Alabama Crimson Tide guard Aden Holloway, the team’s second-leading scorer this season, was arrested Monday morning on drug-related charges after authorities discovered more than a pound of marijuana during a search of his residence, according to multiple reports and law enforcement officials.

Holloway, 21, faces charges of first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp, a spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa Police Department confirmed to 247Sports. The West Alabama Narcotics Task Force executed the search, recovering marijuana, drug paraphernalia and cash from the location. Holloway was booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail with bond set at $5,000. He was released later Monday after posting bond.

The arrest comes at a critical juncture for the No. 4-seeded Crimson Tide, who open NCAA Tournament play Friday against No. 13 seed Hofstra in the first round of the March Madness bracket. Alabama, coached by Nate Oats, enters the postseason as one of the tournament’s top contenders after a strong SEC campaign, though the team suffered a quarterfinal exit in the conference tournament to Ole Miss.

Holloway has been a key contributor since transferring to Alabama from rival Auburn ahead of the 2025-26 season. The junior guard averages 16.8 points per game, shooting 48.1% from the field, and provides reliable scoring from the perimeter alongside leading scorer Mark Sears. His production has helped Alabama maintain a high-octane offensive identity, ranking among the nation’s leaders in scoring and three-point shooting.

The timing of the arrest has drawn immediate attention across college basketball circles, with analysts and fans speculating on potential team impacts. No official statement from the University of Alabama or Coach Oats had been released by late Monday, though athletic department policies typically involve internal reviews for such incidents. NCAA rules require schools to address eligibility concerns promptly, though marijuana possession often results in suspensions rather than permanent bans, depending on circumstances and prior offenses.

Holloway’s background adds layers to the story. A former five-star recruit out of high school, he began his college career at Auburn, where he played two seasons before entering the transfer portal in spring 2024. The move to Alabama — crossing the bitter Iron Bowl rivalry — sparked controversy among fans but paid dividends on the court. In his first year with the Crimson Tide, Holloway adapted quickly, contributing to deep tournament runs and earning praise for his shooting and composure under pressure.

This season, Holloway has delivered standout performances, including a 26-point outburst in a blowout win over UNLV in November 2025 and clutch plays against Auburn in February 2026, where he scored nine straight points late to secure a road victory over his former team. His growth has been credited with helping Alabama sustain momentum despite injuries and roster turnover.

The charges stem from Alabama law, where possession of more than one pound of marijuana qualifies as first-degree, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines. The failure to affix a tax stamp charge relates to state requirements for certain controlled substances. Authorities have not released additional details on the investigation, including whether the search was part of a broader probe or stemmed from specific tips.

Reactions on social media and in sports forums were swift, with some expressing disappointment given Holloway’s on-court contributions and others noting the prevalence of similar incidents in college athletics amid evolving marijuana laws nationwide. Alabama remains a state where recreational marijuana is illegal, though medical use is permitted under strict conditions.

The Crimson Tide’s tournament preparation continues amid the uncertainty. Oats has emphasized discipline and focus throughout the season, and the program has navigated off-court issues before, including past player suspensions. Holloway’s status for Friday’s game remains unclear pending any university or NCAA decisions.

Alabama enters the NCAA Tournament with high expectations, bolstered by veteran leadership and defensive improvements in recent weeks. The loss of Holloway’s scoring would represent a significant blow, though the team’s depth — including guards like Labaron Philon and others — provides options.

As details emerge, the incident underscores ongoing challenges for student-athletes balancing high-profile competition with personal conduct. Holloway’s case joins a list of recent college basketball arrests involving marijuana, reflecting broader societal shifts even as legal consequences persist in many jurisdictions.

For now, attention shifts to the Crimson Tide’s response and whether Holloway will be available when Alabama tips off against Hofstra. The program’s resilience will be tested as it pursues another deep March run.

Southwest Airlines will stop operating flights at Washington Dulles International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport starting this summer.

The airline announced Friday that the change will take effect June 4, 2026. Flights scheduled on or before June 3 will operate as planned.

Despite the exit from the two major hubs, Southwest said it will continue offering significant service in both metro areas through other airports. In the Chicago region, the carrier will maintain operations at Chicago Midway International Airport, while in the Washington area it will continue service at Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

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A Southwest Airlines plane descends to land at the San Francisco International Airport in San Mateo, California, on Feb. 6, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Southwest currently serves 15 markets from Chicago O’Hare. An airline spokesperson told FOX Business that employees affected at the two airports will have the opportunity to bid for open positions elsewhere across its network.

Air travelers walk on a concourse at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

Customers with reservations that include either airport on or after June 4 will need to change their travel plans. Travelers may rebook or travel standby within 14 days of their original travel date without paying a fare difference.

Passengers can also choose to travel through alternate airports. Options include Chicago Midway, Milwaukee and Indianapolis for Chicago-area travel, and Reagan National, Baltimore/Washington International, Philadelphia and Richmond for the Washington region.

