Over the last 10 years, Manchester has embarked on an intense period of change. Skyscrapers have been popping up left, right and centre, and every other minute, another new brunch spot seems to appear.

Against this backdrop though, is a housing market that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable for many locals, as new statistics reveal that Manchester — not London — is now the top UK city for property price growth.

Over the last 10 years, the average in the area, affectionately nicknamed ‘the rainy city,’ has skyrocketed by 63%.

Now, the average asking price for a home in Manchester is £261,891 —a steep jump on a decade ago, when the figure sat at £160,422.

By contrast, London has flatlined, with increases of 7% between 2016 and 2026. On average, a home in the capital typically goes on the market for an eye-watering £687,080, and while it remains the most expensive city in the UK, it’s not all that far off the £639,593 sum of 10 years prior.

Up north, social media is awash with comments from those who feel nostalgic for the Manchester of years gone by, including @keirainmanchester, who said on TikTok: ‘It’s getting more and more like London every year.’

‘I’m from the outskirts of Manc and I’ve watched it changed throughout the past 10 years,’ she continued. ‘The rent prices, the busyness, the skyscrapers, the cost of living. It’s basically London with more rain.’

‘We’ve seen the area’s appeal broaden consistently’

Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert, describes Manchester as ‘a big winner of the past decade.’

She says of the new research: ‘By contrast, London has seen much slower growth over the same period, reflecting how higher prices in the capital have limited how much further buyers can stretch.

‘Areas with lower starting price points have had more room for growth, which has contributed to a widening north-south divide in price growth trends over the last 10 years.’

Meanwhile, Maurice Kilbride, managing director at Maurice Kilbride Residential Sales in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, says ‘strong employment opportunities, significant upward investment, excellent transport links, and a vibrant lifestyle’ have attracted buyers from across the UK.

Labelling Manchester ‘one of the UK’s standout property success stories,’ he explains: ‘What’s particularly noticeable is that the city’s success has extended well beyond the centre, with surrounding suburbs also benefitting from increased demand as buyers look for a balance of space, connectivity, and quality of life.’

‘The city has never just belonged to one type of person’

James Crawford has lived in Manchester for more than 25 years – and during that time, he’s seen it change, in parts, beyond recognition.

When he first moved to the city in the early 2000s, Chorlton, which is about three miles south of the centre, felt relatively affordable.

He jokes that it was referred to as the ‘Notting Hill of the North,’ but one that still had an edge to it.

‘You could sit in a pub and be surrounded by all sorts of characters,’ the PR tells Metro. ‘It still has its own identity, but parts of it now feel more affluent and polished. It’s hard to imagine many first-time buyers getting into Chorlton now in the way they once would.

‘There has clearly been gentrification and some people will feel pushed out of the areas they would naturally have expected to live in.’

However, in his view, Manchester is ‘not London’ and places like Levenshulme, Whalley Range, and other parts of south and east Manchester are still attracting the attention of people who want to get on the ladder, particularly young professionals and families.

‘The real issue is that people are being priced out of the exact parts of Manchester they would most like to live in,’ he says.

‘It still has affordable pockets if people are willing to look a little further out or compromise on location. The city’s growth is creating pressure, but it’s also creating new neighbourhoods and new opportunities.’

These days, dad-of-four James lives in Urmston, having moved out of Chorlton because he wanted more space for his family — and, crucially, a garden.

He’s still proud to be a Mancunian, even after all these years. A DJ local to him once laughed about Stockport being the ‘new Berlin’; a sentiment which has stuck and he’s since seen repeated.

‘The city has never just belonged to one type of person,’ he reflects.

‘Manchester has students, entrepreneurs, creatives, working class people, musicians, football fans, and people who have lived here for generations all rubbing together. That mix is part of what gives the city its energy.’

James isn’t concerned that Manchester is becoming successful. He’s proud of that fact. His concern lies in the future of the neighbourhoods that made that city ‘so attractive in the first place.’ He doesn’t want to see them become ‘so expensive they lose part of that mix.’

He concludes: ‘You want growth, better restaurants, better jobs and better places to live, but you don’t want the city to become sterile.’

Rachael Robinson, from Bolton St Catherine’s Academy, has been named a Silver Award winner in the Pearson National Teaching Awards in the Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School category.

She was recognised for her commitment to helping pupils achieve their full potential.

Ms Robinson is now in the running for the national Gold award, which will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony in London and on BBC One’s The One Show later this year.

She was nominated for the award by pupils past and present, as well as colleagues and parents, all of whom praised her “fantastic” teaching and impact in the classroom.

