The pyjamas come in a cute floral print perfect for the spring.

With the new season starting, you might be looking for some new pieces to freshen up your wardrobe for spring. If you are spending a relaxing weekend at home, you could treat yourself to a pair of pyjamas to feel extra comfortable.

Tesco’s clothing brand has just launched the new F&F Pointelle Floral Print Pyjama Bottoms in Cream, which are a “comfy choice” for a cosy weekend. The trousers can be paired with either the F&F Pointelle Floral Print Button Up Pyjama Top in Cream or the F&F Pointelle Ribbed Floral Print Pyjama T-Shirt in Cream.

The pyjama bottoms come in a “cute ditsy floral print” ideal for the spring and have lettuce edging, which “adds a pretty twist”. The trousers are currently being sold for £16 with the long sleeve top costing £14 and the t-shirt costing £10.

The pyjamas were posted to the Tesco F&F Instagram page. The post was captioned: “Fresh week, fresh PJs , is there anything better? Shop 25% off our nightwear in store & online now.”

If you want to get the pyjama trousers and match it with the top or t-shirt, you can go to the Tesco website to browse all of its items. You can also go in person to a Tesco store with a clothing department.

Boden has some other options if you are looking for some new pyjamas. There are these Brushed Cotton Pyjama Trousers that can be worn with the matching Brushed Cotton Pyjama Shirt or you could wear it with the Jersey Henley Pyjama Vest if you need something lighter.

New Look also has some pyjama sets available you could pick up for the spring. There is this Light Blue Crinkled Cotton Shirt and Shorts Pyjama Set that you can also get in white or this Off White Fluffy Relaxed Hoodie that reviews say is “gorgeous”.

Duke is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the second straight week, extending its all-time record with the program’s 149th appearance in the top spot.

The Blue Devils received 55 of 59 first-place votes in Monday’s poll following lopsided wins over Notre Dame and then- No. 11 Virginia last week.

No. 2 Arizona received four first-place votes after clinching a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with Saturday’s 84-61 win over No. 14 Kansas. Michigan, UConn and Florida rounded out the top five.

Duke (27-2) has been dominant defensively since losing to rival North Carolina on Feb. 7, holding its last six opponents to an average of 57 points per game.

The Blue Devils opened the week by handing Notre Dame its worst home loss since 1898 with a 100-56 win. Duke then turned its showdown with Virginia into another rout, crushing the Cavaliers 77-51 on Saturday to clinch the top seed for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Rising and falling

No. 10 Texas Tech had the biggest jump of the week, climbing six places with wins over Cincinnati and at Iowa State last week.

No. 8 Michigan State moved up five places following its 76-74 win over Purdue on Thursday and Sunday’s 13-point win over Indiana.

No. 19 Miami (Ohio), Division I’s only remaining undefeated team, climbed two spots for its highest ranking since reaching No. 12 in 1952-53.

No. 15 Purdue had the biggest drop of the week, losing seven places following losses to Michigan State and Ohio State.

No. 12 Gonzaga lost three places following its 70-59 loss to rival Saint Mary’s.

In and out

Saint Mary’s win over Gonzaga not only earned the Gaels a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season, it moved into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season at No. 21.

No. 22 Miami is ranked for the first time since 2023 following wins over Florida State and Boston College.

BYU dropped out of the poll from No. 19 with three losses in four games since sharpshooting guard Richie Saunders went down with a season-ending knee injury.

Louisville’s losses to North Carolina and Clemson last week knocked the Cardinals out of the poll from No. 25.

Conference watch

The Big 12 is tied with the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences for most ranked teams at five following BYU’s departure. The ACC is next with four teams, followed by the Big East and West Coast conferences with two each. The Mid-American Conference and Atlantic 10 each have one ranked team.

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Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply, and Palestinians are reported to be “frantically buying groceries” after Israel closed all crossings into the strip following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Locals have been rushing to markets to buy food, just months after facing painful food scarcity due to an Israeli blockade last year, which led to famine in some areas, according to Associated Press and Al Jazeera.

“All the people rushed to markets, and they all wanted to shop and hide,” said Abeer Awwad, who was displaced from Gaza City during the war.

Israeli government agency COGAT said the conflict with Iran meant new “security adjustments” necessitated the closures, which would last “until further notice”.

The Rafah crossing, on the Palestinian territory’s southern border with Egypt, was only reopened at the beginning of February this year to allow a small number of Palestinians to cross for the first time in months, including patients requiring urgent medical attention.

