Andy Burnham explains why he wants Greater Manchester schools to close - and have no exams this academic year

A gripping new crime documentary on Netflix has captivated viewers around the world as subscribers have been left astounded by the fraudulent actions of The Tinder Swindler, Simon Leviev.

Scotland's weather this weekend has called for six flood warnings to be issued as parts of the country face a battering of heavy rain.

A Wishaw football team have questioned North Lanarkshire Council’s decision to continue to not open changing rooms at a local high school.

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is on course for his worst goal-scoring season since the 2005/06 campaign.Many thought when the Red Devils secured their former hero in the summer that the legendary forward’s return would be a glorious one.While clearly past his prime at 36 when signed, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was coming off the back of a 29-goal campaign for Juventus and fans were at least certain of one thing – goals.But while the Portuguese ace hit the ground running early on in the campaign, his goals have massively dried up for the Red Devils as the season has progressed.

World’s Scariest Man has shown off his speed and footwork as his training ramps up ahead of his fight against the so-called ‘Iranian Hulk’.Martyn Ford will take on Sajad Gharibi in April at the O2 Arena and has been training intensely ahead of the bout.Ford is a towering weightlifter from the West Midlands, standing at 6ft 8in, with his body covered by muscles and tattoos.He bulked up after suffering an injury while playing cricket 19 years ago and now shows off his huge muscles to a social media following of more than three million people.He has kept his followers up to date with his training for his clash with the Iranian Hulk and his latest video shows his speed and footwork.Set up in his boxing gym are four lights and stands, which Ford had to put his hand over when they lit up.With his trainers shouting “keep moving” Ford completed the reaction time test, moving left to right to scan the lights.The video was 30 seconds long and while he admitted that he has “work to do”, Ford believes it is an important skill.Who do you think will win April's fight between Martyn Ford and the Iranian Hulk? Let us know in the comments section...“Getting the body and the mind working simultaneously is so important for all sports, the only difference is in this sport, you get punished badly if you make a mistake,” he wrote as the caption for the video.“I know its slow, I know I have work to do .... that's what excites me, the JOURNEY of improvement.

Russia is likely to invade Ukraine within days plunging the planet into World War 3 as leading spy chiefs warn of an imminent attack. Brits have been urged to flee the country immediately by US embassy staff as fears grow that a Russian invasion could shut down airspace.British nationals have been told to get out by the Foreign Office "while commercial means are still available”.Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has told allies that he fears "for Europe's security".It follows two days after Joe Biden told all American citizens to leave Ukraine urgently as the White House warned an attack could come within the next two days, The Sun reports.Now new reports suggest that Russia will invade Ukraine this Wednesday, February 16, according to German newspaper Der Spiegel.Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are due to hold crunch talks at 4pm UK time today (12 Feb).

Two years ago this month, the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar witnessed a coup d’état, in which the Tatmadaw (the military) seized power from the democratically elected National League for Democracy and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

wedding reception after a family guest had a near-death trauma. Kat Divone, from US, went viral last month when she made a confession of leaving her family members upset on her own wedding."I kept the reception going after one of our guests died in the photo booth," she said.She was swarmed by messages from viewers who asked to know more after she made the one-line comment.Then she went on explaining the guest was her 27-year-old cousin-in-law, who has a pre-existing heart condition.Kat says: "She's at the photobooth in a stereotypical catering hall – a Long Island wedding."Cocktails were over, pictures were taken, my husband and I were mingling and all of a sudden we hear a commotion – we shot off to our bridal suite and I had no idea."Her pre-existing condition acted up, something's not right – cardiac arrest, bang, she's on the floor."Later when the police and paramedics arrived, her cousin-in-law left the wedding "with no pulse" as the first-aid responders took her to hospital."Somebody went into the bridal suite and said 'hey, what do you want to do?' and I said 'well, she left for the hospital so let's keep going' because I didn't see the extent of her s***," Kat continues.Want to bring a little glamour to your life every day with all the most exciting real-life stories, fashion and even sex tips HOT off the press?Well, we've got you covered with our great new Hot Topics newsletter - it'll drop straight into your inbox around 7pm and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.And signing up now means you'll get a front row seat for our great new series inside the lives of the next generation of Daily Star Page 3 girls.You can sign up here - you won't regret it..."She left and we carried on our wedding.

