Liverpool had insisted that a change of head coach was not on the agenda, but after assessing the situation following the end of the season last weekend, the club’s hierarchy believe the next phase requires a more front-foot, aggressive and urgent style of football.

The decision to sack Slot was made by Michael Edwards, FSG’s chief executive, and Richard Hughes, Liverpool‘s sporting director.

Iraola, 43, is one of the most highly-rated coaches in Europe and is known for his attacking style of play.

He was appointed at Bournemouth when Hughes was technical director at the Cherries, a role he left in 2024 to join the Reds.

Bournemouth finished only one place and three points behind Liverpool to qualify for next season’s Europa League.

Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss in 2024 after the German stepped down at Anfield after nine years as manager.

Earlier this month, forward Mohamed Salah said the club must return to being a “heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear” after “crumbling” to a defeat at Aston Villa.

Much of Liverpool‘s success under Klopp – where they won every major trophy – came through this style of play.

“The conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team’s trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction. That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him. Nor is it a reflection of his talents. Rather, it is indicative of the need for a different approach,” the statement added.

“Arne leaves with our gratitude, with a Premier League title to his name, and with the knowledge that he and his family will always be welcomed back at Anfield.”

Little Eleanor Sim, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, spent weeks in intensive care after developing the rare condition just hours after being born.

A baby who is one of Scotland’s youngest ever stroke survivors is celebrating her first birthday after a remarkable battle.

Little Eleanor Sim spent weeks in intensive care after developing the rare condition just hours after being born.

Eleanor’s family, from Kirkcaldy in Fife, is today marking her big day with loved ones and a special birthday cake with a purple stroke awareness ribbon.

Parents Kimberley and John spoke of the horror of watching their daughter’s health deteriorate and their pride in her recovery.

Kimberley said: “Watching our precious little girl turning one is something that feels incredibly special.

“Words cannot describe how proud we are, of her strength, her resilience, and how much she has achieved in just one year of her life.

“There have been times when the anxiety over her future has been all consuming, and there is still that worry of whether or not she will face more hurdles as she grows.

“This time last year, we watched helplessly as our daughter began having seizures, something that you cannot comprehend happening in a newborn. She was covered in wires and tubes and then began two weeks of invasive tests and procedures. The trauma of that time will never leave us.

“But right now, in this moment, we are grateful for her health and happiness. She loves to dance, she loves her two big brothers and she brings joy to everyone who meets her.”

Around 400 children suffer a stroke in the UK every year.

Babies can suffer strokes in the womb or just after birth when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, depriving brain tissue of vital oxygen and causing cells to die – sparking a critical emergency.

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A stroke can affect movement, speech, vision and how a child swallows. It can also impact learning, memory, behaviour, and mood.

Born at 39 weeks after a planned c-section, Eleanor needed help with her breathing and was moved to neonatal care but was expected to quickly join her mother on the maternity ward.

But the following day her parents noticed she was twitching, which was later identified as seizures.

She was rushed to intensive care for a series of tests, including a lumbar puncture, before eventually being stable enough for an MRI, where it was revealed she’d had a stroke.

The news left her parents “numb” with shock.

Eleanor spent two further weeks in hospital before being allowed to go home, where she has remained under specialist care at a high-risk clinic.

But she has gone on to achieve her developmental milestones so far, with per parents describing her as an “absolute warrior”.

The happy one-year-old is doted on by big brothers, two-year-old Arthur and eight-year-old Thomas.

To celebrate her amazing milestone, the family are urging Scots to help raise finds for stroke services, including the Stroke Association’s childhood stroke support team.

Associate director John Watson said: “Every day, a family somewhere is going to have their world absolutely turned upside down from this.

“It’s wonderful the family chose to speak out. Raising awareness isn’t always easy, but they’ve done that to help us. As a charity we’re reliant on donations so we can continue to provide that support.”

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The club said in a statement: “Liverpool FC can confirm Arne Slot is to depart his role as head coach with immediate effect and that the process to appoint a successor is under way.”

The statement added: “Having joined the club in June 2024, Arne went on to deliver our 20th league title in his first season in charge, ending the 2024-25 campaign as LMA Manager of the Year having also guided the team to the Carabao Cup final and the last 16 of the Champions League.

“He subsequently oversaw Champions League qualification for a second successive season in 2025-26 as the Reds also reached the quarter-finals of the same competition.

“That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying. The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and – most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves – successful.

