To add to the store cupboard list, Eric, 66, from London, insists on equipping students with an “emergency Pot Noodle supply plus a large bottle of peri peri sauce”.

“Both our sons went to university many years ago,” says Nigel, 64, from the South West. “One of the most appreciated parental contributions was the big supermarket shop on arrival.”

You can’t go wrong with a simple cookbook, according to Brenda, 78, from the South East. “My son still has the basic recipe book I gave him when he went to university 30 years ago.” She also advises “a supermarket gift card, basic crockery and cutlery and loo rolls”.

Small kitchen appliances are also practical and long-lasting gifts. An air fryer is a popular choice, according to readers like Jay, 48, from the West Midlands: “It is the only thing [his son] has asked for.”

Communal living comes with its trials as discovered by Deborah, 65, from the East of England, and her son, but she found a simple solution. “The food we’d put in the communal fridge, only an hour or so before, was nicked while I was driving home,” she says. It was also down five flights of stairs. “I got him a small fridge for his room. It made his life so much easier, especially for breakfast,” she explains. “Over 10 years later, it’s still going strong, particularly at Christmas, when a bit more fridge space is needed.”

For Terence, 85, from the North West, his son and grandson’s most used item was their George Foreman grill: “Toasted sandwiches are easy and quick.”

Bedding and laundry staples

Easy-care bedding and laundry staples are popular suggestions too. One reader from the South East insists “a heated clothes airer is absolutely essential”.

“It was the first item on our list. There is no way to complete a degree without one of these,” they add.

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 14:42 BST, 10 September 2026 | Updated: 15:47 BST, 10 September 2026

Donald Trump‘s top advisers, including JD Vance and Marco Rubio, have warned him that the war with Iran could drag on for the rest of his presidency.

The vice president and secretary of state told the president that Tehran could keep resisting US pressure and military strikes right up until Inauguration Day in January 2029, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The pair laid out their assessment during recent sit-downs with Trump in the Oval Office and the Situation Room.

The revelation comes a day after Trump told reporters Wednesday that the conflict will end ‘immediately’ after November’s midterm elections because Tehran ‘can’t hold out any longer.’

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For months, Iran has answered US pressure to abandon its pursuit of a nuclear weapon by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Recently, the US has launched various military strikes on Iranian military assets, including their radar systems, along with the strait to stop them from harassing US-backed oil tankers. 

Brent crude was trading at a high of $101 per barrel on Thursday morning, its highest level since May, as traders braced for further disruption to Middle East supplies.

Economists warn that a drawn-out war with Iran could keep the global oil market in turmoil for years by driving up the cost of gas and consumer goods for Americans. Vance is widely seen as the frontrunner for the 2028 Republican nomination should he run after the midterms. 

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The vice president and secretary of state told the president that Tehran could keep resisting US pressure and military strikes right up until Inauguration Day in January 2029

An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11

For months, Iran has answered US pressure to abandon its pursuit of a nuclear weapon by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries a fifth of the world’s oil supply

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The Daily Mail has contacted the White House for comment. 

The US and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire in June, but it collapsed weeks later when Washington resumed strikes after accusing Tehran of attacking commercial ships in the strait. 

Negotiations remain stalled, with Trump refusing to accept a deal that falls short of his nuclear demands.

Washington wants Iran to end its nuclear program and hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

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Tehran wants joint control of the Strait of Hormuz and the ability to charge tankers for passage to help cover the damage caused by US strikes.

Trump imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports back in April to squeeze Tehran’s economy and pressure its leaders to come back to the negotiating table. 

Iranian crude has been cutoff from crossing the Gulf since it was reinstated in mid-July.  

However, Tehran is still selling oil stored on tankers outside the blockade by land. But those reserves have shrunk from around 90 million barrels to 29 million and could run out next month, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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US cruise missiles are launched at Iranian military targets along the Strait of Hormuz

The video showed US strikes hammering Iranian targets across a 300-mile stretch of coastline of the Strait of Hormuz as Trump boasted that Tehran’s economy was collapsing.

Earlier this month, the US military released dramatic new footage of its blistering bombardment of Iran ’s coast as the president urged the country’s citizens to ‘rise up and fight.’

The video showed US strikes hammering Iranian targets across a 300-mile stretch of coastline of the Strait of Hormuz as Trump boasted that Tehran’s economy was collapsing.

