"Let's help pay for it ourselves": Northern leaders battle to 'unlock cash' to fund new line from Manchester to Leeds

Pixies have announced their return to Australia and New Zealand, taking to stages this December for their long-paused ‘Come On Pilgrim… It’s Surfer Rosa’ tour – get tickets here.It’ll be the band’s second time taking the run Down Under, after an attempt in 2020 was cut short by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They played four of the dates on that tour – two headliners in Melbourne, one in Auckland and a set at that year’s Golden Plains festival in regional Victoria – but were forced to cancel shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth.All three cities are featured on the new itinerary, which is set to kick off in Brisbane on December 2.

BAFTAs earlier this month, shared his thoughts on Emilia Jones after she performed at the ceremony, where she was waiting to see if she would win the Best Actress award for her film CODA.Speaking from the Ideal Home Show, in partnership with NatWest, Richard revealed that he had known Emilia since she was “just a nipper” thanks to his friendship with her dad Aled Jones. Richard, 52, admitted that he was “gobsmacked” to see Emilia’s incredible transformation into a star in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk. The Entertainment Editor for Good Morning Britain reflected on the young actress’ rise to fame and praised her stunning performance of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, which she also sings in the now Oscar-winning film CODA.Emilia, 20, was also nominated for a Best Actress BAFTA for portraying 17-year-old Ruby, the only hearing member of a deaf family.Reflecting on her rise to fame, Richard admitted that her confident performance left him “slack-jawed”. Remembering that night at the BAFTAs, he said: “I was lucky enough to catch up with Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Emilia Jones, of course!”“Aled Jones’ daughter, who I hadn’t seen for years since she was knee-high. “Aled and Lorraine and I worked together on Daybreak before Good Morning Britain started, so I knew Amelia when she was a nipper. “And now of course she's this fabulous actress soaring to giddy heights.”When asked about how it was to see Emilia, who he had known as a little girl, take to the stage in the Royal Albert Hall, Richard admitted he was “gobsmacked”. He said: “It’s just extraordinary.

Mohamed Salah miss out on the World Cup. The two African countries took on one another for a spot at the Qatar competition this winter.Senegal turned out victorious via penalties - a repeat of the Afcon final with Sadio Mane scoring the winning spot kick on both occasions. But the match was not without controversy after Salah was one of four players to miss the first four penalties in a dramatic finale.

Love Island star Amy Hart has revealed her upcoming TV stint will see her tackle conversations around body positivity.In an Instagram post to her 1.1m followers, the former Love Islander, who appeared on the show in 2019, expressed that her next project will have her tackle body issues.In the announcement, the 28-year-old influencer posted a glamorous bikini snap of her on the beach as she posed while soaking up the sun.In the snap, a confident-looking Amy could be seen donning an orange bikini and a pair of sunnies while she penned: "Loving the body, you have not the body you want!"In her lengthy caption for the announcement, the Love Island alum opened up about her experience with her body goals and her definition of what body positivity means to her.She started with: "WHAT DOES BODY POSITIVITY MEAN TO YOU? I'm working on a TV project all about body positivity and loving the body you have not the body you want!"But…. I'm continuing to work with my PT and am on a 14 day back to basics meal plan.

Reddit poster 'kristianroberts' uploaded a snap of the recently applied livery on the Virgin Media O2 office at Wythenshawe in Manchester — and commented it looked like male genitalia.The design at front of the building shows a swooping white doodle in the shape of an infinity symbol that wraps itself around the logos of both brands.But the funny-shaped problem appears to be introduced at the top of window, with a blue wave-like motif inadvertently blending with the mark below to form the outline of a male member.In a wry caption, the perceptive user asked: "Anyone fancy working at Virgin media’s office in Manchester? Looks like they’ve got a big package."Fellow members of the site seemed to be thinking along the same lines, with many joining in with the bawdy gag.One user responded by suggesting: "Guess the designer has something on their mind at the time."Another took aim at Virgin's founder, writing: "Don't forget the boss is D*ck Branson."Others broadened their criticism by roasting the office itself, with one writing: "What an uninspiring building."Reacting to this observation, another quipped: "Got a big c**k on the window though."Telecommunications giants Virgin Media and O2 merged in June 2021, forming one of the UK's largest entertainment companies as a result.The office and call centre at Wythenshawe Concord House was owned by Virgin Media before the deal, and displayed the old branding prior to the deal.The latest gaffe is not the first time that designers have accidentally slipped the rude shape onto brand promotions.Earlier this month, a new logo for a women's TV channel down in Australia caused anger after it appeared to be very similar in stature to a penis.Run by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison

