Drivers being abused, a bus that 'never shows up' and a joke about Spain: Lessons from an eventful 13-mile Greater Manchester commute that took me two-and-a-half hours

Jack Harlow and Harry Styles have entered a very tight battle for Number 1 in the UK this week.

LONDON -- British author Jack Higgins, who wrote “The Eagle Has Landed” and other bestselling thrillers and espionage novels, has died. He was 92.Publisher HarperCollins said that Higgins died at his home on the English Channel island of Jersey surrounded by his family.Born Henry Patterson in in Newcastle, England, in July 1929, Higgins served in the military before studying sociology at the London School of Economics.

Jack White took to the field at Comerica Park in Detroit yesterday (April 8) to perform the US national anthem – you can watch his performance below.The former White Stripes frontman played an instrumental version of the anthem before the Detroit Tigers’ baseball game against the Chicago White Sox. The performance coincided with the release of his fourth solo album, ‘Fear Of The Dawn’.For the performance, White was backed by bassist Dominic Davis, keyboardist Quincy McCrary, and drummer Daru Jones – the same trio set to accompany White on his ‘Supply Chain Issues Tour’.It comes after White previously threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Tigers game against the White Sox back in 2014.You can see White’s performance below:Native Detroiter Jack White performs the national anthem on Opening Day.

Jack White is married!

She’s been documenting her pregnancy to her 1.5million Instagram followers, and on Wednesday 31 March, reality TV star Jess Wright, 35, posted an up-close snap of her burgeoning baby bump, pointing out the section where her unborn baby was ‘sticking his bum out’.The ex-The Only Way Is Essex star also revealed on the same Instagram Story post that she was experiencing pregnancy pains, saying: “My pelvic / back pains have made a return & I’m in agony!” She continued: “Just when I thought my heartburn had subsided a bit…Boom!” Jess is expecting her first child, a son, with husband William Lee-Kemp this spring. She announced in January that her unborn child was a boy– and that it was "the biggest surprise ever" – with a dramatic fireworks display at their gender reveal party.The sister of TOWIE star Mark Wright let the world know she was expecting a baby in November 2021 with an intimate black and white snap posted to Instagram.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBlue Note New York has announced the 11th Annual Sony Presents Blue Note Jazz Festival. The festival kicks off on June 1 with a free show in Washington Square Park headlined by Robert Glasper — who performed on the Oscars Sunday night — in association with Washington Square Park Conservancy.Taking place at major venues across New York City, including Blue Note New York, Sony Hall, The Town Hall, and SummerStage in Central Park, this year’s festival features performances from George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Chris Botti, Charles Lloyd, Macy Gray, Kenny G, Al Di Meola, Madeleine Peyroux, Dave Holland & Kenny Barron, Robert Cray, Kenny Garrett, José James, Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), Bilal, DOMi & JD Beck, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Theo Croker and so many more legends, with a major headliner announcement on April 26.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Warner Bros Europe executive Josh Berger has been appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees at the UK’s Brit School.

Michael López-Alegría will command the company’s first spaceflight, and he isn’t going alone. The former NASA astronaut will visit Earth’s orbit with Axiom’s first customers, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe.Suppose the business people get hungry while one space; they don’t have to eat astronauts‘ go-to freeze-dried meals.

EXCLUSIVE: Carolina Gaitán, the Colombian actress and singer who voiced Pepa in Disney’s Encanto and will perform at the Oscars on Sunday, is leading the cast of survival thriller Quicksand.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are in Spain promoting their new movie!

People in Greater Manchester have been sharing their views on the current state of our bus network.

Joe Leydon Film CriticIt may sound counterintuitive at best, tone-deaf at worse, to label a documentary focused on food providers aiding people in the wake of disasters as a feel-good movie. But that’s an honest, accurate and, yes, appreciative label for “We Feed People,” Ron Howard’s technically polished and emotionally stirring close-up view of celebrity chef José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen.The movie effectively begins in media res, with the robustly gregarious Andrés and his dedicated crew  years into their vocation, providing hot meals to isolated residents of Wilmington, N.C., in the wake of 2018’s Hurricane Florence — and coming perilously close to tasting their own disaster when floodwaters almost topple their delivery truck — before backing up to explain just who Andrés is and what started him on his mission.A native of Spain, Andrés moved to the U.S.

Sharon Horgan & Michael Sheen To Lead Jack Thorne’s ‘Best Interests’

Paramount Worldwide Acquisition Group has locked down worldwide distribution rights to the action-thriller Sheroes, starring Sasha Luss (Anna), Wallis Day (Infinite), Isabelle Furhman (The Novice), Skai Jackson (Jesse) and Jack Kesy (Without Remorse), which recently wrapped production in Thailand. Plans for its release have not yet been disclosed.

Bus passengers could soon be travelling across Greater Manchester for no more than £2 a ticket in a new era for public transport, it will be announced today.