Police were dealing with environmental activists on Friday morning after a group blocked access to a West Midlands oil terminal.

The energy price cap for those on default tariffs who pay by direct debit is rising from £1,277 to £1,971 from April 1.

Unveiling his 'living with Covid' plan, Boris Johnson has said there is no longer a legal requirement to isolate for those who test positive.

The RAC claimed many motorists will be unfairly punished once councils across England get the power to enforce yellow box junctions.

Higher energy prices are not the only way households and businesses are set to feel the pinch.

Three youths have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder a man who was shot dead.

Most people will now need to shop on the high street for paid-for tests if they want them.

Work has started on an £850,000 revamp of Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust’s almshouses.

The British wife of a Ukrainian-born woman said the visa scheme took away the humanity of her relatives.

‘President Putin is not the force he used to be,’ Ben Wallace has said.

‘It just seems crazy that we’re asking people to do forms first in a humanitarian crisis, in the middle of a war zone,’ Simon Hay said.

Steph Christensen, from Cornwall-based ShelterBox, said support has been given to thousands of people fleeing to continental Europe.

The exchange of control happened amid growing indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation in Ukraine as cover to regroup.

Organisers of a concert in Bridgnorth this weekend to raise funds for Ukraine say they have been delighted with the “excellent” advance ticket sales so far.

More than £2,000 has been raised towards installing a public defibrillator at a school in Staffordshire after almost 70 people turned out for a sponsored walk.

A pharmacy in the Black Country has sent medical supplies to the Ukraine after ordering extra to help those most in need amid Russia's invasion.

A charity black-tie ball set to drum up tens of thousands of pounds has been cancelled because the Wolverhampton hotel where it was due to be held is to continue as a courtroom for longer than planned.

A crash investigation found no defects on a car being driven by a man accused of causing the death of a baby near Walsall.

Transport bosses have admitted they are struggling to get people onto public transport as it emerged there are now more cars on the road in the West Midlands than before the pandemic.

A drugged-up danger driver who led police on a chase was read the riot act for "hurtling around in a ton of metal" after smoking a joint.

Delegates from a host of Commonwealth nations were given a guided tour of the venues their athletes will compete at during the summer.

Prmie Minister Boris Johnson has hailed work to transform Stafford's Shire Hall – as council chiefs confirmed the iconic pile is on track for an early summer reopening.

The lives of those lost in the Falklands War will be honoured at a ceremony in Wolverhampton.

A 76-year-old veteran fundraiser is getting ready to take on a wild camping trek along the south of the country for the second time.

Roger Goodwin observed the Falklands War from the front line. He spoke to Peter Rhodes 10 years on, in 1992, reproduced here.

A Stourbridge woman who worked in factories during the Second World War is celebrating her 100th birthday with her family this week.

Express & Star columnist Peter Rhodes regaled visitors to an arts festival with ripping yarns about his half century in journalism.

Residents are being urged to start sprucing up their neighbourhoods ready for the re-launch of a long-running best-kept village competition.

An Olympic swimming champion is offering schools across the region investment to maintain and keep swimming pool facilities open.

Peter Rhodes visited the Falklands in July 1988. Here in an article reproduced fom the time, he saw how even in death, the vanquished struggled for dignity.

One Centenary Way, a landmark commercial building in the heart of Birmingham and a new gateway to the city’s rapidly expanding commercial core, marked another milestone as it was officially topped out.

Councils criticised for sending staff to a major property conference on the French Riviera meant to attract investors say it was worth every penny - with some already landing deals.

A man has been sent to prison for rape after being investigated for having indecent images of a child on his electronic devices.

The letter warns of children experiencing ‘severe trauma – both physical and psychological’ as a result of air strikes.

A councillor could become the first LGBT+ Mayor of Sandwell after being nominated by the Labour group.

The Chief of the Defence Staff said Vladimir Putin was a ‘weaker and more diminished figure today’ than he was before the invasion.

Sir Howard Morrison QC will act as an independent adviser to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova.

Digbeth Dining Club is coming to Wolverhampton, Stafford, Dudley, Brierley Hill and Lichfield to celebrate its tenth birthday.

Customers have been advised to send in their readings ahead of a jump in energy prices on Friday.

An allegation that a Tory candidate standing in the 2019 general election had previously sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy was not "taken very seriously" by the party's press office, a court has heard.

Inna Sovsun, the deputy leader of the Holos Party, said her country needs weapons to remove Russia from its territory.

Both Russia and the West are competing for Indian support in the wider geopolitical dispute triggered by the invasion of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to US President Joe Biden for more help.

Earlier this month, the company paused all sales in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, affecting 185 stores.

The head of GCHQ said Vladimir Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth about the state of the conflict.

The club wants to be to strike a balance between its heritage and being ‘socially aware’.

Valeriia Starkova and nine members of her family, aged between 10 and 90, are now living in Caldecote, Cambridgeshire.

The Kremlin-funded TV-Novosti broadcaster and the organisation behind the Sputnik news agency have been hit with sanctions.

