It had been 1,491 days since Wales could savour the sweet taste of victory in a Six Nations match at the Principality Stadium.

There have been some dark days since beating Scotland in February 2022 but Wales have finally put an end to a run of 15 successive defeats in the Six Nations.

Wales were good value for this win as they upset the form book to get the better of Italy who could not come anywhere near the level of performance they reached during their historic victory over England seven days ago.

This was Wales’ day.

After 30 minutes when Dewi Lake had powered over the line for Wales’ third try, the stadium erupted into a chorus of Hymns and Arias.

It has been a long time since there was such a carnival atmosphere at the Principality Stadium but this victory meant so much to the home faithful as it did to the players.

When Rhys Carre won a penalty at the breakdown in the 38th minute the reaction of his teammates, who all ran over to congratulate the Saracens prop, spoke of a side who were united in adversity and had come out the other end stronger.

From the word go there was a purpose to Wales’ game as the hosts brought huge intensity to the game.

Unlike the opening two defeats against England and France, where Wales were comprehensively beaten, this time they were the aggressors.

Wales’ physicality has risen tenfold over the past two Test matches and they are now a side who can compete physically at this level.

To succeed in Test rugby you need to be at least as physical as the opposition, you need a solid set-piece and your defence has to be able to soak up a large amount of pressure without breaking.

Those are the foundations of a good side and these are areas Steve Tandy has fixed towards the latter part of the Championship.

It is important not to get carried away because a one-sided victory over Italy doesn’t mean Wales are world beaters, but at long last they are on an upward trajectory.

The performances over the past three Test matches has to be the baseline for Wales moving forward and if they can replicate this 80 minutes moving forward they will at the very least be competitive.

Tandy’s side still have a very long way to go before they can even entertain getting back to previous glories but such one-sided defeats as was witnessed in the autumn and the first two rounds of the Six Nations should hopefully have been consigned to the history books for the foreseeable future.

A number of players have stood up to be counted over the past few weeks to give Wales real hope moving forward.

Aaron Wainwright has been totemic and is as good a No 8 as you’ll find in the Northern Hemisphere, while Alex Mann has repaid the faith shown in him by the coaches.

Dragons second-row Ben Carter has also comprehensively answered the question as to whether he has the physicality for Test rugby.

The 25-year-old has been outstanding, standing his ground physically while getting through a mountain of work in defence.

But Carter has also been given the responsibility of calling the lineout and it is no surprise to see this facet of the game improve significantly since the Dragons man got given the responsibility.

He has now overtaken Adam Beard as Wales’ first choice lock alongside Dafydd Jenkins.

No player has been better than Rhys Carre.

Three years ago Carre got kicked out of Warren Gatland’s World Cup training camp for not meeting fitness targets and was in danger of not realising his potential.

But Tandy and his coaching staff have succeeded in getting the best out of the Saracens prop who is now a huge asset to this Wales side.

His sensational solo try in Dublin went viral but Carre has always been an x-factor player. The difference is he is now far more consistent while his work at the scrum has also improved immeasurably.

But the player who more than any other has typified Wales’ resurgence is Dewi Lake.

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The Wales hooker cut a dejected figure in the aftermath of the opening round hiding at Twickenham but he has been outstanding ever since.

Wales now have more players who are international class than most people thought at the start of the Championship.

However, this performance was not perfect as Wales endured a rocky ending to this Test match, but the only thing that matters is the victory.

Off the field, clarity is urgently required. The Welsh Rugby Union must resolve the long-running uncertainty surrounding the professional game and establish a coherent structure for the future.

Even with recent improvement, few would dispute the need for significant reform — both within the regions and across the player pathway.

For now, though, Tandy has demonstrated that this group of players are far better than many assumed. And for the first time in a long while, Welsh rugby has something it has sorely lacked.

Hope.

If he did make a dramatic return to the club, Redknapp – who this week was named as a contestant on ITV reality show ‘I’m A Celebrity… South Africa’ – would be by far the oldest manager to take charge of a Premier League club.

Aged 79 years and 12 days, Redknapp is two and a half years older than current record holder Roy Hodgson was when he left Crystal Palace in February 2024.