“As such, our appreciation for everything he has achieved could not be greater, particularly as it was underpinned by a work ethic, a diligence and a level of expertise which further underlined our view that he is a leader in his field.

“From the moment that we first encountered Arne, it was immediately clear that he is an individual who does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it. This was evident when he agreed to take over as head coach, when he guided us to the Premier League title and throughout the season just ended when he faced considerable challenges and burdens.

“At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.

“We would like to take this opportunity to place on record our appreciation for Arne, who will always hold a special place in the history of this football club as the coach who delivered Liverpool’s 20th league title.

“That accomplishment – made all the more remarkable as it arrived in his very first season in charge – was built on outstanding coaching and leadership every single day.

“He also helped guide the club through one of the most difficult periods imaginable following the loss of Diogo. The compassion and humanity he showed throughout that time said a great deal about him as a person.

“As such, we can only wish Arne well in the next stage of his coaching career, with our expectation being that he will continue to be successful. We do so in the knowledge that his Liverpool legacy is intact and will become yet more meaningful in the years and decades to come.

“Nevertheless, the conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team’s trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction. That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him. Nor is it a reflection of his talents. Rather, it is indicative of the need for a different approach.

“Arne leaves with our gratitude, with a Premier League title to his name, and with the knowledge that he and his family will always be welcomed back at Anfield.”

The Frenchman was due to be on punditry duties for the upcoming final in Budapest

Samir Nasri has pulled out of punditry duties for the Champions League final following abuse from Paris St Germain fans.

PSG take on Nasri’s former club Arsenal in Budapest on Saturday, with the Gunners bidding for their first ever Champions League title.

Nasri, who made 125 appearances for the current Premier League champions, was due to appear as a pundit for French channel Canal+, but has since announced he will be stepping away.

The former winger has alleged he was the subject of vicious abuse from PSG fans during the French side’s semi-final clash with Bayern Munich, citing his connections with fierce rivals Marseille as a key factor.

Nasri came through the academy at Marseille, and played 166 games for the club over four seasons before leaving for Arsenal.

Speaking to L’Equipe, he said: “Yes, it’s true. But it’s part of the game as a former Marseille player to get insulted by Parisian fans… Even if I think they had other things to do, like celebrating qualifying for the final.”

He added: “What bothered me was that they insulted my mother… That’s not why I’m not going to Budapest for the final.

“It’s not the first time I’ve been insulted in a stadium, and it certainly won’t be the last.

“And if I let it get to me, I’d stop doing TV and I’d stop going to matches.

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“It’s PSG-Arsenal, it’s better to have Robert Pires, who’s a die-hard Gunners fan, and David Ginola, who’s a die-hard PSG fan, than someone neutral like me on the panel.

“Arsenal is also my former club, but I don’t have an extraordinary relationship with its supporters.”

Indeed, Nasri has previously tipped Arsenal to lose in the final, adding that he expects PSG to have too much for Mikel Arteta’s men.

“In terms of what PSG is developing, I see them as favourites,” he said.

“On the other hand, Arsenal will be in a phase that they like. They will wait for PSG. But I see PSG.”

Relations with Arsenal fans have been strained since Nasri made the controversial switch to Manchester City in 2011, a move many Gooners felt was motivated by greed.

Three years after the move he told The Telegraph: “This image of me being materialistic is a French thing.

“People were envious. It’s fine. I really hesitated a long time. There was [Manchester] United. City wasn’t the big club it is right now. My agent told me, ‘Do you want to play in the big club, already with a big history (United), where you will be just one of them? Or play for Manchester City, who didn’t win the league for 44 years, where if you win the trophy, you can make history?”

The fair returns on Saturday, June 6, to Midsummer Common

A popular festival will return to Cambridge after a year away. Strawberry Fair returns to Midsummer Common on Saturday, June 6, after “significant financial loss” meant it did not go ahead in 2025.

This year’s fair returns with an Area 51 theme to mark the 51st year of the festival. A fair spokesperson said: “The day itself is a packed programme across 10 stages and areas, celebrating a wide range of live music, spoken word, performance and entertainment throughout the day.

“The fair also includes dedicated family-friendly spaces, children’s activities, and a brand area for teenagers, the rec.” We’ve put together everything you need to know about the big day, including road closures and timings.

Where is it and when?

The fair takes place on Midsummer Common, just off Victoria Avenue. It will start with a parade from Christ’s Pieces at 10.30am, before the main site opens at midday.

