With ‘Hoppers,’ Pixar looks for a boost to its original animated films
In 2020, “We Bare Bears” creator Daniel Chong came to Pixar leaders with an idea.
He had seen documentaries in which robotic animals with eyeball cameras captured footage of natural habitats. But what if that technology was so good that no one could tell the difference? And to make it even more zany — what if someone went undercover in that animal body?
That idea became the basis of Walt Disney Co. and Pixar’s new animated movie, “Hoppers,” which debuts this week. The film is Pixar’s latest attempt to break through at the box office with an original story, something that has been a struggle for the storied animation studio since the pandemic.
The pressure of Pixar’s legacy can be a little overwhelming and coming up with an original idea is difficult, said Chong, who directed “Hoppers” and also serves as a writer on the film.
“For a Pixar movie, it’s very high stakes,” he said. “But I just felt like I had a really funny idea, and I thought as long as we made it really funny and had characters you loved, to me that’s the key to every Pixar movie — really awesome characters that really connect emotionally with people.”
Recent theatrical success for Pixar as well as other animation studios has come from sequels, such as 2024’s “Inside Out 2,” which grossed $1.7 billion globally. But the reputation of Emeryville-based Pixar is built on its string of blockbuster originals, including 1995’s “Toy Story,” 2001’s “Monsters, Inc.” and 2004’s “The Incredibles,” making new stories crucial to the studio’s future.
People like coming back to familiar characters like Woody and Buzz from “Toy Story,” but the studio can do only so many sequels, said Pete Docter, Pixar’s chief creative officer. And some films don’t lend themselves to new chapters, he said, noting the studio’s efforts to look at “Monsters, Inc.”
“We’ve been trying, struggling for a long time to get somewhere with that, and we’ll see in the future how things go, but it’s been an uphill battle,” he said. “For whatever reason, that movie seems to be self contained and doesn’t want to go forward without repeating some of the same themes, which I think would be disappointing.”
Opening weekend expectations for “Hoppers” are wide-ranging, from $25 million to $40 million, on a production budget of $150 million. So far, the reviews have been strong, with a 96% approval rating on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
“If we don’t continue to do originals, we’re going to run out of stuff,” Docter said. “If ‘Hoppers’ can really catch on, it could show that audiences still want original movies. They’re still excited to see things that surprise them, that are not just following through on characters and worlds that they’ve seen before.”
It’s been a tough time for original animated movies — and new films in general. As the theatrical market continues to find its footing after the pandemic, audiences still largely have gravitated toward familiar fare, including sequels and reboots, even as they profess to want new stories.
Pixar’s previous original film, 2025’s “Elio” cratered at the box office, partially beset by the tough climate for new animated stories as well as strong competition from other kids’ movies such as live-action adaptations of Universal Pictures’ “How to Train Your Dragon” and Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch.”
The pandemic played a major role in Pixar’s recent track record with originals. When COVID-19 hit, original films like 2020’s “Soul,” 2021’s “Luca” and 2022’s “Turning Red” all were sent straight to the Disney+ streaming service to give families something to watch during the stay-at-home orders. But that also got audiences accustomed to waiting to watch Pixar films at home, and as theaters started opening up again, families were some of the last groups to return because of concerns about health and safety.
“There had been a conditioning process,” said Heather Holian, a professor of art history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “It was challenging to turn the ship around a little bit, or getting people to rethink how they engage with Pixar films and getting them back to theaters.”
To connect with audiences, Pixar films need to feel familiar in some way, but with a surprising twist — something that is incredibly difficult to do, Docter said. “Hoppers” also involved extensive, early stage collaboration with the studio’s story artists. Chong would give them a rough idea of his thoughts, which the artists would then use to develop dialogue and other details that expanded on his vision. That’s a bit of a departure from Pixar’s typical process, which involves writing pages and giving them to the artists, who then go to work..
Chong worked as a story artist at Pixar before he went on to create Cartoon Network’s “We Bare Bears” and then returned to the studio in 2019.
“Hoppers” could get strong tailwinds from the success of Sony Pictures Animation’s “Goat,” which was produced by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and tells an original story set in an all-animal world about an undersized “roarball” player who pushes to make it in the big leagues.