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Since Israel’s devastating offensive on the territory, almost all of its 2 million residents have been displaced, and it is now almost entirely dependent on humanitarian aid – which the border crossing closures have now suspended.

According to local reports, shelves have been emptied and key supplies, including sugar, flour, cooking oil and yeast, are in high demand, sending the price of essential goods soaring.

Residents have said they are fearful of further neglect and deprivation, while the UN had already warned in February that aid missions continue to face obstacles in their attempts to deliver essential support, including food and medicines to Gaza.

In the statement, Israel’s COGAT officials claimed the territory had sufficient food to last “an extended period”.

They said: “Several necessary security adjustments have been implemented, including the closure of the crossings into the Gaza Strip, among them the Rafah Crossing, until further notice. The rotation of humanitarian personnel is postponed at this stage.

“It should be emphasised that the closure of the crossings will have no impact on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

“The substantial quantities of food that have entered since the beginning of the ceasefire amount to four times the nutritional needs of the population, according to the UN methodology. Therefore, the existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period.”

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One resident told Al Jazeera: “I lived through famine like everyone else. The worst days were when I had to buy a sack of flour for more than 1,000 shekels [£241]. I don’t want to relive that experience.”

He added: “Goods run out quickly, and the conditions we live in may spoil whatever we store. All we need is for someone to reassure us that the closure of the crossings will not last.”

As well as food, Gaza is wholly dependent on trucks for fuel brought in from Israel and Egypt and a lack of fresh supplies would put hospital operations at risk and threaten water and sanitation services, local officials say.

“I expect we have maybe a couple of days’ running time,” said Karuna Herrmann, the Jerusalem director of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which manages fuel distribution in Gaza.

Coronation Street legend Jim McDonald was killed off in scenes that aired on Monday’s episodes and a lot of fans claimed that it all felt quite ‘rushed’ given his status

Coronation Street fans have blasted the killing off of Jim McDonald as “absolutely disgusting” and “disrespectful”. It was announced some time ago that the ex army man, played by Charlie Lawson, who initially appeared on the world’s longest-running TV soap from 1989 until 2000 and then made various stints until 2018, would be written out of the programme.

During his time on the soap, Jim, who became known for his ‘so it is’ catchphrase, was famously married to Rovers landlady Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) twice, and they had sons Steve and Andy together. Their marriage survived various infidelities on both sides, and Jim endured several stints in prison before they finally called it quits in 2005.

In scenes that aired on Monday’s instalment of the soap, Steve received a phone call, almost eight years after he last saw Jim, informing him that his father had died. The taxi driver was then seen being comforted in the pub by his girlfriend Cassie (Claire Sweeney), his daughter Amy and his ex-wife Tracy. At one point, Rovers owner Maggie was very interested to know Jim’s cause of death but Amy simply said her grandfather had been ill for a while.

READ MORE: Corrie icon Sally Ann Matthews blasts soap after exit – ‘I don’t want to waste my time’READ MORE: Coronation Street to reveal Steve McDonald’s secret brother and we’ve already met him

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Steve quickly hit the bottle to deal with the grief, and came to blows with Ben Driscoll, Maggie’s son, in the pub, when the landlord insisted he leave as he quipped: “We can reconvene the Dead Dads Club tomorrow.”

This riled Steve up, who shot back: “Well, I’m sorry, I never knew your dad, but I’m guessing he never slept with your ex. Or robbed a building society by shotgun! Oh, ‘ere y’are, here’s one for you – scammed you out of a load of money by pretending that your dead sister was alive!” It was then that it dawned on Steve that he didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to his father, and he broke down.

Whilst the scenes were clearly emotional in some way, viewers who had seen the episode early on ITVX, instantly took umbrage with the swift way in which the death had been handled. It all comes amid the recent news that Ben will be revealed to be Steve’s long-lost half brother, the result of an affair between Jim and new Maggie.

Taking to Reddit, one fan said: “We’ve lost another legend, so we have. Jim McDonald has finally been killed off and I for one think it was absolutely disgusting that Steve simply received a quick phone call from his ex (presumably Hannah?) and there it was done and dusted. He deserved so much better.

“They really need to be careful, they don’t have many characters left that are of that status and to discard of them so flippantly just smacks of being disrespectful.