Emmerdale viewers were devastated when Ellis Chapman said goodbye to the village this week - but fans have begun to speculate whether serial killer Meena Jutla was involved with his abrupt exit.Viewers took to social media following Ellis' sudden departure on Wednesday night, which saw him leave for a new job in Australia and say goodbye to the love of his life Priya Sharma.ITV soap bosses did not confirm why Ellis Chapman was leaving Emmerdale, or why actor Aaron Anthony was leaving the soap, leading viewers to speculate whether Ellis' abrupt exit could be linked to Meena's sudden return to the village.With serial killer Meena out for revenge on Ellis' brother Billy Chapman ahead of his wedding to Dawn Taylor, fans have suggested that Ellis could have become another of Meena's victims following his abrupt exit - and that maybe he never made it to the airport at all.Some viewers felt that it was more than a coincidence that Ellis left just as Meena was returning to the village, with one fan saying on Twitter: "Meena is going to kill Ellis and everyone is going to think he’s gone to Australia."A second added: "Imagine if Ellis got bumped off by Meena en route to the airport and nobody ever knew cos they just think he's f***ed off to Australia."A third viewer commented: "I think Meena has kidnapped and murdered Ellis, sending messages from his phone, with a fourth adding: "Who else thinks Meena has got Ellis?? Eek!!!"Before his planned departure for Australia, Ellis had spoken to Billy about his upcoming wedding to Dawn, before saying to his brother: "You and Dawn will come though, yeah? - referring to his new life in Australia.However, Ellis is unaware that Meena has come back to take revenge on Billy and Dawn's special

The Masked Singer.Despite being five months pregnant at the time, Joss was eventually crowned the winner of the hit ITV programme after belting out songs including I Wanna Dance with Somebody, originally by Whitney Houston,Ahead of tonight's grand finale, Joss appeared on BBC Breakfast with Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, reflecting on her experience as a contestant, before taking to the judging panel.But the decision to take part was helped by the fact she was pregnant, Joss claimed to the news anchors.She said: "I had the call, I was like two months pregnant with Violet, so that's my timeline and I remember I got on the call with all these people from The Masked Singer and they were asking me if I'd do this show."I thought 'yes, because when my baby is out, whoever that baby is, is going to find this really funny', so I thought 'definitely'."Joss continued: "That was a decision making thing for me, let's do something really funny and really silly that a kid will like."I don't think I realised until I got to the show what it was really was, I kind of misunderstood it but I had so much fun."Tonight will ditch her iconic Sausage costume as she gives her verdict on the 2022 finalists - Mushroom, Panda and Robobunny.The soul singer is not the only familiar face returning to the wacky guessing game show, with series one champion and Girls Aloud icon Nicola Roberts, comedian Jason Manford and JLS star Aston Merrygold will duet with the remaining contestants.An insider told The Sun: "All four celebrities were sensational finalists on the first two series, so this almost feels like an all-stars episode to see out the ­current season with a bang."It's going to be hilarious to see Jason return to wear his Hedgehog outfit,

NASA is tracking three asteroids that will be making a "close approach" to Earth this Valentine's Day - and one is almost the size of the iconic Arc De Triomphe.The US space agency believes that the largest of the loved-up space trio could be 154 feet wide.To put that into perspective, that's more than half the size of the Statue of Liberty which measures 305 feet.

sex tips on webcam where it boosts people's intimacy.The pair believe that sex is a "natural and healthy thing" so they let others watch them get kinky on webcam.Not only do they post their saucy sessions, Chris and Amy use CamSoda to give viewers an insight to their nights-in too.Now speaking to Daily Star, the couple has opened up about how they hope their venture can help people in bed.And in case you're wondering, Chris and Amy don't find it weird having others watch them, in fact, it's a huge turn on.The couple said: "The thought of being watched is a major turn on. Why not try something new and make some extra money too?"They think their show is kinkier than the average webcam session because it lets people in on their special night.Chris revealed: "You can stay for dinner, but if you play your cards right you can join us in the bedroom."There are a ton of voyeur sites on Camsoda, viewers just like to watch real people at home, unscripted doing their thing."The simple truth is people want to watch 'Average Joe's' and 'Plain Jane's' have sex these days."The couple are talking about the new service CamSoda is launching for Valentine's Day which allows couples livestream their night.It's perfect for lonely singletons who want to watch some action in the comfort of their home.

tattoos has recalled the "worst" customer he ever inked.Crocodile Jackson – who chose his nickname in tribute to a wily croc who escaped a family ranch – was completing his tattooing apprenticeship in 2016 when he was given an unpleasant job. As the illustrator explains in his TikTok video, his mentor would give him "every tattoo he didn't want to do" which, in this case, was the name of the customer's girlfriend on his bum.