That film has netted nearly $75 million in the U.S. and Canada, with a global total of more than $131 million..
The two movies are the beginning of a potentially big year for animated films. After “Hoppers,” Nintendo and Universal Pictures’ sequel “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is out in April, followed by Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” in June and Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s “Minions & Monsters” in July. In the fall, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation plans to release “The Cat in the Hat.”
High-performing years at the box office traditionally are anchored by strong family movies, said Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of the site Box Office Theory.
“A lot of us are so optimistic about what the box office can do overall this year because of the animated releases,” he said. “When there is appealing content out there, families are a big driver for this industry.”
US-Iran War Puts Strait Of Hormuz Under Fire, Disrupting Global Energy Trade
US strikes on Iran escalate Strait of Hormuz tensions, spiking energy prices, disrupting trade and heightening global geopolitical risk.
Trade traffic within the Strait of Hormuz has nearly halted as fuel tankers and other shipping remain vulnerable to attacks and are virtually uninsurable, amplifying fears that the US-Israeli war on Iran is turning into a broader global conflict with major economic consequences.
Global energy prices, especially, are a key focus point since the Strait serves as a critical maritime artery for roughly 20% of the world’s oil flows — 70% of that oil goes to China, South Korea, India, and Japan.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s standoff with EU leaders over the use of certain military bases is making an already contentious situation worse.
Chokepoint Under Fire
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim total control of the passage just days after US-led airstrikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The UK Maritime Trade Operations Center is actively documenting multiple vessel attacks and electronic interference affecting navigation in and around the Gulf.
A bomb-carrying drone boat struck a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman, killing at least one mariner, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing Omani authorities.
The economic shock was swift. West Texas Intermediate crude notched its biggest two-day rally since March 2022. European natural gas prices nearly doubled in 48 hours. The biggest jolt came after QatarEnergy halted liquefied natural gas production following attacks on its facilities, sending European gas prices soaring more than 40%. The United States Oil Fund LP rallied over 15% over the past five days.
Analysts are also at odds over whether a total Iranian blockade will occur.
Insurance Vanishes, Ships Stall
“A sustained, structural military blockade by Iran that totally stops ships from passing through is unlikely,” Morningstar Equity Director Joshua Aguilar said. Still, the commercial reality may produce the same effect.
“Ships may not pass through because no insurance is willing to cover them,” Aguilar added
Mutual insurers such as the London P&I Club, NorthStandard, UK P&I Club and Noord Nederlandsche P&I Club provide coverage for vessels navigating volatile regions. If that coverage drops, shipping companies face untenable exposure — effectively freezing commerce even absent a formal blockade.
In response, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he had ordered the US International Development Finance Corporation to offer political risk insurance and guarantees “for the financial security of all maritime trade, especially energy, traveling through the Gulf.” He also said the US Navy would escort tankers through the Strait.
BIMCO’s Chief Safety & Security Officer, Jakob Larsen, scrutinized the logic of Trump’s plan. Indeed, naval escorts would reduce the threat ships currently face.
“That said, providing protection for all tankers operating in areas currently threatened by Iran is unrealistic,” he says. “This would require a very high number of warships and other military assets.”
CaixaBank, in a research note on Wednesday, issued its own warnings about Iran’s attacks and Strait of Hormuz closures. Energy prices will spike as long as the disruption continues, the firm predicts.
“Iran’s response — expanding the radius of the conflict, effectively closing maritime traffic through Hormuz, and threatening critical infrastructure — is causing a short-term escalation of tensions,” the firm stated. “It remains to be seen for how many days this response can be sustained and what approach will be taken by the new leadership core (and, in particular, by Khamenei’s successor).”
Persistent high prices could prompt hawkish European Central Bank and Federal Reserve moves, increasing economic drag, the firm continued.
Transatlantic Talks Turn Tense
The maritime chaos is unfolding alongside a sharp diplomatic rupture with Europe. Trump on Tuesday threatened to “cut off all trade with Spain” after Madrid refused US access to its military bases. He also criticized the UK’s decision to block the use of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
“This is not the age of Churchill,” Trump said during a White House meeting with European counterparts. “The UK has been very, very uncooperative with that stupid island that they have.”