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Last Tuesday, a dozen strikes targeted Iranian radar systems and military assets. Iranian state media reported strikes on the country’s oil-rich Qeshm Island, as well as in the southern port cities of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar.

Iran retaliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming that it had launched a ballistic missile strike on Camp Titin, a US Marine base in Jordan.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen will be among the local leaders allowed to charge a new levy on overnight stays across the region.

Ms McGuinness has long advocated for such a levy and had suggested that about £20 million per year could be generated from an extra £2 per night charge on tourists booking hotels, holiday lets, bed and breakfasts, and guesthouses, with the revenue used to invest in improvements to the North East’s cultural attractions and staging more major events.

However, plans announced by housing secretary Angela Rayner today (Thursday, September 10) will require the levy to be charged as a percentage of the cost of accommodation – rather than as a flat fee.

No upper limit on the tourist tax has been set by the Government, but the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that, while no decision has yet been made on what the North East levy will be, the mayor’s office would not impose a charge above five per cent.

Many European cities already have similar taxes on visitors and Edinburgh recently launched a five per cent charge on overnight accommodation bookings.

Liverpool charges a £2 nightly rate already and Manchester has a £1 charge, which raised £2.8 million in its first year after launching in 2023.  

However, the idea has been heavily criticised by hospitality sector leaders.

Ms McGuinness said: “I want the North East to be known across the world as a place people want to visit, stay and keep coming back to.  This weekend’s Great North Run shows the power of events to bring millions into the local economy and people from all over the world.

“A visitor levy could help us bring major international events to our region, back local businesses, improve visitor attractions, build on the 90,000 jobs already in this sector and unlock opportunities that come from a thriving visitor economy. 

“Most importantly, the money raised here would stay here, helping us invest in the future of our region rather than waiting for Whitehall to do it for us.”

Richard Bond, owner of holiday let management company Finest Retreats, warned that a tourist tax could have a damaging impact on places like Northumberland.

He said: “This is another blow to the UK’s tourism industry. Disguised as empowering local government, it’s essentially an anti-growth policy.

“For areas that introduce the visitor levy, fewer visitors could mean layoffs, or at the very least, fewer seasonal hires, especially considering these businesses are already absorbing higher National Insurance and minimum wages costs, none of which were in the manifesto.

“The UK’s tourism hotspots rely on visitor spending. If a nearby area introduces the levy and Northumberland doesn’t, being the cheaper option will mean visitors will follow and more trade and seasonal jobs will be created.

“But get it wrong and the opposite is true. This is a stark test of how much each community depends on tourism for their local economy, and frustrating for the business owners who aren’t a part of the decision yet have to shoulder the fallout.”

Mr Houchen has previously ruled out introducing a tourist tax in the Tees Valley.

When the Government announced plans to give mayors powers to levy a charge on overnight stays last year, the Tees Valley Mayor said: “I won’t be using this power. There will be no tourist tax in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool for as long as I’m mayor.”

He later reiterated his opposition in a social media post, saying: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Allen Simpson, chief executive of UK Hospitality, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the Edinburgh charge had already caused “damaging effects” since its introduction in July and that “jobs are now at risk” in towns that rely on the tourism industry. 

The Government said that money raised through a levy could be invested into high streets, public transport, and events, and that the decision to not make it a flat fee was about “shielding families from disproportionate costs for cheaper holidays”.

Ms Rayner added: “Our amazing towns and cities, and our picturesque rural and coastal communities welcome millions of visitors every year – local leaders should have the power to make the most of that popularity.

“This measure will give mayors the choice to raise and reinvest funding where it’s needed most. It’ll help support the local services, public spaces and attractions that both residents and visitors rely on, with decisions taken by people who know their area best.”

Henri Murison, the former Newcastle Labour councillor who is now chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, welcomed the move.

He said: “We first made the case for this back in 2023 as part of a package of wider measures as successful visitor economies from the Lake District to cities like Newcastle or Liverpool need investment in transport, culture and public realm alongside effective destination marketing.

“Local leaders are far better placed than Whitehall to decide how that money should be raised and spent.”

Mark Allen’s absence from the professional snooker tour continues as he withdraws from the International Championship qualifiers later this month.

The Northern Irishman has not played since losing the World Championship semi-final to Wu Yize in May.

Since then he has pulled out of a string of ranking events: the China Open, Wuhan Open, British Open, English Open and now the International Championship.

He also sat out the non-ranking Shanghai Masters and opted out of the Championship League earlier in the season.

