15 minutes later than originally scheduled, both sides emerge from the tunnel and we are moments away from kick-off down on the south coast in the Brighton sunshine. Here is a reminder of how the two sides line up this afternoon:

Brighton: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Milner, Gross; Gomez, Hinshelwood, Minteh; Welbeck.
Substitutes: Steele, Georginio, Baleba, Kostoulas, Boscagli, Mitoma, Ayari, De Cuyper, Veltman.

Liverpool: Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitike.
Substitutes: Woodman, Gomez, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Morrison, Ngumoha.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump took the United States to war without a vote of support from Congress, but lawmakers are increasingly questioning when, how and at what cost the war with Iran will come to an end.

Three weeks into the conflict, the toll is becoming apparent. At least 13 U.S. military personnel have died, and more than 230 have been wounded. A $200 billion request from the Pentagon for war funds is pending at the White House. Allies are under attack, oil prices are spiking and thousands of U.S. troops are deploying to the Middle East with no endgame in sight.

“The real question is: What ultimately are we trying to accomplish?” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told The Associated Press.

“I generally support anything that takes out the mullahs,” he said. “But at the end of the day, there has to be a kind of strategic articulation of the strategy, what our objectives are.”

Trump said late Friday that he was considering “winding down” the military operations even as he outlined new objectives and goals.

Congress stands still

The Republican president’s decision to launch the U.S.-Israel-led war with Iran is testing the resolve of the Congress, which is controlled by his party. Republicans have largely stood by the commander in chief, but will soon be faced with more consequential wartime choices.

Under the War Powers Act, the president can conduct military operations for 60 days without approval from Congress. So far, Republicans have easily voted down several resolutions from Democrats designed to halt the military campaign.

But the administration will need to show a more comprehensive strategy ahead or risk blowback from Congress, lawmakers said, especially as they are simultaneously being asked to approve billions in new spending.

Trump’s quip the war will end “when I feel it in my bones” has drawn alarm.

“When he feels it in his bones? That’s crazy,” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

House speaker says mission is ‘all but done’

The president’s party appears unlikely to directly challenge him, even as the conflict drags on. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said the military operation will be over quickly.

“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson, R-La., told the AP and others at the Capitol this week.

“We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met,” he said.

Johnson acknowledged that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as U.S. allies have largely rebuffed the president’s request for help.

“As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done,” Johnson said.

But the administration’s stated goals — of ending Iran’s ability to obtain a nuclear weapon and degrading its ballistic missile supplies, among others — have perplexed lawmakers as shifting and elusive.

″ Regime change? Not likely. Get rid of the enriched uranium? Not without boots on the ground,” Warner said.

“If I’m advising the president, I would have said: Before you take on a war of choice, make the case clear to the American people what our goals are,” he said.

Congress retains the power of the purse

The Pentagon has told the White House it is seeking an additional $200 billion for the war effort, an extraordinary amount that is unlikely to win support. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the amount “preposterous.”

The Defense Department’s approved appropriations from Congress this year are more than $800 billion, and Trump’s tax breaks bill gave the Pentagon an additional $150 billion over the next several years for various upgrades and projects.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said the country has other priorities.

“How about not taking away funding for Medicaid, which will impact millions of people. How about making sure SNAP is funded,” she said, referring to the health care and food assistance programs that were cut as part of last year’s Republican tax reductions.

“These are things that we should be doing for the American people,” she said.

Many lawmakers have recalled the decision by President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the Sep. 11, 2001, attacks to come to Congress to seek an authorization for the use of military force — a vote to support his proposed military actions in Afghanistan and later, Iraq.

Tillis said Trump has latitude under the War Powers Act to conduct the military campaign, but that will soon shift.

“When you get into the 45-day mark, you’ve got to start articulating one of two things — an authorization for the use of military force to sustain it beyond that or a very clear path on exit,” he said.

“Those are really the options the administration needs to be thinking about.”

The incident happened at Val Ridanna, a high-altitude valley in Italy

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A major rescue operation took place after an avalanche killed two people and left three seriously injured. The incident happened at Val Ridanna, a high-altitude valley in South Tyrol, Italy, shortly before 11.40am local time on March 20.

Ten people, all of whom were reportedly equipped with Arva avalanche transceivers, were swept away, according to Italian news agency LaPresse. Out of the eight survivors seven were injured, three seriously and two lightly, reports Mirror.

Reportedly the snow mass broke away in the Racines area on Cima d’Incendio at 2,445 metres, the rescue operation involved five helicopters. The Innsbruck operations centre was alerted, and requests for intensive care beds were reportedly made at hospitals in Merano, Bolzano and Bressanone.

