The number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose across the West Midlands last month.

One of the UK’s leading suppliers of hoses and accessories has signed a strategic deal with MET Recruitment to help it meet growing customer demand as the economy emerges from the shackles of Covid-19.

A West Midlands car delivery specialist is motoring ahead after relocating to a larger headquarters.

The sister of nurse Areema Nasreen has described her as an ongoing inspiration almost a year after her death.

“It’s hard because the thing that got me hasn’t gone anywhere – it’s not like I’ve been run over and I’ve got over it. Covid is all anyone can talk about, it all feels a bit inescapable.”

A year on from the start of lockdown, everyone has been affected in their own way.

“It was harrowing to make those calls and hear your wife collapse and your parents beg to swap places with you.”

High numbers of students from across the Black Country have returned to the classroom in a "successful" step toward normality.

See the latest figures for coronavirus cases and deaths in your area.

A prominent social justice campaigner has announced he is standing for West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner in May's elections.

Naming a new leisure centre after footballing legend Duncan Edwards will help keep his name alive for generations to come, community leaders have said.

Lumberjack Tools is expanding after it signed a new deal with one of the UK’s leading home, leisure and garden retailers.

“Faith traditions involve worshipping together and being together and we’ve been denied that possibility for a year.”

A top Staffordshire chef will be showing off his skills on television on Wednesday when he appears on a popular cookery show.

Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden has launched a new project to provide computer equipment for youngsters to learn online. Here he explains why, as we come out of the pandemic, it is vital that we help children to bridge the digital divide.

The warning comes amid rising cases in countries such as France and Italy.

A total of £50,000 has been raised for Dudley Zoo and Castle through a fundraising page set up to help it survive amid Covid-19.

A Black Country councillor has died after becoming seriously ill with Covid-19.

Five more coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the Black Country and Birmingham.

An independent inquiry by James Hamilton QC into whether the First Minister breached the ministerial code has been published.

The US-led study found no increased risk of blood clots.

A serial burglar has been locked up for more than five years after being linked to a string of break-ins by his fingerprint.

Pubs group Marston’s has issued a list of .

Four former post office workers from the West Midlands who were jailed for financial irregularities they say was caused by a computer glitch are having their cases heard by the Court of Appeal.

Research found that almost 80% of workers want to be in the office two days a week or less once Covid restrictions end.

Walsall Council is cracking down on fly-tippers – by seizing their vehicles.

Several popular destinations have announced plans for the return of tourists from the UK this summer.

Two derelict industrial sites in the Black Country are set to transformed to provide vital new homes – following multi-million pound investment deals by the West Midland Combined Authority (WMCA).

Andy Street says it will take an “incredible act of unity” to revive the region’s economic fortunes after the pandemic saw progress head into “sharp reverse”.

The West Midlands Police area had the second highest number of social media and e-mail hacking incidents in England and Wales in 2020 at 630.

Health minister Helen Whately said no country or bloc should engage in protectionism over the deployment of jabs.

There were 1,285 insolvencies of companies in the West Midlands in the last year since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Three of the world's "leading" venue operators were bidding to run Wolverhampton's Civic Halls, the city council's leader has said.

The choice of Perry the Bull as official mascot for the Commonwealth Games reflects the city’s long association with the animal.

The Forest Live concerts planned for Cannock Chase his year have been put back to 2022 due to coronavirus.

The global snacking group did not disclose the terms of the transaction but it is understood that it valued Grenade at around £200 million.

There is growing frustration on the continent that the bloc is not getting the supplies it expected from AstraZeneca.

Tourist attractions say they cannot afford another lockdown, warning they are on the brink financially as they prepare to reopen.

After a year of furlough, uncertainty and losing £1.5 million, one coach tour operator today spoke of his confidence for the months ahead.

"I've been through the worst and now I want to make sure other people don't suffer in silence."

"Joining the Specials is a fantastic opportunity to develop a career and is a decision I never regretted and still enjoy today"

Lichfield District Council is offering business start-up grants of £3,000 to local residents who have been made redundant or are out of work, and planning to start a business over the next year.