World Snooker Tour confirmed on Thursday that he will not play his International Championship qualifier due to ‘personal reasons’ but little else is known on why he has chosen not to compete yet this season.

Allen did offer a statement when he pulled out of the China Open and Wuhan Open last month, saying: ‘I am gutted to miss these two events in China and my apologies to the fans and promoters in Taiyuan and Wuhan.

‘I love playing in China and appreciate the support we always get there, but there are personal reasons why I can’t make it this time. I hope to be back playing in China later this season.’

There has been very little news from the 40-year-old since then, with just a cryptic post on Instagram last week during the British Open.

Allen posted a picture of a hooded figure, with Disturbed’s cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence playing over it.

The Pistol is ranked number 13 in the world and is in little danger or losing his place in the top 16 at the moment, but obviously that will change if he continues to miss events.

He won the English Open last season but is not in Brentwood this week defending his title.

His possible return to action could come at the Shenzhen Open later this month or at his home event, the Northern Ireland Open, in October.

Allen has won the tournament in Belfast twice before and reached the semi-finals last season.

The tournament at the Waterfront Hall begins on October 18.

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A female PE teacher has been found guilty of sex offences against a teenage boy, after previously admitting preying upon two female pupils, it can now be revealed.

Bronwen James, 30, was convicted of having sex three times with the male pupil – whom she insisted called her ‘miss’ – including while they watched Wimbledon together.

It can now be disclosed that James previously pleaded guilty to a raft of further offences against two female pupils while she was teaching.

She admitted nine charges relating to the further two victims on the first day of her trial at Winchester Crown Court, where she was today found guilty of four counts of sexual activity against the male victim.

The verdicts came after 12 hours and three minutes of deliberation. 

She was released on conditional bail, but will be remanded in custody on September 14 to be sentenced at a future date. 

After the verdicts were delivered by the jury, Judge James Bromige told the court: ‘There are multiple victims so I am duty bound to consider dangerousness. There are two other female victims at the same time.’ 

At the start of her career, James received a warning while she was teaching at the £54,000-a-year Seaford College for giving her personal mobile number to a pupil.

She was allowed to continue working and went on to strike up sexual relationships with the three pupils.

Former PE teacher Bronwen James arrived at Winchester Crown Court today

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Wiltshire Police said James, 30, engaged in sexual communications with a 13-year-old female pupil, then had sex with her when the girl had turned 14.

James then had sex with a 16-year-old male pupil. Both were pupils at Bitterne Park School in Southampton, where she was teaching at the time.

Then, she moved to Hardenhuish School in Chippenham, Wiltshire, where she had sex with another 14-year-old schoolgirl.

She was arrested in August 2023 and went on to commit further offences against one of the students while on bail.

The court heard that James organised meetings with her male victim at Bitterne Park School on Snapchat and picked him up so they could kiss in the car as part of their ‘sexually charged relationship’.

She also used Snapchat to groom one of her female victims, against whom she went on to commit sexual offences in the back of her car.

The other girl would be collected by James in her car and taken to the teacher’s home, where ‘sexual activity would take place’, the court previously heard.

Following today’s verdict, Bethany Adams of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: ‘Bronwen James was trusted to educate and protect children. Instead, she used that trust to groom and sexually abuse three students.

‘James manipulated her victims with calculated precision, exploiting her position of authority to isolate them and normalise the abuse. This was not a lapse in judgement; it was a sustained pattern of predatory behaviour against children in her care.

‘The courage shown by James’s victims in coming forward has been instrumental in securing this conviction. I hope it gives them, and their families, some measure of justice.’

Bronwen James, 30, became ‘flirtatious’ with the teenage pupil and invited him to her home for sex up to four times, jurors were told 

The teacher has been on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of four counts of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust, which she denied

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During the one-week trial, jurors heard that James told her male victim that she ‘loved him’ and ‘wanted to move away’ with him.

The boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – told the court that he was ‘groomed’ by James but at the time thought it was ‘great’ and made him feel like he was living ‘a teenage boy’s dream’.

In police interview footage played to the court, the boy claimed James liked him to call her ‘miss’ when they were alone together.

‘I always called her “miss”, I don’t know why, I think it was her little fantasy or something,’ he said.

The boy said that they ‘always used to flirt in lessons’ before they met up in her car, which soon progressed to having sex at her house. He said: ‘At the time I was overwhelmed. It was great but, looking back at it, it was wrong.’

