A man from Stoke-on-Trent has a heart transplant using a donor organ kept alive outside the body.

Not everyone is supporting the pupils and students staging climate change protests today.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said that while it was important for young people to engage with issues like climate change, the disruption to planned lesson time was damaging for pupils.

And the Conservative MP for the Wrekin, Mark Pritchard, tweeted to say he thought they should be spending time in the classroom instead.

The leader of Birmingham City Council met with climate change campaigners in the city's Victoria Square today.

Image source, PA

The vice school captain at King Edward VI Aston School Syed Gillani had been granted an authorised absence to meet with council leader Ian Ward.

Syed, 18, said: "America has pulled out of the Paris Agreement and not enough is being done for the environment.

"Our school allowed us to take authorised absence to be here and support this cause. It's only right for us to be here," he said.

"When we finish school we want to be active in our communities, rather than just being academically able."

Is your team in danger of crashing out of the FA Cup this weekend - or not even involved any more?

Why not do it for them instead and get yourself involved in the 2019 FA People's Cup...

You've not got long though - entries close at midnight on Monday, 18 February!

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The Ryder Cup could return to England, with The Belfry under consideration to host the competition.

Image source, PA

The Warwickshire course, which has already held the competition a record four times, is a possible venue for 2026, Press Association Sport is reporting.

The resort has undergone a £30m refurbishment in recent years.

There are plans by Ryder Cup Europe to visit the course, it said.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

These are among the headlines on the Stoke-on-Trent Live website today:

• Update after body found at Stoke-on-Trent flat, external
• Pedestrian taken to hospital after accident, external
• Inquest into cause of Stafford house fire, external

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A new car park is to be built in Stafford town centre to create 102 extra long-stay spaces, after the borough council bought land at Fairway.

Image source, Google

The existing car park at Riverway (pictured above), next to the bowling green and Stafford Town football club will provide another 73 long-stay spaces.

Three men and a woman are in custody in connection with the 47-year-old's death in Hanley.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A protest over climate change in Warwickshire saw about 150 students and pupils march, calling for action.

The protesters in Stratford-upon-Avon walked out of school and college to demand the government takes active steps to tackle the problem.

They joined others across the country as part of a wider global movement, known as Schools 4 Climate Action.

About 80 passengers had to be evacuated from a train near Hereford, after reports of a fire.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said it was called out at 11:03 and found smoke rising from the second of three carriages, but no flames.

Image source, West Mercia Police

Image source, British Transport Police

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called, but nobody needed treatment.

Assistant coroner Margaret Jones opened and adjourned the inquests at Burton Town Hall earlier.

A post-mortem examination is due to take place later today, to discover what caused the death of a 47-year-old man in Stoke-on-Trent last night.

His body was discovered at a flat in the Hanley area and three men and a woman from Stoke-on-Trent were all arrested and are still in custody for questioning.

The victim has yet to be formally identified, but his next of kin have been informed, police said.

The organisers of the student climate change protest in Hereford today say they wanted to show solidarity with other young people today and believe "a lot of people aren't aware of the emergency that we're in".

More than 200 students took part in the protest in the city today.

Elsie and Alice, both sixth-form students in Hereford, said: "This situation in the world is quite scary, but it's also amazing that we've got this opportunity to rise up and fight for it."

Twelve-year-old Rosa, who organised a climate change protest in Hay-on-Wye today, says she is "very proud of how we're acting because it's a good thing for children to be able to speak out".

She was one of more than 100 protesters in the town and added: "It's going to be our world once we grow up and we need to decide how we want it to be."

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

A McDonald’s in Birmingham has beefed up its security in a bid to open 24 hours - only to have the move blocked by the city council.

Image source, Google

The restaurant, at Chester Road in Erdington, has taken a number of steps to address neighbours’ concerns over potential noise and anti-social behaviour.

The fast-food chain installed 20 CCTV cameras, signs asking customers to be respectful and a system to contact the police, in its bid to remove a planning condition which means it has to close between 23:00 and 06:00.

McDonald’s applied to Birmingham City Council to lift the restriction for a one-year period to assess if nearby residents would be impacted by the move, but on Thursday the planning committee refused it.

BBC Business News

Patisserie Holdings has sold the Baker & Spice cafe chain to the amusingly titled Department of Coffee & Social Affairs for £2.5m.

Birmingham-based Patisserie Valerie and Philpotts have both been sold, for £13m.

There are more sales to come, it said., external

Image source, Reuters

About 150 pupils have gathered in Stratford-upon-Avon calling for action against climate change.

One participant, Freya said: "I’m here to represent the young people, because it’s our future that’s at risk not just the adults.

"We need to save our planet for future generations to be able to have the same experiences we have."

Another, Dani, said: "Climate change is a big issue, it really worries me.

"It’s something that needs to be spoken about. People really just don’t care, we live like tomorrow is guaranteed and it’s really not – people need to move like we have no time."

A 16-year-old boy is due to appear in crown court on Monday after a pupil was stabbed in the chest.

Black cab-maker the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) is to lay off a further 20 staff.

Image source, PA

LEVC, which makes taxis at Ansty Park near Coventry, recently cut 70 jobs, and said the lay-offs would help "improve operational efficiency" and allow the company to "weather more challenging economic conditions".

A similar number of contractors will be affected, the company said.

Its latest model, LEVC’s TX eCity has been extremely "well received by the market" it said, "and we expect demand to continue to grow significantly in 2019".

The London Taxi Company, since renamed LEVC, faced administration in 2013 before China's Zhejing Geely Holding Group stepped in to rescue the firm.

In 2017 the company's £300m Ansty plant opened, creating more than 1,000 jobs.

Express and Star

Some of the Express and Star headlines today are:

• All systems go for Wolverhampton Westside as £50m funding secured, external
• Ex-West Midlands Police inspector handed suspended jail sentence, external
• Change in taxi laws could call time on 'out of control' licensing system, external

Jo Tidman
BBC News

Schoolchildren are gathering in Stratford-upon-Avon to join the national protest calling for global action on climate change.

One banner reads: "I need this planet after you lot!"

Another says "I'm only 9, what else can I do?"