The festival site will be fenced off, with several staffed entrance points set up. The rest of the common will still be fully accessible. The River Cam towpath will be open as usual, and separate from the fair.

The entrances will be well sign-posted. No queues are expected to get in.

Will there be road closures in place?

During the build (June 1 to June 10)

There will be temporary closures on some paths on Midsummer Common between 8am and 11pm from June 2 until June 10. These closures will not affect the river towpath or the path from Maids Causeway to Walnut Tree Avenue.

They will affect the paths which cross at the lamppost including the path from Maids Causeway to Victoria Avenue and, less frequently, the path between the Fort St George and Victoria Avenue. When the paths are closed neither pedestrians nor cyclists will be able to use them.

During the fair

The Fort St George pub will be fenced outside the fair. The Fort St George Bridge will be open for the duration.

However, there will be no direct access to the fair from the bridge. The public will be directed to use this entrance and entrances on Victoria Avenue via signposts placed at the major junctions onto Chesterton Road.

What can you take in?

Food and drink will be available to buy inside the fair. However, there will be a maximum of four cans of beer or ‘ready to drink’ cocktails per person, or the equivalent amount of wine, that can be brought inside. Spirits cannot be brought to the site.

There will be a strict no glass policy at all entrances to prevent broken glass being left on the common. Challenge 21 will be in operation, with anyone who looks younger than 21 required to show ID to bring alcohol into the site. Anyone without a suitable ID will have their drink confiscated.

Security staff may conduct searches at the entrance to the fair.

Alexandra Rabjohns was first arrested in November 2024 when she was spotted getting into her red Ford Fiesta while it was parked up on West Dyke Road, Redcar.

Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court heard how police checked on the 31-year-old and discovered her smelling strongly of alcohol.

Yetunde Alake, prosecuting, said a breathalyser test showed she had 132 mg of alcohol on breath – nearly four times the legal driving limit in England and Wales.

The court heard how Rabjohns was arrested again on January 10 last year, after she tried to buy more booze from an Aldi store in Middlesbrough.

Ms Alake said: “Staff contacted the police after she entered store and staff refused to serve her because she was heavily intoxicated.

“She handed the keys to her car over to staff and left the shop. When police arrived, they found she had a bottle of vodka in her pocket.

“She was arrested and taken into custody where she refused to take a test.”

Rabjohns, of Wembley Way, Stockton, pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis from January last year and being charge of a vehicle whilst unfit through drink from November 2024.

Melissa McLeod, mitigating, said her client was living in her car at the time of the first offence and is now taking steps to address her alcohol addiction.

She said: “During that period of her life, she was experiencing a very difficult time – she was fleeing a difficult relationship and had an ongoing alcohol addiction.

“She has now been 36 days sober and is attending alcoholics anonymous which she tells me is helping her deal with her problems.”

Professor David Smith, the chairman of the magistrates’ bench, adjourned sentencing until June 25 to allow time for the Probation Service to update her pre-sentence report.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) confirmed it was called to reports of a blaze located at a scrap yard on Moston Road, Chadderton, with several fire crews deployed just after 11am this morning.

It said six engines from across Blackley, Hollins, Heywood, Philips Park, Broughton and Offerton fire station, along with the Technical Response Unit from Ashton, have been sent to battle the inferno as of 11am today (Saturday).

A spokesperson for GMFRS told the Manchester Evening News: “Just after 11am this morning (Saturday 30th May), six fire engines from Blackley, Hollins, Heywood, Philips Park, Broughton and Offerton fire station, along with the Technical Response Unit from Ashton, were called to reports of a fire at a scrap yard on Moston Road, Chadderton.

“Crews arrived quickly at the scene. Firefighters are using six hose reel jets to extinguish the fire. Firefighters have been in attendance for around an hour and are still at the scene.”

Cardiff travel to Cape Town to take on the Stormers in the quarter-finals of the United Rugby Championship (2.30pm).

This is the first time Cardiff have qualified for the URC play-offs and they are the only Welsh side who have progressed to the last eight.

Cardiff are big underdogs today but did beat the Stormers a fortnight back at the Arms Park.

Corniel van Zyl has made four changes to the starting XV, with props Rhys Barratt and Keiron Assiratti coming into the front-row and Josh McNally returning at lock.

In an otherwise unchanged backline, Josh Adams returns to fitness to join Cam Winnett and Jacob Beetham in a dynamic back three.