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Customers may also request refunds for the unused portion of their ticket – even for nonrefundable fares – as well as optional travel charges tied to flights not taken.

Reuters contributed to this report. 

Tax investigations by HM Revenue & Customs into the UK’s largest companies are now taking nearly three and a half years to resolve on average, according to new analysis by multinational law firm Pinsent Masons.

The research shows that open tax investigations handled by HMRC’s Large Business Directorate (LBD) last an average of 41 months, roughly three years and five months, although this is slightly faster than the previous year’s average of 45 months.

The number of active cases has also increased, rising from 2,031 investigations to 2,149 over the past year. The rise reflects both HMRC’s efforts to clamp down on tax non-compliance and the significant amount of time required to conclude complex corporate tax enquiries.

HMRC’s Large Business Directorate focuses on the UK’s largest enterprises, roughly 2,000 companies with annual revenues exceeding £200 million. These businesses collectively account for around 40 per cent of all tax collected by the UK government.

With more than 2,100 investigations currently open, the figures suggest that roughly half of Britain’s largest companies are under some form of tax scrutiny at any given time. In many cases, companies may face multiple simultaneous enquiries covering different aspects of their tax affairs.

Jake Landman, partner and head of tax disputes at Pinsent Masons, said the growing number of cases partly reflects HMRC’s push to close the UK’s estimated £47 billion tax gap, the difference between the amount of tax owed and the amount actually collected.

“The increase in open investigations is being driven by HMRC’s increased efforts to tackle the tax gap as well as the time required to complete complex corporate investigations,” he said.

Over the past year alone, HMRC opened 1,879 new investigations into large businesses, an increase of 21.1 per cent, equivalent to 327 additional cases compared with the previous year.

Landman warned that prolonged investigations can place significant operational and financial strain on businesses, particularly during a period of economic uncertainty.

“Having businesses’ tax affairs under investigation for three, four or even five years runs counter to efforts to make the UK a more business-friendly environment,” he said. “Lengthy investigations create additional administrative and financial burdens at a time when business confidence is already fragile.”

Corporate tax disputes can be especially complex, often involving international operations, transfer pricing arrangements, and disputes over the interpretation of evolving tax legislation. These factors frequently contribute to the extended duration of investigations.

However, the data also shows that HMRC has made some progress in clearing its backlog. The tax authority closed 1,761 cases during the past year, up from 1,617 the year before.

That improvement has helped reduce the average investigation duration by four months year-on-year.

“HMRC does deserve credit for reducing the average time it takes to complete investigations,” Landman said. “But the fact remains that some cases remain open for more than four years, which highlights the need for additional resources if the system is to become more efficient.”

The issue has drawn increasing scrutiny from lawmakers. The Public Accounts Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into HMRC’s approach to tax compliance among large businesses.

The parliamentary investigation is examining how effectively HMRC ensures that multinational companies and major UK corporations pay the correct amount of tax, as well as whether the current investigative process strikes the right balance between enforcement and maintaining a competitive business environment.

In its call for evidence, the committee has asked businesses, advisers and experts to provide insights into how HMRC handles tax disputes with large corporations and whether improvements are needed to reduce delays and increase transparency.

The inquiry forms part of a wider debate about the UK’s tax enforcement system, particularly at a time when government finances remain under pressure and policymakers are seeking ways to improve compliance while maintaining the country’s attractiveness to global investors.

For many large businesses, the findings highlight the growing complexity of the UK tax landscape and the increasing importance of robust tax governance and compliance frameworks as scrutiny from regulators intensifies.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

The war in Iran is pushing oil and gas prices higher, and while the world economy faces a shock from energy prices, an analysis by Goldman Sachs finds that the conflict is unlikely to lead to a broader supply chain crisis like what occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economists at Goldman Sachs found that the Iran war is expected to lead to higher oil prices that will reduce global economic growth by 0.3% of GDP while increasing headline inflation by about 0.5 to 0.6 percentage points over the next year, with a smaller 0.1 to 0.2 percentage point boost to core inflation.

The report noted that risks are skewed toward larger impacts as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to shipping. The strait is a narrow choke point that shipping traffic from the Persian Gulf must pass through to access global sea lanes.

Goldman Sachs assessed that global central banks will be particularly sensitive to inflation concerns in the wake of the supply chain disruptions that occurred due to the pandemic and were a key contributor to a surge in inflation. However, the economists’ analysis sees the Iran war supply shock as being limited to energy as opposed to the broader supply chain.

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Iran has conducted missile strikes against targets in the Middle East amid the conflict. (Reuters)

“A key difference between 2021-2022 and today, however, is that today’s shock is more narrowly concentrated in the energy sector, whereas the energy price increases in 2022 were only one aspect of a much broader global supply chain crisis and inflation surge,” the Goldman Sachs economists wrote.

One of the reasons for the supply shock being confined to energy products is that most of the developed economies around the world have limited non-energy trade exposure to countries in the Middle East.

