A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Yordanos Brhane.

Officers were called to property on Unett Street in Hockley, Birmingham on 31 July where the 19-year-old (pictured) was found with fatal stab wounds.

Halefom Weldeyohannes, 25, from Sheffield, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday for a preliminary hearing.

He was remanded in custody to return to the court on 9 September.

Image source, West Midlands Police

A new study by the Office for national Statistics shows a fall in the numbers of people who are unwilling or unsure about having a vaccine to protect them from Covid-19.

The ONS analysis compares hesitancy towards the jab in two separate periods - firstly between 7 January to 28 March and secondly from 28 April to 18 July 2021.

The findings suggest the most hesitant groups are in London and the Midlands.

Image source, PA Media

Some 15% of young adults aged between 16 and 29 in the West Midlands reported vaccine hesitancy in the latest survey period.

The rates for adults generally in the region were particularly high among those living in deprived areas - 12%.

Overall across the UK, more than nine in 10 adults (96%) reported positive sentiment towards coronavirus vaccines while 4% reported hesitancy.

An athlete who claimed Great Britain's first medal of the Tokyo Olympics said she has received "amazing" support from people in her home city.

Image source, PA Media

Chelsie Giles, 24, from Coventry picked up bronze in the women's -52kg judo event.

She said of winning the first Team GB medal of the games: "I didn't know how much attention it would get, but it's been amazing to see the support, especially when I got home."

She added that competing again at Paris Olympics in 2024 was "definitely a possibility".

"I think I've proved to myself that with the bronze medal that I can definitely compete with the best."

An investigation has been launched after a body was found close to a road near Perton, in Staffordshire.

Image source, Google

The body was discovered just after 02:45 in an area off Bridgnorth Road, police said.

The road remains closed in both directions from Tinacre Hill to Jenny Walkers Lane.

Staffordshire Police has not yet revealed if it is treating the death as suspicious.

Two new murals have been painted in Coventry as part of a City of Culture project.

Image source, Coventry City of Culture Trust

Image source, Richard Harrison

They were commissioned as part of the scheme called In Paint We Trust.

Street artists Nomad Clan have created a painting alongside the old car park on New Union Street.

The other, by Dan Kitchener on The Burges, depicts an iconic London Taxi, which are made in Coventry.

Wolverhampton Wolves host King's Lynn Stars in the Speedway Great Britain Premiership - listen to BBC Radio WM commentary.

Olympic gold-medalist Adam Peaty says he will take a month-long break from swimming in a bid to recover and recharge his mental health before another push for success in 2022.

The Uttoxeter athlete says he hopes the move will lead to a "new lease of life".

"I've been going on for seven years with an average of two weeks off a year, and even in those off times you've still got to watch what you eat," he said.

"So having a break for me is a natural way of just detoxing my brain."

Firefighters from the West Midlands have joined others in Athens to help fight wildfires in Greece.

More than 2,000 people have already been evacuated from the island of Evia many of those by ferry.

Greece is experiencing its most severe heatwave in 30 years in which temperatures have spiked at 45C (113F).

The team from the West Midlands consists of two watch commanders, who between them have a "fantastic amount of expertise," said Rob Norman from the service.

New bridge beams have been installed on the M6 in the West Midlands.

The work has been completed three hours ahead of schedule, said Highways England.

Image source, Highways England

The motorway was closed in both directions at junction 10 for Walsall over the weekend while the improvement works were carried out, causing severe delays, but has since reopened.

Image source, Highways England

The 144ft (44m) long bridge beams form two new bridges to replace the existing ones, which have been in place for 50 years.

Each beam weighs 130 tonnes and requires specialist cranes to lift them.

The works are a significant phase of Highways England's £78m transformation of Walsall junction, which it said currently experiences significant congestion, particularly at peak times.

Work to infill the bridge will be carried out overnight over the next five weeks with closures in place from 22:00 until 06:00.

BBC Weather

After a cloudy start with some showers it will be a bright afternoon with some sunny spells and highs of 20°C (68°F).

This was the scene earlier in Stonnall in Staffordshire as taken by BBC Weather Watcher Tippytoes.

Image source, Tippytoes

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

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