“Don’t even get me started on this ridiculous Maggie twist that we’ve got coming. Jim was bonkers and did some crazy things, but at the heart of it, he just loved his Elizabeth and to undo that and pretend he kept a massive secret all those years just shows that they don’t understand these characters anymore. “

In response, another fan said: “It did feel quite rushed to me given Jim was quite an iconic character. I think they should have had the actor return one last time or at least have Steve visit him, even if that was off screen.”

A third wrote: “The worst thing in todays ep was that Steve wished he saw Jim, knowing Steve he didn’t need to ask anyone on seeing Jim he would of gone anyway and even if he did see him it could of just been mentioned offscreen at least Steve would of had his last chance to see his dad for the last final time!”

In the weeks leading up to the death of Jim, actor Charlie Lawson criticised his final storyline, which saw Jim uncharacteristically decide to con Liz out money by pretending that his girlfriend was the daughter they had lost several years earlier.

Charlie, who has also appeared in The Bill, Bread and Doctors throughout his lengthy television career and also worked extensively in theatre, recently hit out at the “weak” storyline, which was brought in when Kate Oates, who later went on to work on EastEnders, was in charge of the soap.

Charlie said: “The storyline was weak. So many people contacted me to say they hated it. I agreed to it before I even saw the script. The work was lucrative — you can’t really turn it down. Now he can’t be ruined any more. He’s out of his misery.

“I know I will watch that last scene and be able to say, ‘Well, what a load of s***e that was’. I will raise a glass to the old Jim, the one I loved and was proud of, who spoke his mind, with cracking, strong storylines in the Nineties.”

Speaking to The Sun, he added: “There are some bits I will miss about Corrie and some I won’t. But I have no regrets. That’s just life, so it is.”

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X.

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Scores of Brits have been left trapped in Dubai on holiday, and have complained about receiving little or no assistance from authorities and insurers amid the US assault on Iran

Donald Trump’s ongoing assault on Iran has left scores of people stuck in neighbouring regions like Dubai, a Brit holiday hotspot, from which people have been unable to escape – all the while watching bombs fall.

Multiple families have revealed they are struggling to get back home after travelling to the sun-kissed city on holiday or to visit relatives, with fleeting contact from British authorities. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office warned in an alert over the weekend that only “all but essential travel” should be undertaken to the United Arab Emirates, and for people there to register their presence in the nation – more than 100,000 of whom have done so as they await evacuation.

That waiting has landed some people in dire straits as they are urgently required home for events like funerals, while others are finding the situation is not covered by their insurance.

READ MORE: Donald Trump boasts about $400m ballroom after paying tribute to US soldiers killed in IranREAD MORE: Iran wants bloody ‘war of attrition’ with Donald Trump after US makes key mistake

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Salli-J

Mum Salli-J said she has been left stranded in Dubai with her two sons and a friend, and has no idea when her group will be able to get home.

She said: “Me and my family are stuck over in Dubai. I’m here with my partner, two sons and friend not knowing when we can get home.” The mum added that they have received little help from authorities, and that their insurance provider has been unable to provide cover as the incident is “classed as terrorism or war”.

Claire and Chris

Claire, 42, and husband Chris, 47, are worried they will miss Claire’s mother’s funeral on Friday following military activity in the Middle East. Fiona died from motor neurone disease (MND) on February 7 and her daughter is desperate to get back to the UK to support her sister with funeral arrangements.

Claire, who did not want her surname to be published, said: “There are just the two of us and I hate the thought of her going through that on Friday without me.”

She cannot reschedule because other family members have already made travel and accommodation plans. She added: “I would feel really bad if we left mum at the funeral directors until I might be able to get home, because we just don’t know how long this may go on for.”

The couple, from Braunston, Northamptonshire, were staying at the Five Palm Hotel in Dubai on Saturday with their children Noah, 18, and Pippa, 17, when the missiles began appearing.

Claire said: “There were a couple of intercepted missiles overhead, very loud. We’re not used to dealing with this sort of thing, so it’s not a case of just being on holiday for a few more days. The local government has one of the most sophisticated defence systems in the world, so we are probably better off here than we would be in the UK if we started being attacked.”

Claire has spent around an additional £2,000 on flights for Wednesday and Thursday trying to get home for the funeral. The couple run The Wheatsheaf Inn, Braunston, and have cancelled events at the pub to help staff cope with their absence.

