City news in 250 words: Thursday 17 March

A LANCASHIRE MAN HAS BEEN CONVICTED of the kidnap and murder of a drug dealer. Paul Devalda was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of killing Paul Brady from Rochdale. His body has never been found. Mr Brady took delivery of £350,000 worth of cocaine just a few days before being lured into an ambush at a site he managed where he was attack by a masked gang and bundled into a van.

NATIONAL SPEEDWAY STADIUM: Plans have been approved by Manchester City Council to build a new national speedway stadium in Belle Vue as part of the Belle Vue Sports Village. It will also include facilities for taekwondo and basketball. The plans are part of a wider bid to create a global destination for sport in the area around Eastlands with Manchester City’s stadium at its heart.

MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY’S ASTROPHYSICS POSTER BOY Professor Brian Cox became a double winner at the Royal Television Society Awards last night. The scientist was awarded best presenter, beating Piers Morgan and Reggie Yates, and his ‘Wonders of The Solar System’ series received the science and natural history prize.

FIVE OF THE HIGHEST SALARIED POSTS within Manchester City Council are to be axed, saving hundreds of thousands of pounds. One deputy chief executive post along with four others will be scrapped with the work of the individuals being incorporated into other departments without salary increases. This is part of the council’s £109m budget savings to be made this year increasing to £170m next year.

Out of the window weather forecast: Starting cloudy which should give way to sun in the afternoon: the perfect weather to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.