The Guardia di Finanza and all local Alpine rescue teams were on site. Last week, a report from the Austrian Alpine Club revealed that all but two of Austria’s 96 glaciers have retreated over the last two years, saying the “dramatic development” highlights the impact of climate change.

The reports shows the Alpeiner Ferner in the western Tyrol region and Stubacher Sonnblickkees in Salzburg to the east are facing the greatest loss, each with a retreat of more than 330 feet. The average retreat was more than 65 feet.

“The disintegration of the glacier tongue is also progressing at the Pasterze, Austria’s largest glacier, making the consequences of climate change visible,” the club said in the report covering 2024 and 2025. The report, it added, “confirms once again the long-term trend: Glaciers in Austria continue to shrink significantly in length, area, and volume”.

The retreat of glaciers in Europe has vast implications for drinking water, power generation, agriculture, infrastructure, recreational activities, the Alpine landscape and more. Neighbouring Switzerland, which is home to the most glaciers in Europe, has noted a similar retreat in its glaciers in recent years, a trend that has been reported around the world.

Poor weather conditions including low snowfall, warm temperatures including an exceptionally hot June last year – nearly 5C above the average – have contributed to the retreat, the club said.

“The glaciers are melting – and with every new report, the urgency grows, club vice president Nicole Slupetzky said. “It’s no longer a question of whether we can still save the glaciers in their old form; it’s about mitigating the consequences for ourselves.”

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Liverpool manager played down the severity of Hugo Ekitike’s injury in the wake of Liverpool’s damaging defeat against Brighton.

Already without Mohamed Salah and Aleksander Isak, the Reds were rocked early on at the Amex Stadium when their France international striker went down in agony following a collision with James Milner.

The summer signing from Eintracht Frankfurt was clearly in pain as he limped to the sidelines where he received further treatment.

Ekitike attempted to play on but was unable to continue and was replaced by Curtis Jones after only eight minutes.

The 23-year-old had been called up to Les Bleus squad ahead of the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Colombia but may now be forced to withdraw.

Speaking about his centre forward’s injury, Slot said: ‘The players and the fans know that there is only eight games to go to qualify for the Champions League and every game you have to miss is something you are upset about.

‘Him going off and not being able to help the team – it is just a bit of bad luck. It is not like he will be out for three months but it is bad enough that he wasn’t able to continue.

‘It was a blow for him and a blow for us.’

After their midweek morale-boosting win over Galatasaray, Liverpool would have hoped to build further momentum on the south coast.

Instead, they delivered another insipid, disjointed display that yielded a 2-1 defeat and has put their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League in major jeopardy.

‘First half was an equal game. It was a big blow for us that one of our two strikers that we have available with Hugo [Ekitike] and Alex [Isak] was already not here and the other one has to go off after one or two minutes – that is usually not helpful, especially when you look at how well Hugo played Wednesday,’ added Slot.

‘The first half was equal and the second half, Brighton were the better team on the pitch.’

Danny Welbeck’s brace ultimately proved decisive as the outgoing Premier League champions succumbed to their 10th defeat of the campaign.

Slot said: ‘It is clear that we have lost a lot of points after playing in Europe. I have tried to explain a lot of times already why this is but today we also have to give credit to Brighton. In the second half, they were the better team on the pitch.

‘What I thought was, you won’t need 24 points to qualify and hopefully I am right because we aren’t able to get 24 points anymore.

‘We kept trying, in the second half we were close but they were closer to score the third one than we were the second one. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough after a week like this.’

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She is described as 5ft 5in, petite, with hair in a messy bun

Police have issued an appeal for a woman who went missing in Co Derry on Saturday.

Taking to social media, PSNI have asked for help in locating Shannon Donnell was last seen at Altnagelvin Hospital in the morning of March 21.

Shannon has been described as 5ft 5in, petite, with hair in a messy bun.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police are concerned for local woman Shannon Donnell who has went missing form Altnagelvin Hospital earlier today.

“Shannon hasn’t been seen in a number of hours and was described as 5ft5, petite, hair in messy bun. Burgundy leggings, light blue jumper and a heavy black coat. She is also wearing black converse shoes.”

PSNI have asked that if any person knew of Shannon’s whereabouts, or have any information that may assist in locating her, please call 101 quoting: 538-21/03/26.

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A 44-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with carrying a blade.

A man has been charged after allegedly wielding a knife in Fife.

Police officers raced to Lawrence Court in Buckhaven at 9.05pm on Friday night. It followed reports of a disturbance on a housing estate.

A 44-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with carrying a bladed weapon.A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Images taken at the scene showed two police vans and a marked car parked on the street. A number of officers could be seen standing outside a block of flats.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.05pm on Friday, 20 March, 2026, we received a report of a disturbance in Lawrence Court, Buckhaven.