James and Rebecca

Meanwhile, James Gill, 31, a golf instructor, was staying in Business Bay, Dubai, celebrating his girlfriend Rebecca Crawford’s 28th birthday when the couple first heard explosions. Mr Gill, from Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, said: “I’ll be honest, I have hardly slept. I am in fight or flight mode.

“We have work to go back to, my girlfriend, she is an A&E nurse and she is supposed to be working on Sunday, she might have to cancel things. It is not a good situation.

“There is no word of what we should do in this situation. Very few people have found themselves stuck between a kind of war zone. I witnessed a missile getting shot out of the sky. It was pretty surreal to see. One of the nights we got an alert that said ‘incoming missiles, take shelter’, that was frightening.”

Back home, their families are “worried sick” and Mr Gill explained the next available flights he could find are around £5,000. Mr Gill said: “We are trying to get a flight back to anywhere at this point. We just want to get home where we feel safe. It is an absolute mess.”

Nick and Joanne

Nick Westwood, 62, a retired train driver from Barnham, West Sussex, and his wife Joanne, 61, a retired credit analyst, have been sleeping in the lobby of their high-rise rental.

The couple, who are in Dubai for a “bucket-list” holiday, had planned to leave on Sunday but have had to extend their seven-day stay, paying an extra 400 AED (£81) per night. Mr Westwood, whose 25th-floor accommodation is only available until Thursday, said: “It is very, very scary, very stressful and it’s just like being trapped in limbo.

“We have been sleeping down in the reception room of this building. We came back up to the room at 4am this morning and we got another four hours’ sleep.

“And as soon as we got up, there were more drone attacks straight over the building.” The couple have been told that rebooking their flights back to the UK will cost them £6,000. It is just a waiting game really. It is getting dark here again now and this is when the [missiles] usually start.”

Bea, who requested for her surname not to be published, was at a boat party on Saturday when she saw “white plumes of smoke” and heard “booming” noises. The 23-year-old from London is in Dubai to visit her brother and said the missile looked like “a very slow shooting star”. She added that her biggest concern is “escaping” the region.

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Muhammad Irfan

Muhammad Irfan, an NHS doctor, was making his way back to the UK when the missiles launched at Dubai by Iran left him stuck. The 31-year-old was on a layover when he was supposed to catch a flight to London Stansted Airport. Muhammed arrived in the United Arab Emirates city on February 28 – the day the attacks started.

“I was in disbelief that conflict had spread to the Gulf including Dubai,” said the doctor, from Colchester, Essex. “I received a message from my brother in Pakistan advising me to stay safe as the US and Israel had attacked Iran and this conflict could escalate.”

“This news was absolutely shocking for me as I hadn’t read anything like a possible conflict in the news before taking my flight to Dubai. Before leaving Dubai airport for the hotel, I heard a loud boom. I later read in the news that Dubai airport took a hit, unfortunately.”

Around 2.30pm, Muhammed was informed that his flight was delayed before being cancelled. He has now been left stranded in Dubai and is staying in a hotel. The doctor is away from both his wife and child, who live in Ireland. Muhammed said: “We have kindly been evacuated by authorities to a hotel, which is our temporary accommodation. This was absolutely unbelievable for me. I always thought that this region would be safe from such conflicts.”

Ola Jaworska and Pawe Jaworski

Influencer couple Ola Jaworska and Pawe Jaworski were left stranded in Dubai after flying out on the day of the military campaign against Iran as they “don’t follow the news”.

The pair said they intend to cross into Oman and take a return flight home from there. They announced that they are expecting their second child three days ago. The celeb couple, who have 640,000 and 1.7m YouTube subscribers respectively, have been preoccupied with Ola’s pregnancy.

As a result, they have been busy creating content related to their family news. They flew to Dubai on Saturday (28 Feb), the same day Operation Epic Fury was launched against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

They said on Instagram that they “totally didn’t know” about the conflict. Ola, who has 388,000 Insta fans and Pawe , who has 546,000 Insta followers, confirmed that they are both safe, and are looking for options to leave Dubai. Ola and Pawe , better known online as Zukoll and Jawor respectively, said: “We totally didn’t know, we don’t follow the news, especially recently.

“It’s been quite intense for us. Our pages have mainly been pregnancy announcements. We didn’t know what was happening. We wouldn’t have come here if we knew the situation was so tense.”