Redknapp is currently 10th on the list of oldest Premier League bosses, having left his last top-flight role with QPR in 2015 – a month before his 68th birthday.

He would not be the only big name to make a surprise return to management this season.

Ex-Leicester, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill, 74, is currently in his second interim spell in charge of Celtic, while Neil Warnock, 77, was recently named caretaker boss at National League South side Torquay United.

Speaking to Radio 5 Live, former Premier League goalkeeper Rob Green said Redknapp’s return to Spurs would be even more “left-field” than O’Neill’s appointment at Celtic Park.

“I think it is even further for Spurs, but that is the sort of expertise in man management [they need],” he said. “It is a different kind of manager than the coaches we have now.

“The players have to have a charismatic leader to go in and lift the place, and certainly make them feel better about themselves.

“[Redknapp] is a manager that knows the club well. He certainly has a skill at getting the best out of people and people feeling good about themselves on the pitch.

“But for now, I just don’t see someone who has been out of the game in the country for as long as he has [coming back into management].

Earlier this season, Tottenham‘s Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence were widely criticised for refusing to shake former manager Frank’s hand following a limp home defeat to Chelsea – behaviour which former Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel says Redknapp would not condone.

“Can you imagine a player not shaking his hand after a game?” Friedel told the BBC’s Sportsworld. “That player wouldn’t be in the squad for the next game.

“When they fired Thomas Frank, I was one of the people that said to get someone like Harry – very similar to what Celtic did [with O’Neill] after [sacking] Wilfried Nancy.

“Harry would have gone in and said the right things.”

The ’10-year rule’ is talked about a lot and you’ll need to make sure your passport adheres to the strict validity rules in place in the UK and at your destination.

While some holidaymakers may believe their passport is valid for a total of 10 years after buying it, it’s easy to get caught out if you don’t check the relevant travel requirements.

This article explains exactly when a red passport will still work in 2026, when it won’t, and the quick checks you should do now before you book.

Do I need travel insurance?

What is the 10-year passport rule?

The Post Office explains: “Passports issued after 2018 are valid for exactly 10 years.

“But if your passport was issued before September 2018, it might be valid for up to 10 years and nine months.

“This is because, before 2018, the passport office would add up to nine extra months from your old passport to your new one.

“This means some people have passports that haven’t officially expired and are still valid for travel worldwide.

“The exception is travel in Europe, where passports must be less than 10 years old.”

Planning spring or Easter travel? Check your passport now.
If you need to renew, go to: https://t.co/wmJnvGiBl2 #PlanAhead pic.twitter.com/eTPy6gEhQk

— His Majesty’s Passport Office (@HM_Passport) March 10, 2026

It warns Brits that their passports have to be “issued less than 10 years before your departure date” and “valid for at least three months” after the date you return” if you are travelling to Europe and Schengen destinations.

Sky News shared an example to make understanding this easier: “For example: Your passport was issued on 6 June 2016 and has an expiry date of 6 March 2027.

“You book a flight to Madrid on 7 July 2026, thinking it is well within the expiry date.

“But actually, your passport stopped being valid to enter an EU country on 6 June 2026.

“The only exception is Ireland.”

Before booking travel, make sure to check your passport’s expiry date and your destination’s validity requirements.

Can you still use a red passport in 2026?

UK passports are now a deep blue in colour and issued by His Majesty’s Passport Office following King Charles III’s coronation.

However, you might wonder if you can still use the older red ones.

If you’re going on holiday and are worried that your burgundy passport isn’t accepted anymore, there’s no need to worry.

Red passports are still allowed to be used in 2026 if they remain valid for travel, so you’ll need to check the expiry date and the rules regarding how much time you should have left on your passport to travel to your chosen destination.

What you need to apply for ETIAS

If your passport still has ‘European Union’ on the cover, you can still use it, but only if “it’s valid for travel”, according to the Government website.

When it’s time to renew your passport next, you’ll be given a blue one, but you don’t need to renew your passport unless yours has expired or it doesn’t have enough time left on it for travel.

You must also make sure your passport hasn’t been damaged for it to remain valid.

New Coat of Arms passport issued to Brits

From December 2025, British passports saw another change.