“A 44-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with carrying an offensive weapon.

“A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”

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LONDON (AP) — Wimbledon will use video review technology for the first time at this year’s tournament, the All England Club announced Saturday.

The oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament will have the technology available on Centre Court, No. 1 Court — the club’s second-biggest stadium — plus four other show courts.

Players will be allowed to review specific calls made by the chair umpire — such as double bounces.

Video review made its Grand Slam tennis debut at the 2023 U.S. Open. The Australian Open also uses the technology.

Centre Court and No. 1 Court will have video review available throughout the tournament, which starts on June 29, and the technology will be used on No. 2 Court, No. 3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18 for singles matches.

Players will not be limited in the number of reviews they can request.

Video review is separate from the electronic line-calling used for ruling balls in or out.

Last year, Wimbledon replaced line judges with electronic line-calling, though it wasn’t without hiccups.

The grass-court major is also adding visual indicators for electronic line-calling on scoreboards showing ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls.

“This enhancement has been made as a result of feedback following the adoption of live electronic line-calling last year,” the All England Club said in Saturday’s announcement.

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

The US-Israel strikes on Iran in late February caused an immediate spike in oil prices, and volatility has only increased since then. It quickly led to fears among motorists of “price-gouging” – petrol retailers raising their prices to take advantage of consumer panic.

In the UK, Chancellor Rachel Reeves asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to remain on “high alert” for profiteering by petrol retailers. Trade body the Petrol Retailers Association quickly hit back, saying her language was “incorrect and inflammatory”.

But what does the economic evidence suggest about retailers’ behaviour at times when oil prices are fluctuating wildly? As part of our yet-to-be-published research into UK petrol retailers and large oil price shocks, we examined Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The invasion led to a large and sudden increase in global oil prices, providing a valuable context in which to determine how shocks to crude oil supply filter through to prices at the pump.

The first striking pattern we found was that wholesale unleaded and diesel price changes closely tracked crude oil price changes. When oil prices rose, wholesale fuel prices increased almost immediately. Our estimates suggest that roughly 80% of changes in oil prices are reflected in wholesale fuel prices within a few days.

À lire aussi :
What oil, stocks and bonds are telling us about the Iran conflict and how long it might last

Retail prices, however, react quite differently. Prices at the pump adjusted more slowly and were considerably smoother than wholesale prices. In periods where wholesale prices increased sharply, retail prices typically rose by less and with a delay.

At the immediate peak of the shock in the weeks following the invasion, wholesale diesel prices rose by about 39 pence per litre, while pump prices increased by only about 16 pence per litre.

The implication is that retailer margins compressed during price spikes as the gap between retail and wholesale prices narrowed temporarily. In other words, although consumers experienced higher petrol prices, the evidence does not suggest that retailers increased their markups during these periods.

But why would retailers reduce their margins when prices spike? One explanation is that consumers become more aware of petrol prices at these times. Using data from price comparison site PetrolPrices.com, we found that when average petrol prices rose above £1.50 per litre during 2022, search activity increased dramatically. The growing number of daily searches indicated that consumers were actively seeking out cheaper filling stations when prices increased.

The crossing of the £1.50 threshold also attracted media attention, increasing people’s awareness and encouraging consumers to compare prices. By using geographically granular data on search activity, combined with daily petrol price data from nearly all petrol stations in the UK, we can causally link this increase in consumer attention with intensifying price competition.

As prices began to stabilise, we found that search intensity on the price comparison site dropped. Search activity itself did not return to pre-shock levels, but instead dropped and plateaued at a higher level than before, consistent with predictions from well-established economic models.

Correspondingly, price impacts narrow over time. At the peak of increased search activity following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a 10 percentage point increase in search activity was associated with roughly a 2% reduction in local area petrol prices. We then found that this was driven primarily by stations that already had higher prices in January 2022. These higher-priced petrol stations cut their prices the most as consumers became more price-sensitive.

The research suggests that when oil prices increase and there is lots of media attention, consumers make more effort to search for better prices. Competition then increases and this puts downward pressure on retail prices. So retailers may actually experience falling margins when oil prices spike.

Rockets and feathers

It seems that it is not the level of prices that drives consumer attention, but whether those prices are rising rapidly. As price increases slow or reverse, consumers search price-comparison sites less intensively, reducing the sense of competition between petrol stations.

But then a clear asymmetry emerges: retail prices rise more quickly following cost increases than they fall following cost decreases. This pattern is known as the “rockets and feathers” effect: prices rise like rockets but fall like feathers.

In our study, we examined the transmission from wholesale to retail prices over a period of more than ten years. As expected, when wholesale costs fell, pump prices dropped more slowly. This temporarily increased the gap between wholesale and retail prices – meaning retailers’ profits grew.

