Restoration work starts on Birmingham's Grade I listed Curzon Street building.

A mum says she now has to drive her teenage daughter for miles behind a bus "with empty seats on".

The accused is due before magistrates on Friday over the death of Matty Carroll, 50.

Mahnaz says her relative believes he will be persecuted by the Taliban over his ethnic background.

Gloucestershire chase down 266 to beat Northants and there are final-day Championship wins for Middlesex and Worcestershire.

England's Dom Sibley hits only his third fifty of the season as Warwickshire bat out a draw with Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Permanent homes for up to 25 families fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan are going to be found in Warwick.

As well as sourcing suitable housing to accommodate about 100 people identified through the government's Afghan Relocation Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme, Warwick District Council’s housing team, external will be working alongside the county council, public health and community groups to help those resettling in the area.

Stratford-on-Avon District Council has also been working to identify privately rented self-contained accommodation for up to 25 families and is encouraging local landlords to get in touch if they can help.

Image source, Getty Images

Warwick councillor Jan Matecki said: "As a child from a displaced family the situation faced in the past weeks by those fleeing Afghanistan is very close to my heart.

"My parents were amongst the lucky ones who benefited from the generosity of this country at the end of the Second World War when as Polish nationals they found themselves in a situation when they had no home to return to."

She said she was "proud" the council would be offering "a safe and welcoming home to as many families and individuals from Afghanistan as possible".

Dame Sarah Storey is Great Britain's most successful Paralympian after winning her 17th gold medal.

Officers are appealing for information after a number of time-trial bikes were stolen in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Police were called on, external Thursday morning to an address in Quarnford, where four time-trial bikes were reported stolen from a secure garage.

Offenders are understood to have removed a corrugated steel panel in order to access the bikes, which are worth approximately £3,500 in total.

Officers believe the bikes were stolen between 08:00 on Wednesday and 10:00 on Thursday.

The bikes are described as:

• A black Boardman road bike, worth approximately £400
• A rare 'BH' American Classic road bike, with a red and black frame, red tyres and white wheel rims, of unspecified value
• A blue Cervelo P3 road bike worth approximately £2,100
• A black Cervelo P2 bike worth around £1,000

Officers are currently reviewing CCTV footage of the area and ask anyone with information to get in touch.

Dame Sarah Storey is Great Britain's most successful Paralympian after winning her 17th gold medal.

Amputee Ben Perry says his doctor is a "legend" for writing to a council to support his appeal.

The council says it hopes the move will help "kick start" Herefordshire's economy.

Birmingham City Women sign defender Arabella Suttie on a one-season contract following a successful trial.

Dudley News

The Dudley News has covered these stories today:

• Driver caught doing 91mph with child in car, external
• Man arrested in Brindley Place murder investigation, external
• Dudley Kingswinford runners back in action, external

BBC Weather Watchers

Grey and cloudy weather today and our BBC Weather Watchers have been reflecting the conditions.

Here are three of their photos from today, from users Melanie in Coventry, Serena in Gnosall, Staffordshire, and Step Counter in Hereford:

Image source, Melanie

Image source, Serena

Image source, Step Counter

Express and Star

A few of the headlines from the Express and Star:

• Drug driver avoids prison after eight-mile police chase through Cannock, external
• Teenager charged with killing bus driver in pavement crash, external
• JCB to recruit 100 new welders as demand for machines hits ‘historic highs’, external

Kevin Peachey
Personal finance reporter

Students facing a financial shortfall have increasingly turned to cryptocurrency investment to fund life at university, a survey has suggested.

The proportion of students investing in cryptocurrencies tripled in a year, website Save the Student found.

Daniel Tones, who studied psychology at the University of Warwick tried this method.

The 22-year-old said that income from a role as a student ambassador had been limited during the Covid crisis, but he had managed to bring in some money by making Amazon deliveries.

Group chats had planted the seed of interest in cryptocurrency investment, he said.

Image source, Daniel Tones

"I gave it a try," he said, "but very quickly I made a loss."

He said he wished, after talking to economics students about it, that he had learned a lot more before choosing to take the risk.

It was very easy to start putting money in, he said, but he ended up losing a few hundred pounds.

The accused 19-year-old appears in court over the death of "respected, polite and friendly" Ghulam Nabi.

Hundreds of objectors to plans for a Shrewsbury ring road claim it will increase emissions.

A 15-storey apartment block with hundreds of plants on all sides is proposed.