Summary

  • Driver faces jail over girl's road death

  • Man and guide dog 'refused rides by Uber drivers'

  • Hijab row councillor steps down from cabinet

  • Man sentenced for coffee shop killing

  • Female boxer making history

  • Villa's Bacuna receives six-match ban

  • Updates from Friday 3 March 2017

  1. McAuley, 37, signs new West Brom dealpublished at 13:51 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Defender Gareth McAuley - the oldest outfield player in the Premier League - signs a new one-year deal with West Brom.

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  2. Rotherham United 0-2 Aston Villapublished at 18:17 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2017

    Aston Villa ease to their third straight win to heap more misery on Championship bottom club Rotherham.

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  3. Reading 2-1 Wolverhampton Wandererspublished at 18:06 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2017

    Reading strengthen their Championship play-off hopes as they extend Wolves' losing run to five league matches.

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  4. West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Crystal Palacepublished at 17:39 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2017

    Brilliant strikes from Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend earn Crystal Palace victory at West Brom as they move out of the Premier League bottom three.

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  5. Birmingham City 1-3 Leeds Unitedpublished at 21:58 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Chris Wood scores twice as Leeds move to within a point of third place in the Championship after winning at Birmingham.

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  6. Pub-crawlers reach 20,000th ale housepublished at 20:58 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    After three decades, the devoted group reach landmark.

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  7. School headscarf row councillor resignspublished at 20:35 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Waseem Zaffar was involved in a row over a four-year-old Muslim girl wearing a headscarf in school.

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  8. Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:00 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    That's it from us this Friday. If any news breaks tonight it will be posted here as normal but otherwise please join us from 08:00 on Monday for the usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather updates.

  9. Football: West Midlands winning streak - can it continue?published at 17:51 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    BBC WM Sport

    The Baggies are aiming to pick up a fourth home win in a row against Crystal Palace in the Premier League tomorrow.

    Aston Villa go to Rotherham looking to make it three victories on the bounce for the first time since 2010.

    Walsall could secure a fifth home victory in succession if they beat Oldham. 

    That would be their best run at the Banks's Stadium for four years.

  10. Watch: Weather for the evening and the weekendpublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Rebecca Wood
    BBC Weather

    Outbreaks of rain will continue for many this evening and for a time overnight, but there will be some drier interludes too

    Rain will clear during the early hours. 

    Cloudy skies will keep temperatures up overnight, preventing an overnight frost.  Lows of 6C (43F).

    Media caption,

    Weather for the West Midlands.

  11. Coming up on TVpublished at 17:40 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Nick Owen
    Presenter, BBC Midlands Today

    A blind man from Birmingham says taxis operated by the online firm Uber have repeatedly refused to pick him up because he travels with a guide dog.

    The three-part series Extremely British Muslims was filmed in Birmingham and last night's first episode was all about how young people balance looking for love with their faith. We have been to meet some of those involved and to gauge reaction to the show.

    Tomorrow evening, Lauren Johnson will become Birmingham's first female professional boxer, and we have been to meet her.

    More on these stories and others on the Midlands Today on BBC One from 18:30.

  12. Replacement named for headscarf row councillor who has quit Birmingham's cabinet published at 17:36 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Waseem Zaffar stepped down from his role as Birmingham City Council's equality chief, a day after it was reported government integration tsar, Dame Louise Casey, said his accusations against a Catholic school - which we reported earlier - had been "grossly unfair and undue".

    Waseem Zaffar

    Mr Zaffar said he has also asked the council to set up a "review into all current and historical speculation against me". 

    Councillor Ewan Mackey, his opposite number on the city's Conservative opposition group, has now called on the authority to publish all correspondence between councillors and officers relating to the row. 

    Mr Zaffar said: "After careful consideration and in light of continued media and social media speculation, I have discussed the situation with the leader of the council and I have decided I will step aside." 

    Councillor Tristan Chatfield was appointed as the council's new cabinet member for transparency, openness and equality on Friday.

