PRINCESS ANNE GOES TO PRISON: Princess Anne met inmates and staff at HMP Manchester in the first royal visit to the Strangeways site in over a decade. Her tour of the wings included meeting some of the 1,269 inmates including prisoners working in the facility’s new print shop – an £850,000 project for the Ministry of Justice. She later unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the print shop.

RICKY HATTON IS A CRIMESTOPPER. The boxer will feature in Crimestoppers adverts on taxis spread across Hyde, Salford, Stockport, Trafford, Bolton and Manchester. Ricky said: “Being a Manchester lad I have always tried to give back to my local community and make a difference. By supporting Crimestoppers we are taking the fight to the criminals.”

METROLINK IS TO EXPAND TO ASHTON UNDER LYNE AND EAST DIDSBURY. Plans for the extension have been approved and the government has agreed to provide £120m for the £170m project. The rest will come from local transport levies, Metrolink revenues and Local Transport Plan cash. Eight extra trams will be ordered and two new park-and-ride sites will be built. Construction will start early next year, with the extended lines both open by early 2014.

TWO ADJACENT MANCHESTER TAKEAWAYS are being celebrated by Nintendo fans around the world. Mario’s bakery is situated on Claremont Road right next to Luigis pizza takeaway. The two eateries now have an international following of amused Super Mario Bros. fans thanks to Google Street view. Click here to see the street view.

Daft American homily: Before retiring for the night, sprinkle on a little baby powder.

From Life's Little Instructions Calendar given to our Health and Beauty Editor as a gift. This is apparently written without irony.