The government demands Birmingham's Clean Air Zone launches in June, the council leader says.

Four hundred members of the armed forces will work alongside doctors in the Midlands and London.

Lucas Joao and John Swift get a goal and an assist apiece as Reading's attacking firepower proves too much for Coventry.

Parents and teachers trying to save an outdoor residential centre have submitted a petition backed by almost 7,000 people to Warwickshire County Council.

The local authority is considering closing Marle Hall, a stately home near Snowdonia, Wales, it has owned since 1971.

Image source, Knightlow Primary School

Campaigners say thousands of children have explored the mountains and coast near the 35-acre site and it had provided "life-changing experiences".

They said supporters' comments included one saying the resource would be "even more vital" to children's health "after the stress and trauma of Covid".

The council said it had finished its consultation with staff and would make a decision on the centre after analysing their feedback.

It added "whatever is ultimately decided around Marle Hall", a residential break "remains a key component of any outdoor education strategy for Warwickshire’s schoolchildren”.

A police chief has said he has "every confidence" the Birmingham 2022 Commonweath Games will go ahead as planned, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, PA Media

It comes as the former chief executive of the London 2012 Olympics says it is "unlikely" that the Tokyo Games will take place this summer, which could affect Birmingham's plans.

West Midlands Police's Assistant Chief Constable Matt Ward told policing board members: "As I sit here today, I have absolutely every confidence the games will go ahead in 2022. And with 18 months still to go, time is on our side."

Addressing the meeting earlier, Mr Ward said: "As always, we are cautious, we have contingency plans in place.

"They will be safe, they will be secure and they will be a fantastic opportunity for the city and wider region."

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

Revenue from Birmingham's Clear Air Zone (CAZ) - set to be introduced in June - will be significantly less than originally expected because of delays to the scheme, a meeting has heard.

The government had initially demanded the zone was implemented by January 2020 but the scheme suffered delays, most recently due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With it starting later, it's thought more people will already have changed their vehicles to comply.

The costs to run it will also be higher than first estimated.

About £8.3m of revenue from the CAZ had been earmarked for the first stage of redevelopment of part of the city centre, including the restoration the Floozy in the Jacuzzi fountain, which was also approved at today’s cabinet meeting.

But Birmingham council leader Ian Ward admitted the whole amount may no longer be available from charging zone income.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

The leader of Birmingham City Council says the government has made it "crystal clear" the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) must not be delayed further.

Work on infrastructure and data systems for the new charging zone have been completed and testing will begin in the next few weeks, a meeting confirmed earlier.

High-polluting vehicles entering the zone will face a daily charge when it comes into force on 1 June 2021 in order to improve air quality.

Conservative opposition councillor Ewan Mackay described the move as "tone deaf to what people are experiencing at this time".

Activity at a paediatric intensive care unit in Leicester is being moved to Birmingham.

Gemma Clout is jailed after she struck father-of-five Patrick Moore during a trip to buy cigarettes.

John Donaghy's operation to help treat his mouth cancer was cancelled due to Covid pressures.

HSBC is to close 82 branches, including one in Birmingham, between April and September this year, claiming customers are turning to digital banking.

Image source, Getty Images

The company will have 511 branches across the country following the closure programme.

Managers said they did not expect to make any redundancies, with staff moved to nearby branches instead.

The branch in Erdington, Birmingham, is set to close along with one on Congleton High Street.

BBC Radio WM

Twelve newly-trained drugs dogs are being brought into four prisons in the West Midlands to help find illegal items.

They're part of the government’s £100m package , externalto tackle violence and drugs behind bars.

They are set to be used at HMPs Birmingham; Hewell, near Redditch; and Brinsford and Featherstone, near Wolverhampton.

Nationally, more than 170 dogs will be in 47 selected prisons by March 2021, said the Ministry of Justice.

Boss Dean Smith says there will be "no excuses" when his Aston Villa team play Manchester City, despite not playing for 19 days after a coronavirus outbreak.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

A public work of art in Birmingham is to flow again, after plans to restore it were agreed by city councillors.

The fountain known as the Floozy in the Jacuzzi is to be restored as part of a city centre scheme ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The fountain, officially called The River, sprung a leak in 2013 and is now filled with bedding plants.

This is how the fountain looked in 2019 when the plans were first put forward.

Sickness levels have risen at Shropshire's hospitals, with staff also shielding or self-isolating.

Military personnel are now assisting medical staff in a number of hospitals in the West Midlands, including in Shropshire and at the University Hospital North Midlands trust in Stoke-on-Trent.

Members of the military drafted in to work in Shropshire’s hospitals are covering for health care assistants after staff shortages meant roles across the Princess Royal, in Telford, and the Royal Shrewsbury were being left uncovered on the rota.

Army personnel are also expected to start work at NHS trusts in Birmingham and the Black Country.

At a regional Covid-19 update on Friday, Prof David Loughton, chief executive of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, confirmed the military would again be supporting the region's NHS, as they did with their "absolutely pivotal role" early in the pandemic.

He said: "There will be military personnel arriving next week within my organisation and they will be working under the supervision of senior clinicians and nursing teams and carrying out a variety of duties.

"I believe that is similar across the West Midlands conurbation."

Frankwell main and riverside car parks, in Shrewsbury, are closed this morning due to a risk of flooding from rainfall expected from Storm Christoph.

A yellow warning of rain has been issued for the whole of the West Midlands from midnight until Thursday morning.

People who have received a coronavirus vaccination are being urged to be cautious and not change their behaviour.

Image source, PA Media

Prof Janet Lord, the director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at Birmingham University, said it was "really important that people stay on their guard even if they've had that first vaccination".

Asked whether people who have received the jab can hug their children, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I would certainly advise not to do that at the moment because, as you probably know, with the vaccines they take several weeks before they are maximally effective."

She also warned against the idea of a coronavirus immunity passport until more is known about transmission of the virus among those who have been vaccinated.

Police say the woman, in her 30s, is recovering from "serious injuries".

Spells of prolonged and heavy rain are set to cause travel disruption across the West Midlands, the Met Office is warning., external

Image source, Met Office

Homes and businesses are also at risk of flooding, it said.

The wet weather is expected to affect the region from late on Tuesday into early Thursday as Storm Christoph affects the UK.

A yellow warning has been issued.