Police forces are urging the public to give up any guns under a two-week surrender starting today.

Anyone handing over a firearm at their local police station during the fortnight will not face prosecution for illegal possession.

Speaking at the launch in Birmingham, Assistant Chief Constable Helen McMillan, National Police Chiefs' Council lead for criminal use of firearms, said gun crime had risen in the past year and they wanted weapons out of harm's way.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

After a bright and frosty start to the day, cloud will build but staying dry with highs of 7C (45F).

Officers said they were still searching for two white men who were dressed in dark clothing.

How Coventry is looking outside its borders to meet the "significant" demand for new homes.

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Shaun Murphy will meet in Sunday's Champion of Champions final at Coventry's Ricoh Arena.

Alex MacDonald is the hero for Mansfield as his superb 84th-minute strike hands his side victory at Coventry.

A group of raiders used the bulldozer to remove the cash machine before using a getaway vehicle.

The collection, found in a railway enthusiast's garage, beats auctioneers' expectations.

Rebecca Wood
BBC Midlands Today

The cloud will increase this evening with outbreaks of rain developing.

There will be some heavy bursts in places before the rain begins to ease by morning with lows of 6C (43F).

Sarah Bishop
BBC Midlands Today

A memorial service has been held in a tiny Warwickshire village for a local soldier who died in one of the lesser known battles of World War One.

Joseph Spencer was 21 when he was killed in Macedonia by machine gun fire, in the trenches, fighting against Bulgarian forces.

His brother Charlie survived the war and is buried in the churchyard in Winderton.

Your can see my full report on Midlands Today at 18:30 on BBC One.

Daniel Wainwright
Data unit - English regions

The gender pay gap varies across the West Midlands, but the majority of places do see men in full-time jobs earning more on average than women.

The highest difference is in Solihull with 26%, but Warwickshire is not far behind on 23% and Wolverhampton on 18%.

Stoke-on-Trent is one of the few places in the country where women's average pay was greater than men's (by just 1%) with the gap in hourly earnings at £0.14.

The BBC has been researching the issue using data from the Office for National Statistics and you can find out the gap and more information using our interactive map on the BBC website.

The teenagers are alleged to have been kidnapped, raped, and sexually assaulted in Rugby in 1998.

Wasps Netball have re-signed four players ahead of the defence of their Superleague title.

The England pair of Natalie Haythornthwaite and Rachel Dunn will return - alongside the World Youth Cup bronze medallist Francesca Williams and Lucy Harris

Campaigners highlight 10 November as the point in 2017 when a woman on an average wage stops being paid relative to their male counterparts.

But in some parts of the UK, the gender pay gap is so wide, it is as though women work unpaid from September.

Use our interactive map on this page to work out what the gender pay gap is in your area.

Coventry Telegraph

Some of the stories in today's Coventry Telegraph include:

• Hooded teen robber has sentence cut - because he didn't know about machete, external
• Fans ordered to sit where they're told , external- while surrounded by 30,000 empty seats
• Three-car-crash on M6 sparks rush-hour delays, external

Wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose says Warwickshire's young players should be given the empowerment to drive the club forward.

Work has begun on a clean transport lab on Coventry University’s Technology Park, in a £30m collaboration, external between the university and German-based international engineering firm FEV.

Image source, Coventry University

The new low-carbon technology centre is being built next door to the university’s recently launched £7m National Transport Design Centre.

International names in the automotive and aerospace industries are expected to use the facility to develop cleaner transport technologies, the university said.

A Coventry man has been charged with two counts of rape, one of kidnap and also possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear.

The alleged offences occurred in 1998 in Rugby against two teenage girls, police say, external.

The 55-year-old is also charged with possessing a knife in connection with an alleged incident on Wednesday 8 November this year.

Signs from "lost" English railway stations, including Chilvers Coton, near Coventry, are to be auctioned today.

The stations all closed in the 1960s and 70s during the so-called Beeching cuts.

Image source, Friends of Warwickshire Railways

The signs form part of a collection of railway memorabilia which could fetch up to £60,000, auctioneers said.

The items will be sold later at the Chippenham auction house.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner is trying to recruit more civilians to help safeguard the welfare of prisoners. , external

Image source, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner

Custody visitors go into cells to check those being held by police are being treated fairly.

Last year they visited more than 2,500 people locked up in the West Midlands.

Volunteers are needed particularly in the Coventry, Oldbury, Perry Barr and Wolverhampton areas.