On X, His Majesty’s Passport Office explained: “British passports will start to feature His Majesty King Charles III’s Coat of Arms and new images of iconic UK landscapes.

“The new design includes world-leading security features – making our passports more secure than ever.”

Recommended reading:

How to renew your passport

If your passport needs to be renewed, you can apply for a new one either by post or online.

Renewing passports online is cheaper than filling out paper forms and sending them off via the post.

To renew your passport, you’ll need to find your old one and any passports you might have from another country.

If you have a passport from another country, you’ll need to send either photocopies of each page, including blank ones, or send the physical passport.

A LaLiga clash between Getafe and Atletico Madrid took an extraordinary turn on Saturday when Getafe’s Abdel Abqar was shown a red card for grabbing the genitals of Atletico striker Alexander Sorloth.

The incident, which left players and supporters at the Metropolitano stadium stunned, occurred around the 55th minute.

Referee Miguel Angel Ortiz initially halted play after being alerted by VAR to a potential sending-off offence, causing several minutes of confusion.

The stoppage initially baffled those in the stadium, as it followed a seemingly routine challenge between Nahuel Molina and Mauro Arambarri, with no obvious red card offence.

Clarity emerged only when Ortiz consulted the pitchside monitor. Replays shown on the stadium’s big screens revealed an off-the-ball altercation, clearly showing the Moroccan defender touching the Norwegian forward’s groin.

Sorloth reacted angrily, grabbing Abqar’s arm and pulling him to the ground.

open image in gallery

After reviewing the footage, the referee issued Abqar a straight red card for unsportsmanlike behaviour, while Sorloth received a yellow card for his reaction.

The lengthy delay added an unusual subplot to a match ultimately decided by Molina’s first-half goal, securing a 1-0 victory for Diego Simeone’s side.

Atletico Madrid currently sit third in the LaLiga table with 57 points, six behind second-placed Real Madrid and 10 adrift of leaders Barcelona, both of whom have a game in hand.

The theft reportedly occurred in the early hours of Friday morning

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PSNI are appealing for information following the theft of a quad bike in Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh yesterday, Friday, March 13.

The vehicle was reportedly transported from the property on a trailer in the early hours of the morning. Inspector Reynolds said: “We believe the bike, a blue Can-Am ATV, was stolen from an outbuilding at a farm on the Tullyet Road between midnight and 1am.

READ MORE: Police launch appeal after resident returns home to find house burgledREAD MORE: Man injured after detaining suspected burglar at South Down property

“It was reported that it was placed on a trailer and driven in the direction of Carrickcullion Road. We would be keen to hear from anyone who noticed anything unusual in the area, and would ask that residents with CCTV or doorbell cameras covering these roads check their footage. If you note an ATV being transported on a trailer, please get in touch.“Also, if you have been offered a quad bike matching the above description for sale in suspicious circumstances, please contact us. The number to call is 101, quoting reference 194.”People can also report online or by contacting Crimestoppers with 100% anonymity on 0800 555 111 or via here.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration this week stepped up its ambitious effort to replace about $1.6 trillion in lost tariff revenue that was eliminated by the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a range of the president’s import taxes.

Recovering that lost revenue, which the White House was counting on to help offset the steep, multi-trillion dollar cost of its tax cuts, is possible but will be challenging, experts say. The administration has to use different legal provisions to impose new duties, and those provisions require longer, complex processes that U.S. companies can use to seek exemptions. It could be months or more before it is clear how much revenue the replacement tariffs will yield.

“I wouldn’t bet against this administration being able to get back on paper the same effective tariff rate they had before,” said Elena Patel, co-director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. But the new approach will “make it easier for people to contest the tariffs, which is going to put a big asterisk on the revenue until all that is settled.”

On Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the administration will investigate 16 economies — including the European Union — over whether their governments are subsidizing excessive factory capacity in a way that disadvantages U.S. manufacturing. The investigation will also cover China, South Korea, and Japan, Greer said.

In addition, he said there would be a second investigation of dozens of countries to see if their failure to ban goods made by forced labor amounts to an unfair trade practice that harms the United States. That investigation will also cover the EU and China, as well as Mexico, Canada, Australia, and Brazil.

