News 24/03/26

Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, bringing what the club called a remarkable nine year chapter at Anfield to a close.

The thirty three year old forward has reached an agreement with the Premier League side over his departure. In a statement, Liverpool said Salah wanted supporters to hear the news as early as possible to provide transparency about his future because of his respect and gratitude towards them.

Donald Trump has told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran has agreed it will never have a nuclear weapon.

The US president said Tehran is talking to Washington and described the discussions as making sense. Asked whether he would send envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to negotiate, he said talks are already under way involving Marco Rubio and JD Vance. Trump added the Iranian side appears willing to reach a deal.

Millions of tenants across England will receive a letter from their landlord explaining their new rights under planned changes to rental laws.

Around eleven million renters are expected to benefit from stronger protections when the Renters’ Rights Act comes into force at the start of May. The measures include scrapping Section Twenty One evictions, improving rights to request pets, new safeguards against rent increases and an end to fixed term tenancies, described as a step towards rebalancing power between landlords and renters.

Cricketer Jonny Bairstow has criticised the England set up, saying the team needs to bring the care back into the game.

Debate has continued after the Ashes defeat, with confirmation that coach Brendon McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key and captain Ben Stokes will remain in their roles. Bairstow was part of the early success under Stokes and McCullum but was dropped in twenty twenty four and has not returned to the side since.

The family of PC Bradley Corke has paid tribute after he died in the line of duty following a collision in Farningham, Kent.

The 27-year-old officer was critically injured on Thursday evening while responding to an “immediate” call alongside a colleague, who remains critically ill in hospital. His family described him as a “true gentleman” and a “credit to himself” and to them as parents.

Polish fighter jets have been scrambled in response to a Russian drone attack in Lviv, the country’s armed forces operational command said.

Posting on X, they explained that Russian Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles were active in western Ukraine. Fighter aircraft and a helicopter are operating in Polish airspace, with ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems placed on maximum alert to counter potential threats.

Russia has launched more than four hundred drones at Ukrainian territory in a rare daylight attack, a spokesman for Ukraine’s air force has said.

Local authorities reported air defences were engaging targets near Kyiv and the western city of Lviv, hundreds of miles from the frontline. At least thirteen people were injured in a Russian drone strike on a residential building in Dnipro.

The government plans to support those who need it most if energy bills rise due to the US-Israel war with Iran.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said contingency planning was under way for every eventuality, noting the full impact of the conflict on the UK economy is uncertain. Millions of households in England, Scotland and Wales will see bills fall for three months from April under Ofgem’s quarterly price cap, but a large increase in gas and electricity costs is expected over the summer, prompting calls for government intervention, though Conservatives question affordability.

Hit Netflix drama Adolescence is leading the field at this year’s Bafta TV awards with eleven nominations.

Erin Doherty, who stars in the hard-hitting show, and The White Lotus actress Aimee Lou Wood are among the leading individual contenders after receiving two nominations each. Wood is nominated for best actress for her role in BBC Three comedy-drama Film Club and best supporting actress for The White Lotus. Doherty is up for her portrayal of gang leader Mary Carr in Disney+’s A Thousand Blows, which has seven nominations, and for playing a psychologist in Adolescence.

Rachel Reeves ended her statement in the House of Commons by addressing the Iran war directly.

The chancellor warned the challenges ahead may be significant but promised the government would do what is right and fair. She said that means being responsive in a changing world and acting responsibly in the national interest. Reeves also told MPs this is not a war the United Kingdom started and not one the country has chosen to join.

The head of Thames Valley Police says local taxpayers are picking up the bill after the force was told it will not be reimbursed for more than £900,000 spent policing the United States president’s state visit.

Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber said the Home Office confirmed it would not cover officer time costs. He said he was disappointed with the decision and believes the force has been short changed by more than £900,000.

Girlguiding has said transgender girls must leave the organisation by September.

The move follows an announcement last December that biological boys who identify as girls would no longer be allowed to join. The group says the decision comes after the Supreme Court ruling in twenty twenty five which stated that sex in equality law means biological sex. Girlguiding says the deadline gives affected members and their families time to prepare, access support and decide when they feel ready to leave.

A man has been found guilty of killing a mother of two whose body was discovered in woodland near Coventry.

Warwick Crown Court heard Reanne Coulson had been heard screaming and crying for help five weeks before her body was found near a bridleway. Mohammed Durnion, aged forty two, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter. He told the court she died from a drugs overdose after an argument on the night of the twenty first of May last year.

Iran has vowed to continue fighting after rejecting Donald Trump’s claims that talks had been productive.

A spokesman for the country’s top military command said its armed forces would fight until complete victory. The comments follow similar remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has promised to continue strikes in Iran and Lebanon. A report from an Israeli think tank claims Iran now has around one thousand missiles remaining.

Mortgage rates are rising thick and fast, with borrowers warned to expect more volatility in the coming days and weeks.

Donald Trump’s comments about constructive talks with Iran brought only brief calm to financial markets. Brokers say major lenders are still increasing rates or withdrawing deals, leaving borrowers uncertain whether to commit. Low deposit mortgages popular with first time buyers are being affected, with more deals withdrawn in one day than at any time since the mini Budget in twenty twenty two.

A wanted man has been arrested in Maidenhead on suspicion of shoplifting goods worth about three thousand pounds.

Thames Valley Police say a thirty one year old man from Slough was spotted by an officer while allegedly targeting a store in the town. Officers said he had been wanted for several shop thefts involving goods worth around three thousand pounds in total.

The Competition and Markets Authority has announced a price cap on pet prescriptions following a three-year investigation.

Pet owners will pay no more than twenty one pounds for their first prescription and twelve pounds fifty for any subsequent medicines. The CMA found some customers were being overcharged for commonly prescribed medicines from veterinary practices. As part of the overhaul, vets must inform clients about potential savings when buying medicines online using their prescriptions. The report also found that average vet service prices rose by sixty three percent between 2016 and 2023, far outpacing general inflation.

Donald Trump is in Memphis where he is due to speak about crime fighting efforts in the United States.

Before the event he gave an update on Iran, saying Tehran wants to settle and there is a very good chance of a deal. He said negotiations had gone on for a long time but this time Iran meant business. He also claimed everything there was to eliminate in Iran had been removed and warned the country had one more opportunity to end threats towards the United States and its allies.

The Conservative MP for Windsor says he is firmly against plans to expand Heathrow Airport but supports a new rail link.

Jack Rankin said the proposed forty nine billion pound expansion, including a third runway, diversion of the M25 and a new road tunnel, would put too much pressure on local infrastructure. Heathrow and the government say expansion is urgent because the airport is already operating at full capacity.

The chancellor is preparing plans to tackle price rises linked to the war in Iran, which has pushed up the cost of oil and gas.

Rachel Reeves will outline proposals in the Commons after discussing them at an emergency Cobra meeting. Measures include an anti profiteering framework to stop firms exploiting the crisis and could give the Competition and Markets Authority extra powers. Sir Keir Starmer said he wants the regulator to have further teeth to deal with price gouging.

Recordings show air traffic control repeatedly told a fire engine to stop before it collided with an aircraft at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing two pilots.

The vehicle was struck by an Air Canada regional jet while responding to another incident. Audio reveals the truck was first cleared to cross runway four, but seconds later the instruction changed and the controller urgently ordered it to stop before the crash.