Describing the first occasion at her home, he said: ‘She was coming to me on the sofa, head in my lap, watching TV, her dog was there as well, just relaxing, then I leaned in for a kiss.

‘We were kissing, then things progressed, I said “Shall we go upstairs?”, she said “yes” and we had sex. She got naked and I got naked and that’s how it went.’

The boy added that in class James, whom he described as ‘quite attractive’, would slip him vapes in his coursework.

He also described how James told him that she loved him over the phone while she was standing outside a nightclub with other teachers at her leaving party. He added: ‘I thought she cared about me.’

Prosecutor Edward Culver had told jurors the case was about ‘a teacher who exploited her position’ to engage in sexual activity with one of her students.

‘She flirted with him, exchanged messages with him, took him to her home and she had sex with him,’ he said.

James organised meetings with the pupil on Snapchat and picked him up so they could kiss in the car as part of their ‘sexually charged relationship’, the court was told

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She was teaching at Bitterne Park School in Southampton at the time of the allegations involving the teenage boy

Giving evidence during the trial, James told jurors she felt she was immature and wanted to be liked but denied flirting with the 16-year-old pupil and going on to have sex with him.

She suggested the teenager had made up the allegations to look ‘cool’ in front of his mates, but admitted lying to police about being in touch with him because she ‘didn’t want it to blow up’.

James said she had a ‘very relaxed’ teaching style which included joking with the students but denied that it was ever sexual.

She said: ‘It was never of a sexual nature. Just joking around about different things.

‘There were some inappropriate comments.

‘It goes back to the point that I didn’t want to damage the student-teacher relationship that I had gained with the class and I wanted them to like me.’

Jurors were told James had previously ‘received a written warning for exchanging text messages’ from her former school, Seaford College, where she worked between 2018 and 2019.

Seaford College is a £54,000-per-year boarding school in West Sussex.

An investigation was launched into her relationship with the boy at Bitterne Park after a screenshot of messages between them was shared in a WhatsApp group.

In his closing remarks, prosecutor Mr Culver said: ‘There’s no mystery in this case. Bronwen James had sex with (the pupil) on a number of occasions. That’s the central truth of this case.

‘Each piece of evidence from the defence case does not make sense unless you accept that central truth, otherwise we live in a world of mystery to the point of ridiculousness.

‘It’s not Mills and Boon. It was, at the time, a teenage boy’s dream. A PE teacher wanting some attention and adoration so she would feel better, and him the dream of sex with a teacher.

‘The truth of this case is so clear – that they were in a sexual relationship of some kind and had sex at her address.

‘The truth of these allegations is that this teacher, when she had the chance to do so, breached the trust given to her by entering an improper relationship.

‘We don’t know why she did it. The thrill, the control, the power, the attention. She craved that attention, the adoration, the sense she was right.

‘And who better than an infatuated teenage boy to exploit and make her feel better?’

Glamorous racegoers upped the fashion stakes as they brought the glitz and glamour to the Betfred St Leger Festival in Doncaster today.

Female revellers kicked off Ladies Day in brightly coloured, shoulder-baring dresses and descended on the racecourse to make the most of the glorious sunshine before the season changes. 

For the opening day, guests showed off a dazzling array of dresses that were both elegant and experimental, combining classic fascinators and floral headpieces with edgier looks. 

One attendee opted for a monochrome look, as she paired her scarlet dress – with an interesting ruffle neck detail – with a dramatic hat in the same colour. 

Another picked a pale pink, off-shoulder dress with a headband as she excitedly took photographs at the festival that attracts thousands for four ‘thrilling days of action and excitement’ in racing.

It is the oldest race currently run under the rules of horse racing and is the final leg of the Stayer’s Triple Crown.

Female revellers donned brightly coloured, shoulder-baring dresses and descended on the racecourse to make the most of the glorious sunshine before the season changes

Kicking off the event, guests opted for outfits which were both elegant and experimental, combining classic fascinators and floral headpieces with edgier looks

One of the highlights of the British racing calendar, St Leger festival typically opens with Ladies Day as attendees spend weeks picking out their outfits so they are dressed to impress. 

This year, several guests delivered striking single-colour looks, with one attendee matching her navy blue polka-dotted dress to a fascinator in the same shade. 

Another repeated the same outfit formula in butter yellow, which has been a popular colour this summer. 

A third racegoer turned heads in a printed floral dress and a grey hat decorated with pink flowers that beautifully contrasted her silver locks. 