Dozens of people took to the streets of Bridgnorth clean shop fronts, fill potholes and sweep the roads in preparation for the reopening of non-essential businesses.

A Government taskforce is considering how international travel will work and is due to report to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on April 12.

At least seven people have been arrested in connection with the violence in the city on Sunday night.

More than 7,000 street lights have been converted into greener and more cost-effective low-energy LEDs.

Brussels has complained it has not received promised supplies of the vaccine from AstraZeneca.

Motorists are being warned that a road which runs by intu Merry Hill will be closed for two weeks.

Free parking will continue in town centres and car parks across Dudley – in a bit to support businesses as they start to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

A mobile unit offering tests to people without Covid-19 symptoms will arrive at a centre in Wolverhampton today.

India has reported more than 11.5 million cases of coronavirus infection.

Officials voted to extend a highly unusual 8pm curfew for another week along famed South Beach, with the possibility of extending it until April 12.

The numbers of people in intensive care are rising.

Officials are reported to be self-isolating after Policing Minister Kit Malthouse received the result of his lateral flow test.

Dr Mary Ramsay said the return of mass events would also be monitored carefully as restrictions are eased in June.

Businesses faced ‘absolute fear at the start of the pandemic

A national day of reflection is being organised for March 23 by the charity Marie Curie to remember those who have died.

The VaccinAid campaign, launched by Unicef UK and Crowdfunder, will provide nearly two billion jabs worldwide.

The figures come as a new report raises concerns about how many are struggling to access GP care.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the technology as ‘groundbreaking’.

Researchers hope further studies will estimate the number and severity of Covid-19 related hearing disorders in the UK.

Demand for office space has shrunk in the Capital as firms have looked increasingly outside the M25.

The nation’s papers are dominated by vaccine tensions between the EU and Britain.

The UK has had some form of restrictions in place since March 2020.

Supermarkets will be able to sell non-essential items from Monday as the ban introduced at Christmas is lifted by the Government.

Black Country authorities pushing for thousands of homes to be built on Shropshire’s green belt have been told to focus on their own brownfield sites first.

The memory of a dedicated Gurkha campaigner will live on forever halfway across the world.

Celebrity hairdressers Royston Blythe and Nick Malenko are hopping into Easter with their colourful floral feature.

These pictures of felled trees in an ancient woodland might look dramatic - but the owners of Ridgehill Wood at Wordsley have said the work carried out was purely "in the interest of safety and preservation".

A family holiday and the wonderment of youth has helped a Black Country mother realise a dream.

Around 700 old police laptops are to be donated to help young people in the region without access to a computer.

Plans are underway to build a new community centre in part of a Black Country borough.

The dates are a little bit hazy, but Jason Watkins clearly remembers his first taste of showbusiness, some time in the late 1960s.

A Stafford man has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years for the rape of a teenage boy.

A man has been arrested after reports elderly people being scammed in Wolverhampton.

A further three coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the Black Country and Staffordshire.

Plans have been lodged with council bosses for a temporary transit site for travellers in Walsall – in a bid to reduce the number of unauthorised encampments.

The Duke of Cambridge has said he is "totally overwhelmed by the scale of the burden" faced by the "incredible heroes" who are helping tackle the pandemic in war-torn countries.

No arrests have been made more than three weeks after a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run in the Black Country.

An investigation is underway after two Land Rovers were stolen from South Staffordshire.

Three garden walls have been damaged after a car crashed in Wednesbury.

Buildings across the Black Country have been lit up purple to mark census day today.

A 'drop and collect' Covid-19 home testing operation is now underway in parts of Oldbury and Tipton – in a bid to find any more cases of South African variant of the virus.

Work to pave the way for the £55 million construction of two railway stations in the Black Country will begin this spring – following the final approval of Government funding.

A further eight coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.

More than 26.8 million people have now received their first dose of vaccine.

New aerial images have revealed the transformation of disused brownfield land into a £120 million university campus in Wolverhampton.