No 10 said the Government would respond in due course.

He is accused over an incident in Cheshire last September.

Russian football’s governing body is not suspended from FIFA, but its national teams and club sides are.

Parking charges will not be reintroduced for NHS staff at the majority of hospitals in the Black Country and Staffordshire when the Government scraps free parking tomorrow.

A 20-year-old carpenter died after he lost control of his van and hit a tree in a horrific crash, an inquest has heard.

About 48,000 households across Wolverhampton will not automatically receive the £150 council tax rebate they are due in April.

A West Bromwich Albion fan who made racist monkey gestures has received a lifetime ban from the club.

Tributes have been paid to a former Black Country police chief who was an inspiration to his colleagues.

Plans to create a modern health and wellbeing facility alongside new homes on the site of a former training centre in Wolverhampton are set to be approved by city council bosses.

A man and a woman found dead in a flat died as result of gunshot wounds.

Council chiefs have signed off on plans that could see up to £1.8 billion ploughed into Sandwell over the next five years.

"The numbers coming to us needing more help has increased and we can't see that ending any time soon."

The PA news agency takes a look at the other cost pressures facing consumers and businesses.

Tram bosses are ‘very confident’ the tram system will be back up and running in time for the Commonwealth Games despite concerns.

A Conservative councillor de-selected by his own local branch of the party will contest another seat in the upcoming election, it has been confirmed.

The last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis will be visiting Cannock for a knockout night next month.

The event featured performances from Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sande.

A city’s two remaining rapid Covid-19 test centres have closed for the final time.

The Ladder for the Black Country campaign is stepping up efforts at the start of the new financial year tomorrow to encourage young people to consider apprenticships.

Sutton Coldfield RFC showed how caring the rugby community is by raising more than £1,600 to support the family of a player who tragically died last month.

A councillor for Sandwell council has resigned his position as cabinet member.

A Wolverhampton man has been charged with a series of shop burglaries and criminal damage after several police cars were rammed during a pursuit in Walsall.

Ten new apartments are to be built on the site of a former garage forecourt in Wolverhampton after planning bosses gave the go-ahead.

Shocking bodycam footage captured the moment a pair of brothers pulled knives on two police officers and attacked them in front of horrified shoppers.

The Government’s price cap rise comes into force on Friday.

A new seven-day contraflow is being introduced on Junction 10 of the M6 on Friday with drivers warned to expect delays.

A house which was built without proper planning permission has finally been demolished, but the five-year nightmare isn't completely over for neighbours.

“My children are so scared and upset and won’t go to school after what has happened.”

A man who died from brain cancer is the inspiration behind a three-day fundraiser for Brain Tumour Research that took place in Wolverhampton.

The family of a Wolves fan who died from Covid-19 has raised more than £3,000 for a hospital's intensive care unit due to their "kindness and compassion".

Birmingham's 'golden mile' in and around Broad Street could soon be hosting night markets, huge New Year’s Eve celebration events and the biggest real ale festival in the UK.

Restoration work has finished on Wednesbury's famous Clock Tower that was built in 1911 to commemorate the coronation of George V.

Works are set to start for planned improvements to public spaces in Wednesbury town centre.

"They've always said a good marriage is about pulling together and it's served them well for 65 years."

Karting enthusiasts are invited to join the 10th anniversary charity race in memory of a Cannock racer who tragically died from leukaemia.

A man accused of causing the death of an 18-day-old baby by dangerous driving had cannabis in his system, a jury has heard.

Two women from Kingswinford have raised a fortune by immersing themselves in freezing water – canals included.

Wolverhampton Council is backing a campaign highlighting the importance of cervical screening, which is estimated to prevent 70 per cent of cervical cancer deaths in England.

A couple who met when they were teenagers in 1957 are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary.

A Black Country MP has launched a probe into the strength of Britain's air defences amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Parts of the Black Country are to receive a share of £40 million to drive through education improvements.

A school has achieved its best ever inspection grade after being rated as 'requires improvement' in its previous two Ofsted inspections.

Peter Rhodes has met many Falklands veterans over the years. Here we reproduce interviews written by Peter 40 years ago.

A coalition of UK news groups today called on Boris Johnson to take urgent action to tackle the harmful impact of tech platforms on British media and publishing.

The Mayor of Dudley has paid a visit to a busy shopping centre as part of an initiative which highlights local business.

The full facts should be presented.

A community centre in Walsall is gearing up for its spring fair with the hope it will help it recover from the pandemic.

MPs supported retaining the service by 215 votes to 188, majority 27 following a free vote.

A pair of brothers have been found not guilty of attempting to murder two police officers at a shopping centre.

There has been a 'significant increase' in ambulances handover delays at hospitals experienced by West Midlands Ambulance Service crews, a new report says.

At least 201 cases where mothers or babies died in the care of a county hospital trust had significant or major concerns where better care could have led to a different outcome, a major inquiry has found.

Five people - including two teenagers - have been cleared of the murder of 14-year-old Dea-John Reid.