Anthony Russell denies murder, but pleads guilty to three counts of manslaughter.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

Birmingham City Council will be led by another interim chief executive, because not enough suitable candidates have been found.

Chris Naylor, who is on secondment from Barking and Dagenham Council, is due to leave on 6 March and his replacement will have the role until the summer of 2022.

Image source, PA Media

Councillor Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We intend to appoint an interim chief executive who it is envisaged will remain in post to take us beyond both next year’s local elections and the Commonwealth Games.

"This will provide much needed stability at a critical time."

He said recruiting their successor on a permanent basis would begin after next year’s local elections in May.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Stoke City manager, Michael O'Neill, has said he "wouldn't really see any benefit" to loan out goalkeeper Joe Bursik again.

The England U21 international started the season at Doncaster, before being brought back to cover for the injured Adam Davies and Angus Gunn.

Image source, Getty Images

Bursik is now on the bench with Gunn as first choice and O'Neill added: "He's proven himself to be a senior keeper at this moment in time."

Birmingham Airport looks likely to get another loan, to help make up for the drop in demand for flights during the pandemic.

This one is for £3.7m and will be from Solihull Council.

The full council still needs to approve the move, but it's been recommended by cabinet members.

The West Midlands’ seven councils own a 49% share of Birmingham Airport Holdings Limited, which normally returns a healthy dividend each year.

Earlier this week, Birmingham City Council backed a £18.5m emergency loan to the airport after a request for financial assistance.

In the final week of January, just 31 flights arrived at Birmingham, compared with 740 at the same point in 2020 and the airport said passenger numbers between April and December last year were down by 91%.

Councillor Steve Caudwell, leader of Solihull’s Green Party, said he “struggled” with the idea that there were hopes of restoring previous levels of activity, at the same time as wanting Solihull to be net-carbon neutral by 2041.

The body of the woman in her 20s was found on Wednesday evening in the river, police say.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Mail stories today include:

• Horrifying footage shows officer being dragged 30ft by teen driver, external
• Jury convicts couple of killing Mazammal Mahmood Butt in Lozells car park, external
• Crossbow killers left teen to die in street to 'send message' in gang 'war', external

Warwickshire sign ex-Hampshire and Gloucestershire spinner - and Taunton teacher - Jake Lintott on a three-year contract.

Father-of-four Mohammed Haroon Zeb died just hours after being shot in Dudley last month.

A man who drove nearly 30 metres with a police community support officer (PCSO) clinging to his car has admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and dangerous driving.

West Midlands Police said Muhammad Nadeem, 19, of Florence Road, Smethwick, was approached by PCSO Kieron Poole in Smethwick on 25 January last year and asked to turn his engine off, after the officer thought he smelt cannabis.

PCSO Poole said he feared he would be dragged under the wheels and die when Nadeem drove off, but was able to grab the keys and get clear.

The incident was captured on the officer's body camera.

Nadeem fled on foot and was eventually caught with the help of other officers.

When they searched the car they found a hammer and an axe, and Nadeem had a small amount of cannabis on him.

PCSO Poole said: "It all happened so quickly. Before I knew anything my arm was attached to the car and I was being propelled, hanging on the side, through a couple of branches, a good 20-30ft before I knew what was happening."

He suffered a bruised arm but no serious injuries.

Nadeem also admitted a charge of possessing an offensive weapon and will be sentenced at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court on 3 March.

Mazammal Butt was stabbed after a heated row with his brother-in-law in a car park near his shop.

One woman has been seriously injured and two others also taken to hospital after a crash involving a taxi in Warwickshire.

The vehicle left the carriageway of the A46 Warwick bypass, near Warwick, ending up in a ditch, shortly before 23:50 on Thursday.

A female passenger had to be cut from the wreckage, and was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

A second passenger, a woman, and the male driver were given treatment at the scene for non-serious injuries before both being taken to the same hospital for further checks, said the ambulance service.

Firefighter say they found this stables fire in Ipstones because a passer-by alerted them using the What3Words app to pinpoint its location.

It took less than an hour to put out the fire, which started in a generator shed and then spread to the wooden stable block next door.

Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

The app assigns three word to a map location, to give a more accurate location than a postcode.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire appeared to have started by accident.

Seven people were assessed by paramedics after fire broke out on on the 14th floor of a block of flats in Coventry this morning.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to Nauls Mill House on Middleborough Road just after 07:00 and the residents from the upper floors had made it out of the building.

Image source, Google

Six patients were unharmed, and one patient was found with minor injuries and received treatment on scene.

All seven patients were discharged without needing to go to hospital.

BBC Radio Stoke

The car park at Leighton Hospital A&E, in Crewe, closes later to allow work to get under way to extend the emergency department.

A £15m two-storey building is going to be built on the car park to meet growing demand for its services.

Image source, Google

The change means people heading to A&E will need to use the main entrance or maternity car park where there will be additional spaces.

Express and Star

The Express and Star's main stories this morning include:

• Easing lockdown 'too quickly' could lead to more Covid-19 variants and new surges in infection, warns expert, external
• Year-long waits for treatment triple at Russells Hall Hospital during second Covid wave, external
• Driver drags PCSO along by car before being caught on Black Country high street, external

BBC Radio WM

Birmingham Airport is among five entry points that travellers arriving from countries on the government's red list can fly to, when new rules come in next week.

UK nationals or residents returning there from 33 countries will be required to spend 10 days in a government-designated hotel from Monday.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The other entry points are Heathrow, Gatwick and London City Airports and Farnborough Airfield.

BBC Sport

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo said he was "very disappointed" with his side's defending in their 2-0 defeat at home to Southampton in the FA Cup.

Image source, PA Media

Danny Ings bundled in the opener and Stuart Armstrong finished neatly late on as Saints ended a run of four losses in a row with a win at Molineux.

The closest Wolves came to a goal was seeing a Morgan Gibbs-White penalty appeal turned down after a VAR review and the side were left to lament defender Romain Saiss' wayward volley from 10 yards just before the interval.

Boss Nuno Espirito Santo told BT Sport: "It was a tight game - tough, competitive, with few spaces - against a good side. In the second half, the way we conceded the first goal - I'm very disappointed with that, very disappointed.

"We are not producing enough. The final touch is not there and we are not clinical enough. We have problems in the final third of the pitch. It requires improvement. It requires better decisions and it is our job to improve our players."

BBC News Travel

Trains services between Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe are being disrupted this morning due to a signalling fault.

The issue with the system means East Midlands Railway services cannot use the route, National Rail Enquires says., external

They are starting and terminating at Stoke-on-Trent.

BBC Weather

It will be cold, dry and sunny today with just a few patches of cloud at times. Moderate winds and a high of 1C (34F).

Clear spells are forecast this evening and tonight which will keep it cold and dry. Winds will get stronger and the low will be -6C (21F).

You can keep up-to-date with your local forecast by going to the BBC Weather website.

Police investigating the death of a woman whose body was pulled from the River Severn in Worcester have charged a man with murder.

Cordons were in place at three locations in the city on Wednesday before the woman in her 20s was found in the river at Diglis.

The 24-year-old man is due to appear before Kidderminster magistrates later accused of murder and attempted murder.