The report found that less than 1% of imports to the U.S. and other developed markets like the Eurozone, the U.K., Japan and Canada come from the Middle East. By comparison, China and East Asia account for more than 20% of global trade, Goldman’s analysis noted.

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One reason why the supply shock is being confined to energy products is that most of the developed economies have limited non-energy trade exposure to countries in the Middle East. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images)

Another contrast with the 2021-2022 supply chain issues is that fewer disruptions of critical inputs and “just in time” inventory management are anticipated, as the analysis found the Middle East’s potential bottleneck exports are focused on certain chemicals and metals that are unlikely to create significant disruptions.

Goldman Sachs said methanol appears to be the most likely source of production disruptions, as it’s used in making acetic acid, which helps produce industrial adhesives, solvents and paints. 

Iran is the source of about 20% of global production capacity and while the loss of that supply could have an impact over the longer term, the economists don’t see clear choke points at this time.

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Ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz are at risk of attack from Iran. (Fox News)

The third reason the firm sees limited supply chain impacts beyond the energy sector is that the Middle East isn’t a significant trade hub where products are re-exported from.

Vessels such as yachts, tugboats and floating cranes are the main goods that are re-exported from Middle Eastern countries.

“In summary, our analysis suggests that the major risk to global supply and inflation is mostly confined to energy, which limits the risk that the severe supply chain disruptions (and associated surge in inflation) and large second-round inflation effects observed in 2021-2022 will re-emerge,” the Goldman Sachs economists said.

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BlueCastle Capital was set up Welshman Ed Williams and sees huge growth potential for build-to-rent schemes

The developer behind what will be the tallest building in Wales has an appetite for further projects. Last week BlueCastle Capital, whose founder Ed Williams was born and raised in Cardiff, secured planning consent for its 50-storey scheme at the last development site (plot 5) at the mixed-use Central Square development around Cardiff Central Station.

At 178 metres high it will be the second tallest building outside of London – behind the 200 metre Deansgate Square South Tower in Manchester. The development will consist of 528 build-to-rent apartments, as well as a standalone two-storey pavilion providing 6,500 sq ft of commercial and restaurant space.

The scheme, designed by 5plus and Layer Studio, will offer a range of amenities, such as a gym, co-working space, a wellness area, a roof terrace, a bike hub, a café and landscaped public spaces.

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Planning approval from Cardiff Council follows public consultation and builds on a previously consented 35-storey scheme.

Barry Coltrini, development director at BlueCastle Capital, said: “This is a milestone for our Cardiff project and for the transformation of Central Square. The consent allows us to bring forward a landmark building that will deliver high-quality, sustainable homes and meaningful public spaces, while contributing long-term social, economic and environmental value to the city. We are grateful for he constructive engagement with the council, local community and wider stakeholders throughout the planning process”.

To date, BlueCastle has invested approximately £70m in acquiring and progressing its five build-to-rent development sites, which together will deliver around 2,500 new homes across Cardiff, Leeds, Birmingham, Stevenage and Sheffield.

On the potential for further project in Wales, over the long-term Mr Williams, who attended Cardiff High School, said “We are committed to Cardiff as a location and see huge potential for the build-to-rent sector within the city .”

Blucastle said it was not yet in a position to confirm when work on the scheme could start and be ready for occupancy.

The projected capital cost of its inaugural Welsh scheme has not been disclosed, while it said the level of rental income would be decided by market rents at the time of its launch.

However, once operational the company see it as a long-term investment hold. Mr Williams said: “BlueCastle’s business model is to be a fully integrated developer and asset manager with involvement in the value creation process from site selection and acquisition all the way through to long term ownership.

Following a career in equity markets with Merrill Lynch, Mr Williams, founded BlueCastle Capital in 2015. The London-based company has structured, developed and asset managed more than £3bn worth of real estate projects.

The UK build-to-rent sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors in UK real estate attracting around £4.7bn in 2025. BlueCastle believes it is well placed to become one of the UK’s leading developer and operator of build-to-rent assets.

Last month its acquired the site of the former Yorkshire Post headquarters in Leeds, pushing the its build-to-rent development pipeline to £1.1bn.

Mr Williams, who attended Cardiff High School, said: “Pushing our development pipeline beyond £1bn is a significant moment for the business and reflects the scale of our ambition in UK build-to-rent. We believe we are building the highest-quality build-to-rent development pipeline in the UK, with each site selected for its location, fundamentals and long-term relevance to renters.”

Bluecastle acquired plot 5 from Cardiff-based property development firm Rightacres Property. The value of deal was not disclosed, but is understood to have been in the region of £15m. Over the last decade Rightacres has delivered 1.25 million sq ft of mixed-use space – of which around 850,000 sq ft is grade A office – at Central Square

The scheme is a major employment location for the city, boosted by its close proximity to Cardiff Central Station, with its tenants who include HMRC, BBC Wales, Hugh James and Hodge Bank employing thousands of people