A pedestrian has died after a crash in Birmingham.

Pints inside pubs and hugs inside homes were the order of the day as lockdown restrictions were eased once more.

The ONS said the number of payroll workers rose by 97,000 between March and April and the quarterly jobless rate fell to 4.8%.

Serial killer Fred West has long been suspected of murdering 15-year-old Mary Bastholm, who disappeared in January 1968 in Gloucester

The number out of work in the West Midlands fell in the three months to January and the numbers claiming unemployment benefits last month were also down.

Home repairs group HomeServe saw strong growth in turnover for its latest financial year.

The US government has yet to announce how the vaccines will be shared or which countries will receive them.

Thailand had about 7,100 cases including 63 deaths in all of last year, in what was regarded as a success story in containing the virus.

India has recorded nearly 280,000 virus deaths since the pandemic began.

The front pages focus on the relaxing of pandemic measures as the Indian mutation continues to spread throughout the UK.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the shot.

GP Survival say they have ‘no confidence’ in NHS England medical director for primary care Nikki Kanani.

Adults with young children are now able to meet up indoors in groups of up to 30 in England.

The variant has become the dominant strain in parts of the North West of England.

The Health Secretary said most hospital cases in Bolton were people eligible for the jab but who did not take it up.

The spread of the new B.1.617.2 has raised concerns that further lockdown easing may be delayed.

Legionella and Fire Safe Services is returning to its roots in Lichfield.

Holidaymakers at Birmingham Airport have been "really excited" to be travelling again after international travel was backed by the Government.

A record number of patients were waiting for routine treatment at hospital trusts in the Black Country and Staffordshire in March, new figures reveal.

The building of a new supermarket on the site of a hotel in Wolverhampton will have a "big impact" on the nearby population through noise and pollution, a councillor has said.

A fugitive from Walsall set up shop as a drug dealer in Exeter during four years in which he was on the run from police in the Midlands, a court has heard.

There were smiles all around as the Black Country Living Museum welcomed back visitors after six months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A major international hotel chain is in talks with Wolverhampton Council over plans to open a new hotel in the city centre.

"We've been isolated for so long, so it's just really nice to get out and socialise again."

An author has published a debut children's book to raise awareness of homelessness.

Maintenance company manager Dominic Atkiss has been getting some strange looks as he walks barefoot to the shops.

Covid-19 outbreaks in Glasgow and Moray mean these areas remain in Level 3 restrictions while the rest of Scotland moved into Level 2 on Monday.

Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage visited Dudley Canal and River Trust as it reopened following Covid rules lifting.

An old phone box has been saved and renovated for the community after a campaign.

A prominent old Brierley Hill formal menswear shop could be converted into apartments for key workers.

A Black Country drug dealer serving a nine-year prison term has been ordered to pay back more than £90,000 or face extra time behind bars.

John and Victoria Perfect left Birmingham Airport in a rainstorm.

Usman Khan killed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt in London before he was shot dead by police on London Bridge.

West Brom defender Semi Ajayi has revealed he's been the target of racist abuse via social media.

Police have launched an investigation after a group of men attacked a house with weapons in the West Midlands.

The Empire Cinema in Sutton Coldfield will be reopening from the end of next week.

Pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes in Wales can offer indoor service from Monday for the first time since December as coronavirus restrictions are eased and the country moves into alert level two.

Passenger numbers have more than doubled at Birmingham Airport as delighted holidaymakers boarded flights for the first time in months.

Travellers have moved onto a council-owned site in Lichfield.

A Black Country fitness instructor says she is delighted to be teaching once again – as indoor fitness group sessions resumed in line with Government guidance.

Sprinklers are being retrospectively fitted in a five-storey block of flats to the relief of residents.

Two new coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in Staffordshire and Birmingham – but none in the Black Country.

A former pub has been demolished and foundation work for 12 homes has begun.

A mobile Covid-19 rapid testing unit has relocated to New Cross Hospital to support the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to safely reintroduce visiting to its wards.

Health bosses are advising residents not to travel to areas with high levels of the Indian variant of coronavirus.

The Office for National Statistics said that more than a quarter of people had worked at home at least part of the time.

Hugging loved ones and household socialising will return as rules are relaxed in most of Scotland.

A hospital trust's radiology cardiac CT team has been commended for reducing the number of people waiting for scans delayed due to the pandemic.

A a blaze which destroyed a former trouble-hit pub is being treated as arson.

