The police watchdog says there is no evidence to support complaints the attacks were racially driven.

Neil Parkinson was found dead in a burning car in Cotheridge, Worcestershire, in December.

Police dogs working as part of the Staffordshire force are due to be issued with protective armour.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

The lightweight armour will be custom-made for each animal to protect them from knives, bullets, spikes and impact from blunt objects.

The move comes after the rollout of "Finns law" which provides protection to service dogs and horses after a campaign by the handler of a police dog, Finn, which was stabbed.

Ch Insp Dave Kelsall, from Staffordshire Police, said it was a "proud moment", adding police dogs should be "valued the same as our police officers".

Stoke-on-Trent Live

From Stoke-on-Trent Live:

• Trail of destruction as car flips and smashes into telegraph pole, external
• Gravy granules errand lands 'foolish' man in jail, external
• Hate crime investigation as Pride banners ripped down, external

BBC Radio Shropshire

The Covid-19 pandemic has been "draining" for a greyhound rescue centre which came close to being dissolved.

Image source, Hector’s Greyhound Rescue

Trustee Hayley Bradley said at one stage, Hector’s Greyhound Rescue, Shrewsbury, had only enough funds to survive for eight weeks.

Lockdown cut down its fundraising avenues and she said they came close to ending the centre before an appeal brought in enough money to last an extra three months.

"It has been draining, been like the walking dead most days - it is enough pressure running a rescue centre on a daily basis without the added financial pressure," she told BBC Radio Shropshire.

The centre handles about 40 retired racing greyhounds at any time and has re-homed more than 50 this year.

A second man remains in a critical condition after a car was hit by another vehicle, say police.

The police watchdog begins an investigation which it says is in its early stages.

Anthony Russell is charged with murdering three people including a mother and son in Coventry.

Engineers close a line and shut off electricity to remove the rogue party favour.

Defence and aerospace technology firm Meggitt will maintain its headquarters in Coventry following a multi-billion pound takeover deal.

Image source, BRANISLAV MILIC

The company has agreed to a £6.3bn takeover by US firm Parker-Hannifin, which has promised to protect 2,300 UK jobs.

Meggitt specialises in components for the aerospace, defence and energy industries and supplies companies including Airbus and BAE Systems.

Police say they believe the male suspect knew the deceased, 19-year-old Yordanos Brhane.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms covering parts of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Image source, Met Office

The warning is in place until 23:00 BST.

There may be some disruption in the area due to heavy showers, with a risk of flooding.

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

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

Two sisters who competed together for Team GB in the Tokyo Olympics said it was the experience of a lifetime, despite not winning a medal.

Image source, Reuters

Charlotte and Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, from St Weonards, near Hereford, were part of the rowing team.

They finished seventh overall in the Women's Quadruple Sculls.

Mathilda said they had been rowing together since Charlotte joined the senior team in 2018.

"I was lucky I sat behind her and for me I genuinely cannot imagine racing without her. We are very close so we are able to pick up on how each other is feeling," Mathilda said.

Charlotte added: "Having a sibling there is great because you do not always have to say what you are feeling because you know each other a little bit more and you can have a sense and give each other a lot of support."

BBC Radio Shropshire

People in Shropshire are being urged to avoid going to A&E for treatment if they possibly can.

The hospital trust running Telford's Princess Royal and the Royal Shrewsbury says it has seen more than 500 patients turn up to the units on some days this summer.

Bosses said they would usually see those kind of numbers in winter.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it normally had about 3,500 calls a day at this time of year, yet once this month had more than 6,400 emergency calls.

Phil Atkins is in charge of the four minor injuries units in the county and said a lot of people going to A&E could be getting treated by his staff.

"It is crucial that if you want advice about an injury or you think you've hurt yourself and it is not particularly serious, then you need to come to us," he said.

BBC Sport

Staffordshire swimmer Adam Peaty is taking a month-long break from the sport to protect his mental health and recharge before a push for more success in 2022.

Image source, PA Media

Peaty, from Uttoxeter, retained his men's 100m breaststroke title on the way to two golds and a silver at Tokyo 2020.

The 26-year-old has referenced the struggles of American gymnast Simone Biles and England cricketer Ben Stokes as reasons to strike a balance.

"It isn't a normal job. There is a huge amount of pressure," Peaty said.

"I'm taking a break because I've been going extremely hard for as long as I can remember. I've averaged two weeks off a year for the last seven years."

Hereford Times

The Hereford Times has these headlines today:

• Herefordshire venue permanently bans fireworks after uproar, external
• 'Catastrophic' ban for Herefordshire football fan, external
• University tribute to exemplary Hereford student killed in crash, external

Tests have found no traces of Covid-19 in swabs and air samples of four major railway stations and intercity train services, Network Rail has said.

Image source, Network Rail

Two lots of testing took place at stations including Birmingham New Street.

Heavily-touched areas such as escalator handles were swabbed, while hour-long air samples checked for airborne virus.

Tests were repeated on trains running between the stations.

There has been extra cleaning of transport services throughout the pandemic to protect against the virus spreading through contaminated surfaces and the air.

The latest news, sport, travel and weather from across the West Midlands and south Cheshire.

BBC Sport

England defender Tyrone Mings says his "mental health plummeted" in the build-up to Euro 2020 because he felt people were doubting his place in the side.

Image source, Getty Images

The Aston Villa centre-back started England's first two group games while Harry Maguire recovered from injury.

Mings, 28, spoke with a psychologist to help him cope with the pressure.

"When 90-95% of your country are having doubts over you, it's very difficult to stop this intruding on your own thoughts," he said.

Express and Star

From the Express and Star this morning:

• Attractions hoping for bumper summer after encouraging rise in bookings, external
• Two killed in crash after police chase in Wolverhampton, external
• West Midlands Police 'unable' to disclose payouts over Hillsborough cover-up, external