She is one of 99 educators honoured as Silver winners on National Thank a Teacher Day, which celebrates the work of teachers and the positive difference they make every day.

The Pearson National Teaching Awards are run by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity established over 25 years ago.

Sir Michael Morpurgo, author, former Children’s Laureate and President of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: “The dedication and impact of those involved in educating young people is truly remarkable.

“Their influence extends well beyond the classroom.

“Long before children find their voice, their confidence, or their calling, there is usually a teacher who helped them get there, working patiently and persistently, and often without any recognition at all.

“That is what makes National Thank a Teacher Day so important.

“It is a rare and well-deserved moment to celebrate our teachers and say we are grateful.

“I am especially proud to congratulate this year’s Silver award winners.

“In a world that moves quickly and demands so much, you have chosen to invest your time, energy and passion into future generations, and that is something truly worth celebrating.”

Sharon Hague, CEO of Pearson UK, also paid tribute to this year’s winners.

Ms Hague said: “For many of us, a teacher was the person who helped us believe in ourselves and recognise what we were capable of.

“Every day, educators support young people to be the best they can be, nurturing their potential and leaving a lasting impact that follows them into adulthood.

“We are proud to take this opportunity to say thank you to the teachers up and down the country who make our schools so special.”

Bridget Phillipson, secretary of state for education, said: “On Thank a Teacher Day we stop to appreciate the extraordinary lengths teachers go to, every single day, to inspire the young people in their classrooms.

“I know more than most how great teachers shape young lives.”

The study, known as the AFFECT trial, is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and launched by the Academic Cardiovascular Unit (ACU) at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

It aims to determine the safest and most effective blood-thinning medication for patients with heart rhythm problems following heart valve surgery.

Professor Enoch Akowuah, chief investigator for the AFFECT trial at University Hospitals Tees, said: “This is an important question for both patients and clinicians.

“We know anticoagulation is essential for patients with atrial fibrillation after mitral valve repair, but we do not yet know which treatment offers the best balance of safety and protection.

“The AFFECT Trial will provide high-quality evidence to guide national treatment decisions and improve long-term outcomes for patients across the UK and internationally.”

Each year, thousands of people in the UK undergo surgery for mitral regurgitation, a condition where the mitral valve does not close properly, causing blood to flow backward into the left atrium.

This places extra strain on the heart and can result in fatigue, breathlessness, and eventually heart failure.

Patients with additional heart rhythm disorders typically require blood-thinning medication to reduce the risk of stroke and other complications after surgery.

Current clinical guidelines recommend a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) such as warfarin, though direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are now also widely used.

The trial will compare these options to identify which offers the best long-term results.

The study aims to enrol 1,282 adults undergoing mitral valve repair at cardiothoracic centres nationwide.

Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a DOAC or a VKA, starting before discharge, with patients then being closely monitored for at least 12 months, with further annual check-ups for up to four years.

Researchers will evaluate stroke prevention, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness.

More than 130 patients have already enrolled and begun treatment.

Eligible patients are approached for participation by their clinical teams.

The Dawnay Arms in West Heslerton will be open for business from Thursday.

The pub closed on May 1 with the landlords citing rising running counts.

New hosts, Craig and Ian, posted on social media ” We are delighted to say that we will be having a soft opening on Thursday of this week with drinks and a warm welcome to all.

“We will be open from 4pm .

“All the villagers, estate staff, and everyone else who wants to see their village pub succeed will be warmly welcomed and, all points of view will be noted and considered.

“We will also be offering some pie and nibbles.

“The pub will then, on Friday enter its new trading pattern of 12noon opening for drinks till late, the food offering will fully available towards the end of the month.”

Emergency services descended on Warburton toll bridge

A woman has been rushed to hospital after entering the Manchester Ship Canal at Warburton toll bridge, the Manchester Evening News understands. Emergency services stormed Warburton Bridge Road, between Warrington and Trafford, this morning (June 16).

Greater Manchester Police says it was called out to concerns for a woman’s welfare. Officers found a woman in her 40s injured at the scene.

It’s understood the woman had entered the water. An image from the scene showed multiple GMP vehicles and ambulances in attendance.

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A GMP spokesperson said: “Officers attended Warburton Bridge Road, Lymm, at around 7am today (June 17) following reports of a concern for welfare. One woman, aged in her 40s, was located at the scene and is currently being treated in hospital for her injuries.”

