It was forty years ago that Oldham Council began the building of the imposing 200ft Civic Centre tower, but not many know the secret of what lies underneath it.

Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones wants to add World Championships gold to her CV after a flying start to 2015 when she heads into battle at the May 12-18 tournament in Russia.

Lutalo Muhammad, Great Britain’s male representative in the -87kg category for the May 12-18 World Taekwondo Championships in Russia, already has his eye on the 2016 Rio Olympics after a fine start to 2015.

Manchester’s Jordan Gayle, Britain’s male representative in the -63kg category for the May 12-18 World Taekwondo Championships in Russia, says his home nation’s squad is one of the best.

Manchester’s Mahama Cho, Great Britain’s male representative in the +87kg category for the May 12-18 World Taekwondo Championships in Russia, is looking to turn a rollercoaster season around.

The Chairman of the Manchester transgender charity Sparkle has condemned the Russian law banning transgender people from driving.

Masha, on loan from the Zoological Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is a rare specimen and is preserved in permafrost.

Airliner easyJet are considering at cancelling flights from Manchester Airport bound for Tel Aviv after a rocket landed near the Israeli airport.

TreeStation provides woodfuel to Greater Manchester homes and businesses.

John Alder and Liam Sweeney, 28, were on flight MH17, from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, bound for New Zealand to support their team, when it crashed in Eastern Ukraine yesterday

The Belgium captain, who was crocked for the Red Devils’ 1-0 win over South Korea in their World Cup Group H finale, is a doubt for Tuesday’s clash with the United States of America.