'I was a single mum living in a tiny Cheetham Hill flat - now I'm a top boss at BT'

Jurors in the trial of Thomas Cashman have been told they will bear a 'heavy responsibility' when they are sent to deliberate on the murder charge tomorrow.

Nearly a third of people living in Manchester can’t name a single symptom of a potentially fatal illness, new analysis has found.

Highly-rated RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol has admitted that he recently had a conversation with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola - but has warned that he does not expect to leave the German club this forthcoming this summer.

Unaware Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo was left shocked by a reporter who broke the news that he had a new Bayern Munich boss following Portugal’s 4-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Liechtenstein on Thursday evening.

Manchester United and Man City have been given a degree of Premier League fixture clarity ahead of the run-in.

Empire State Bastard have released their debut single ‘Harvest’ – you can listen to it below.The group, which is the side-project of Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil and Mike Vennart (Biffy live guitarist, solo artist, and ex-Oceansize singer), teased the track earlier this month after announcing a brief UK tour.“Empires fall, States rise, B*stards sing…it’s Harvest time mother*ckers!” the group said in a statement upon the brutal noise/metal song arriving today (March 24) via Roadrunner Records.Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, Fantomas) played drums on the single, and will perform in ESB’s live band alongside Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon) on bass.Per a press release, ‘Harvest’ “emerged from the dark recesses of the duo’s mind, inspired by spending downtime during Biffy Clyro tours by sharing the heaviest, most avant-garde or the most sickeningly confrontational music they could find”.In turn, Empire State Bastard ended up with a collection of tunes that “adventurously probes almost every dark crevice imaginable from the myriad sounds of metal and genre-adjacent extremity”.This month will see the band play a trio of intimate sold-out gigs in Glasgow (March 26), Manchester (27) and London (28).

A mum who lived an 'extravagant' lifestyle funded by her drug boss boyfriend avoided jail as a judge told her the career criminal had 'ruined her life'. Georgia Harkness, 27, began a relationship with Salford drug dealer Ashley Blackett after they met in prison, while he was serving time and she worked as a prison nurse.

New Order have backed the #LetTheMusicMove campaign against proposed changes to US visa rules that would impact touring artists.Last month saw the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announce that it was planning to raise touring visa fees for foreign acts by more than 250 per cent.The DHS said in its proposal that applications for a P visa, which is for acts arriving in the states to perform temporarily, would increase from the current rate of $460 (£375.23) to $1,615 (£1,317). Meanwhile, the longer-term O work visa would jump from $460 (£375.23) to $1,655 (£1,349).Numerous musicians have since spoken out against the plans, saying that it would be “a huge hardship to pay such high visa fees”.

Empire State Bastard have teased their debut single ‘Harvest’ – listen to a clip below.The band, which is the side project of Biffy Clyro singer and guitarist Simon Neil and Mike Vennart (Biffy Clyro live guitarist, solo artist, and ex-Oceansize frontman), shared the teaser on Instagram today (March 16).In the accompanying caption, they shared that the single would officially be released on March 24, featuring Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, Fantomas) on drums.The band previously shared a first teaser of music in February, before going on to announce a spring tour.Empire State Bastard kick the shows off in Glasgow on March 26 at Cathouse before heading to Manchester’s Rebellion on March 27 and London’s The Underworld on March 28. Tickets for shows are available here.A post shared by Empire State Bastard (@esb666_)Elsewhere, the band have announced that they are set to appear at French metal festival Hellfest alongside Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden and Slipknot in Clisson from June 15-18.

Barcelona manager Xavi has already spoken to Ilkay Gundogan as he attempts to lure the Manchester City midfielder to the Nou Camp, according to reports in Spain.

Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Gillian Gilbert of New Order spoke today (March 15) at this year’s SXSW and discussed becoming musicians, the evolution of their sound and growing up in Manchester.The trio were keynote speakers at the annual tech and marketing festival, in conversation with Will Hodgkinson, rock and pop critic of The Times. Andy Burnham, Mayor of Manchester, introduced the keynote, calling New Order “the ultimate Manchester band” before adding that it was “a big statement”.The band kicked off their chat by discussing how they weren’t necessarily “anti-musicians” but they were “anti-success”, with Sumner pointing to growing up working class before “punk came along” giving him the chance to express himself, without being a virtuoso. “I didn’t want to be famous, I didn’t care about that at all.

They Might Be Giants have announced a new string of UK tour dates – playing their fan favourite ‘Flood’ in full. Check out full dates and ticket details below.The UK shows come as a newly-added extension to the band’s ongoing Evening With tour, which is currently taking place across the United States.

Eloise has shared a new single ‘Therapist’ and announced a UK and European tour for June – see details below and buy tickets here.The London-based singer-songwriter is set to unveil her long-awaited debut album ‘Drunk On A Flight’ on April 14 via AWAL, and is previewing it with an upbeat soul-pop track.“Ending a long-term relationship at 23, you feel such a loss of time and adolescence and that can make you so frustrated,” she explained of inspiration behind the track. “What have I learned from all of this? And what am I stuck with at the end of all of this? My songwriting has always been honest, but this feels raw – like I’m exploring all the shades of emotion.”Watch the video for ‘Therapist’ and see Eloise’s 2023 tour dates below.

Jack Grealish led the praise from Manchester City players for their 'absolute ball magnet' Erling Haaland after his five goals against RB Leipzig.

Sofia Kourtesis has shared a new single – listen to the openhearted and upbeat ‘Madres’ below.The track marks the Peruvian artist’s first new music of 2023, following the release of her Manu Chao collaboration ‘Estación Esperanza’ in January last year.“This song is about my mother, her mother, my sisters who are mothers, my brothers who are mothers, and all the LGBTQIA+ members who are mothers to their communities,” says Kourtesis. “Madres has no gender.

Trafford council appears to have back-tracked on its plan to ‘dispose’ of Altrincham Town Hall following a tide of local protest. A move to sell a 25-year-lease on the historic building to a childcare company has been ditched with community groups now invited to tender alternative bids.

Armed police swooped on a cul-de-sac after a man was 'hit over the head with a bottle of Grey Goose vodka'. A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of GBH following the incident in Heywood on Saturday morning.

A man sparked a huge emergency services response after scaling scaffolding at Trafford Town Hall. Scott Wright, 33, caused a four-hour road closure on December 29 last year.

NME Award-winning BERWYN has released new single ‘Bulletproof’ ahead of his nine-day European tour.The Trinidadian-born, Romford-raised musician has launched his first musical release since his 2022 comeback single ‘Path To Satisfaction’ and the double release ‘3450 / Chasing Lights (demo)’.BERWYN continues the reflective streak in his music, shifting his focus in the process after a “genuinely enlightening trip” to his home of Trinidad reigniting deep-rooted emotions.•READ MORE: BERWYN: Romford underdog’s soul-baring rap is helping those in need“‘Bulletproof’ is less about me and more about the people around me,” he said. “It’s another part of my personality: I’m willing to do anything for the people around me.”He continued: “It also highlights the dangers of my job and exposes me as an individual with troubles.

Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has explained his thinking behind benching Tommy Doyle after the Manchester City loanee was dropped for the recent games at Blackburn and Reading.