Kick-off is at 2.30pm with the game live on Premier Sports and S4C. You can follow live updates below.

Stormers: Willemse; Senatla, Nel (capt), du Plessis, Zas; Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Khan; Mchunu, Venter, Fouche, Smith, van Heerden, de Villiers, Dixon, Roos.

Replacements: Kotze, Matongo, Porthen, Moerat, Ackerman, Theunissen, Ungerer, Matthee.

Cardiff: Winnett; Beetham, B Thomas, Jennings, Adams; I Lloyd, Mulder; Barratt, Belcher (capt), Assiratti, McNally, Thornton, Botham, D Thomas, Basham.

Replacements: D Hughes, Southworth, Sebastian, Nott, Lawrence, E Lloyd, Bevan, Bowen.

Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ireland)

Assistants: Andrew Brace & Andrew Cole (Ireland)

TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization Saturday arrived in eastern Congo’s Bunia, a city at the heart of an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola, where the virus still spreads faster than the response, despite better-organized health facilities and new aid arrivals.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is expected to visit a treatment center and meet local authorities, health workers and affected families in Bunia.

“The best way to address this is to provide all the necessary support to fight the disease at its epicenter and to continue offering every assistance needed,” Tedros told reporters late Friday.

The WHO said Friday authorities have reported 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths. Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan ministry of health said Friday.

The Bundibugyo virus, the current kind of Ebola, has no approved treatment or vaccine.

“This is a difficult situation, and we recognize that. But the Democratic Republic of Congo has faced the Ebola virus many times before. We are confident that it can once again bring this outbreak under control,” Tedros told reporters Friday after meeting with Congo’s Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka.

Medical aid donated by the European Union arrived in Ituri, the heart of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, on Thursday, with more shipments expected over the next eight days. The U.S. announced $80 million in additional aid on the same day, bringing its total commitment to more than $112 million.

Response efforts at Bunia’s Rwampara and General hospitals appear more organized, with additional staff, protective gear and medical supplies, though patients continue arriving around the clock, an AP reporter observed on Friday.

The response has not kept pace with one of the fastest-spreading outbreaks on record, Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, warned on Saturday.

“Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” Dr. Alan Gonzalez, MSF’s deputy director of operations, said in a statement.

“Nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak,” Gonzalez said, calling for immediate expansion of testing, faster deployment of aid workers and sustained access for medical supplies.

Dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by anger among residents over the stringent medical protocols for handling the victims’ bodies, which clash with local burial rites. Residents have launched at least three attacks against health centers.

Attacks in Ituri by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.

The illness also has been reported in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels have reported two cases.

Uganda and Rwanda have closed their borders, while the Trump administration last week banned entry of non-U.S. passport holders who had recently visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan.

Tedros on Friday called border closures and travel bans “not effective at all” in preventing the spread of the outbreak

“Closing borders, as some countries have done, only discourages transparency. The Democratic Republic of Congo is reporting the situation openly and transparently,” he said, urging countries to reconsider these measures.

——

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press reporter Saleh Mwanamilongo in Bonn, Germany, contributed to this report.

Councillor Sam Zair, the 18th Mayor of Bishop Auckland, described his term as a “tremendous honour” and said he was deeply proud to have raised the funds for Butterwick Hospice.

Cllr Zair said: “It has been a tremendous honour to serve as 18th Mayor of Bishop Auckland.

“I have had the privilege of meeting so many inspiring people who work tirelessly to support our community.

“I am especially proud to have raised £4,500 for Butterwick Hospice, an organisation that provides vital care and support to families at the most difficult times.”

During his year in office, he represented Bishop Auckland at civic events, backed local organisations and promoted the town across County Durham and beyond.

Cllr Michael Siddle has been appointed the town’s new mayor.

Cllr Zair said: “I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my year in office – from fellow councillors and staff to community groups and residents.

“Bishop Auckland is a town with a strong sense of community, and it has been a privilege to serve it as Mayor.

“I give Cllr Siddle my best wishes as he takes over as Mayor, after being my deputy for the last 12 month.”

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Cllr Zair now moves into a new role for 2026-27 as Chair of the Town Council’s Policy and Resources Committee.

The council is preparing to welcome Cllr Siddle as its new Mayor for 2026-27.

Cllr Zair said he leaves the mayoral role proud of his contribution to both the community and to a charity close to his heart.