Ellie Goulding's son has been named Arthur Ever Winter Jopling, it's been confirmed.

A birth announcement in The Times said the baby was born on 29 April, and revealed his name.

The singer's husband CasparJopling posted a picture of the announcement on Instagram., external

Alongside the picture, he wrote: "It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. Ecclesiastes 7.5 [[ ps hi A.E.W.J. ]]."

Goulding, from Hereford, revealed she was pregnant in a British Vogue interview in February.

The regular venue in Oxford could not be opened on time after a church warden "overslept".

Express and Star

The Express and Star has these headlines today:

• Rapist facing jail after 10 months of brutal attacks in Birmingham, external
• Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio takes on series finale critics, external
• Vermin and anti-social behaviour fears over Smethwick supermarket plan, external

Ciaran Morris was struck as he was being pushed by his parents on Easter Sunday.

A couple have thanked midwives who helped deliver their surprise baby.

Richard and Jo Bennett, from Dawley Bank in Telford said they had no idea they were expecting, when Mrs Bennett started feeling stomach pains during a regular quiz night.

"After a couple of hours, and with Jo now in constant pain, we attended A&E.

"A short time later we were told that the stomach pains were in fact contractions and that Jo was in labour," Mr Bennett said.

"[Sixteen] hours later she gave birth to our son, Jacob at a weight of 9lb."

Image source, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust

"Our world has been flipped upside down," he said.

Mr Bennet said the couple wanted to thank all the staff at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust who helped with baby Jacob's delivery.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a house fire on Cubbington Road in Leamington Spa last night.

Emergency services were called to the property at about 22:25, police said.

Extensive damage was caused to the house, but there were no reported injuries, said Warwickshire Police.

The 24-year-old man is being questioned on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

There are rules on what you can and cannot do when you go to cast your vote.

And due to social distancing, polling station will be set up a little differently.

Here’s our guide to the dos and don'ts on polling day.

Image source, Getty Images

Esa Juwara raped five women, punching one so hard during an attack she lost a tooth.

There are elections in 17 council areas in the West Midlands today.

You can use our postcode checker to check all the details in your area.

Local councils are responsible for providing many of our public services. For example:

• Providing care for the elderly and disabled
• Fixing potholes on some roads
• Collecting rubbish
• Providing libraries
• Planning applications

Local councils are partly funded by central government, but they can also raise their own revenue through:

• Council tax - a compulsory charge on properties set by local councils
• Business rates - a tax put on properties used for commercial purposes

Some parts of the region are covered by county councils,which cover an entire county, and district councils, which cover a smaller area within the county.

In other areas, such as Shropshire, one single body - sometimes known as a unitary authority- carries out all local government tasks.

In some places, parish or town councils operate under district councils or unitary authorities - they can have responsibility for local issues such as allotments and public clocks.

There are about 2,000 parish or town council elections in England with approximately 20,000 seats available.

Read more here in our really simple guide to the local elections

New technology being introduced in hospital labs is expected to help patients with certain form of cancers to get a faster diagnosis.

Wye Valley NHS Trust is one of the first hospitals in the region to introduce this latest technology which will assist in the more rapid detection of cancers including breast, kidney and colon.

Image source, Wye Valley NHS Trust

It will allow the hospitals’ laboratories to process patient tissue samples within 14 hours, half the time of the traditional method.

Andrea Johnson, histopathology manager a the trust, said: “This processing technology is significantly advanced for use in histopathology and we are delighted to secure this for the benefit of our patients to provide a quicker diagnosis."

Coventry Live

Here are some of the stories on the Coventry Live website:

• Warwickshire's Japanese knotweed hotspots revealed, external
• Huge cannabis farm found inside derelict pub in Nuneaton, external
• Guide Dogs celebrate 10 years of Leamington Spa national breeding centre, external

BBC Midlands Today

A West Midlands footballer who traded Aston Villa reserves for a place in the same team as Pele has written a book about his experiences.

Steve Hunt also played for Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion in a career that saw him win two England caps.

He was only 20 and newly married when Villa told Hunt they were selling him to the New York Cosmos.

BBC Midlands Today

West Midlands Railway has announced plans for dozens of new and longer services as Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease.

The number of carriages on trains between Birmingham and Shrewsbury will be increased when the changes take effect on 16 May.

There will also be additional trains on routes out of Birmingham Snow Hill.

BBC Weather

Things are looking a lot drier today than they have done so far this week.

We will have some showers today, mainly towards the east of our region, but it will be mainly dry with some sunshine.

Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 12C, so still a bit cold for this time of year.

It's election day across England, Wales and Scotland and voters are heading to the polls with thousands of council seats in England up for grabs. Elections are also taking place for mayors, including in the West Midlands, and police and crime commissioners.

Image source, PA Media

Polling stations will be open from 07:00 - 22:00 BST and voters are being asked to take their own pencils as a Covid safety measure.

So, where are votes being cast?

Councils

County councils:

• Staffordshire
• Warwickshire
• Worcestershire

Metropolitan councils:

• Coventry
• Dudley
• Sandwell
• Solihull
• Walsall
• Wolverhampton

District councils:

• Nuneaton & Bedworth
• Cannock Chase
• Redditch
• Rugby
• Tamworth
• Worcester
• Wyre Forest

All the seats in Shropshire Council, a unitary authority, are also up for election.

Police and crime commissioners

• West Midlands
• West Mercia
• Warwickshire
• Staffordshire (includes Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service)

Read more about the candidates by tapping the links.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

West Midlands Mayor

The combined authority mayor, covering the seven metropolitan boroughs, is responsible for planning and strategy for regional transport, skills training and local economic development. Click here to see the candidates.

For a reminder of all the candidates standing in your area and information about what they will do, use our handy look-up tool.

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

Tara Tomes of East Village PR firm in Birmingham explains why she's ditching the office.

Classic cars, military vehicles and showman's vehicles are among those eligible for exemptions.

The trial hears former Aston Villa star Dalian Atkinson was Tasered, kicked and hit with a baton.

Ronald Mowbray died while in prison ahead of standing trial for his wife's murder.