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said it also attended the scene to support police. Warburton Bridge Road was blocked off while emergency services worked at the scene. It has since reopened.

A person is in custody in an investigation of a large cross set on fire in a well-known Chicago park, police said Tuesday.

The burning cross was discovered June 9 in Grant Park, where Barack Obama delivered his acceptance speech when he was elected the nation’s first Black president in 2008.

A man identifying himself as a 21-year-old college student told WMAQ-TV that he was the shirtless person in an image distributed by police when they were looking for a suspect. But police did not immediately say Tuesday if he’s the person in custody. The man said he was protesting President Donald Trump and not making a racist statement.

“I did know about this historical relevance beforehand. But I didn’t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did,” the man told the TV station. “Cause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender.”

Cross burnings in the U.S. have historically been seen as symbols of hate and intimidation against Black people and have often been connected to the Ku Klux Klan.

The Chicago Police Department’s communications office confirmed that a person was in custody in connection with the case, but no other details were released. An email seeking comment from the prosecutor’s office was sent Tuesday.

“I can’t speak to anyone’s motives. We can only speak to the impact. And the impact was devastating,” Mayor Brandon Johnson, who is Black, said when asked about the cross and the man’s remarks to WMAQ.

The man interviewed by the TV station said he was protesting the “ruling class” and Christian nationalists who support Trump. He said he put a red hat on the cross to signify a MAGA hat worn by the president’s allies.

The man said he doesn’t consider what he did a hate crime.

“I understand why it was interpreted that way, and I apologize for that, but no, the intent was not there,” he said.

Gina Miranda Samuels, faculty director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, said the man seemed sincere that he was not trying to send a hateful message to Black people.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The interim deal between the U.S. and Iran is supposed to usher in a two-month period that would address the most divisive issue between the longtime adversaries — Tehran’s nuclear program.

Preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear bomb is a key reason that President Donald Trump said he launched the war alongside Israel in February, but the tentative agreement he has trumpeted leaves little runway to negotiate the long-running sticking point. The previous nuclear pact between Iran and world powers, which Trump pulled the U.S. from in his first term, took many months to negotiate.

Few details have been publicly released about the initial deal, set to be officially signed Friday in Switzerland, but it generally calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz to global oil shipments, financial incentives for Iran if it meets certain benchmarks, and a 60-day period for talks on ending the country’s nuclear program.

There is deep skepticism among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, pro-Israel advocates and Israel itself that the deal is realistic, workable or would have any effect on nuclear talks.

“My skepticism is Iran itself. What would a good deal look like? No enrichment. And we’ll see if we can get there,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close Trump ally and longtime Iran hawk, said Tuesday. “But whether or not we can get phase two, I don’t know.”

A nuclear deal takes commitment to the details

David Schenker, director of the Arab Politics Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that “this administration has proven that it has a hard time keeping its attention on these issues.”

Schenker, who served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs in the first Trump administration, questioned whether the current administration would have the wherewithal to reach a nuclear deal even if the agreement is signed Friday.

“This is the kind of thing that requires dogged attention, attention to detail and numerous technical experts involved,” he said. “Trump loses his attention, moves on, and so does the administration. It’s like they don’t understand Iran’s strategy. They didn’t get it the first time, or the second.”

The Trump administration has maintained its confidence. Vice President JD Vance said much of the technical detail must be negotiated but that the U.S. must see action for Iran to receive incentives like sanctions relief.

“Our plan under this deal is, again, the Iranians are getting a lot of benefits so long as they dismantle that nuclear weapons program,” Vance told Megyn Kelly on her podcast Tuesday.

“People always ask me, ‘Why do you believe it this time?’ I don’t believe them,” he added. “I don’t trust anything that anybody says. I trust what people do. And the way this deal is structured is that as they do more, they receive more. As they do less, they receive less.”

Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful.

It took over a year and a half to get the previous nuclear deal

The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, took more than 18 months to negotiate, starting with secret talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Oman at the end of then-President Barack Obama’s first term.

They required dozens of direct high-level interventions from Secretary of State John Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, not to mention a team of dozens of technical experts traveling to Europe and elsewhere before the conclusion of the negotiations in Vienna, Austria.

Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 before most of its more contentious concessions had come into effect, and there is no indication now that Iran is willing to offer much more.

The JCPOA relied on very technical language and understandings, including limits on uranium enrichment, advanced centrifuges and heavy water production. In exchange, Iran was granted significant sanctions relief, amounting to billions of dollars.

