Laura Heath also denies child cruelty charges following the death of her boy Hakeem Hussain, seven.

BBC Sport

Birmingham Phoenix will contest the eliminator on Friday in the Women's Hundred to try and make Saturday's final at Lord's.

Image source, PA Media

They are in the match after London Spirit beat Welsh Fire in the final group game but failed to overhaul Phoenix's run-rate.

The Birmingham side will face Oval Invincibles on Friday with the winners facing Southern Brave in the final.

BBC CWR

Rooms in a four-storey block of student flats in Coventry could be offered to non-students, because the pandemic has led to lower demand than expected.

The agents for Casselden House, in Greyfriars Lane, have asked the council for permission to offer up the top two floors.

And they have asked for this change of use to continue until September 2022.

BBC Radio Stoke

There are plans for a giant duck sculpture trail around Stoke-on-Trent landmarks.

Local artist Megan Rose has come up with the idea to help people discover the city and its cultural heritage.

The plan is to put them in places like Middleport, football grounds and the city centre and people will be able to download an interactive map to find the ducks, designed by celebrities and local artists.

A National cricket centre for deaf people is set to open in Birmingham.

The England Cricket Association for the Deaf will open the centre on 2 October.

It will be a training hub for the 1st XI squad, academy players aged 13-18 and a new women and girls section.

The association, which started in 2002, works with the England Cricket Board to promote deaf cricket across the UK and has produced players for England’s deaf national teams.

Players are eligible who require one hearing aid, right up to profoundly deaf BSL users.

Image source, England Cricket Association for the Deaf

Darren Talbot, CEO of England Cricket Association for the Deaf, said: “Deaf people are twice as likely to suffer from mental health issues and so the social side of the game is critical, especially over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic which left many of our members socially isolated.

“This is why we are excited to open our national deaf cricket centre as it will provide our members with the opportunity to play cricket on a regular basis all year round, keeping them active and more importantly helping them socialise with teammates."

The Covid-19 rate has continued to rise steadily in almost every part of the West Midlands, the latest official figures show.

Twenty-four out of 30 local authority areas saw small rises in their rates in the seven days up to 14 August, compared with the week before.

However, Birmingham, the biggest local authority in England, saw a small drop, with 3,671 new cases - down from 3,847.

Image source, PA Media

Herefordshire saw the biggest rise in the same period, with new cases more than doubling to 547 - although they remain very low, compared with many other parts of the country.

Solihull continued to have the highest rate in the West Midlands, with 371 new infections per 100,000 people (a 3% rise on the previous week).

By way of comparison, parts of Yorkshire, East Midlands and Devon saw more than 500 new cases per 100,000 people.

Express and Star

The Express and Star is covering these stories today:

• Black Country councils ready to take in Afghan families, external
• MP launches campaign to save green belt land earmarked for more than 800 homes, external
• £9.7m funding for electric vehicle battery project, external

A set of 350-year-old embroideries have gone back on display after 10 years of painstaking restoration.

The bed hangings are now around the 17th Century bed in the room where King Charles I stayed in 1642, at Birmingham’s Aston Hall.

The linen had rotted away so badly that the embroideries were in danger of being lost forever, but in 2009 the conservation team at Birmingham Museums enrolled the help of heritage volunteers from The Arts Society in Arden, Solihull and Friends of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery to help prevent further damage.

Image source, Birmingham Museums Trust

Jane Thompson-Webb, Conservation Team Leader at Birmingham Museums said: “Before the start of the restoration project, they were very dirty, the colours were dull, and it was obvious that the embroideries were in a fragile state and at risk of being lost forever.

“They’ve been superbly restored thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers – with their hard-work these historic embroideries and their fabulous colours, intricate scenes and delicate details have been preserved for many more years to come.”

BBC Weather

A cloudy morning with a band of light rain set to pass over the area before the cloud breaks up this afternoon with some sunny spells, mixed with scattered showers. High: 20C (68F).

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Sue Snaps

The sunny spells and showers will continue this evening before a mainly dry night with a few clear spells. Low: 13C (55F).

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

Dominic Solanke and Jaidon Anthony end Birmingham City's unbeaten start as Bournemouth maintain their amazing record at St Andrew's.

The family of a boy with breathing difficulties who live near the landfill has brought the case.

Three-year-old Harrison Louden was found dead alongside his father at their home on Friday.

Jamie Holloway was driving at speeds of up to 110mph before he hit David Shaw's car, the trial heard.

A new potentially cheaper and quicker Covid test could be rolled out at airports in three months, researchers have said.

The University of Birmingham said it had developed a test, using the exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR) method, that was as sensitive as a PCR test but could give results in a few minutes without the need for a laboratory.

PCR tests typically cost about £65, but some private clinics charge about £200. Health Secretary Sajid Javid has acknowledged the cost of PCR testing could be "a barrier" to people wanting to travel and said people needed to be protected from "exploitative practices".

The Department of Health has said the cost of NHS Test and Trace tests for international arrivals would be reduced - from £88 to £68 for travellers coming from green list countries, or those arriving from amber list countries who are fully vaccinated.

Tim Dafforn, professor of biotechnology at the university's School of Biosciences, said: "The test works with existing instrumentation, meaning that it could conceivably be deployed in [airports]... in three to six months with some commercial backing."

A donor from Coventry meets a family from Nottingham whose children who were saved by plasma.

The UK has agreed to take in up to 20,000 refugees over the next few years, including 5,000 this year.

Coventry City confirm a police investigation into an allegation of racist abuse aimed at a Sky Blues player in Tuesday's win at Blackpool.

Shropshire Star

From the Shropshire Star today:

• 'My injuries were pointless', says paralysed Afghan veteran, external
• Shrewsbury model who was victim of brutal knife attack features in BBC series, external
• Arriva announces bus timetable changes across Shropshire, external

Coventry City is set to pay tribute to one of its fans who died days after suffering a cardiac arrest at one of its matches.

Paul Jones, widely known as Rex, suffered the cardiac arrest at the Sky Blues' home game against Nottingham Forest on 8 August.

He died on 15 August, the club said.

Image source, Getty Images

In a statement, the club said: "Our thoughts and condolences are with Paul’s family and friends at this very sad time, and the support of the entire Sky Blue family is with them.

"We understand that fans are planning a minute’s applause in Paul’s memory on Saturday, and the club will be supporting this 12th-minute tribute by Paul’s fellow supporters."

Birmingham City Council has just two weeks to find a new provider before the new term.