Summary

  • Updates from Monday 18 February to Sunday 24 February 2019

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Live Reporting

  1. Frustrations for Stoke City striker over lack of games

    Matt Sandoz
    Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

    Stoke City striker Mame Diouf says he's disappointed with the lack of game-time he's had this season.

    Mame DioufGetty Images

    The 31-year-old has 16 months left on his current deal at the club and hasn't started a game since November.

    It's frustrating but I'm not going to let it affect me. I'm more going to be like, that's part of the game. Sometimes things go your way, sometimes not but you just have to embrace it and keep working hard."

    Mame Diouf, Stoke City striker

  3. The famous artworks hidden in plain sight

    As the UK's sculpture collection is catalogued online, we list five artworks in public places.

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  4. Sex attacker escapes from prison van

    Kamil Malag was returning to HMP Hewell from court when he absconded.

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  5. Stoke reveal 'special' Banks tribute

    Jack Butland will wear a special strip as Stoke celebrate the life of legendary ex-England goalkeeper Gordon Banks on Saturday.

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  7. Health group facing £56m cuts despite funding increase

    Local Democracy Reporting Service
    David Irwin

    Health officials in Birmingham and Solihull say they're going to have to make £56m of cuts in the next year to balance their books, despite getting more money from the NHS.

    Pound coinsGetty Images

    The area's clinical commissioning group (CCG) is drawing up its plans for 2019-20 and says the rise in funding is not enough to offset issues such as increased demand from patients.

    Members of the CCG told councillors at their latest meeting that, while they know how much they need to save to break even over the 12 months, they haven't yet finalised which areas or services will be cut.

  8. Defecting MPs support 'painful' decision by Ian Austin

    BBC News

    Ian Austin may have ruled out joining the new Independent Group today after quitting the Labour Party but two of their MPs have tweeted their support of his decision.

    Ian Austin election leaflet in 2010Getty Images

    The MP for Dudley North blamed Jeremy Corbyn for failing to tackle anti-Semitism, something deputy Labour leader Tom Watson's admitted his party were slow to deal with.

    One of the defectors Luciana Berger, who has described the party as "institutionally anti-Semitic", tweeted that she fully understood why he had come to "this difficult and painful decision".

    Another, Chuka Umunna, tweeted his "massive respect" to Mr Austin, adding: "It's painful and hard but he has stayed true to his values and what he believes to be the national interest."

  9. Car passenger dies in hospital after crash

    A woman's died in hospital following a crash on the road between Whitchurch and Ellesmere.

    She was a passenger in a car which was involved in a collision with another vehicle and a horse on Tuesday evening.

    Ambulance

  10. 'Put your rubbish out on recycling day'

    Sarah Portlock
    BBC News

    Birmingham residents should continue to put their rubbish out on the day their recycling is due to be collected, the city council says.

    Fortnightly collections were introduced earlier this week in a bid to combat disruption caused by strike action which also started this week.

    Brookfield Road

    Some areas of the city have seen their waste not collected, despite following the council's advice.

    "Our advice remains the same but clearly due to the strike action there will be some disruption," a council spokeswoman said.

    She added that under contingency plans it could take additional days to reach properties.

  11. Funeral held for tragic Australia couple

    Alice Robinson was found dead after partner Jason Francis was hit by a car near their Perth home.

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  12. Tigers fans prepare to say goodbye to giant Canadian

    BBC Sport

    It could be an emotional weekend for Telford Tigers fans, who say goodbye to their giant Canadian forward Doug Clarkson tomorrow.

    He's playing his last games for the team after accepting a job offer back in his own country and will miss the final games of the season, as Tigers chase three trophies.

    Clarkson leads the team with 45 goals in 23 games this season and has 29 assists.

    Doug Clarkson

    Following their win over Nottingham Panthers in midweek, Coventry Blaze play the two sides above them in the Elite League table, as they look to secure a spot in the end-of-season playoffs.

    They visit Sheffield Steelers on Saturday and then host Fife Flyers on Sunday.

  14. 'Deeply unhappy' MP ends decades of Labour membership

    Rob Mayor
    Political reporter, BBC WM

    Dudley MP Ian Austin, who has quit the Labour Party today, has been deeply unhappy with the direction of the party since Jeremy Corbyn became leader in 2015.

    Ian AustinGetty Images

    His adoptive father escaped the holocaust and he has been a vocal critic of the way the party has responded to complaints about anti-Semitism.

    In the 2017 general election, he distanced himself from the Labour manifesto but still stood under the party banner, winning a majority of just 22.

    The recent resignations of Labour MP’s have helped Mr Austin make his decision to end decades of Labour membership, but he says he won’t be joining the Independent Group in Parliament.

    Labour want him to resign the seat and force a by-election - though with such a wafer thin majority, there is no guarantee that a brand new Labour candidate would win.

  15. Boy in hospital after hit-and-run crash

    A 14-year-old cyclist has been taken to hospital after being hit by a car near Evesham in an apparent hit-and-run crash.

    The boy was struck on Harvington Lane at around 18:00 yesterday and suffered an ankle and head injury.

    Harvington LaneGoogle

    West Merica Police said a wing mirror from the car was left at the scene.

  16. Waste continues to pile up on city streets

    Sarah Portlock
    BBC News

    Waste continues to pile up on Birmingham's streets following the start of strike action by refuse workers this week.

    Bin bags were not collected from the Brookfield Road area, in Hockley, on Thursday despite it not being a strike day.

    Brookfield Road

    The city council's advice has been for residents to put out their rubbish on the day of their recycling collection, but in Brookfield Road the recycling was collected but the bins left.

    The council has been contacted for a comment.

    Brookfield Road

  17. Arrest after woman found dead in house

    A 61-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death, police say.

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  18. Stoke City goalkeeper to wear Gordon Banks tribute shirt

    Dominic Dietrich
    BBC Radio Stoke

    Stoke City's goalkeeper will wear a plain green kit in tribute to club legend Gordon Banks tomorrow.

    Jack Butland next to the Gordon Banks statue at Stoke CityReuters

    Jack Butland's shirt for the Aston Villa game will resemble the one Banks wore when the club won the 1972 League cup final.

    The club revealed this morning there'll be no badge, sponsor or name on it, just the number one.

    The match will be Stoke's first home game since England's 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper died earlier this month.

  19. EFL demands Coventry home ground answer

    Coventry City are handed a final request by the EFL board to clarify where they intend to play home matches next season.

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