Tomorrow it will be the men’s turn to show off their race day looks on what is known as Betfred Gents Day when racegoers can also enjoy live entertainment, delicious food and drink, and plenty of memorable moments’, according to the website. 

One of the highlights will be the Doncaster Cup, the oldest race still run under official rules. 

This year marks the 250th anniversary since the first running of the famous Betfred St Leger Stakes, with day three expected to attract ‘the leading stables from across the country’ for the prestigious race.

‘The final day of the festival, the Betfred Sunday Funday, showcases great horse racing,’ the website says.

Guests enjoying glasses of bubbly in brightly coloured dresses as Ladies Day got underway

A third racegoer turned heads in a printed floral dress and a grey hat decorated with pink flowers that beautifully contrasted her silver locks

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One of the highlights of the British racing calendar, St Leger festival typically opens with Ladies Day as attendees spend weeks picking out their outfits so they are dressed to impress

This year, several guests delivered striking single-colour looks, with one attendee matching her navy blue polka-dotted dress to a fascinator in the same shade

Two years ago, the King and Queen made a historic visit to Doncaster racecourse to watch their chestnut colt, Desert Hero, at St Leger. 

While one might think the Windsors are regulars on track, that is not the case. For them to be on Town Moor, then, on an overcast autumnal afternoon – an occasion far removed from the pageantry of Ascot in June – made this a hugely significant moment.

It comes after racing enthusiasts flocked to Berkshire for the Big Ascot Food and Wine Racing Weekend, a two-day late-summer fixture before the season draws to a close.

While a strict dress code is enforced for Royal Ascot, which is attended by the King and his family, no formal rules apply to guests inside the Queen Anne Enclosure during the Big Ascot Food & Wine Friday Raceday.

Hats are optional for most; however, headpieces are encouraged inside the King Edward VII Enclosure.

Although not as well known as Royal Ascot, this two-day affair gives attendees the chance to watch emerging racing talent while indulging in sumptuous food and wine. 

Since he died so young, there is precious little footage of Cochran. Young chooses to feature melodramatic inserts of actors playing Cochran and his mother to bring to life words exchanged in letters and interviews, ultimately an effective technique as the film steers towards its tragedy. But the talking heads are the real gold here. Family members recall how this kid from Minnesota was a bright, cheeky kid with a natural gift for music who joined bands straight out of high school and quickly became a star – but always stayed close to this mother. Fans recall their interactions with him, and hint that sex was right there with rock n roll in Cochran’s world (you also feel ‘Don’t Forget Me’ was probably just a cute, heart-string tugging thing to write for fans, who were crazy for his heartbreak songs and heartbreaking looks).

Two cannabis growers have been jailed after plants worth £1.3 million were found hidden inside an old BHS store.

Ajet Begu, 40, and Aryan Turya, 27, have been jailed after being caught red-handed inside a cannabis grow factory hidden in plain sight.

Police found it stashed inside a former BHS store on High Street in Slough, where hundreds of plants were kept.

The drug empire was dismantled after neighbourhood policing teams forced their way into the disused store on January 28 after identifying it as a cannabis factory.

They discovered more than 1,700 plants at different stages of maturity.

Begu and Turya were also found inside the factory and were arrested.

The plants could have yielded around 150 kg (23 stone 9 lbs) of drugs.

Their street value was estimated at £1,288,020 or £525,000 wholesale, according to a drug expert.

Investigating officer Detective Constable George Randell: ‘Following our hard work, Ajet Begu and Aryan Turya have been sentenced for their involvement in the production of more than £1m-worth of cannabis in the former BHS store in Slough. 

‘It was an incredible sight for my colleagues when they discovered the hundreds of cannabis plants in the factory that was spread over two floors, all hidden behind the seeming disused building. 

‘Our intervention no doubt had a significant impact on those producing and supplying cannabis in Slough and wider, but we are continuing to investigate the cannabis factory’s links to organised crime.’

Begu, of Palmers Green, London, and Turya, of no fixed abode but believed to live in London, both pleaded guilty to producing a controlled class B drug, namely cannabis, at Reading Magistrates’ Court.

Both men were sentenced to a year and two months in jail at Reading Crown Court on August 21.

It comes after a Royal Mail worker was caught after making more than £1.2 million from drugs he took from parcels.

Amjad Ali, 50, from Slough, made the money by diverting packages believed to contain cannabis to himself.

Police raided his home and a storage facility the logistics worker had used to run his drug empire.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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