The airline has now abandoned most flights to the region until June as US and Israeli strikes across Iran are continuing.

In the latest update, British Airways told its passengers it has extended the temporary reduction in its flying schedule due to “continuing uncertainty”.

The airline has now announced it will not fly to Bahrain, Dubai, Tel Aviv and Amman in Jordan, until after May 31.

Meanwhile, Doha flights have been axed until April 30.

Additionally, Abu Dhabi flights remain cancelled until much later in the year (October).

British Airways extends Middle East flight suspensions from UK

In a statement post on its travel updates page, British Airways said: “Due to the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability, and to provide more clarity to our customers, we’ve extended the temporary reduction in our flying schedule in the region.

“We’re keeping the situation under constant review and are directly in touch with affected customers to offer them a range of options.

“Since the situation in the Middle East began, we’ve helped thousands of customers return home and operated eight relief flights from Muscat in Oman.

“We are also operating additional flights to and from Singapore (x4) and Bangkok (x3) and continue to review options to bring back more customers who have been disrupted.”

Best and Worst Airlines in the UK 2025

You can see the latest Foreign Office travel advice for Brits heading to the likes of Dubai on the UK government’s website.

The new travel update came as BA confirmed last week that it would stop running rescue flights from the Middle East because of “reduced demand”.

The UK airline had been running daily flights from Muscat in Oman to London’s Heathrow Airport since March 5.

But it said it was going to “pause” the flights after Thursday’s (March 12) departure.

BA does not usually serve Muscat, but the capital has emerged as a key location for tourists stranded in neighbouring countries because of the current conflict.

British Airways reveals new flights to Australia from UK

Elsewhere, the airline revealed this week it will introduce direct flights to Melbourne as part of an expansion of its long-haul links.

British Airways shared it will operate a daily return flight between London Heathrow and the Australian city from January 9 next year.

This will be in time for the 2027 Australian Open tennis tournament and Australian Grand Prix.

Recommended reading:

The flights will be an extension of the travel company’s existing service to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The only Australian destination served by the carrier at present is Sydney via Singapore.

Were you due to fly with British Airways to the likes of Dubai from the UK in the coming weeks? Let us know in the comments below.

The Thursday letters page thinks 2026 is set to be one of the best years ever for video games, as one reader is saddened by the decline in VR gaming.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Fight the future
So this whole DLSS 5 unveil is not going the way Nvidia imagined, huh? Who would’ve thought the whole gaming world would turn against it and Digital Foundry would be forced to put out an apology! And now we learn that the developers never even knew anything about it?! It was all a corporate deal by the bigwigs and not an artistic vision at all.

Like the reader said yesterday, I bet the companies won’t take the hint – there’s too much money in it for them – but I love that gamers aren’t taking this laying down. People act so helpless when it comes to bad decisions in the games industry but time and time again, we see that publishers back away the instant they think people are voting with their wallets.

I don’t know if the situation is that simple this time around, but all this is sending a clear message that we don’t want AI slop in our games, and the companies need to be changing their plans if they think this is the future of anything.
Gurney

Halcyon days
So I’m officially old now, if Xbox 360 is retro, huh? It’s an odd thing thinking back to that time. It seems simultaneously like yesterday and forever ago. I had to send mine back twice because of the Red Ring of Death but I still loved it. It wasn’t just the games it was the whole vibe, with online being new at that time and games still being cheap enough to make that you got some weird and interesting stuff.

There’s no question the Xbox 360 was better than the PlayStation 3, and any of the other Xbox consoles, but I’d also put it ahead of the PS1 and definitely the PlayStation 5. It’s a shame Microsoft let the early success go to its head and started on all the Kinect rubbish so soon but for a while there you saw the industry giant they could’ve been.
Lord Buckethead

Lance the boil
I never imagined that the boss of Take-Two would end up being the voice of sanity in the great AI debate but everything he’s said about it has been on point. There even seems to be a vague hint of respect and loyalty from him, towards his developers. Not that I’m sure he wouldn’t throw them under the bus in an instant, if it thought it would earn him an extra cent, but at least he pays lip service to them being artists – which is more than somewhere like EA would.