  13. Ralph Clarke: 101-year-old paedophile bids to cut his jail term published at 17:26 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    A 101-year-old man jailed for a string of 30 child sex offences is contesting the length of his sentence.

    Ralph Clarke, of Erdington, Birmingham, is thought to be the oldest person convicted in British legal history.

    Ralph ClarkeImage source, PA

    Judge Richard Bond QC said in December Clarke had been guilty of "systematic abuse" between 1974 and 1983.

    He was found guilty of 21 counts of abusing two girls and admitted nine charges relating to a boy during his trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

    The former RAF serviceman's lawyers urged five senior judges at London's Court of Appeal to find that his punishment was excessive because the judge at the original trial did not take enough account of Clarke's extreme old age and the likelihood he would die in prison.

    A decision on the appeal will be given at a later date.

  14. Pub crawl team complete 20,000th ale housepublished at 17:14 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Lee Thomas
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    A team of devoted charity pub-crawlers have reached their 20,000th ale house in Stafford, after three decades of touring pubs. 

    The West Bromwich-based Black Country Ale Tairsters - Black Country dialect for tasters - began visiting establishments listed on a map, issued by Wolverhampton brewer Banks's, in 1984.

    The Black Country Ale Tairsters pictured in 2013Image source, Peter Hill

    They arrived to complete their latest milestone in a minibus at the Knot and Plough in Stafford. 

    Several veterans of the group, including co-founder Peter Hill, went to the event where they were given free beer.

  15. Man found next to moped and a wall diespublished at 17:05 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    A man has  died after being found lying next to a moped and a wall. , external

    West Midlands Ambulance Service say they were called to Main Street, Clifton Campville in Tamworth, this morning . 

    They say they found a moped stuck between a lamppost and a wall. 

    Paramedics found the man lying on the other side of the wall, trapped, but he died at the scene.

  16. Birmingham school cook named among the best in the countrypublished at 16:54 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    BBC Midlands Today

    A Birmingham school cook has been named among the best in the country at the national School Chef of the Year competition.

    Jose Kochakkadan

    Jose Kochakkadan is a former professional chef who joined Marston Green Infants Academy so he could spend more time with his own children.

    He finished in the top three in yesterday's final at Stratford College after being highly commended for his dessert - mango frangipane with mango lassi and salsa.

  17. 'Trojan Horse': Witnesses anonymity will be protected, council says published at 16:26 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Lisa Wright
    Journalist, BBC News Online

    The identity of witnesses who gave evidence in the so-called "Trojan Horse" inquiry will be protected, Birmingham City Council has said.

    Park View AcademyImage source, PA

    The authority had argued for identities to be protected after fears were raised they  may be revealed

    It said the National College for Teaching and Leadership has agreed witnesses should retain anonymity. That ruling was issued before teaching misconduct proceedings for former staff at Park View Academy.

    This is unless they have consented to be identified, or in four cases are already known to defendants.

  18. Leeds' win at Birmingham as it happenedpublished at 16:15 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Relive Leeds United's 3-1 win at Birmingham as it happened, with Chris Wood scoring twice for the visitors.

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  19. Football: Albion stalwart McAuley set to continue playingpublished at 15:57 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    The oldest outfield player in Premier League is in talks over a new deal to keep going .

    Gareth McAuleyImage source, Getty Images

    West Bromwich Albion centre-back Gareth McAuley is close to signing a new contract, keeping him at the club next season, according to Baggies boss Tony Pulis.

    The 37-year-old, whose deal expires in the summer, is Albion's  joint leading scorer this season .

    "He has been fantastic and we are very close to agreeing a new deal," said Baggies boss Tony Pulis. 

    "He has continuously put in performances which are special for someone of his age."

  20. Blind man's 'upset' as Uber drives offpublished at 15:29 Greenwich Mean Time 3 March 2017

    Saleh Ahmed said he was turned down 14 times by drivers with the private hire firm.

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