The remarks underscore mounting friction within NATO and the broader Western alliance at a moment when coordinated action would be critical to stabilizing markets. Instead, the spat adds another layer of uncertainty to global trade flows already strained by inflation and tariff confusion on the heels of the US Supreme Court ruling against Trump.
Many dealmaking plans are also likely on hold, marking a stark contrast to 2025, the second-highest year on record for transaction value.
“The sentiment was that the stars were aligned” for a similar trajectory in 2026, said Kyle Walters, an analyst at PitchBook.
M&A consultancies such as McKinsey & Company and Bain & Co. had projected sustained M&A growth in 2026 due to energy security priorities, sovereign wealth fund firepower, and supportive fiscal reforms.
Then one weekend changed the narrative. As Walters puts it: “Uncertainty is bad for M&A appetite.”
Tariff ambiguity can slow deals. Inflation complicates financing. Armed conflict in a region central to global energy flows is far more destabilizing.
“In periods of uncertainty, buyers take a step back. They’re in wait-and-see mode,” Walters said, adding that domestic M&A has been “flipped on its head.” Cross-border activity is particularly exposed, with capital flight, currency volatility, and political risk creating an “unopportunistic M&A environment.” European firms considering expansion into the Middle East now face heightened scrutiny; “It has to be an A+ transaction to proceed,” Walters said.
Markets Brace For Escalation
What began the year as a story of alignment and acceleration has become one of recalibration — with capital pausing just as geopolitical risk surges.
BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, outlined a short-term scenario in which the US coordinates with Israel to overwhelm Iran and minimize retaliation against US assets and the Strait itself.
But even a limited campaign carries economic consequences.
Abigail Hall, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute, warned that energy markets are likely to bear the brunt. “There are already concerns about shipping and other disruptions — particularly around the Strait of Hormuz,” she said, pointing to “knowledge constraints on the part of policymakers and the presence of misaligned incentives.”
Hall also expressed skepticism that the US-led strikes would produce long-term political transformation inside Iran. “You may have ‘cut the head off the snake,’ but neglected the fact that there were many other vipers in the room,” she said.
Military strikes, she explained, often empower the most extreme factions of a country and produce a “rally-around-the-flag” effects whereby an external attack draws the civilian population toward the existing regime.
“In Iran we’ve seen that military escalation, and the domestic dissent it inspires,” she adds. “It often leads to harsher repression and increased regime control.”
Gayle King signs new deal with CBS News
Gayle King, the most high-profile star at CBS News, has signed a new deal with the network.
A CBS News representative said Wednesday the division reached an agreement with King, 71, to continue as co-host of “CBS Mornings” co-host but did not reveal the length or the terms. Her current deal was set to end in May.
King’s future at the program came into question last fall after the arrival of CBS News Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. There were leaks to the trades and tabloid press that parent company Paramount was looking to trim King’s salary or reduce her role at the network as a means to cut costs.
“Rumors of my demise were inaccurate and greatly exaggerated,” King said in a statement. “CBS News is my longtime home, and I am committed to our mission. I’m excited about continuing at CBS Mornings. As always, I’m open to new adventures here and ready to go. It took a minute, but we got there. And now that we are here, I am all in.”
King is the highest paid on-air talent at CBS News, earning an annual eight-figure salary.
Known for her effusive charm, King apparently won Weiss over.
“There is only one Gayle King,” Weiss said in a statement. “We’re so proud that she’ll continue to call CBS home. We’re thrilled to have her on in the morning—and equally excited to work with her on new, enterprising projects that bring her talents to new audiences.”
While King is locked in for at least another year, there is a search underway for at least one new co-host on the program.
King’s current co-host is Nate Burleson, who is also an analyst for CBS Sports. The network has not permanently replaced Tony Dokoupil, who left “CBS Mornings” in January to take over as anchor of the “CBS Evening News.”
