The Nifty 250: News of the day in so many words

Sparking up
A PLAN to electrify the rail line between Liverpool and Manchester has been announced by the government. Ministers have said the trains will convert from diesel to electric, making them lighter and more energy efficient, cutting the running cost and environmental impact of train services. Over the next eight years, bridges and tunnels will be demolished and overhead power lines will be installed in the £100m green proposal.

Arson probe
A FIRE which ravaged a block of flats in Chester is being treated as suspected arson. The blaze broke out after an explosion in a first-floor flat which blew off the building's roof and side wall. Over 30 firefighters tackled the blaze which damaged 95 per cent of the two-storey building on Hoole Lane on Friday. A 62-year-old man from Chester who was arrested on Saturday has been released on bail until August.

Blunt truth
THE number of knife deaths in areas targeted by a government anti-knife crime programme has risen. The Home Office-led Tackling Knives Action Programme (TKAP) was introduced in 10 police areas in England and Wales, including Merseyside, last July. In its first nine months, 126 people died after being attacked with a knife or other sharp object - seven more than in the same period the previous year.

Knife wounds
A DOG walker has been discovered with what appear to be knife wounds in a Southport park. The 43-year-old was found in Hesketh Park, on Tuesday. Police still remain unclear as to how the woman “came to be injured”. Her injuries are not life-threatening