Gary Lineker believes Mikel Arteta has shown signs of ‘panicking’ in recent weeks but still expects Arsenal to win the Premier League.

Arsenal lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City before the international break and suffered a shock FA Cup defeat to Championship side Southampton on Saturday.

Those back-to-back defeats mean an Arsenal team who were chasing a historic quadruple just two weeks ago have fallen short in two competitions.

Arsenal are still on the verge of a memorable season, however, as they attempt to win their first league title in 22 years and lift the Champions League for the first time ever.

Their nine-point lead over second-placed Man City is ‘huge’, according to Lineker, who remains confident Arsenal will clinch a long-awaited Premier League title.

But the England legend admits Arsenal are going through a ‘little wobble’ and has also accused Arteta of ‘panicking’ since the Carabao Cup final defeat.

‘It’s been a tough two weeks for Arsenal,’ Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast. ‘People are asking if they’re panicking or if it’s a crisis, it’s definitely a little wobble.

‘Obviously Gabriel went off with ice on his knee so that’s a concern because he will be a big miss if he’s out. The next game or two are hugely important for Arsenal, they need to steady the ship, there’s no doubt about it.

‘They’ve got a huge lead in the title race but it’s squeaky bum time. I think they will be fine, I think they will win the league, which will still be the main thing for them.

‘The Champions League would obviously be an enormous bonus because it’s a competition they’ve never won.

‘I’m pretty confident they will win the league. It’s not a bad situation to be in, nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.’

Lineker added: ‘Southampton played exceptionally well and Arsenal were off it.

‘I do want to throw something out there and it’s easy in hindsight but I thought there was a slight signal of panic when they withdrew so many players or the players themselves withdrew from international duty.

Tehran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf neighbours

More than 25 people have been killed in Iran following a wave of attacks carried out by Israel and the United States.

Tehran responded to the attacks with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf neighbours, according to reports. The airstrikes came as Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz loomed.

The US President issued an expletive-laden threat against Iran over the weekend, saying America would escalate strikes on its infrastructure if it doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline, which is 1am UK time on Tuesday. In a social media post, Mr Trump promised strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges.

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He said the strikes would set the country ‘back to the stone ages’ and would added that Iran would be ‘living in hell’. But a defiant Iran showed no sign of backing down, striking economic and infrastructure targets in neighbouring Gulf Arab countries and challenging the US’s account of the rescue.

And Iran’s joint military command warned of stepped-up attacks on regional oil and civilian infrastructure if the US and Israel attack such targets there, according to state television. Overnight explosions rang out in Tehran and low-flying jets could be heard for hours as the capital was pounded.

Thick black smoke rose near the city’s Azadi Square after one airstrike hit the Sharif University of Technology grounds. Two people were found dead in the rubble of a residential building in Haifa, according to Israeli authorities.

The search was ongoing for two more even as new Iranian missile attacks hit the northern Israeli city early on Monday. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates both activated their air defence systems to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones, as Tehran kept up the pressure on its Gulf neighbours.

Iran’s regular attacks on regional energy infrastructure and its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped in peacetime, have sent global energy prices soaring. Iran has let some vessels through the strait since the war began, but none belonging to the US, Israel or countries perceived as helping them.

Some have paid Iran for passage and the overall flow of traffic is down more than 90 per cent over the same period last year. Beyond Mr Trump’s military threats, diplomatic efforts are still underway to see if a solution can be reached to open the waterway.

One of Monday’s morning airstrikes targeted Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, where Iranian media reported damage to the buildings as well as a natural gas distribution site next to the campus. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted on the grounds of the university, which is empty of students as the war has forced all schools into the country into online classes.

Multiple countries over the years have sanctioned the university for its work with the military, particularly on Iran’s ballistic missile programme, which is controlled by the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. A strike near Eslamshar, southwest of Tehran, killed at least 13 people, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Five others were killed when a residential area in the city of Qom was hit, and six more were killed in strikes on other cities, the state-run IRAN daily newspaper reported. Three more people were killed when an airstrike hit a home in Tehran, Iranian state television reported.

Two fire crews were called to the property in Wellington Street shortly after 6.20pm on Sunday (April 5).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the crews responded to a report that the television ariel was “hanging in a dangerous position from a property after becoming damaged in high winds”.

“Crew power and bolt cutters were used to remove the ariel before the possibility of it falling onto the footpath below,” a service spokesperson said.

The callout by the fire service came as York and North Yorkshire were battered by high winds brought by Storm Dave at the weekend.

This follows reports that a school in Walkden ordered more than 130 books to be removed from their library’s shelves.

Index on Censorship reported in March that The Lowry Academy had removed the books – with the number rising to almost 200 if each issue of the graphic novels was counted.

The school said that no books had been banned, but re-classified – although a number had been removed.

Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South and Walkden, said she has written to the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP.

Ms Qureshi described as ‘unacceptable’ claims that books including We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Pageboy by Elliot Page were removed.

Other books reportedly removed include a graphic novel of George Orwell’s 1984, Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books.

Yasmin Qureshi MP (Image: Office of Yasmin Qureshi MP)

Ms Qureshi said: “A qualified librarian exercised her professional judgement in good faith, only to resign under pressure and face investigation. That is unacceptable.

“School libraries should open young minds, not reflect the personal preferences of senior leadership. Books must be determined by educational need and expertise, not ideology.