Both investigations are being conducted under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, which requires the administration to consult with the targeted countries, as well as hold public hearings and allow affected U.S. industries to comment. A hearing as part of the factory capacity investigation will be held May 5, while a hearing on the forced labor investigation will occur April 28.

It’s a far cry from the emergency law that President Donald Trump relied on in his first year in office, which allowed him to immediately impose tariffs on any country, at nearly any level, simply by issuing an executive order.

Moments after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all imports under a separate legal authority, but that duty can only last for 150 days. The president has said he would raise it to 15%, the maximum allowed, but has yet to do so. Some two dozen states have already challenged the new tariffs. The administration is aiming to complete its Section 301 investigations before the 10% duties expire.

The effort underscores the importance that the Trump White House has placed on tariffs as a revenue-raiser at a time when the federal government is facing huge annual budget deficits for decades into the future. Previous administrations, by contrast, used tariffs more sparingly to narrowly protect specific industries.

Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation, noted that the first investigation covers roughly 70% of imports, while the second would cover nearly all of them.

“That breadth suggests the goal isn’t to address the issues at hand, but instead to recreate a sweeping tariff tool,” she said.

Trump sees tariffs as a way to force foreign countries to essentially help pay the cost of U.S. government services, even though all recent economic studies find that American companies and consumers are paying the duties, including ones from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and economists at Harvard University. In his state of the union address last month, Trump even touted his tariffs as a potential replacement for the income tax, which would return the United States’ tax regime to the late 19th century.

Trump also wants tariffs to help pay for the tax cuts he extended in key legislation last year. The tax cut legislation is expected, according to the most recent estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, to add $4.7 trillion to the national debt over a decade, while all Trump’s duties, including ones not struck down by the court, were projected to offset about $3 trillion — or two-thirds of that cost.

The court’s ruling Feb. 20 that he could no longer impose emergency tariffs eliminated about $1.6 trillion in expected revenue over the next decade, according to the CBO.

Some of Trump’s tariffs remain place, including previous duties on China and Canada that were imposed after earlier 301 investigations. The administration has also slapped tariffs on some specific products, including steel, lumber, and cars. Those, combined with the 10% tariff for part of this year, should yield about $668 billion over the next decade, the Tax Foundation estimates.

“It’s going to take a really big patchwork of these other investigations to make up for the (lost) tariffs,” York said.

The administration’s efforts are also unusual because they reflect an overreliance on tariffs to bring in more government revenue. Trump has also said the duties are intended to return manufacturing to the United States, and he has used them to leverage trade deals.

“What makes this really different,” said Kent Smetters, executive director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, “it is really the first time tariffs have been mainly used as a revenue raiser.”

Patel, meanwhile, argues that raising revenue can be done more reliably and straightforwardly by Congress. Laws like Section 301 are traditionally intended to be used to address specific trade policy concerns in particular countries.

“It’s not supposed to be there to raise revenue,” she said. “If we want to raise revenue through tariffs, then Congress should impose a broad based tariff.”

Fuel prices have risen sharply following the war in Iran

Petrol prices in the UK have now shot up by over 10p a litre since the start of the Iran war, according to the latest figures released on Friday afternoon (March 13), showing no let-up in the alarming spike in the cost of fuel.

Retailer data published by the government reveals the average price a litre of unleaded petrol passed the 140p mark on March 13 – but the impact on fuel costs depends largely on which area of the UK you are filling up your car.

In two areas of the country – Cherwell and Great Yarmouth – motorists are paying more than 12p a litre extra for a litre of unleaded compared with the price a week before the US and Israel started bombarding Iran.

But in other places such as Dover, Slough, Elmbridge and the Scottish Borders, the price has gone up by less than 6p on average.

Our interactive map shows the latest average price for a litre of unleaded petrol in every area of the UK reported by retailers on Thursday (March 12) – and also how much it has increased since a week before the conflict began on February 29.

In Cambridgeshire, Cambridge has been named among the 20 most expensive places to buy petrol. The price of petrol is currently sitting at 143.2p, an increase of 6.5p per litre since the start of the Iran war. Motorists in North Warwickshire are facing the highest prices at the pumps, with average prices just short of the 145p mark for E10 unleaded. In more than 130 local authority districts, the average price has gone over 140p.

