Police have released images of a person they want to speak to following an attempted robbery in Birmingham's Bullring Shopping Centre.

West Midlands Police said the male, believed to be in his mid to late teens, is suspected of pulling a knife on a schoolboy and demanding his bag and money on 5 August.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The victim ran off and was helped by a passer-by, but the offender made off from the scene with another teenager.

One 14-year-old boy has already been arrested in connection with the incident.

The force urged anyone with information about the offence to come forward.

Further events have been announced as part of Coventry City of Culture.

It includes a visit by puppet Little Amal, in October.

The puppet will travel 8,000km across Europe, telling the story of shared humanity and the experience of displaced children, separated from their families.

Coventry City of Culture is its first stop in the Midlands.

Image source, Coventry City of Culture

Other events include Coventry Sound Systems a celebration of Coventry’s rich cultural links to its twin city of Kingston in Jamaica, while the Home: Art and Homelessness Festival will see an exhibition of works created by artists across Coventry with experience of homelessness.

Chenine Bhethana, creative director of Coventry City of Culture said: "As we move into Autumn, there is a huge range of activity taking place across the city... Coventry truly has something for everyone."

A man who started a fire, when he attempted to make a bomb in his microwave, has been jailed.

The fire began when George Moore, 24, put aerosol cans into the microwave at his house in Cubbington Road in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire on 5 May.

Warwickshire Police said another person who had been in the home at the time was able to escape uninjured.

Moore, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 45 months at Warwick Crown Court on 3 September after admitting charges of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered and possession of a bladed article.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

Det Sgt Jen Baker said: "This was a reckless act that caused substantial damage to the house in which Moore lived.

"His behaviour was quite clearly dangerous and his actions on the night could easily have resulted in more serious harm being caused.

"We are fortunate that no-one was injured in the incident."

Footage shared on social media captures the scale of an industrial fire in Kidderminster.

Stafford Borough Council says the artefact, valued at about £5m, was removed without proper consent.

A man is being sought by police on suspicion of stabbing and kidnapping a woman.

West Midlands Police said it is looking for Lee Martin in connection with the incident in Solihull on Sunday.

The woman, who is known to Mr Martin, was able to escape and only suffered minor injuries.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The force said Mr Martin made off in a car when police tried to arrest him the next day.

It has urged anyone with information to speak to police, but not to approach him as it believes he is dangerous and could be armed.

A dairy farmer says the shortage of lorry drivers has hit milk collection and is a "constant worry".

Seven new control sites are approved as ministers confirm regular culling will end in 2025.

A couple reflect on how close they came to being caught up in the devastation of the 9/11 attacks.

Mark Richmond was found with serious injuries in Newland Street and died in hospital, police say.

The motorcyclist remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries, West Mercia Police says.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Permission is set to be granted for a solar farm in Wolverhampton.

The farm, will which be the equivalent of 21 football pitches in size, will produce power for the city's main hospital.

Most of Bowman's Harbour, which is a former landfill site, will be converted into 11.5 hectares of solar panels, infrastructure and an access road.

Image source, City of Wolverhampton Council

Members of the authority's planning committee are expected to give the green light to the proposal at a meeting on 14 September.

In a report, planning officer Phillip Walker, said, external: "It would make an important contribution towards meeting a Wolverhampton wide target of 2041 for the City to reach net carbon zero."

Tickets are available for 27 sports as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

Express and Star

The Express and Star has covered these stories today:

• Primary school closed as staff refuse to turn up for work over bullying row, external
• Residents evacuated as three-metre deep sinkhole opens up in front garden, external
• Danger driver locked up after 100mph police chase across the West Midlands, external

Ed Sheeran spent three years supporting Leamington Spa-based Nizlopi when he was a teenager.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A brighly-coloured artificial tree is being assembled in Solihull as a memorial to those people who lost their lives to the coronavirus.

The community art project is being led by Citizens Advice in Solihull and it will stand in the foyer of The Core - a council-run library and arts centre.

Image source, CASB

The artists working on the tree have invited people living in the area to contribute their own drawings and photos, to form the "leaves".

The tree will go on display from 13 September and the local authority is considering whether it should be taken to other venues around the borough in the future.

Image source, The Core

BBC Midlands Today

A nationwide ballot for tickets for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games begins today.

Image source, PA Media

The Games are taking place from 28 July to 8 August at venues across the West Midlands including the Alexander Stadium, the new aquatics centre in Sandwell and on Cannock Chase.

There are between 1.5m and 1.7m tickets available and a ballot for local residents, which opened in July, has already attracted more than 850,000 applications.

The national ballot on the Games website runs until 20:00 on 30 September.

BBC Weather

The very warm weather continues today with dry, fine weather with plenty of sunny spells. Highs of 29C/84F.

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Drizzler

The dry weather is forecast to end this evening as clouds increase with showers or spells of rain into the night which could be heavy and thundery at times. Lows of 17C/63F.

You can stay up-to-date on the weather for your area at any time by going to the BBC Weather website.

Four people are on trial for non-payment of fines issued at the commemorative event.

Rob Yates is unbeaten on 70 and Dom Sibley makes 47 as Warwickshire grind to 139-2 in pursuit of 296 to beat Hampshire.