The Chase's Anne Hegerty has discovered she's a descendant of royalty in a new episode of ITV's DNA JourneyThe Governess, 63, and her co-star Shaun Wallace, 61, will appear in the first episode of the new series as they delve into their family history.An ITV source told the Mirror that Anne was ecstatic to discover that she had connections to royals.The source said: "Anne was excited and fascinated to learn she has royal relations."It was a big shock to her but a very nice one and she was very interested to delve into the details to find out more about it."Co-star and pal Shaun hilarious joked that Anne's friends will now have to "bow and curtsy" to her after the royal connection was revealed.He said: "Without spoiling anything, we call her 'Queen Anne', because obviously she's the queen of quizzing but we have to really bow and curtsy to her now!"In the episode, which is set to air on ITV on Tuesday (March 5), Anne discovers that one of her royal ancestors survived two German torpedo attacks during World War One.Anne discovered that her great-grandmother's first cousin was a deputing chief engineer in World War One who survived the bomb scare by clinging onto a lifeboat for four hours.

Kelly Clarkson officially has a new name!

Cooper Hefner and wife Scarlett Byrne have welcomed twins!

John Stamos is paying tribute to the late Taylor Hawkins. The actor took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a video message Hawkins recorded for him recently, which showcased the famed drummer's sense of humor and charm.The video — which appears to have been recorded by Hawkins for Stamos to show to a group of youths he was with — begins with the legendary musician introducing himself, sharing, «Hey kiddos, I guess you're hanging out with Stamos today. My name is Taylor Hawkins, I play drums in the Foo Fighters.»«Stamos is good guy, he's a good buddy of mine. I really like him a lot He's great drummer.

She attended the chaotic Oscars ceremony on Sunday to present a tribute to Juno with her costars Elliot Page and J.K. Simmons.And Jennifer Garner looked as if she was taking it easy on Tuesday as she recovered from the ordeal while spending some quality time with her son Samuel around Los Angeles.The 49-year-old actress was seen taking a stroll in the city's tony Brentwood neighborhood as she and her 10-year-old — whom she shares with her ex-husband Ben Affleck — held hands.

Troy Kotsur made history on Sunday by becoming the first male Deaf actor to win an Oscar for his powerful portrayal in CODA, though a recently re-surfaced interview revealed he has an interesting connection to the Star Wars universe.The 53-year-old actor's last role before CODA was as Tusken Raider Scout #1 in the fifth episode of the first season in The Mandalorian back in 2019.His character communicated with Pedro Pascal's title character through sign language, though he revealed in a January 2020 interview with The Daily Moththat he created a whole new sign language for the character. History:Troy Kotsur made history on Sunday by becoming the first male Deaf actor to win an Oscar for his powerful portrayal in CODA, though a recently re-surfaced interview revealed he has an interesting connection to the Star Wars universe Mandalorian:The 53-year-old actor's last role before CODA was as Tusken Raider Scout #1 in the fifth episode of the first season in The Mandalorian back in 2019The Mandalorian episode, entitled The Gunslinger, follows the title character heading to Tatooine in search of a bounty.While there he encounters some Tusken Raiders, with a hearing member of the crew who knew American Sign Language (ASL) suggested some form of sign language for the Tusken Raiders to use.

The acclaimed Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is back up shooting the fifth and final season in New York City.And on Tuesday the show's star, Rachel Brosnahan, was spotted shooting some streets scenes along the sidewalk and at a bus stop.Later, the actress flashed big beaming smiles while in character as the perky Miriam 'Midge' Maisel, as she sat out front of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan.