My hope is that the whole AI bubble bursts as soon as possible and we move past it. The longer things go on like this, with all the ridiculous lies from the AI companies (and the AI itself!) the worse it’s going to be when it all explodes. If I was Take-Two I’d put a ‘Not made with AI’ stick on GTA 6 and maybe that would catch on.
Bosley

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Another one bites the dust
And so the winding up on another thing that makes me smile is taken away. Got an email yesterday from Meta to say that the VR Worlds aspect is being shut down from the 15th of June.

I never purchased the headset with the intent to make friends across the globe but I found out that by joining the Worlds aspect, that people from all around the world, from all walks of life, can come together. This was a lovely thing.

I will always stand by my enthusiasm for VR. It is the zenith of what I dreamt of during the early to mid ‘90s. It may be coughing and spluttering but I’ll keep on nursing my headset and keep on rocking. Most of the games installed just can’t be done in flat.
D Dubya
PS: Any update on the Alien: Rogue Incursion sequel?

GC: No, but it hasn’t been cancelled.

Summer blowout
If we’re not going to get as many new releases this Christmas as we would normally, because of GTA 6, I hope they compensate for that by having more announcements than usual during the summer, so we’ve at least got stuff to look forward to.

I’m dying to know what Persona 6 is about and what FromSoftware’s next big single-player game is. There’s so many companies that either haven’t announced anything for ages or where we basically only know the name. What happened to the new Bioshock game and what exactly is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? I really don’t want to wait until next year to find out.
Tacle

A year of extremes
Thanks for the Pragmata preview, I’m glad to see that it’s shaping up nicely.

I played the short demo last week and found that the rub your belly/pat your head style of gameplay clicked right at the end of my 18 minute playtime, so I’m looking forward to the full game.

I feel like I say this every year, but isn’t 2026 shaping up to be low-key great for games?

We have two huge commercial and critical hits already in both Pokémon Pokopia and Resident Evil Requiem, with Capcom planning to also deliver both Onimusha and Pragmata later in the year.

Meanwhile the conversation around Crimson Desert seems to point to another banger (I feel sorry for the contributor last week, who said they hope it’s bad so they can focus on other releases; can’t they just play it at a later stage of their life if it is?), and I’d like to think that Nintendo are poised to reveal some exciting Christmas games for Switch 2.

Considering I haven’t even mentioned the looming GTA 6 release in November I think that we’re in for a pretty great year for new releases, despite everything that is going on with gaming hardware and in the real world.
Anon

Mega bonus
Although it’s great to know that Subnautica 2 is finally going to be out soon, surely I’m not the only one that is shocked by the bonus total of $250 million? I’m not begrudging the developers the money but surely that must be much bigger than the budget of the game?

Spider-Man 2 was just north of $300 million and that was meant to be one of the biggest ever, so what’s going on here? Maybe the publisher just never intended to pay up but why even suggest it, because I’m pretty sure it’s not something the developer would’ve gone into it expecting.
Phil

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Resident Evil 9 (out of 10)
***Mild spoilers for Resident Evil Requiem***

I’ve just started playing Resident Evil Requiem, choosing the Switch 2 version over the PlayStation 5 version for portability.

I’m about a quarter of the way through and I feel the reason why the game works so well is that it takes some of the best bits from some of the better Resident Evil games.

The beginning areas with Grace in the hotel and with the monster that’s scared of the dark feels very reminiscent of the Baker mansion in Resident Evil 7. The rest of the Rhodes Hill Care Centre feels like if the RCPD department precinct from the Resident Evil 2 remake and the castle from Resident Evil Village had a weird zombie lovechild.

Leon’s sections feel very much like what I have played of Resident Evil 4 remake.

I’ve got to say so far, with what I’ve played, they’ve nailed it. The parts with Grace feel tense and claustrophobic and ammo is scarce. The bits with Leon just feel like the perfect respite, just unadulterated fun, where you get to let loose and kill zombies to your hearts content.

