News 20/05/26

Aston Villa have won the Europa League following a three-nil victory over German side Freiburg in Istanbul.

Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendia and England international Morgan Rogers scored the goals to ensure Villa claimed their first major trophy in thirty years, and a first European title since 1982. The Prince of Wales, an avid supporter of the West Midlands club, was among the fans celebrating in the stands on Wednesday evening. In a statement, Prince William hailed an amazing night and congratulated the team on their historic triumph.

The English Football League’s arbitration panel has stood by the decision to eject Southampton from the Championship play-off final and deduct them four points next season.

The EFL confirmed that the panel dismissed the club’s appeal against the sanction following the admittance of multiple breaches of regulations. The Saints were expelled after admitting to spying on other clubs’ training sessions during the season, including Middlesbrough before their play-off semi-final.

A London bus driver has died following an attack on Battersea Bridge.

Sixty-four-year-old Sergei Krajev was taken to hospital by air ambulance after being found critically injured on the south London crossing in the early hours of Monday morning, but passed away on Tuesday. His family described him as a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. A thirty-two-year-old man from Twickenham has previously appeared in court charged with causing grievous bodily harm and remains remanded in custody.

The United Kingdom has secured a trade deal with six Gulf nations, which the government says will be worth £3.7bn to the economy.

The agreement with Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will remove an estimated £580m a year in tariffs from British exports once fully implemented. While ministers say it will support jobs, rights groups have criticised a lack of detail on human rights.

A man from Slough has been accused at the Old Bailey of murdering a man who disrupted a music video shoot.

Ellis Heather, from Slough, and Yonas Girma, from north London, allegedly attacked thirty-year-old Stephen Morrisson after he irritated a filming crew and appeared to drive at them. Mr Morrisson was stabbed in the chest in Epping Forest and died in hospital later that day.

Two men found guilty of a drive-by shooting at a wake in north-west London which killed a mother-of-two have been jailed.

Michelle Sadio died after shots were fired at mourners in Willesden. At the Old Bailey, Perry Allen-Thomas was handed a minimum term of thirty-eight years for murder and attempted murder, while Amir Salem was sentenced to twenty-six years.

Wes Streeting has used his resignation speech to the House of Commons to warn that Labour is losing the fight against nationalism.

The former minister stated he left the government because he believes that unless a change of course happens, the party risks handing the keys of number ten to Reform UK. He also pointed to nationalist parties already being in government within the devolved administrations.

Plans to ban UK imports of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian oil in third countries have been watered down amid concerns over supplies and price rises.

The government will instead phase in the new sanctions over the coming months following a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz waterway. The Foreign Office denied the shift was a waiver, but admitted extra flexibilities were required.

Southampton have released a statement following the Independent Disciplinary Commission’s decision to expel them from the Championship play-offs.

The club’s chief executive Phil Parsons confirmed they have appealed the decision but admitted what happened was wrong. He apologised to the other clubs involved and to the Southampton supporters, stating that their extraordinary loyalty deserved better.

The government has paused plans to hike fuel duty, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves had set out plans last autumn to phase out a temporary five pence cut introduced in 2022, with a one penny increase scheduled for September followed by further rises in December and March. However, the government faced sustained pressure from opposition parties to cancel the increase due to the rising cost of living.

John Lewis, Boots and Debenhams used misleading pricing in their Black Friday advertisements last year, the regulator has ruled.

The Advertising Standards Authority found the high-street names overstated savings. Two John Lewis laptop ads were singled out, including a MacBook Air offering a one hundred and fifty pound saving, after the watchdog found insufficient data to prove the established selling price.

Mars is investing one hundred and ninety million pounds in its historic Slough factory as part of a wider one billion euro strategy across the European Union.

The funding will transform the site, where the original Mars Bar was created in 1932, into a next-generation manufacturing hub featuring advanced technology, sustainability upgrades and extensive employee training.

MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee have written to Channel Four and Ofcom expressing serious concerns over their response to allegations of rape and sexual assault on Married At First Sight UK.

The action follows a BBC Panorama programme where two women alleged they were raped and a third claimed sexual misconduct. All three stated the show, made by production company CPL, failed to protect them. Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage questioned if enough is being done to protect people taking part in reality television.

Kylie Minogue has revealed she received a second cancer diagnosis in early 2021, after successful treatment for breast cancer in 2005.

Speaking in her new self-titled Netflix documentary released today, the fifty-seven-year-old Australian singer explained she decided not to go public with the news at the time. She confirmed she got through the illness again and all is well, adding that her passion for pop music is now greater than ever.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened to extend the war beyond the region if the United States attacks the country again.

The military force stated it was responding to threats by the American-Zionist enemy, after Donald Trump and JD Vance warned they may resume military strikes without a peace agreement. The guard added that repeated aggression would bring crushing blows in unexpected places and result in utter ruin.

Inflation eased by more than expected in April, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The rate of price rises fell to 2.8%, down from 3.8% in March. Economists had widely expected inflation to drop but only to 3%, on the back of a lower domestic energy price cap which came into force at the start of the month.

Vladimir Putin has arrived at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where he was welcomed by Xi Jinping.

The Chinese president rolled out the red carpet for his Russian counterpart, with the two leaders exchanging a handshake and posing for photographs. In opening remarks reported by Chinese state media, President Xi stated that Moscow and Beijing have deepened their political mutual trust and strategic co-operation.

A top climate adviser to the government has warned that air conditioning will soon become unavoidable to protect Britons from unbearable summer heat.

The statement comes as temperatures are expected to hit twenty-eight degrees Celsius this Friday. The Climate Change Committee stated that forty-degree summers are likely to become typical within thirty-five years, and urged the government to prioritize installing cooling technologies in schools and hospitals. The adviser also recommended introducing a maximum workplace temperature to protect staff.