Panashe Bako died after intervening in a row between Muhammed Khan and his ex-girlfriend in Birmingham.

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

Campaigners say pollution in the River Wye is "getting worse" due to run-off from poultry farms in the catchment area.

Patrick Darling, Chairman of the River Wye Preservation Trust, said the situation was "tragic".

"We are looking at an ecological disaster," he said. "Herefordshire is a county that depends on the river [and] it's been reduced to little more than a foul, evil-smelling open drain."

Campaigners say phosphourous levels in the water are soaring due to some 20m chickens being reared in farms in Herefordshire and Powys. The phosphourous then creates the perfect conditions for algae to grow, turning the river green and making it hard for other wildlife to thrive.

"The water is green and murky, I can't see the bottom in the way I used to," said rower Patricia Carswell. "It just looks horrible."

She's among about 100 citizen scientists who are taking regular measurements along the length of the Wye and sharing their findings with government agencies, who they criticise for not taking enough action.

"The government and statutory bodies have to wake up and see the problem," Mr Darling said.

The river flows through England and Wales, meaning two different agencies are involved in monitoring it.

In December, Natural Resources Wales found more than half of the Wye was failing to meet pollution targets in a review, following criticism it "wasn't doing its job" of protecting the river.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said keeping rivers clean was "an absolute priority".

"We are aware there is more work to do and we are hard at work alongside our key catchment partners to implement a range of interventions to tackle the sources of pollution in our rivers."

Two women were rescued from a burning building by a member of the public who brought them to safety through a window.

Staffordshire Police said a fire broke out in a derelict building on Hope Street in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, at about 22:30 BST on Thursday.

One of the women, in her 30s, is in a critical condition at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where she is being treated by its speciailist burns unit.

The second woman, in her 40s, is receiving treatment at Royal Stoke Hospital.

Staffordshire Police said it was investigating the fire and officers remained at the scene.

Express and Star

From the Express and Star today:

• House blaze which killed mother was 'sparked by gas canisters and TV', external
• Firefighters battle blaze at old Sainsbury's in Wolverhampton city centre, external
• Long delays expected as M6 Junction 10 shuts this weekend, external

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, affecting much of Staffordshire.

Image source, Met Office

There is a risk of disruption for the rest of the day and possibly in to Saturday.

For more information and guidance, visit the Met Office web page., external

Two men are charged over the fatal collision in Birmingham.

Rosie and Andy Hart have won a contest to have their likeness sent to the lunar surface in 2022.

The blaze is believed by the fire service to have been started deliberately.

It shows huge plumes of smoke at the Bagot Arms in Erdington, Birmingham, along with the aftermath.

A freight firm based in Crewe is offering incentives worth up to £5,000 amid a chronic shortage of drivers in the industry.

Image source, Getty Images

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has estimated there is a 100,000 shortfall of HGV drivers across the UK.

The Cheshire firm Gist delivers fresh food and produce to customers including Marks and Spencer across the country.

New drivers have the potential to receive a bonus worth up to £5,000 , externalthrough a combination of a £2,000 sign-on payment and up to three additional retention payments for continued service.

BBC News Travel

Drivers are being warned of long delays on the M6 around Walsall this weekend.

Image source, Highways England

The motorway is going to be completely closed from 20:00 on Friday until 06:00 on Monday to allow steel beams to be lifted into place for a new bridge.

Highways England said, external traffic would be diverted up and over the junction while the M6 was shut but warned of lengthy delays in the area.

Great Britain claimed bronze in the women's hockey at Tokyo 2020 with a thrilling 4-3 victory against India, making Laura Unsworth the first British hockey player to capture three Olympic medals.

The 33-year-old from Birmingham said winning the bronze "probably is up there with the Rio gold medal".

She said: "If someone told me when I first started playing hockey when I was 11 that I would win three Olympic medals, I would have just looked at them and said 'you what'?"

Unsworth added she hoped to be part of England's Commonwealth Games challenge in her home town next summer.

A confidential sexual harassment reporting line is to be introduced for female guests in quarantine hotels.

Image source, Getty Images

The move by the Department for Health and Social Care comes after another woman reported being harassed at a Birmingham hotel by a male security guard.

Last month the DHSC tried to tackle the problem by saying that female guests should be supervised by female guards.

However, only 10% of security officers are women and some female guests say they still rarely see female guards.

BBC Sport

Manchester City have signed England midfielder Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for a British record £100m.

Image source, Getty Images

The 25-year-old joins the Premier League champions on a six-year contract and will wear the number 10 shirt recently vacated by Sergio Aguero.

The fee surpasses the £89m Manchester United paid to re-sign midfielder Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016.

"City are the best team in the country with a manager considered to be the best in the world," said Grealish.

"It's a dream come true to be part of this club."

After a cloudy and showery start it will be a bright afternoon with some sunny spells and highs of 21°C (70°F).

This was the scene earlier in Sutton, Herefordshire, as taken by BBC Weather Watcher snaptank.

Image source, Snaptank

Welcome to our live service for Friday.

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

Two men and three teenagers plead not guilty over the death of Dea-John Reid.

Craig Timmins was told surgery he had when aged 19 was deemed unnecessary.

Kaylee-Jayde Priest's grandmother said she was "stolen from me in the most brutal of ways".

The location of the Telford site remained private while athletes trained on the replica track.