I think the fact that since 2017 Capcom have managed to release either a new Resident Evil entry or remake less than every two years, and have the series still feel relevant and exciting, is pretty remarkable; especially when you consider that it wasn’t that long ago when the franchise looked to be dead and buried.
matc7884

Inbox also-rans
So Digital Foundry got death threats for their positive video on DLSS 5 and their response was to make a new video where they pretend to have the same opinions as their viewers. The gaming community is a messed up place for sure.
Gecky

I see something called Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss but it looks pretty low budget and I’ve not liked the previous games I’ve played. GC, what would you say is the best Lovecraftian game, that is actually good?
Pascal87

GC: That’s easy, it’s Bloodborne. As a bonus it’s also one of the best games ever made.

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Despite Liverpool’s dominance, the talk at half-time was of Mohamed Salah’s missed penalty. For a man who rarely misses, it was an unusually weak attempt and one that would certainly have got the headlines had Liverpool not progressed.

By now, Salah’s hunger for success is clear and it spoke volumes that instantly after his miss, he forced a save from Ugurcan Cakir.

And the Egyptian was involved in all three of Liverpool’s second-half goals to cap off a terrific all-round display.

First, Salah teed up Hugo Ekitike and it was Ryan Gravenberch who finished after Salah’s strike was saved, for Liverpool’s third.

The goal to make it 4-0 was a work of art as the 33-year-old used his left foot to curl a sublime effort into the top corner from outside the box.

“It says a lot about his mentality,” said Slot. “That was a difficult moment [when he missed the penalty] but then to come out in the second half with a great assist for Hugo and then score a trademark goal coming inside and finding the top corner.

“That tells you a lot about his mental strength, so credit to him and the whole team because adversity is something we can talk about when it comes to this season.”

Salah could have easily had more on a night where he became the first African to score 50 Champions League goals and recorded his 200th and 201st goal involvements for Liverpool at Anfield in all competitions (140 goals, 61 assists) in just 211 appearances.

There was some concern when Salah asked to be substituted in the 74th minute, with Slot saying afterwards that he had felt something.

But this was another timely reminder of his sheer class. Salah’s numbers alone are stupendous and whether or not he is still a Liverpool player come next season, there is little doubt that Liverpool have a stronger chance of knocking out PSG with him fit and firing.

The incident happened in Costa del Sol in a room at a resort in Torremolinos, Spain

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A teenage girl escaped an alleged sexual assault in a hotel room by leaping from the balcony.

The horrifying incident happened in Costa del Sol in a room at a resort in Torremolinos, Spain. Daily Star reports the 14-year-old girl is believed to have been drugged and sexually assaulted by three young men in the room.

On Saturday morning (March 14) she was held captive before making a brave attempt to escape, climbing from the terrace to an adjacent balcony according to police.

This occurring just hours after her concerned family reported her missing when she failed to return. A hotel employee is said to have heard the girl’s cries for help and promptly alerted emergency services, prompting a swift police response.

The Spanish Eye reported that one individual has been arrested on suspicion of unlawful detention, issuing serious threats, sexual assault and drug offences, after allegedly threatening the girl with a knife and assaulting her.

Two others, including a minor, were arrested on suspicion of unlawful detention and public health offences, according to local reports. It’s alleged that the victim was coerced into taking drugs prior to the attack.

The nationalities of those involved have not been disclosed and the investigation into the incident is ongoing. This comes after a “wolf pack” targeted and raped a British teenager at a Magaluf hotel.

A group of seven French men and one Swiss man accepted prison sentences which added up to over 73 years for the horror crime. The men agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors in Spain just days before a trial into the gang rape of an 18-year-old British girl at the BH Mallorca, in the summer of 2023.

These horror men faced being jailed for up to 150 years if they were convicted at trial. This plea included the men admit to the horror crimes they committed at the Spanish hotel.

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Dr Amir Khan who appears on ITV’s This Morning said one type of food was causing mayhem

A TV doctor has highlighted a worrying rise in people with liver issues – and it’s not down to alcohol. Dr Amir Khan who appears on ITV’s This Morning and Lorraine regularly explained in a new post on Instagram that his surgery is seeing a rise – and it’s all down to diet.

He said: “We are seeing so many people with non alcoholic fatty liver disease – and lots of people think it’s related to fats but it’s sugar.”