The couple, who lives in the Polish port city of Gdynia, said they saw missiles falling from the sky followed by nearby explosions. “We’re hiding in low buildings with as few windows as possible and recommend others do the same,” they advised. “People are generally functioning normally, there are no alerts or alarms.

“Fragments fell when we were at the Marina. We have to wait for information, we can’t really do any more. Don’t go into tall buildings, don’t walk outside in open spaces, and most importantly don’t panic.”

They said they are currently looking for ways to leave Dubai. They were considering the option of crossing into Oman by land before taking a flight back to Poland from there. They have yet to provide any further information on their departure. Regional tensions have escalated after the US-Israeli strikes against Iran.

Elbi Henshaw

Elbi Henshaw, 24, was given the advice to stop her windows of 46th floor apartment from shattering during attacks from Iranian missiles.

Elbi, moved to Dubai in January 2025 due to “the crime rate” and “miserable weather” in the UK. But for the last few days, Elbi has had to shelter in her high rise flat as Iranian drones are shot down overhead. She has been struggling to sleep over fears that a drone or debris may hit her building and claims she would rather “sleep outside on the floor.”

Elbi was told to “Keep one window of your house slightly open so that if there is any pressure from outside it can balance instead of shattering.”

The personal trainer, from Barnet, North London, said: “I really struggled to sleep because I know we’re really high. “I’d rather be on the floor outside than be in a high-rise building. “We’ve been told to keep one window open so if anything hits the window, it can help relieve the pressure.

“During the day yesterday, the drones were being hit out the sky all day. “We can see all of downtown and business bay but people on the marina side have fled.

“Yesterday when I saw a drone being shot down – my heart dropped, I felt so sick. If there’s any building work going on, everyone thinks it’s a drone. Everyone’s so on edge and on their phones waiting for alerts.” The nightmare ordeal began two days ago when UAE residents received an alert telling them to shelter in place.

Elbi said: “It’s been so scary. Two nights ago, was the scariest night as we got an alarm at 12:30am. We were told to take shelter and stock up on essentials.

“We heard screaming and shouting outside our door. It was a family of eight running to the basement with mattresses and pillows. Were on the 46th floor so it’s very high and you can imagine the fear from everyone.” Despite her fear, Elbi says she feels “less lonely” in Dubai than the UK.

She added: “I actually feel less lonely that I did in the UK. There’s so many people checking up on you. It’s really nice seeing the community come together. But it’s very eerie and quiet. I’m a PT and a lot of clients cancelled today. It’s very high risk.”

Harry Styles is making his highly anticipated stage return this Friday in Manchester, England, with a recording of the performance arriving on Netflix shortly thereafter.

In celebration of the release of his new album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, the British pop star, 32, will perform a special “One Night Only” concert — his first in nearly three years. It will see the former One Direction star perform all 12 tracks from the new album from start to finish, including its recently released lead single “Aperture,” which The Independent’s Roisin O’Connor described as “a house and dance-influenced track that yearns for adventure.”

Titled Harry Styles. One Night in Manchester, the concert film will be available to stream on Netflix on Sunday, March 8 at 7pm GMT/ 3pm ET/ 12pm PT.

Styles announced the special in an Instagram clip shared Monday. The clip shows Styles and his band practicing and tuning their instruments, before the “Watermelon Sugar” singer mimics Netflix’s signature “tudum” sound into a microphone.

Following his show in Manchester, Styles will embark on a global tour in support of his album, out this May.

Styles is scheduled to bring his Together Together tour to seven global cities for multi-day residencies, totaling 50 shows.

Over the weekend, the Grammy-winning artist gave his first live performance of his latest era at the 2026 Brit Awards. Joined by a group of backup dancers, Styles performed his song “Aperature.”

His forthcoming album will mark the end of a two-year musical absence following his 2023 world tour.

“At the end of the tour, the idea of taking time out felt insane,” Styles admitted in a new interview. “I didn’t know if I could do it. But it was time for me to stop for a bit and pay some attention to other parts of my life.”

Estevao remained out however, as did Marc Cucurella, Jamie Gittens, Levi Colwill and Dario Essugo. Here is all the latest Chelsea injury news and return dates amid a hectic fixture schedule in March that also includes the FA Cup clash with Wrexham, Premier League meetings with Newcastle and Everton, and a two-legged Champions League last-16 blockbuster against holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Oil and gas prices have seen dramatic lifts as financial markets give their first reaction to the war in the Middle East.