This pattern means if wholesale prices go up by ten pence per litre and then come back down, over the entire adjustment time motorists end up paying about a penny more per litre than they would if prices adjusted evenly.

But this varied across petrol stations. For some, there was very little additional cost to consumers. For others, it was up to five times larger, meaning that the same increase and subsequent decrease would cost consumers up to five pence per litre more.

Taken together, our findings point to a clear conclusion. Petrol retailers do not appear to profiteer during periods when oil prices are rising rapidly. If anything, their margins tend to be squeezed. If concerns about excess profits are warranted, the evidence suggests that it is more likely to occur when oil prices are falling than when they’re spiking.

For those in Bolton, the Rivington and Anglezarke area remains one of the most popular choices, offering miles of scenic paths, open views across the West Pennine Moors, and routes that are easy to follow without too much planning.

One particularly appealing option is a circular walk that combines gentle waterside scenery with a well-earned pub stop along the way.

Starting at the Lower Rivington Reservoir car park, walkers can follow the main path along the water’s edge, keeping the reservoir to their left.

The wide, well-maintained track is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists alike, making it an accessible choice for all abilities.

The route continues towards the dam, which can be crossed before picking up the path alongside Upper Rivington Reservoir.

The Rivington Reservoir is surrounded by footpaths making it an easy and enjoyable walk (Image: Martini Archive)

From here, the trail curves naturally around the shoreline, offering uninterrupted views across the water and surrounding hills.

At the far end of the reservoir, the walk leaves the waterside and follows public footpaths towards Heath Charnock.

The route crosses open fields before reaching Dill Hall Brow.

A short right turn brings walkers to The Yew Tree Inn, a historic pub dating back to 1871 that came under new ownership in 2025.

The Yew Tree Inn provides that ‘proper country pub’ feel (Image: Adam Chapman)

Owner Adam Chapman previously told The Bolton News: “I’m taking it back to being a ‘proper country pub’ for everyone, with fresh home-cooked food serving quality local cask beers, including using our own produce from our own rare breed Saddleback pigs in Belmont.

“The aim is to create a relaxed environment where anybody’s welcome to pop in for a drink. Dogs are welcome, whether it’s just for a pudding and a glass of wine or a full three-course meal.

“We are a country pub for all, dedicated to looking after local walkers, cyclists, horse riders or people coming in for a drive to a country pub experience where the views are fantastic, quiet, very chilled out.

“In the summer, our terrace, secret garden and decking are probably the best places to eat and drink for miles.”

With the weather starting to get warmer, the outside terrace can be the perfect place for a pint. (Image: Adam Chapman)

Set close to Anglezarke Reservoir and surrounded by moorland, the pub has quickly become a popular stopping point for those exploring the area.

To complete the walk, visitors can follow the road back towards Rivington, re-joining the reservoir path and looping back to the car park.

At around five miles, the route is manageable for most walkers and with warmer weather on the way, it’s likely to become even busier in the weeks ahead.

The outline plan proposes building the 80 new homes on land off Arthur Lane in Harwood that had previously been used for grazing.

But 218 letters of objection from people living nearby have been sent to Bolton Council ahead of a vote on the scheme by the planning committee.

A council report said: “The site is located north of Arthur Lane on the eastern edge of Harwood, which is itself on the northeastern urban edge of the Bolton urban area.

“The site covers approximately 2.47 hectares of land across two agricultural fields for grazing purposes and the terrain of the site is generally flat with a gentle slope down from west to east.

Bolton Council officers have recommended that the plan be approved (Image: Rowland Homes)

“The site has limited intrinsic habitat or landscape value and is also private land that is fenced and walled on all sides, which limits any existing recreation value.”

It added: “The site is enclosed on all sides by strong and defensible boundaries including Harwood Golf Club car park to the north, Arthur Lane to the south, existing detached properties on Roading Brook Road and the golf club access road to the east, and existing residential development to the west.

“The east, west and north boundaries also include significant existing hedgerows and tree screening, combined with sections of post and wire fencing, with a dry-stone wall and timber fence along the southern boundary.”

The report said that the are could be considered “grey belt” land and that the proposed housing scheme “would not fundamentally undermine” the purposes of other green belt land in Bolton.

Council officers have recommended that the outline plans be approved, subject to conditions.

But Bradshaw’s Cllr Jackie Schofield has asked for the proposal to be heard at a full planning committee meeting.

Letters of objection have raised concerns about the loss of green belt land, the development being out of character with the area, the pressure on existing facilities and many others.

The planning committee is expected to vote on the outline plans at a town hall meeting on Thursday March 26.