shropshirestar.com

Barclays has reported 2008 profits of £6.1 billion, 14 per cent down from last year but ahead of expectations.

Pictures from Wolves’ 2-1 Championship defeat against Coventry at The Ricoh Arena.

The FTSE 100 was up 1.54 points by 08:36 GMT to 4,293.41, led by a jump in Barclays' shares.

Despite having not long finished his “farewell tour”, king of the blues BB King is already coming out of retirement for a tour which takes in Birmingham’s NIA on Thursday, June 25, 2009.

GM Telford Tigers gave two spirited fightbacks this weekend, but it was the getting into trouble in the first place that cost them four points.

Stuttering Wolves slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Coventry at the Richo Arena, although their nearest rivals failed to capitalise.

AFC Telford United are within three points of the top of the Blue Square North after beating leaders Tamworth 1-0 at The Lamb.

Shrewsbury Town’s away miseries continued as they slumped to a 1-0 Coca-Cola League Two defeat to struggling Bournemouth at Dean Court.

It appears certain sectors of industry are receiving more help from the Government than others, most noticeably the car industry and the “banksters”.

This has been the week for uttering the immortal phrase: “When I were a lad…”, says blogger David Burrows.

A Kent-based organisation will run a planned new health centre offering extra GP services to patients from across Shropshire.

Lloyds Banking Group has warned its customers over the threat of internet scams looking to take advance of the new combined company.

Legendary singer/songwriter James Taylor arrives back in Birmingham to perform at The NIA Academy on Sunday, July 5, 2009.

The snow has been making the biggest headlines this week. Our weekly podcast looks back on a chilly week and ahead to the next seven days.

Reviewer’s rating: **** A room full of students and not a pair of jeans in sight! What is going on? Obviously this was not an ordinary restaurant, but Rex M Key is highly impressed with smartly-turned-out students who can produce quality meals. 

Jools Holland will return to the Birmingham stage this autumn with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra to continue the party that he started more than 14 years ago.

Reviewer’s rating: **** In the week when it was announced that the UK is officially in recession, it was a surprise and really quite cheering to find the large restaurant at the Horse and Jockey Inn in Knighton packed with happy diners, writes Sophie Bagnall.

Janet Baines had a surprise gift on her 90th birthday – a hardback, professionally published 125-page book about her eventful life compiled by her daughter.  

A former Shropshire businessman and journalist hopes to break into the literary world with his first historical novel, Libertas, which goes on sale this month.  

Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is the frontrunner at this year's Oscars with a hefty 13 nominations.

In this 24-hour, digital age of CCTV cameras, the internet and the paparazzi, no sordid secret or lapse in judgement remains concealed forever.

Men are not from Mars, women are not from Venus, and contrary to what John Gray's global bestseller might claim, there is no simple solution to getting what you want in relationships.

Man's best friend learns to stand on his own four paws in Byron Howard and Chris Williams' computer animated comedy, which pokes fun at our obsession with celebrity.

Opening, rather fittingly, with a funeral procession that sounds the death knell for the rest of the film, The Secret Of Moonacre is an exceedingly gloomy tale of thwarted love, adapted from the children's classic The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge.

The belated sequel to Jonathan Hensleigh's 2004 revenge thriller, based on a Marvel Comics character, is even more gratuitously violent than its predecessor.

Masked robbers armed with a knife, hammer and bat attacked the boss of a Shropshire wholesale company and forced him to hand over £2,000 in cash.

Wet Wet Wet star Marti Pellow brings his devilish charm to Birmingham as Daryl Van Horne in The Witches of Eastwick. He talks to Cathy Spencer.

Boss Rob Smith has completed a cloak-and-dagger transfer to bring prolific striker Mark Danks to AFC Telford United.

Shrewsbury Town reject James Constable has admitted that his future may lie away from Shropshire – despite restating his goalscoring credentials.

Shropshire rugby ace Graham Kitchener helped England begin their defence of the Under-20 Six Nations Championship with a 17-0 win over Italy at his home club of Worcester Warriors.