Dr Khan explained that people constantly snacking on sugary snacks and refined carbohydrates such as crisps was causing the problem. He said: ”Did you know your blood sugar and your liver are basically best friends? But sometimes that friendship can turn toxic. So here’s what’s going on:

“Every time your blood sugar rises, your body releases insulin. Insulin’s job is to move sugar out of your blood and into your cells. But if your blood sugar is high all the time – lots of sugary foods, refined carbohydrates, snacking all day long – your body stops responding to insulin properly. That’s what we call insulin resistance.

“Now here’s where the liver comes in. Your liver starts taking all that extra sugar and actually turns it into fat. This process is called de novo lipogenesis. Literally, it means “making new fat.” At the same time, insulin is telling your body not to burn fat, so even more fat ends up getting delivered to the liver. And slowly, fat starts building up inside of your liver cells. Over time, that can lead to inflammation, damage, and a condition called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. And most people don’t even know they’ve got it.”

Dr Khan emphasised that having been diagnosed with this a person didn’t have to despair – because it can be sorted out. He said: “But here’s the good news: this is often reversible. If you’ve got fatty liver, here’s what can actually help. Now I know this is hard, but I’ve gotta say it:

“Firstly, losing just 5-10% of your body weight can significantly reduce liver fat. Secondly, move your body every single day. Even if it’s a brisk walk, it improves how your body handles sugar.

“Thirdly, cut back on added sugars and ultra-processed carbohydrates, especially things high in fructose, like fizzy drinks. Focus instead on whole foods, fiber, protein, and healthy fats. They help keep your blood sugar steady.”

Not drinking too much is also important because the liver is in need of help, he added: “Limit your alcohol, because your liver is already under pressure. Why put it under more? And don’t forget sleep. Poor sleep makes insulin resistance worse.

“Honestly, I like to think of it like this: if you look after your blood sugar, you look after your liver. And the amazing thing is, your liver is so forgiving if you give it a chance.”

The NHS says: “Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition where fat builds up in your liver. It’s often linked to being overweight and can usually be treated with healthy lifestyle changes.”

Symptoms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease does not usually cause any symptoms.

Many people have it without realising. It’s usually found when you have tests for another reason.

Some people have symptoms including:

• feeling very tired
• feeling generally unwell
• liver pain or discomfort, which is felt in your tummy (abdomen) under the right side of your ribs

Who is more likely to get non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is very common.

You’re more likely to get it if you:

• are overweight, particularly if you have a lot of fat around your stomach and waist
• do not have a healthy diet or are not very physically active
• have type 2 diabetes
• have polycystic ovary syndrome
• have high blood pressure or high cholesterol
• are over 50

For more information visit the NHS website here.

Barcelona: Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Gerard, Joao Cancelo, Bernal, Gonzalez, Yamal, Lopez, Raphinha, Lewandowski. 

Subs: Szczesny, Kochen, Araujo, Gavi, Torres, Rashford, Casado, Olmo, Cortes, Espart, Marques, Bardghji. 

Newcastle: Ramsdale, Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall, Ramsey, Tonali, Joelinton, Elanga, Gordon, Barnes. 

Subs: Pope, Ruddy, Harris, Botman, Wissa, Osula, Livramento, Jacob Murphy, Woltemade, Willock, Alex Murphy, Neave. 

Referee: Francois Letexier (France)

After You’ll Never Walk Alone is belted out by the Anfield faithful, the two sides emerge and we are approaching kick-off. It is an Anfield solely packed with Liverpool fans with no Galatasaray fans allowed in tonight. Safe to say the Uefa anthem is resoundly booed by those inside Anfield. Here is a reminder of the two sides tonight:

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

Galatasaray: Ugurcan, Boey, Singo, Bardakci, Jakobs, Torreira, Lemina, Yilmaz, Sara, Sallai, Osimhen.
Substitutes: Guvenc, Sen, Icardi, Sane, Akgun, Elmali, Gundogan, Kutucu, Asprilla, Ayhan, Gurpuz, Lang.

“To ensure we do not see unfair practices continuing, in the upcoming Energy Independence Bill we will be bringing in new regulation of third-party intermediaries, such as energy brokers and price comparison websites, as a further measure to protect small businesses from harmful practices like mis-selling and untransparent pricing.

