada' Sadaqat, but continued to perform under her birth name. She released a memoir, Rememberings, in 2021.

In 2022, her 17-year-old son Shane was found dead after being reported missing two days previously. Writing on social media following his death, she said he had "decided to end his earthly struggle" and requested "no-one follows his example".

The singer later cancelled all live performances for the rest of 2022 due to her "continuing grief" following the death of her son. She was 56!

O'Connor paid tribute to Shane in one of her final tweets, calling him "the love of my life, the lamp of my soul, we were one soul in two halves".

Belfast filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, one of last few people to speak with O'Connor before her death, said she was "devastated" by the news.

Prior to the singer's death Ferguson had been working on a documentary film about O'Connor, titled Nothing Compares, which is set to be released this Saturday.

"She is one of the most radical, incredible musicians that we've had. And we were very, very lucky to have had her."

Social media was also flooded with tributes to the singer after her death was announced on Wednesday evening.

Singer Alison Moyet said O'Connor had an "astounding presence" and a voice that "cracked stone with force by increment".

"As beautiful as any girl around & never traded on that card. I loved that about her. Iconoclast."

Irish comedian Dara O'Briain said of her death: "That's just very sad news. Poor thing. I hope she realised how much love there was for her."

Musician Tim Burgess of the Charlatans said: "Sinead was the true embodiment of a punk spirit. She did not compromise and that made her life more of a struggle. Hoping that she has found peace."

Irish author Marian Keyes described O'Connor's death as "heartbreaking".

"How she suffered. Poor, poor Sinead. Rest in peace, you amazing, brave, beautiful, unique wonder."

Journalist Caitlin Moran posted: "She was decades before her time, and fearless. Rest in power, queen."

Irish film director Mark Cousins added: "Sinead O'Connor was our Irish wild side. Such a big part of our imagined lives."

Irish Deputy Prime Minister (Tanaiste) Micheal Martin said O'Connor was one of Ireland's "greatest musical icons".

In a statement on Twitter, he said he was "devastated to hear of [her] passing".

"One of our greatest musical icons, and someone deeply loved by the people of Ireland, and beyond. Our hearts go out to her children, her family, friends and all who knew and loved her."

Singer Bryan Adams, who had collaborated with O'Connor, wrote: "RIP Sinéad O'Connor, I loved working with you making photos, doing gigs in Ireland together and chats, all my love to your family."

Streetfest, which took place on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th June, with a donation of £1,000. Streetfest is an annual event which is part of the Ashbourne Festival that has been running for 24 years, and David Wilson Homes was one of this year’s four leading Streetfest event sponsors.

This year’s Streetfest saw roughly 5,000 people in attendance on both of the days, which accommodated free street entertainment from international performers. From 17th June to 2nd July the Ashbourne Festival also attracted big names from the world of art, science, literature, music, drama and comedy.

An open forum discussion on African identity in the context of the UN's 2015-2024 International Decade Of People Of African Descent.

BTWSC/African Histories Revisited and TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) present in association with Friends Of Marcus Garvey Bust Collective and Brent Museum and Archives the sixth Marcus Garvey Annual Pan-Africanism Presentation 2023: Identity.

The date has been set for the next hearing to consider the interim injunction banning ‘street racing’, also known as ‘car cruising’, in the Black Country. It will take place at 10.30am on Friday 10 November at Birmingham District Registry, Civil Justice Centre, The Priory Courts, 33 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6DS.

The interim injunction was allowed to continue by the High Court, with minor alterations, in May. It prohibits people from participating, as a driver, a rider or a passenger, in a gathering of two or more people at which some of those present engage in motor racing or motor stunts or other dangerous or obstructive driving.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Innovate UK have announced a new strategic partnership to strengthen innovation in the region.

The West Midlands Local Action Plan sets a framework to more closely align the innovation support Innovate UK and the WMCA provide to the region’s businesses, entrepreneurs, and researchers with the eight primary growth clusters identified in the WMCA’s Plan for Growth. Innovate UK is the UK’s national innovation agency that supports and funds businesses, entrepreneurs, and researchers who have creative and cutting-edge ideas to make a positive impact on society and the economy.

‘Whale, whale, whale’, guess what’s back? Touchwood’s renowned ‘Costa del Solihull’ is making another return due to popular demand, this time with a mermaid-themed twist!

Launching on Saturday 22nd July until 3rd September, local guests visiting Touchwood Solihull will once again have the opportunity to soak in the ‘vitamin sea’ at Theatre Square’s tropical paradise. On launch day, sit back and relax on Touchwood’s dashing deckchairs as DJ Mark Field hosts a fun range of party games and competitions for the kids to enjoy.

Thirteen years ago, when Sammi Kinghorn MBE was lying in hospital after suffering a life-changing accident on the family farm she could never ever have imagined where she would be today…

In 2010, she was involved in a life-changing accident on her family farm causing an injury that left her paralysed from the waist down. With her incredible spirit and determination, Sammi is now the fastest-ever female British wheelchair racer representing Team GB, winning multiple gold medals and competing in two Paralympic Games.

The Datai Pledge, the wide-reaching sustainability, conservation, and community support programme of iconic Malaysian resort The Datai Langkawi, has published its third annual Impact Report. Covering the year 2022, the report has been released following meticulous monitoring and documentation.  It details key successes in various projects across all four pillars of The Datai Pledge. 

These aim to support marine life, terrestrial wildlife, and local youth and the community, as well as make the resort’s business operations more sustainable.  

Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has delivered its first UK Work Insights Programme to school and college students from Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Aon’s Colmore Gate office in Colmore Street welcomed 29 students from a diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds onto the new programme, which aims to enhance career opportunities and social mobility.

A new study has revealed that Norwich is the UK's most social media-obsessed city, with its population searching the most for social media-related terms over every other city in the UK. The research conducted by entertainment experts at PlayOJO analysed the number of Google searches for various social media platforms over the past year, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit and Linkedin. 

Norwich is the top city in the UK with the highest number of searches for social media-related terms; the city sweeps in at over 215,000 searches per 100,000 people and has a population of over 143,000. Wrexham is the second most social media-obsessed city, with over 65,000 people searching for all social media platforms, equating to over 209,000 times per 100,000 people. 

The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) has adopted theClean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative (CEM-Hubs) at a summit in Goa, India. The first-of-its-kind platform brings together the private sector and governments across the energy-maritime value chain to transform maritime transportation and production hubs for future low-carbon fuels. 

The CEM-Hubs initiative is initially backed by Canada, Norway, Panama, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in partnership with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and the International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH). The CEM Hubs initiative is a partnership that's jointly led by private sector and governments working in close collaboration.