As unhappy as critics were about the JCPOA — Trump called it the “worst deal ever negotiated,” while all Republicans and a number of prominent Democrats voted against it — all sides acknowledge it took more than 18 months to get to an even imperfect agreement.

Republicans say Congress must approve any deal

Republicans say any nuclear deal with Iran should be brought to Congress, as required by law. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said he “would certainly anticipate that” the Senate will get the final say.

GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said he had little confidence Iran would abide by any agreement.

But Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., one of a handful of senators who has spoken to Vance about the agreement, said the shortened timeline could be an advantage.

“Iran’s modus operandi is to negotiate for the purpose of delaying, so they can rearm themselves,” Marshall said. “I think the president has to give them some type of a finite amount of time, or there’s going to be consequences. So I think it can be done.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., noted that what could help Trump’s negotiators to hammer out a nuclear agreement in such a truncated timeline is that there is “a base” to work from following the Obama-era talks.

Still, the JCPOA “took years to put together. You had allies and even adversaries — China and Russia — around the table, you had the IAEA at the table, the Obama chief negotiator had a Nobel Prize in physics, Ernie Moniz,” Kaine said. “I don’t know that either Jared Kushner or Steve Witkoff have a Nobel Prize. So it’s going to be hard.”

Trump envoys Witkoff and Kushner, neither of whom had any prior experience in nuclear negotiations, made numerous but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to reach an agreement under Omani mediation during the first months of Trump’s second term.

Those tapered off after the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 — after which Pakistan emerged as the main facilitator.

There also is uncertainty about other issues besides nuclear that have been of concern to Arab countries, Israel, Europe and the United States.

It is not clear that any of those issues, including Iran’s ballistic missile program, its support for militant proxies in the region or repression of its own people, will be addressed by either the interim or potential longer-term agreements.

Without significant capitulations by Trump up-front, it is hard to imagine that nuclear negotiations with Iran will take only several months.

“A deal is better than more fighting, but the war America and Israel prosecuted against Iran has fallen short of achieving its stated objectives,” said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. “This agreement is mostly about cleaning up an unnecessary mess and putting the best face on it.”

___

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic has warned England his side will not ‘just defend’ in their World Cup opener. The two teams come together in Dallas on Wednesday evening to get their group campaigns underway.

The 59-year-old said: “A tough match awaits us, the start of the World Cup, and the toughest opponent possible. We’ve prepared well, and I’d be happy if we show that tomorrow.

“England is an important match, but not a decisive one. We know their quality — they are dangerous, especially down the wings, and they have one of the best strikers in the world. We will give our best, we won’t just defend, we want more. That’s how we prepared.”

A 28-year-old man from Dublin has appeared in court charged with causing death by dangerous driving

A man has been charged in connection with a fatal collision which happened over a year ago. Lydia La Polla died after being involved in a collision in Wrexham in March 2025.

In a tribute following her death the 47-year-old’s family said she had a “heart of gold” and was “always there for others”. Now North Wales Police say a 28-year-old man has been charged in connection with the fatal crash.

Michael Connors, of Landen Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin, is charged with causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was extradited to the UK after being arrested by the Garda in Dublin.

The crash happened shortly after 9.30pm on March 24, 2025, between Belgrave Road and Percy Road as a silver Mercedes car was involved in a police chase before colliding with a Toyota car. Two men, the driver and a passenger of the silver Mercedes, left the scene of the collision.

Ms La Polla, from Wrexham, was driving the Toyota car. She died from her injuries in hospital two days after the crash. Her husband, a passenger, was seriously injured, and a 16-year-old passenger in the Mercedes car was also seriously injured.

Connors was extradited to the UK on Tuesday after being arrested by the Garda in Dublin on March 11, 2026, in connection with the collision.

He was later charged by North Wales Police and appeared at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. He was remanded into custody to appear before Mold Crown Court on July 17.

Chief superintendent Jaqueline Downes of North Wales Police said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with the family of Lydia La Polla following their tragic loss.

“We will continue to support them through each stage of the investigation and upcoming court proceedings. As this remains an active investigation, it is important that people do not speculate about the incident online.”

In a tribute, Ms La Polla’s family previously said she had a “true heart of gold” and was “devoted to her family”. They wrote: “We are truly devastated and heartbroken following the death of Lydia. She will be missed by family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues.

“Lydia had a true heart of gold and would always be there for others with her selfless acts of kindness. She was devoted to her family and friends.

“The night of Monday, March 24, has scarred us for the rest of our lives. Life will never be the same without her. We ask for privacy at this time as we grieve our loss as a family.”

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