Summary

  • Post-mortem test on boy, 7, 'inconclusive'

  • Birmingham could face rivals in bid to host Commonwealth Games

  • Husband jailed for life after admitting wife's murder

  • Girl found 'safe' after huge police hunt in Coventry park

  • Dance teacher, 72, guilty of child sex abuse

  • RBS to close 11 branches in the West Midlands

  • Hospital A&E to offer routine HIV test

  • Veterans protest over charity closure

  • Updates on Friday 1 December

  • Click on Related Stories to view stories from your area

Live Reporting

  1. Birmingham 'unlikely to face new Commonwealth Games bids'

    Louise Hancock
    Newsreader, BBC WM

    The West Midlands Mayor says he's confident in Birmingham's bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

    Artist's impression of basketball being played in Victoria Square under Birmingham's proposalsBirmingham City Council

    Today is the deadline for bids to be submitted to host the event after it was extended from September.

    That was because Birmingham's application, the only bidder then, was judged to be "not fully compliant".

    A final decision won't be announced until later in the year.

    We do not believe there's anyone going to come in at the 11th hour. That doesn't mean that today anyone turns around and says it's yours because our bid still has to be assessed, agreed by the Commonwealth Games Federation but I am confident that will happen over the next few weeks."

    Andy Street, West Midlands Mayor

  2. Robber breaks pensioner's eye socket

    The 72-year-old was knocked unconscious during the early morning attack.

    Read More

  3. Race against time as council leader battles blindness

    Lee Blakeman
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    The leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council has announced he's stepping down after being "beaten" by blindness. However, he's determined to "finish the job" before he goes in May.

    The City Independent, Dave Conway, has been diagnosed with macular degeneration, which causes people to lose central vision.

    In an emotional interview, the 75-year-old explained how much his eyesight had deteriorated in the last three months and how it had made it almost impossible to do his job.

    Dave Conway

    He plans to leave the leadership role at the council next May, but will remain as a local councillor.

    Mr Conway said he now struggles to read a newspaper or make a cup of tea.

    If I step down now, somebody has got to start again from day one where I'm almost there. If somebody else takes over now, it'll take me six months to tell them where we are and what I've done and everything else. There wouldn't be a point in it."

    Dave Conway, Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council

  4. Minor injuries units close due to A&E staff shortage

    Herefordshire's two minor injuries units are closed today and will stay shut until the new year.

    Wye Valley NHS Trust says it's made the decision so staff from the community hospitals in Ross and Leominster can be redeployed to the accident and emergency department at the County Hospital in Hereford.

    County Hospital

    The trust says the emergency department is experiencing increasing demand and the move will ensure the safety of the most vulnerable patients.

  5. Marston's reports rising profit

    BBC Business Live

    It's the day for beer and pub chains to report results.

    Wolverhampton-based Marston's is doing somewhat better than its bigger rival Greene King.

    It says its full-year profits are 3% higher at £100m on revenue up 10% at £992.2m.

    Marston'sPA

    The purveyor of Pedigree has about half the number of Greene King's outlets - some 1,570 and employs 14,500 people.

  6. President Trump urged to visit West Midlands

    President Trump is being invited to come and visit the West Midlands by the MP for Stratford-on-Avon.

    Nadhim Zahawi was born in Iraq and said he wanted to demonstrate to Mr Trump that Britain was a diverse place and that the videos he retweeted yesterday are "really fake" and "terrorist porn".

    Nadhim Zahawi

    The American President has been condemned by Downing Street for sharing anti-Muslim videos, posted by the the far-right group Britain First, on his Twitter feed - a move Mr Zahawi said was "naive".

    However, the president told Theresa May to focus on combating "terrorism" rather than his tweets.

    I think this could be a real opportunity to show him what Coventry and Stratford-on-Avon and Birmingham and London look like. We are a most diverse community. I was born in Baghdad, I couldn't speak English, I am now the member of parliament for Stratford-on-Avon."

    Nadim Zahawi, MP for Stratford-on-Avon

  7. Area charged to develop battery site

    Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said it would "propel the UK forward".

    Read More

  9. Jobs plan 'talking down' to disabled people

    Vicky Breakwell
    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    A disability rights campaigner from Worcestershire says a government pledge to get more disabled people into work runs the risk of "talking down" to them.

    A wheelchair user in an officeGetty Images

    Ministers say the new strategy will help those with disabilities keep their jobs and progress in their careers.

    The new measures include widening the number of people who can issue fitness-to-work notices and additional training for mental health professionals.

    Mark Lawley, who chairs the Wyre Forest Disability Action Group, says there needs to be more consultation with disabled people on how to help them.

    It's non-disabled people talking down to disabled people. What it needs to be is some joined-up thinking where disabled people and non-disabled people talk to each other and plan it together."

    Mark Lawley, Chair of Disability Action Wyre Forest

  10. Alan Pardew made 'calculated choice' to join West Brom

    Steve Hermon
    Journalist, BBC WM

    New West Brom boss Alan Pardew says his decision to join the Baggies is a "calculated choice".