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday condemned special interest money that poured into the state ahead of this week’s primary, including from a pro-Israel political group that the billionaire and potential 2028 presidential contender once supported.

Pritzker, a Jewish Democrat who also spent money to influence races Tuesday, was a donor to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee before he walked away more than a decade ago. He told The Associated Press on Wednesday that AIPAC, which lobbies for U.S. support for Israel and is a top donor to political campaigns, lost its way as a bipartisan group focused on Middle East peace.

“It became an organization that was supporting Donald Trump and people who follow Donald Trump,” Pritzker said. “AIPAC really is not an organization that I think today I would want any part of.”

Outside groups, including AIPAC, funneled roughly $70 million into six open U.S. House and Senate races in Illinois on Tuesday. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune, called it “interference.”

A message left Wednesday for an AIPAC spokesperson wasn’t immediately returned.

Outside groups influence campaign issues

The open contests in Illinois — largely due to retirements — were a proving ground for some of the biggest issues before Democrats in 2026, from support for Israel to the cryptocurrency and AI industries, as super PACs poured millions into the races. Questions about U.S. involvement in the Israel-Hamas war, and in recent days the Iran war, permeated several contests.

AIPAC’s involvement sparked some of the primary’s harshest attacks, but the group’s success was mixed. In a 10-candidate primary for a U.S. House district that includes parts of Chicago’s South Side, AIPAC backed Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, who won the Democratic nod Tuesday. The group’s preferred Democratic candidate in a heavily Jewish district north of Chicago, however, lost to Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss.

While unopposed in his own primary, Pritzker was a strong presence in several campaigns, contributing millions to support his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, in her successful bid for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.

The move, and Pritzker’s possible 2028 presidential bid, put a fresh spotlight on his global policy views amid growing unrest over the Democratic Party’s relationship to Israel.

A supporter of Israel, Pritzker has also rejected the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has called for two-state solution with “safe havens” needed both for Jews in Israel and Palestinians in Gaza.

“I do not know why the United States has walked away from that, except, of course, that Donald Trump doesn’t seem to understand how to create Middle East peace and instead wants to go to war, as he has now done in Iran, simply following Netanyahu into that war,” Pritzker said.

“Are we going to now take military adventures across the world to take out leaders, who we think are bad for their countries?” he said. “If so, we’re going to be involved in a whole lot of wars going forward.”

Millions into races from Pritzker, outside groups

Pritzker himself put at least $5 million into helping Stratton get elected. She won the Democratic Senate nomination over U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who dominated in fundraising.

Outside groups also spent more than $16 million to support Stratton’s campaign, while also spending $11 million in opposition.

Pritzker said Stratton won because she was strong on issues, not because of his influence.

“She stood on her own two feet, and people saw that she’s real and she’s going to be a fighter for us in Washington,” Pritzker said.

Some voters disagreed.

Matthew Crain, 54, who is from downstate Chatham, said Pritzker’s endorsement influenced him to change his vote from Krishnamoorthi to Stratton.

Crain, a state worker, said that given the potential of Pritzker running for president, “I thought having one of his allies in would be a good thing.”

Brooke Morgan, 39, from Springfield, said she became familiar with Stratton’s politics over her last seven years as lieutenant governor.

“The governor is doing a pretty good job in Illinois, and I think that his backing, his support of her certainly gave me some confidence as well,” said Morgan, a museum curator.

Eyes on November

In November, Pritzker faces Republican Darren Bailey, a former state lawmaker who backs Trump’s agenda. It will be a rematch after Pritzker handily defeated Bailey in 2022.

In a campaign speech to supporters Tuesday, Bailey, who received Trump’s endorsement four years ago, said he doesn’t agree with the president on everything and vowed to include Democrats who feel left out.

Meanwhile in a campaign ad posted Wednesday, Pritzker’s team characterized Bailey as “still too extreme for Illinois.”

When asked about his own ambitions for higher office, Pritzker said he is not planning anything beyond his 2026 bid for a third term.

“That is not something I’m thinking,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois, contributed to this report.