Ashlee Simpson enjoyed a Los Angeles stroll this Tuesday with her six-year-old daughter Jagger Snow Ross.The 37-year-old sister of Jessica Simpson put an affectionate arm around her little girl, whom she shares with her husband Evan Ross.For her latest outing Ashlee warded off the chill by wrapping a boyfriend fit black blazer over a matching t-shirt. Baby mine:Ashlee Simpson enjoyed a Los Angeles stroll this Tuesday with her six-year-old daughter Jagger Snow RossShe pulled on a pair of fashionably frayed and faded jeans and rounded off the ensemble with a pair of open-toed sandals.Slinging a multicolored satchel from one bag, she accessorized with a glimmering necklace and a pair of hoop earrings.

Jeff Bridges said he is feeling 'terrific' as he is in remission in his battle with lymphoma.The Big Lebowski star, 72, chat with reporters on Tuesday in promotion of his new FX show The Old Man, after production stopped for 15 months amid his health battle.'I went through a year-and-a-half of this bizarre dream and then came back,' the Oscar winner said, according to Deadline. 'It was great to be back with the gang.' The latest:Jeff Bridges said he is feeling 'terrific' as he is in remission in his battle with lymphoma.

Kelly Clarkson has stated that she's 'not concerned' about turning 40.The Texas native who shot to fame two decades ago as the winner of the first season of 'American Idol' said she's not worried about her upcoming milestone this April because each passing year has been 'exponentially better' for her so far.She said: 'I'm not concerned about [turning 40.] My life gets exponentially better each year. Which is what should happen, you should get wiser!' Not worried:Kelly Clarkson, shown on Monday in Los Angeles, has stated that she's 'not concerned' about turning 40The 'Stronger' hitmaker - whose divorce from Brandon Blackstock was finalized at the start of 2021 - went on to reveal she wants to do a 'whole thing' in honor of her big birthday and plans to mark the big birthday with a series of celebrations over the summer.She told People (The TV Show!): 'I'm waiting till the summer — I'm actually doing [a] 'celebrate my 40 years summer,' whole thing.

Kylie Jenner spent some quality time with her daughter Stormi at a farmer's market in Los Angeles, just one month aftergiving birth to her infant son.While picking up some fresh produce on Tuesday, the24-year-old makeup mogul posted a slew of videos from their excursion to her Instagram Story.In addition to an adorable recording of them holding hands in the parking lot, the mom-of-two shared footage of some fresh tomatoes and peppers. Mother daughter time: Kylie Jenner spent some quality time with her daughter Stormi at a farmer's market in Los Angeles, a month after giving birth to her infant sonShe appeared to stock up on a number of different fruits and vegetables includingdelicious-looking, organic strawberries and blueberries.

Chris Willman Music WriterCountry superstar Eric Church may be seeing a regional fluctuation in his popularity this week. His status in his native North Carolina? Probably on the rise, with the news that he’d do anything to cheer on his beloved Tar Heels in an NCAA basketball tournament game this Saturday.

last week’s Ralph Lauren show – his first in two years and the main reason I was there. Old school glamour was in abundant supply, and yet everyone exhaled that kind of effortless, pared back look which sums up New York style at its best, even if it’s the antithesis of the way those four patron saints of the city (Carrie Bradshaw and co) dress.How do they do it? In two words: invisible grooming. Makeup, hair, nails… they’re all micromanaged so the chic New Yorker can look nonchalant and as if they’ve just nipped back from a beachy weekend in the Hamptons.

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Sea Salt will arrive, a celebration of what is, after all, a simple chemical compound, NaCl, with a sodium atom for each one of chlorine. Superficially, there’s no room for variation. When I was growing up, salt was salt, a commodity that came in a plastic bag from the supermarket or (in my smarter friends’ houses) in a yellow and red Saxa tub.

Mayors in the North are ramping up pressure on the Government over its controversial rail plan.