Summary

  • Updates from across the week

  1. Police officer 'stabbed at UK Parliament' where three local schools were visiting published at 15:36 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    A police officer has been stabbed in the Houses of Parliament in central London, Commons Leader David Lidington has said .

    He told MPs the "alleged assailant was shot by armed police" following a "serious" incident.

    Staff inside Parliament were told to stay inside their offices.

    Three West Midlands schools had taken pupils on school trips to Westminster today, including Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Birmingham, Balsall Common Primary School in Coventry and Rugby High School in Rugby.

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  2. Breaking: Westminster security incidentpublished at 15:28 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Nuneaton News

    More on reports of shots being fired near the Houses of Parliament. 

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  3. Breaking: Westminster security incidentpublished at 15:25 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Rugby Advertiser

    More on reports of shots being fired near the Houses of Parliament. 

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  4. Breaking: Westminster security incidentpublished at 15:12 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Simon Glover
    BBC Online reporter

    There have been reports within the past few minutes of shots being fired near the Houses of Parliament. Police say at least one person has been shot and the building is now in "lockdown". Nadhim Zihawi has tweeted from inside the Commons. 

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  5. Leamington pupils fight to save their sixth formpublished at 14:48 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Simon Glover
    BBC Online reporter

    Pupils from a school in Leamington have handed in a 1,000-strong petition calling for their sixth form to be saved.

    Campaigners handing over their petition to CouncillorsImage source, Helen Adkins
    Image caption,

    Trinity School year 11 students handing over their petition to County Councillors

    It follows proposals - by Warwickshire County Council - to close Trinity School's sixth form in a bid to save money. 

  6. Rugby: England coach in 'regular contact' with Wasps fly half published at 14:32 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    The Wasps fly half Danny Cipriani says England coach Eddie Jones is in regular contact with him.

    Danny CiprianiImage source, Getty Images

    The 29-year-old won the last of his 14 caps so far in 2015 but says Jones is keen to keep players like him in the loop.

    Quote Message

    He [Eddie Jones] speaks to everyone every couple of weeks...it's good to know you've got the contact from the top.

    Danny Cipriani, Wasps Fly Half

  7. Coventry police dog retires with ownerpublished at 14:10 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

    One of the first police dogs to have a Twitter account is putting his paws up for a well earned rest. 

    PC Terry ArnettImage source, West Midlands Police
    Image caption,

    PC Terry Arnett and his dog Smithy

    Smithy the Labrador has more than 3,000 followers but will be stepping down from the West Midlands force to join his handler PC Terry Arnett in retirement. 

    Over the past eight years the pair have been involved in hundreds of investigations, including the hunt for Nicola Payne and the abduction of five-year-old April Jones from Machynlleth, Powys.

  8. Snooker: Prestigious tournament to return to Coventrypublished at 13:21 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Simon Glover
    BBC Online reporter

    Snooker's Champion of Champions tournament is returning to the Ricoh Arena in Coventry for a fifth year.

    Snooker

    The event, won last year by John Higgins, will be staged in the Ericsson Hall in November.    

  9. New electric car factory will 'transform' air qualitypublished at 13:05 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    The UK's first car factory dedicated to making nothing but electric vehicles will transform air quality across the country, according to its owners.

    Taxi

    The London Taxi Company's plant, at Ansty, has been built by Geely at a cost of £300m. 

    It'll eventually make 5,000 black cabs a year by 2019.  

    Quote Message

    Over a thousand jobs are being created here...and these are all high-quality jobs in the engineering industry...so this is a very important investment for this area.

    Chris Gubbey, Chief Executive of LTC

  10. MP voices his opposition to funding reductions for Stratford schools published at 12:39 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi has voiced his opposition to proposed funding cuts for schools in the town. 

    Nadhim Zahawi

    Mr Zahawi says he shares the concerns of local "heads, teachers, governors, parents, and pupils" over the government's plans to reform the school funding system - which would see funding to secondary schools in Stratford cut by up to 2.3% in two years.

    The latest consultation on the proposals closes today.

  11. M6 crash van left 'embedded' under lorrypublished at 12:25 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    A paramedic said the 18-year-old driver was "so, so lucky" to escape with just a broken wrist.

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  12. Long-forgotten mural rediscovered in Coventry churchpublished at 11:50 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    A 40ft-tall (12m) mural has been rediscovered in a church in Coventry .

    Rediscovered mural

    It's known as Ascension and was painted at St Mark's Church, in Hillfields, after a renowned Jewish-German artist fled the Nazis. 

    The mural was hidden behind a partition wall when the NHS bought the building in the 1970s. 

    But now the church has the building back and intends to restore it to a place of worship.

  13. Watch: Teen driver 'so, so lucky' as van ends up under lorrypublished at 11:27 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    A teenage van driver was "so, so lucky" to suffer relatively minor injuries despite the huge damage to his vehicle in a crash on the M6,  , external say paramedics , external

    West Midlands Ambulance Service says it happened last night on the southbound side just before junction 10a, near Essington.  

    Media caption,

    Crashed van

    It says the van was "embedded" under the back of a lorry and it took fire crews an hour to cut away enough so the two people inside could get out. 

    Paramedics say the 18-year-old driver, from Warwickshire, suffered a broken wrist and the man's eight-year-old sister, who was a passenger, wasn't hurt - the lorry driver was left shaken but wasn't injured.  

  14. Shakespeare's works rewritten for school childrenpublished at 11:01 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Simon Glover
    BBC Online reporter

    The works of Stratford-upon-Avon's famous son, William Shakespeare, are being rewritten for primary school children - in a bid to raise their interest in the Bard's work.

    William Shakespeare

    It's all part of Shakespeare week, external - in which hundreds of schools across the West Midlands will be taking part in a series of activities.

    The idea is to get young pupils interested before they study the playwright's work at secondary school.

  15. BREAKING: Coventry City confirms talks are under way to relocate academy published at 10:39 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Simon Glover
    BBC Online reporter

    Coventry City has confirmed the club is in talks with local schools over relocating its academy.

    Coventry City FC logoImage source, Coventry City FC

    In a statement, external , the club says it's "currently exploring the possibility of utilising a site based at Finham Park School in Coventry for the relocation of the Academy. Discourse is in the early stages and is ongoing".

    The site is "one option currently under consideration". 

  16. Drugs crackdown on the streets of Nuneatonpublished at 10:23 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Nuneaton News

    Criminal networks running in Nuneaton, external have been hit by a police operation aimed at stopping drugs and violence.

    Police operation

    Operation Anglesey has, in just a matter of months, removed thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs from reaching the streets of the town.  

  17. School funding: Winners and losers in shake-uppublished at 09:50 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    BBC News Education

    Individual schools will lose or gain hundreds of thousands of pounds in the first year of the biggest shake-up of school funding in England for decades .

    
          A miniature mortar board hat on top of some money to represent school funding
        Image source, calvste

    Official figures released as the part of consultation on the changes show 9,045 schools will lose money while 10,653 will get more.

    There will be  less money for urban areas  including inner London, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham and Coventry.  

    In Birmingham, the largest education authority, 15 out of 386 schools, 4% of the total, will see funding increase. 

    Great Barr School will see a rise of about 3% - more than £200,000.

  18. Live camera stream installed to monitor town hall falconspublished at 09:40 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2017

    Martin Winch
    BBC Coventry and Warwickshire

    A live camera stream has been installed, external to watch peregrine falcons in Leamington Spa.

    Media caption,

    The webcam shows the pair have two eggs

    A nesting box has been placed at the top of the tower, in the Town Hall, by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and the district council.

    It's hoped the birds will raise their young there.