City news in 250 words

GREATER MANCHESTER FILM MAKER Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire movie has triumphed in eight of the nine Oscars for which it was nominated. Boyle won best director and the movie won best picture. It also won best screenplay with writer Simon Beaufoy providing the best acceptance lines of the night. “There are certain places in the universe you never imagine standing. For me, it's the moon, the South Pole, the Miss World podium and here," he joked.

A TV STATION aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community is to be launched in Manchester later in 2009. It will be called Fruit TV and will include serious docmentaries and fun lifestyle stuff. It will be a web-only broadcaster. Director of programme production Scott Heslop, told Crain’s Manchester Business: “LGBT issues have been forgotten because producers think they’ve done ‘the gay thing’ but many of the issues are still there.”

A MAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED in Rochdale over the rape of 15-year-old girl in Rochdale. Det Sgt Sam Halligan, of Greater Manchester Police, told reporters that: "This has been an incredibly distressing ordeal. Incidents like this are rare but I would advise people walking home late at night to take safety precautions.”

AFTER REPORTS OF A RIFT in the Sunday papers Craig Bellamy, the scorer of Manchester City’s goal in their 1-1 draw at Liverpool, has denied any behind-the-scenes conflict. Robinho, the teams’ Brazilian star, is said to be unhappy after Bellamy claimed he had been ‘lazy’ in a recent match.