City News in 250 Words: Thursday 7 July

THE METROLINK line, going from the city centre to Chorlton opened this morning. The line is part of the £1.4bn expansion of the Metrolink network which will see the number of trams rising from 30 to about 100. There are also plans to extend the network to Oldham, Rochdale, Ashton, Droylsden and Manchester Airport and to add a second line across Manchester city centre.

NOEL GALLAGHER has announced the details of his first solo album after leaving Oasis in 2009. The album High Flying Birds, features ten tracks and will be released in October and followed by a tour. Discussing his fans’ acceptance of the album, Gallagher said “I wrote every song for that band [Oasis] so I'm assuming they will like some aspects of it”.

RICKY HATTON looks set to confirm the end of his boxing career today. The local boxer and former two-weight champion hasn’t been in the ring since his defeat to Manny Pacquiao in 2009, only the second defeat in his career. In recent years he has built a successful promotions business representing some of Britain’s top boxers.

POLICE are appealing for help to find two robbers who targeted the Post Office on Stretford Road in Hulme on Friday, holding a replica firearm to a cashier’s head and demanding she opened the till. The alarm was sounded and the men fled the shop, when one of the men was hit by a car and left his shoe, a colourful Nike trainer, and the gun behind.

Fact of the day: This week in 1983 The Smiths played the Hacienda, Manchester, for the second time. The band was yet to release its debut album.

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