Global stock markets were down across the board but some sectors, such as energy and defence, helped limit losses.

Brent crude oil rose by as much as 13% to $82 per barrel at the start of Asian trading. It later settled around the $79 mark.

That was despite confirmation from two major oil and gas-producing nations that output had been hit due to aerial attacks by Iran on their state-owned infrastructure.

Markets latest: Key developments as war grips Middle East

The world’s largest oil refinery in Saudi Arabia was shut down after it sustained damage.

Contracts for day-ahead natural gas delivery to the UK were up more than 30% early on Monday afternoon while those for April delivery spiked by more than 50%.

The rises were attributed to news that Qatar’s state-owned energy firm had suspended production of all liquified natural gas (LNG).

The country accounts for about 20% of global LNG supply, which is delivered by ship.

It means we face the prospect of bigger bills ahead, if the higher wholesale prices were to be sustained for an extended period of weeks.

It’s worth remembering however that no hikes to household bills could come until the beginning of July, for those on the price cap. That is because the cap level for April to June has already been set.

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Qatar shuts down the world’s biggest gas terminal – here’s what it means for the UK

It would take many weeks of elevated prices to hurt the outlook for bills.

When it comes to oil, the RAC said average unleaded petrol costs, already tipped to rise by 1p a litre this week due to earlier market shifts, could go up by a further 2p at current wholesale oil price levels but added that it was far too early to call it.

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Oil price ‘could surpass $100 per barrel’ if Strait of Hormuz faces long closure

Again, it would take many weeks of elevated prices to crystalise that prospect.

Stock market values have suffered globally, with the FTSE 100 in London plunging by 1.2% to close at 10,780.

Defence-facing stocks saw the biggest gains, with BAE Systems rising 6%. Energy firms also did well on the back of those higher wholesale prices though the chance of prolonged disruption to supplies limited increases later in the session.

Read more:
What are the risks for petrol prices?
Why the Strait of Hormuz is so important

Financial and travel-related shares suffered the most. The biggest faller was IAG, the parent firm of British Airways, down 5.5%.

It was a similar story on the continent where major indices saw larger falls that those witnessed in London. The DAX in Germany and CAC 40 in Paris were down by more than 2% as their trading sessions ended.

In the US, the broad S&P 500 was just 0.2% lower.

Stock markets, analysts said, were reflecting a flight-from risk, though precious metal miners benefited from a 2% rise in the price of ‘safe haven’ gold earlier in the day.

The dollar, Japanese yen and Swiss franc also saw support.

John Wyn Evans, head of market analysis at the investment manager Rathbones, said of the outlook: “Everything hinges on the Strait of Hormuz.”

This is the shipping lane off the Iranian coast which usually accounts for the passage of hundreds of ships per day – now largely empty of traffic as vessels are kept at anchor for their own safety amid the withdrawal of insurance policies.

“The longer it is closed, the worse the effects”, Mr Evans said of the strait. “For now, inventories and limited rerouting options provide some buffer, but the situation remains finely balanced.”

The UK’s trade deficit of goods is the widest it has ever been. In 2025, the country spent £248.3 billion more on things than it sold to the rest of the world.

This is not just some abstract number, of interest only to markets and economists. The UK’s trade deficit has practical consequences which help to explain why global events show up so quickly in people’s food and energy bills.

Nor is this a new situation. While the UK runs a strong surplus in services such as finance and professional consulting, it consistently imports more goods than it exports.

On its own, that is not necessarily a problem. Many advanced economies run trade deficits of goods. The more important issue is what a country imports, and how essential those imports are to daily life.

For example, the UK relies heavily on imports for many things that households cannot easily live without, such as 40% of the food they consume.

It imports much of its energy too – and although the UK produces some domestic oil and gas, wholesale energy prices are strongly influenced by international markets.

Food and energy are not optional purchases. Households cannot simply stop eating or heating their homes when prices rise. Economists describe these goods as “inelastic”, meaning that demand does not tend to fall even when the price increases.

And this creates a direct link between global volatility and household vulnerability. When global supply chains are disrupted, whether it’s because of geopolitical tensions, extreme weather or commodity price spikes, any country which is dependent on imported essentials (Germany, Italy and Japan are other examples) feels the impact quickly.

The Bank of England has highlighted how global energy and food price shocks played a major role in the recent surge in UK inflation. International adjustments feed quickly into domestic cost-of-living pressures.

