City news in 250 words

TWO RESTAURANTS in East Didsbury were raided over the weekend. Four men got away with thousands of pounds after robbing Frankie and Benny’s and Nando’s at Parrs Wood Entertainment Centre, simultaneously on Sunday evening. The men went into Nando's armed with knives and demanded staff and customers got on the floor. The two offenders who went into Frankie and Benny's were armed with a knife and hammer.

A MASSIVE FIRE has destroyed a block of flats in Burnage. Fire crews were called to the blaze at the five-storey apartment building on Sunday night. The flats were still under construction and therefore no one is believed to have been hurt. The main battle was to prevent it spreading to the 24-hour Tesco superstore nearby.

THE NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS have been meeting in Manchester this weekend. Today they are calling for a motion to end recruitment of youngsters into the armed forces. Teachers have accused the Ministry of Defence of preying on naïve pupils in deprived areas, without making them fully aware of what they are signing up to. However the MoD says it only visits schools when invited by teachers.

RADICAL Muslim cleric, Omar Bakri Mohammad, has launched a scathing attack on boxer Amir Khan. He’s described the British Muslim boxer as a bad example to other Muslims, saying it is a sin to wear Union Jack shorts which show allegiance to the UK rather than the Prophet Mohammed. His comments have been opposed by the Muslim Council of Britain.