Live updates from Monday 15 October to Sunday 21 October
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A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a father found stabbed to death in a car park in Brierley Hill.
Image source, West Midlands PoliceChristopher Harm, from Durham, was pronounced dead on Engine Lane at about 01:00 on Saturday.
Glen Elvin, 25, of no fixed address, was remanded in custody at Dudley Magistrates' Court earlier.
He's next due at Wolverhampton Crown Court tomorrow.
Lottery winner Edward Putman denies claiming the jackpot with a faked ticket in 2009.
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Allen Cook
BBC News
Unemployment in the West Midlands fell by 2,000 to 139,000 in the three months to August, official figures show., external
Image source, PAThe latest data also showed the figure was down 10,000 on the same period last year.
The numbers also suggest a fall across the UK while wages excluding bonuses have risen at their fastest pace in nearly 10 years.
A sex offender who on his release from prison shared film of him abusing a teenager has been returned to jail after admitting a raft of abuse.
Image source, West Midlands PoliceArthur Murray, 63, of Sadler House, Birmingham, admitted four counts of sexual activity with a child and 12 charges of making and distributing indecent images.
West Midlands Police said investigations showed he was sharing indecent images of boys via his mobile phone and film of him sexually abusing a teenager.
At Birmingham Crown Court on 12 October he was sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of six-and-a half years before being considered for parole.
Det Sgt Rob Grace said: "Despite being on the sexual offender’s register and serving time in prison previously, he went on to commit further offences."
Ten of Britain's busiest stations have seen more than half of all trains in 2018 delayed, research finds.
Read MoreFrom the Express and Star:
Dozens of marines are expected to attend the funeral of a veteran this afternoon after an appeal for mourners was shared thousands of times on Twitter.
Image source, Leach and SonLeach & Son funeral directors said Royal Marine David McLaren Kerr, who had been living in mid Wales, had no living family.
It asked members of the Royal British Legion to attend his funeral in Shrewsbury and the appeal spread from there.
Up to 60 people are expected to attend the service and pay their respects.
Quote MessageWe will turn up, dress the coffin and try to give him as much of a military funeral as we can. The Royal Marines class ourselves as a family and we are taught to look after each other."
Phil Gilby, Former corps Reg Sgt Maj in the Royal Marines
Anti-terror measures are expected to be in place outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon by early November.
Image source, GoogleBollards will be placed along Waterside in the town
Bollards will be placed on the paving on Waterside, between the Sheep Street and Chapel Lane turn-off, in a six-month trial aiming to prevent vehicles from mounting the pavement outside the theatre.
Joe Baconnet, from the Stratforward Business Improvement District, said there was no specific threat to the town and the measures were aimed at keeping people as safe as possible.
The banned neo-Nazi group National Action is a "growing concern" for counter-terrorism officers in the West Midlands, a police board will hear today.
Papers due to be discussed at a Strategic Policing and Crime Board (SPCB) meeting detail how there has been an increase in domestic extremism in the West Midlands over the past few years.
Both chief constable Dave Thompson and Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson will attend.
Stoke-on-Trent Live
From Stoke-on-Trent Live:
Allen Cook
BBC News
A main road in Hereford is set to be shut for much of the morning after a telegraph pole came down.
Police say it happened just before 09:00 on Kings Acre Road, near the post office, and the route's going to be closed for about six hours., external
BBC Business News
Shares in Merlin Entertainments, owners of Alton Towers and Warwick Castle, have dropped by 7% after the company published a trading statement that has disappointed some investors.
Image source, Getty ImagesIts Legoland business saw a 0.3% fall in like-for-like sales during the 40 weeks to 6 October.
Like-for-like sales at its Midway Attractions is down 0.7% so far this year, compared to last year.
Midway Attractions has some of Merlin's biggest brands, including The Bear Grylls Adventure in Birmingham, Madame Tussauds, and The Dungeons.
However, the company expects results this year to be in line with market expectations.
A family has been threatened by three men wearing balaclavas who broke into their property on Watling Street, Atherstone, on Monday, police say.
Cash, bank cards and a Mercedes were all stolen. It happened at about 00:45.
It was a "frightening" experience for the family, said the Warwickshire force.
There's severe congestion in Worcester city centre due to an earlier "police incident".
The bridge on New Road remains closed in both directions.
Drivers are being warned to avoid the area.
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Walsall defender Kory Roberts signs a new contract to stay at the Bescot Stadium until the summer of 2020.
Read MoreA woman who was stabbed eight times when pregnant has welcomed a new scheme that offers victims the opportunity to quiz their attackers directly.
Janika Cartwright was attacked with a knife while sitting in her car in Birmingham in 2013.
She's backing the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner's new programme of "restorative justice".
David Jamieson's initiative aims to help victims achieve closure.
A "warped and sadistic" paedophile who blackmailed victims and shared abuse tips on the dark web is to challenge his 32-year prison sentence.
Image source, Julia QuenzlerCambridge graduate Matthew Falder, 29, admitted 137 charges - including rape - against 46 people in February, after being caught by an international inquiry led by the National Crime Agency.
Falder, who lived in Edgbaston, committed his offences over a period of nearly 10 years, manipulating victims "behind a computer screen" by duping them into providing nude images and personal details.
Matthew Falder: Paedophile with 'rap sheet from hell'
He will have his case considered by three Court of Appeal judges in London later.
BBC News Travel
A crash has closed the A38 southbound in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire.
Severe congestion is being reported in the area after the crash at Dogshead Lane.
Buses are being diverted.
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A Birmingham artist, photographer and filmmaker has a won prestigious award for his latest film.
Image source, Primitive Film/Rapid Eye MoviesRichard Billingham wrote and directed Ray and Liz, a film inspired by his childhood in a Black Country council flat.
He has won the IWC Filmmaker Bursary Award , external- presented in association with the British Film Institute.
The film will have its first public preview tomorrow at the London Film Festival.
Friends of Thomas Jones are gathering in Bromsgrove later for a special football match in memory of the student whose body was recovered from the River Severn.
Image source, Family HandoutThe 18-year-old University of Worcester student went missing in September following a night out.
His body was recovered nine days later.
Bromsgrove Sporting will play the RAF Senior Representatives football team.