Currency changes

The UK’s trade deficits also mean it needs plenty of foreign currency to pay for all of the things it imports. When financial markets become volatile, the pound can weaken, increasing the cost of these imported goods – which leads to rising inflation.

For an economy that depends heavily on imported food, fuel and manufactured goods, currency movements can amplify inflationary pressure. Households may not follow exchange rate fluctuations, but they do notice higher supermarket prices and energy bills.

Not everything is in deficit, though. The UK runs a significant surplus in services, particularly in finance.

But this creates a disconnect between the UK’s overall national economic performance and household experience. While the export of services supports national income and employment, it does not directly reduce the prices people pay for imported food or energy.

This is why everyday price vulnerability can remain high even when overall trade figures appear manageable.

Also, import-driven price shocks do not affect all households equally. Lower-income households spend a larger share of their income on essentials such as food and energy. When prices rise, they have less flexibility to absorb the increase. Higher-income households may cut back elsewhere, but lower-income households often cannot.

When import costs rise, the financial strain is therefore more intense for those people with the least. The same global shock can be manageable for some households but seriously disruptive for others.

Part of the reason for this general situation is that since the early 1990s, global trade policy has prioritised efficiency through trade liberalisation and manufacturing processes being spread across multiple countries.

Importing goods from the most competitive global suppliers reduced prices in stable periods. But efficiency often comes at the expense of resilience. When supply chains are disrupted, countries that rely heavily on imports for essential goods have fewer domestic buffers. Politicians may then struggle to stabilise prices because the source of volatility lies abroad.

Trade off

The result is something many households recognise. Events far away can rapidly translate into higher bills at home.

But the issue is not trade itself. International trade brings clear benefits, including lower prices, greater choice and access to global goods and services.

The question is whether the UK’s balance between efficiency and resilience leaves households overly exposed to volatility. Recent cost of living pressures have demonstrated how quickly global shocks can reach household budgets.

Trade policy is therefore not just about competitiveness or GDP growth. It is also about economic resilience – how well households are protected from forces beyond their control. But this does not mean reversing global trade or pursuing full self-sufficiency, which would be likely to increase costs.

Instead, the government should be working on the UK’s resilience through things like diversified supply chains and stronger strategic reserves. Clearer contingency planning for essential goods would reduce the UK’s vulnerability to global shocks.

While the UK’s trade deficit is often treated as an abstract macroeconomic statistic, for many households its consequences are felt in something far more tangible – grocery and energy bills.

VAR has long courted controversy since its introduction into the Premier League ahead of the 2019/20 season but the game’s lawmakers in England want a significant tweak to the technology

The FA are mulling over a ‘coach’s challenge’ in an effort to cut down on the number of VAR delays. The technology has been used in the Premier League since 2019/20.

But rather than reduce the amount of controversial refereeing decisions, complaints have only grown, with some believing that VAR has not managed to cut out mistakes from officials. Others have been left irritated at the lengthy stoppages that the technology has caused.

One route that the FA could go down to reduce that is by using a technique such as a coach’s challenge. That would see a similar system to cricket being implemented where coaches would have two unsuccessful appeals to use per game, a successful overturn would see be an appeal be retained.

VAR and other technology would be used for factual decisions such as offsides but for subjective decisions, coaches would have a chance to make a VAR review. The International FA Board (Ifab) is set to hold a two-year review of VAR and the FA will push for a trial scheme.

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Chief executive of the FA, Mark Bullingham, said after Ifab’s annual meeting: “The other interesting area is looking at what can we learn from other trials being done? So [FVS] and where you have a model where referees are refereeing the game but then the coach has a challenge system.

“What can we learn from that? Are there elements of that we should consider adopting for the future? Because that changes the dynamic, that reduces the amount of times when there is a VAR intervention and effectively puts the onus on the coach.

“I think that’s just something which we might continue to learn as we trial that model in the parts of the game that fundamentally can’t afford full VAR at the moment — but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the wrong model for the future.”

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He added: “There is a review going on looking at how we use VAR best and that balance between getting the big decisions right and not slowing the game down.”

And while the FA would be big advocates of the system, former referee David Elleray would not agree. Speaking about the introduction of challenges, the now Ifab technical director said: “There’s no reason to have challenges with VAR because the video match officials check every single incident. It is mainly designed for competitions where you’ve only got one, two, three or maximum four cameras.”