Police in California were surprised when they pulled over a vehicle after discovering that the driver was carrying a live alligator in the car. The driver, identified as 29-year-old Tyler Watson, explained to officers that the reptile belonged to a friend and he was looking after it for them after they were arrested.Watson had been pulled over by officers following reports of a 'possible DUI' which they were dispatched to investigate.Although he was found to not be driving under the influence, when the officers who stopped him checked their records they discovered that a warrant was out for his arrest for a probation violation.However, in a surreal twist, a Tweet from Anderson Police Department said that Watson then "advised officers that he had a live alligator on the floorboard of his vehicle".Animal control officers were subsequently dispatched and took possession of the alligator.In addition to the probation violation, Watson will now also face charges for the unlawful possession of the alligator.A Tweet from the Anderson Police Dept said: "Officers looked into the vehicle and found there was in fact a live alligator."Animal Control Officers and a Game Warden from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the scene to assist and took possession of the alligator.

Sheridan Smith OBE has taken the world by storm with her incredible talent, likeable on-screen persona and gorgeous looks.The star first came to prominence after playing a variety of characters on British sitcoms such as The Royle Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and of course Gavin & Stacey from 2008-2010.But although she is known to put on a spectacular performance on TV and on stage, like most actors, the Starstruck judge previously confessed that she isn't always comfortable with stripping off for her roles.Despite her reservations, the award-winning actress has managed to put on an enticing display for her audiences with her steamy performances throughout the years.Daily Star has taken a look at Sheridans' steamiest moments to date.Sheridan first decided to bare some flesh in the British comedy-drama Love Soup.Playing the role of Cleo Martin in the BBC show, Sheridan admitted that it was a "nerve-wracking" experience to take part in an intimate scene.Discussing the role in 2008, she said: "It was very nerve-wracking. It’s such a strange business, isn’t it, where you can go, 'Hello, I’m Sheridan', then someone shouts action and you rip each other’s clothes off!However, the star admitted that she didn't have to reveal all of her body at the time and because it was a comedy scene things didn't go to plan for her character Cleo.She added: "The scene doesn’t go too far.

Andy Burnham said he had never known the ambulance service see a major incident during November of the kind it saw on Monday, warning this was ‘the first big sign of what is happening here in our hospitals and the challenge that colleagues are facing’. At a subdued weekly press conference on the latest pandemic situation, Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese - who leads on health for Greater Manchester - said he had no good news to impart on the health situation but stressed he was confident the NHS here ‘will not collapse’.

Greater Manchester leaders are expecting the latest national lockdown to last longer than expected and remain skeptical about the effect it will have on rising Covid-19 cases.Mayor Andy Burnham and deputy mayor Sir Richard Leese say the success of the lockdown will depend on whether people follow the rules in the four weeks to December 2.Any benefits that arise from the lockdown are unlikely to be felt until after three weeks after it comes into place on Thursday morning, they said.Both leaders expect Greater Manchester to be in Tier 3-style arrangements after lockdown – but they are not ‘hugely optimistic’ that it will end as billed.Mr Burnham told a press conference on Wednesday that more action was needed from the government in order for

major incident declared in Monday which left the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) struggling to keep up with calls, the Greater Manchester mayor and former shadow health secretary admitted he had not seen such a crisis before peak winter pressures.

"I don't think anybody foresaw what was going to happen and just how much the virus was going to take hold - especially in Manchester - but now schools need the funding and support to get through this as my school is committed to serving its community.”Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is among those calling for schools to shut during the lockdown. We reported earlier today how the National Education Union has stepped up its campaign for closures and tomorrow (Thursday) the Boycott Return To Unsafe Schools (BRTUS) group is holding a Parent Strike day, calling on parents to keep their children off school.

heartbreaking reports of how isolation was exacerbating existing conditions like dementia.Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester mayor, welcomed the news as positive, adding: "I think the government has made the right decision in allowing care homes visits in those controlled circumstances because the distress that's been caused to people who have not seen loved ones for months was too much and something needed to be done and it has been done."He said he would ensure that visits would be allowed 'in the right circumstances' in Greater Manchester.The guidance from the Department for Social Care says homes, and especially those which haven't allowed visits since March, will be 'encouraged and supported' to provide safe visiting opportunities as new

Backed by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, members say the lockdown will not have the same impact on lowering transmission of the virus if schools remain open. Alongside an ad campaign in support of the closures, the union is launching a new 'Escalation App' for its members, with a step-by-step guide to getting individual schools to shut their doors over safety fears.If members in a school feel their safety concerns are not being adequately addressed, they could agree to withdraw labour under employment laws or request a ballot for strike action in their local branch.Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “It is clear from ONS data that schools are an engine for virus transmission.