The 20 most expensive areas to buy petrol are (excluding motorway service stations):

• North Warwickshire – 144.9p. Up 9.0p per litre
• Westminster – 144.1p. Up 6.5p per litre
• Breckland – 143.7p. Up 8.6p per litre
• Wyre Forest – 143.7p. Up 7.1p per litre
• Harlow – 143.6p. Up 7.8p per litre
• Fareham – 143.4p. Up 8.7p per litre
• Cheshire East – 143.2p. Up 8.9p per litre
• Cambridge – 143.2p. Up 6.5p per litre
• West Lancashire – 143.1p. Up 8.8p per litre
• Epping Forest – 143.1p. Up 8.2p per litre
• Sevenoaks – 142.9p. Up 8.3p per litre
• Rochford – 142.9p. Up 8.0p per litre
• Brentwood – 142.9p. Up 7.0p per litre
• Windsor and Maidenhead – 142.8p. Up 9.0p per litre
• North Hertfordshire – 142.8p. Up 7.0p per litre
• Wychavon – 142.7p. Up 9.6p per litre
• Tandridge – 142.6p. Up 7.0p per litre
• Ashford – 142.5p. Up 6.6p per litre
• Chichester – 142.4p. Up 8.0p per litre
• West Lothian – 142.4p. Up 8.0p per litre

You can find the cheapest petrol prices near you by searching for your postcode in this interactive:

It is estimated that the Iran war is set to cost UK motorists £15m a day in extra fuel costs as prices continue to spike upwards at petrol forecourts around the country.

The impact of the price hikes means that the average cost of all the fuel bought each day in the UK is already costing motorists £12.9m more than it did before the Iran war began on February 28, and that figure is set to pass £15m on current trends.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it has put fuel retailers “on notice” that it is stepping up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices in light of the Middle East conflict.

The CMA’s executive director for markets, Juliette Enser, said: “Whilst price increases might be inevitable because of rising wholesale costs, it is important that those increases reflect genuine cost pressures. We will be closely scrutinising and reporting on what’s happening with fuel prices and call out any concerning behaviour.”

Among the major retailers, Asda Express is charging the highest average price for unleaded petrol. The firm, which operates Asda service stations rather than supermarket forecourts, has an average price of 142.9p per litre – which is 12.1 p more than before the Iran war.

Esso, BP, Shell, Murco and Texaco are all charging motorists an average of over 140p a litre at their petrol stations. Of the big four supermarkets, Tesco is charging the highest price at 138.2p a litre, slightly more than Morrisons (137.7p), Sainsbury’s (137.6p) and Asda (137.1p).

A petrol industry trade group pulled out of a meeting with Chancellor Rachel Reeves after accusing minister of using “inflammatory language” that has led to abuse against forecourt workers.

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said executive director Gordon Balmer had been invited to take part in the Downing Street meeting with Ms Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband on fuel prices, which was set to take place later on Friday (March 13).

But it said Mr Balmer had withdrawn over concerns that recent language being used by ministers was inciting abuse against fuel retail staff by members of the public.

The PRA said “following several days in which ministers have suggested that forecourts may be ‘price gouging’ and ‘ripping off’ the motorist”, it had looked to get assurances from Ms Reeves’s office that the meeting would be held in private, but that this was not provided.

The PRA said it made the decision not to attend the meeting to “protect retail staff”.

On Thursday, the Competition and Markets Authority warned it was putting fuel retailers “on notice” of plans to step up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices in light of the Middle East uncertainty.

NIFRS confirmed that they are in attendance at the scene

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Delays are currently being experienced on Kennedy Way in Belfast as Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service personnel deal with a car fire.

The blaze is now reportedly under control on the road which took place heading from the motorway towards Andersontown Road.

A spokesman from NIFRS said: “One appliance has attended from Cadogan Station. NIFRS is still in attendance at the moment.”

READ MORE: Free street parking on St Patrick’s Day announced for 3 NI citiesREAD MORE: 36 arrested during 12 hour police operation targeting wanted individuals

The road is down to one lane in each direction but is currently listed as passable by Traffic Watch NI.

Update: The incident is now believed to have been cleared but drivers should still exercise caution in the area.

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