    Alan PardewPA

    Pardew told BBC WM he had other options, but decided to sign at the Hawthorns until the end of the 2019-20 season.

    The 56-year-old succeeded the sacked Tony Pulis and said he would give the current squad a chance to impress before looking to bring in new players in January.

    In addition to their five permanent summer signings, defender Ahmed Hegazi and midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak were brought in on season-long loans from Al Ahly and Paris St-Germain respectively.

    It's unfair to inherit a new group and start talking about new players coming in. I think it is a good enough squad to stay up. But the clubs in the relegation area are going to do business. We can't take our eye off that. We have to try and grow as much as we can if possible in January."

    Alan Pardew, New West Brom boss

  11. In photos: Frosty start for West Midlands

    BBC Weather Watchers

    It was a very cold, frosty start to the day across the West Midlands, with temperatures starting off below zero in many places.

    That didn't stop our local BBC Weather Watchers getting out and taking photos though - these two are from users Dawn Treader in Congleton and Laura and Glenn in Delph.

    CongletonDawn Treader
    DelphLaura and Glenn

  12. Hunt on for next-gen battery after £80m boost

    Alec Blackman
    BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

    A business expert says he believes Coventry has the resources to create the next generation of batteries for electric cars.

    Business Secretary Greg Clark confirmed the city would be the base of a national centre in an £80m investment.

    Car being chargedEPA

    Under the plans, the city council, the Warwick Manufacturing Group and the local enterprise partnership will set up the site and bring together expertise from across the UK.

    Mr Clark said it would develop the "next generation" of batteries for both electric cars and other electrification of the transport industry.

    The University of Warwick said the new site would help bridge the gap between research and development, and industry.

    Coventry and Warwickshire, I have always considered it as the motor city and everything has been done to ensure that we have the battery facilities, manufacturing facilities here."

    Lord Bhattacharyya, Founder and chairman of Warwick Manufacturing Group

  13. 'Happy ending' for sooty owl

    Allen Cook
    BBC News

    An owl that had to be rescued after getting stuck in a wood burner flue has been released back into the wild, after making a good recovery.

    The owl covered in sootRSPCA

    The bird was completely covered in black soot when it was discovered at the house near Ellesmere on 19 November and RSPCA officers took 90 minutes to free him.

    He was cared for at the Cuan Wildlife Centre in Much Wenlock.

    The owl was released in the garden it came from in Criftins, Ellesmere. The callers were there too and the owl flew off into the garden where we believe it is from. It’s a good feeling to get a nice happy ending to a rescue like this.”

    Kate Parker, RSPCA inspector

  14. Murderer goes on the run from jail

    Nicholas Redding is among three people who have absconded from a Buckinghamshire jail.

    Read More

  15. Hunt for 'sharp-eyed trucker' who spotted firewood blaze

    Tim Page
    News Editor, BBC Shropshire

    The fire in a containerLogalog

    A firewood supplier says it's keen to track down a "sharp-eyed trucker" who alerted the fire service to a blaze in its yard.

    Logalog, which is based near Newport, says the fire happened in the early hours of Tuesday and the call to emergency services stopped it spreading to other buildings.

    The burnt out containersLogalog

    The firm tweeted that otherwise, it would have been "completely our of action".

    it says the driver was on the A518 between Donnington and Lilleshall at about 02:30 on 28 November.

  16. Travel: Disruption on trains between Crewe and Stafford

    BBC News Travel

    All trains between Stafford and Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent are facing disruption this morning, due to a signalling fault.

    National Rail Enquiries says services could be cancelled, delayed or diverted and that could last until 13:00.

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  17. Stoke City boss criticises referee over Liverpool caution

    Lee Blakeman
    BBC Radio Stoke

    Stoke City manager Mark Hughes criticised the performance of referee Martin Atkinson after last night's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.

    Stoke City players protestingReuters

    Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet lunged recklessly outside his penalty area and sent Mame Biram Diouf tumbling six minutes before the break.

    Stoke's Twitter account was certain it should have been a red card, given the Senegal striker was heading round the Belgium goalkeeper towards a goal-scoring opportunity.

    That's the key moment in the game from our point of view. I just don't understand why the referee and the officials couldn't see that for what it was - a clear goal-scoring opportunity."

    Mark Hughes, Stoke City manager

  19. Thousands expected at BBC Good Food Show

    BBC Midlands Today

    Artisan food producers and chefs from across the region will display their produce and skills at the BBC Good Food Show at the NEC today.

    Chef in kitchen

    Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to come to the event, which runs until Sunday.

    Organisers say they'll have chefs, experts, live entertainment and over 500 exhibitors.

  20. England seal netball win over Malawi

    BBC Sport

    England came from behind to beat Malawi 62-60 in Birmingham and complete a 3-0 series win.

    England v MalawiPA

    The Roses were eight goals adrift after the first quarter at the Genting Arena, thanks to an impressive performance from Malawi shooter Mwayi Kumwenda.

    After reducing the deficit to one point at half-time, the hosts moved ahead for the first time in the third quarter.

    With the score level in the final minute, England capitalised on a Malawi attacking error to take the turnover and see out the match.