The rate of new cases in Bolton among those aged 10-19 is more than eight times the rate for people 60 and over.

Chief executive Sean Doyle said there are ‘many reasons why people need to travel’.

Work has begun to dismantle a 19th century library which is to be rebuilt brick by brick at the Black Country Living Museum.

Thousands of holidaymakers boarded international flights on Monday morning, with many heading to Portugal.

No trams will be running on a stretch of the West Midlands Metro while a bridge over the tracks is demolished later this month.

A survey for the John Smith Centre at Glasgow University found 51% of people thought the current arrangements should continue.

Visitors queued outside the National Gallery in London.

Experts hope to assess vaccine safety and whether protective antibodies are passed to babies.

A famous engine which powered the Spitfire and Wolverhampton's own Boulton Paul Defiant has been donated to a transport museum.

An annual charity bike ride around one of Shropshire's most famous landmarks took a different turn this year, managing to raise hundreds of pounds for a hospice.

The spread of the Indian variant of concern did not deter some drinkers from enjoying their new-found freedom to have a pint indoors.

A former bar in Wolverhampton city centre which has stood empty for years will be converted into a restaurant and apartments.

On Friday, the Prime Minister warned that the threat posed by the Indian variant could jeopardise the final stage of England’s road map.

Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier said the sum was ‘eye-watering’.

The veteran airline chief executive said there is ‘no doubt’ that flights will be more expensive next year.

Companies will invest around £2.8 billion in total under the new schemes.

Passengers have set off on the first flights to Faro in Portugal from Gatwick Airport as restrictions were eased in England and Wales on Monday.

A drive-in coronavirus testing centre in Dudley is being moved to ensure everybody in the borough can get tested.

Lockdown relaxations continue on Monday.

A new survey by CIPD / Adecco found that far more businesses expect to hire staff compared with those planning on making redundancies.

The video platform had launched a new campaign with the NHS urging people to get the jab.

Cyclone Tauktae, which has already killed six people in parts of southern India.

The country has been fighting a surge in infections.

The relaxation of the rules applies to England and Wales from Monday.

The Health Secretary insisted it was right to continue with the easing of restrictions despite concerns over the Indian coronavirus variant.

There is a traffic light system for travel from England and Wales from Monday.

Residents can have up to five named visitors and leave the home for more activities without needing to self-isolate on their return.

Returning students will be expected to get tested for Covid-19 twice a week throughout the summer term.

The airline expects to benefit from a ‘strong rebound of pent up travel demand’ through the second half of 2021.

The national papers are led on Monday by the easing of lockdown measures in England.

Bosses said there was a high immune response after a single dose.

Severn Trent's green recovery plans which include encouraging wild swimming and installing smart metres have been endorsed by the water regulator.

The day has come – people wanting a coffee, a pizza or a pint can now finally get inside, out of the cold.

A tide of pent-up demand for pubs and restaurants was today being unleashed as the hospitality sector is finally able to open its doors to indoor customers.

"People have missed that interaction with each other, so reopening will give them that chance again."

A dangerous driver who reached speeds of more than 100mph while trying to escape police has been jailed for 16 months.

Nobody has been charged in connection with the deaths of two children more than two years after they were killed in a crash on a busy route.

A working farm that has been turned into a major adventure experience is hoping to attract 150,000 visitors a year if lockdown rules allow it to stay open.

Mike Chinn of production company Stone’s Throw Media is part of a city economic growth board. A proud Wulfrunian, he today speaks of a bright future.

On this day 23 years ago the world's most powerful men were meeting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border.

Plans have been submitted for a new holiday complex to help boost tourism in South Staffordshire and the Black Country.

A teacher of English is preparing to return to her old classrooms in Wolverhampton as an inspirational speaker after her first book found success.

Here's one way to brush up on your maths and have fun at the same time.

Vandals smashed windows and stole van keys from a Black Country charity shop - causing around £1,000 worth of damage.

Anti-racism campaign Hope Not Hate has called for the Conservative Party to suspend Michael Fabricant.

Volunteers with metal detectors are joining West Midlands Police searching for weapons in the Black Country.

The Health Secretary said it is ‘appropriate’ to push on with the major easing of lockdown in England.

The Government said it is on track to hit its target of offering a first jab to all adults by the end of July.

Plans for a new multi-million pound special school in Dudley have been lodged with council bosses.

The Black Country Living Museum is taking part in an international "museum marathon" on social media.

There is a traffic light system for international travel.