The Taser use and the kicks changed the ex-footballer's "trajectory to one of dying", a doctor says.

More than £700,000 of Lottery funding is to be used to help provide training for young people around the West Midlands during the Commonwealth Games.

The West Midlands Combined Authority said the games were expected to create up to 35,000 jobs and about 13,000 volunteering opportunities for local people.

Lottery Community Fund cash will be used to help young people to learn new skills and secure jobs for more than 800 people, it said.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

"This funding is vital for people who are out of work or worried about their future to gain access to work and volunteering opportunities from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games," Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said.

“Making sure that the jobs created by the Games go to local people is a key part of my jobs plan to help more than 100,000 residents into employment over the next two years, and is also critical to ensuring the Commonwealth Games is a Games for everyone.”

The victim, 51-year-old Lee Gadd, has been described as a "dedicated family man".

Birmingham’s new Lord Mayor, Councillor Muhammad Afzal, has taken up office after a mayor-making ceremony at the Council House.

Mr Afzal had been due to serve as Lord Mayor last year, but it was not possible to conduct the traditional ceremony due to lockdown.

He moved to Birmingham in 1969 and was first elected as a councillor for Aston in May 1982, which he served for 23 years until March 2005, before being re-elected in May 2007.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Mr Afzal was also a founding member of Birmingham Central Mosque and was involved during its construction as treasurer, holding several different roles there until 2019.

BBC Weather

A dry and sunny start to Wednesday before turning a little cloudier in the afternoon, still with plenty of sunshine. High: 14C/57F.

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Burtbow

There is the chance of an odd light shower this evening but tonight will be mainly dry and clear. Low: 5C/41F.

You can stay up-to-date with the latest forecast for your area by going to the BBC Weather website.

The short film, starring a mother and son from Dudley, is picking up awards in Toronto and New York.

A government transport group calls for a direct link between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham.

Bill Shakespeare's death was unrelated to the jab and his friend urges others to get vaccinated.

In a first for the series, father-and-son comedy double-act Jack and Michael Whitehall join forces to investigate their family tree. They discover the tragedy that left Jack’s great grandfather (Michael’s grandfather) an orphan. And tracing their line back to Wales in the 1830s, they find out about a Tory ancestor's role in opposing the Chartist movement for wider voting rights.

The 24-year-old is barred from entering Birmingham as part of her bail conditions.

A cannabis farm spread across 40 rooms has an estimated value of £6.5m, police say.

A 51-year-old man was confirmed dead at the house in Walsall on Monday, police say.

A racist gesture was directed at the BT Sport pundit during Sunday's Wolves v Man Utd game.

BBC Weather

It will be a cloudy day with some bright sunny spells and highs of 14C (57F).

Three Birmingham widowers raise more than £3,500 in memory of their wives.

Bloodstains on PC Benjamin Monk's boots indicate he forcefully kicked Dalian Atkinson, a court hears.

The partnership that runs the surgeries says it is hiring more staff following complaints.

A woman, 24, is arrested by police on Monday on suspicion of racial abuse.

A cycle hire scheme has launched across Birmingham.

More than 300 bikes are now available for people to rent from 43 docking stations in and around the city centre.

Monday's launch follows rollouts of the scheme over the last two months in Coventry, Solihull, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Image source, West Midlands Combined Authority

By the end of the year there will be 170 fixed docks and 1,500 bikes for hire across the region, of which 150 will be powered e-bikes, West Midlands Combined Authority said.

The bikes can be hired using the Beryl Cycle Hire app.

West Midlands Police is appealing for help tracing a man who attempted to ram a police motorcycle during a pursuit.

It happened in Oldbury on 5 May.

The car, which the force said was later discovered to be on cloned plates and is suspected stolen, was pursued by the officer on a motorcycle, before the suspect "attempted to reverse ram the officer".

The officer was not injured, but the car did make off from police.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the force.