“I’ve asked the department what powers it has to investigate and whether they will act on this case and wider library governance issues.

“Our young people and educators deserve better.”

In a statement given to PA the school denied that books had been “banned” and said they had instead been placed into “age-appropriate categories”.

A spokesperson for the academy said: “It is not the case that books have been ‘banned’ by the school.

“Following concerns that a number of books within the library were neither age- nor content-appropriate, an audit was conducted.

“Following this, books have been placed into age-appropriate categories and returned to the shelves. 

“A very small number of books were deemed inappropriate even for older children due to their content and have been removed.”

The Lowry Academy has reportedly removed nearly 200 books from their library (Image: Google Maps)

Teachers at the National Education Union (NEU) conference in Brighton voted for a motion calling on the union executive to oppose censorship in school libraries.

Daniel Kebede, NEU general secretary, said: “Any move to censor books in school libraries based on misinformation and fearmongering should ring alarm bells for all of us.

“The USA and Hungary are examples of countries which have implemented book bans in schools, primarily targeting books by women, black and LGBT+ authors, and the NEU is clear that this is not a path we are prepared to follow in the UK.”

The motion also called for the union executive to promote the body as a union for librarians amid reports they are seeing both internal and external censorship of library materials, as well as redundancies, budget cuts and extremely low pay.

Firefighters were called to the small fire in the open near Huntington Road shortly after 5.10pm on Sunday (April 5).

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire, measuring 2m x 2m and consisting of branches, was out on the crew’s arrival.

A service spokesperson said it was suspected that youths seen in the area had started the fire.

They said the crew informed police about the incident and “inspected the area to ensure the fire was fully extinguished before leaving the incident”.

The organisation has supported thousands of unemployed South Lanarkshire residents into work, skills and training.

The long-serving chairperson of Routes to Work South (RTWS) has stepped down after 17 years in the role.

It means the search is on to find a replacement for Bill McBride at the organisation that has supported thousands of unemployed South Lanarkshire residents into work, skills and training.

South Lanarkshire council’s head of enterprise and sustainable development, Alison Brown, said: Alison Brown said: “Bill’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping RTWS into a respected, stable, and forward‑looking organisation. Under his guidance, Routes to Work South has expanded its services, deepened its community partnerships, and delivered programmes that have helped many residents overcome unemployment and build brighter futures.

“We are immensely grateful for his contribution.”

A new chairperson and up to five independent directors are now needed for RTWS.

It is an arms-length external organisation of South Lanarkshire Council that celebrated their 20th anniversary last year.

The positions are voluntary (with expenses reimbursed) and successful applicants will attend quarterly board meetings and sub-committees.

The organisation welcomes applications from individuals with experience in:

■ Finance, audit, or risk management

■ Human resources / people and culture

■ Legal and regulatory compliance

■ Strategic leadership and organisational development

■ Digital, data or information governance

■ Employability, skills, health or economic development

■ Community development / third sector leadership

Alison added: “RTWS has grown into an award‑winning Scottish charity and a key contributor to tackling poverty and promoting economic inclusion across South Lanarkshire. The organisation supports residents to develop the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to progress into sustainable employment.

“We would love to hear from people interested in helping us grow the service, guide its strategic direction, strengthen governance and ensure high‑quality delivery of employability programmes.”

Applications should be submitted by Thursday 30 April by sending a CV and short supporting statement by email, or informal enquiries can also be emailed or call 0141 584 2915.

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The Grand National 2026 is just around the corner, with the world-famous Aintree racecourse set to host three days of racing across April 9-11.

Standard and hospitality tickets start at £33.50 at The Jockey Club, with VIP and hospitality packages also available from £249 at Seat Unique.

It’s no secret that there are some fantastic spots to get some great grub across the region, a place home to so many talented and dedicated restaurants. 

And this year we’ve once again been looking to shine a spotlight on the best of the best, along with the help of our readers.

We can now reveal the top ten finalists in our competition – and we want you to now vote for your favourite.

This year’s top ten are: 

1. Burtree Inn – Burtree Gate, Darlington, DL2 2XZ
2. Stable Hearth – 33-35 Duke Street, Darlington, DL3 7RX
3. Taipan Asia – 10 Crown Street, Darlington, DL1 1LU
4. Tawny Owl – Neasham Road, Hurworth Moor, Darlington, DL3 1QE
5. The Bay Horse – 45 The Green, Hurworth-on-Tees, Darlington, DL2 2AA
6. The Bridge Inn – The Green, Stapleton, DL2 2QQ
7. The Crown at Mickleton – Mickleton, Barnard Castle, DL12 0JZ
8. The Ivy Tree – Yarm Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 3RY
9. The Loft Steakhouse & Grill – 10 Crown Street, Darlington, DL1 1LU
10. The Talbot – 47–49 The Green, Bishopton, Stockton-on-Tees, TS21 1HE

To vote, you simply need to cut out a coupon printed in The Northern Echo this week and next. You have until Wednesday, April 22 to vote for your favourite. 

In the meantime, we’ll be highlighting each of the restaurants and gastropubs in our top ten to help you decide which one to vote for.

The Northern Echo editor Gavin Foster said: “We have some fantastic restaurants across Darlington and County Durham and our best restaurant or gastropub competition is the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on that. 

“We are delighted to once again be launching our search for the best of the best. Get your votes in now!”

To vote, you simply need to cut out a coupon printed in The Northern Echo this week and next. You have until