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

LIVERPOOL HAS BRUSHED off its bleak image of social deprivation since its year as European Capital of Culture in 2008, researchers have suggested.

Impressions of the city have been replaced with a picture of a vibrant cultural hub.

Researchers from both of the city's universities will reveal the full extent of their five-year study, commissioned by Liverpool City Council, at an international conference later today.

BURGLARS stole the life savings from a 95-year-old woman in the Dingle.

One thief pretended to work for the woman’s housing association to enter her sheltered flat in Hill Street.

The other man then went inside to steal a large amount of cash. The burglary happened at 3.30pm on Thursday, March 4.

JOURNEY TIMES from Liverpool to London could come down to 1 hour and 35 minutes under the high speed rail proposals costing £30bn which were unveiled by transport secretary Lord Adonis yesterday. A Y-shaped network, which would happen a long way in the future, will fork north of Birmingham - with one branch going towards Manchester and Liverpool and on to Scotland, and the other to Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne.

DENISE FERGUS, THE MOTHER of murdered toddler James Bulger met Justice Secretary Jack Straw yesterday but he refused to reveal why killer Jon Venables was back in jail.

Ms Fergus and her husband Stuart spent an hour questioning Mr Straw, and asked how Venables, 27, had breached his licence.

Later, Mr Straw's spokesman said he tried to answer questions "as fully as he could".

The meeting, in Mr Straw's Blackburn constituency, was described as "cordial" .