King joined CBS News in 2012, when she joined “CBS This Morning.” As co-hosts alongside Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell, the program experienced five consecutive years of ratings growth.
“CBS This Morning” was adrift after Rose — a major audience draw — was ousted over sexual harassment allegations. In 2021, it was renamed “CBS Mornings,” with King taking a more prominent role.
“CBS Mornings” ranks third in ratings behind NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America,” but remains a significant revenue generator for CBS News.
Rams finalizing deal to acquire Trent McDuffie in trade with Chiefs
Les Snead, no stranger to blockbuster trades involving first-round picks, might be on the verge of doing it again.
On Wednesday, the Rams general manager appeared to be getting closer to addressing his team’s most pressing need by nearing a possible agreement with the Kansas City Chiefs to trade for cornerback Trent McDuffie, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The person requested anonymity because an agreement had not been finalized.
According to multiple reports, the Rams would send a first-round pick — the 29th overall — and fifth- and sixth-round picks in this year’s draft and 2027 seventh-round pick to the Chiefs in exchange for McDuffie.
McDuffie, 25, is a former Anaheim Servite and Bellflower St. John Bosco High star who was a first-round pick by the Chiefs in 2022. He was an All-Pro in 2023 and has three career interceptions. He is due to earn $13.6 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract.
On Tuesday, during a videoconference with reporters, Snead was asked about the secondary.
“At that point it’s figuring out, is there an All-Pro that you could add?” Snead said. “That could be nice, but if there’s not an All-Pro, is there a player out there that adds an edge based on what we’re trying to accomplish?”
The last time Snead traded a first-round pick for a cornerback was in 2019, when he sent two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick for Jalen Ramsey. Two years later — after trading Jared Goff and two-first round picks to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford, the Rams won Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
In 2018, Snead traded a fourth-round pick and a second-round pick in 2019 for Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, one of several major moves that helped the Rams advance to Super Bowl LIII.
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie plays against the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 27.
(Matt Patterson / Associated Press)
The acquisition of McDuffie would strengthen a cornerback group that was often a liability last season. During four seasons with the Chiefs, McDuffie forced eight fumbles, three interceptions and broke up 34 passes.
Emmanuel Forbes Jr. is under contract, and the Rams must make a decision by May 1 whether to exercise a fifth-year option on the former 2023 first-round pick by the Washington Commanders.
Cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Roger McCreary and pending free agents, as are Ahkello Witherspoon and Derion Kendrick.
If terms are finalized, the trade would not become official until the start of the new league year on March 11. In addition, the Rams would have nine picks in this year’s draft, including the 13th overall selection they acquired in a 2025 draft-day trade with the Atlanta Falcons.
Formula One teams on edge as new regulations face first test in Australia | Motorsports News
F1’s technical changes pose challenges for drivers and engineers alike while raising concerns about the quality of racing.
Published On 4 Mar 2026
Formula One’s new era starts at this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where teams will leap into the unknown and grapple with sweeping technical changes under race conditions for the first time.
F1 has simultaneously overhauled chassis and power unit regulations for the first time in decades, posing a challenge for drivers and engineers while raising concerns about the quality of racing.
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With near-parity between electrical and combustion engines and cars running on 100 percent advanced sustainable fuel, drivers gained some insight into the changes during winter testing. But all are in the dark about how the reset will play out when going wheel-to-wheel on race day.
“I’m certainly more comfortable now than I was a couple of months ago with how to drive these cars and how to try and get the most out of them,” McLaren’s Oscar Piastri told reporters on Wednesday.
“But I think there’s still the saying of ‘You don’t know what you don’t know.’”
Australian Piastri said McLaren thought they had the cars worked out two months ago, only to find they had “a whole bunch of stuff” they did not understand during winter testing.
With more power generated by electricity than last year’s engines, there is more emphasis on drivers needing to be tactical with energy deployment and regeneration.
The old drag reduction system has been replaced by a new overtake mode, giving extra power for overtaking.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen described the changes as “like Formula E on steroids” and “anti-racing”.
Formula One Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali defended them and assured fans there will still be plenty of thrills.
The changes may have different effects at different circuits, leaving all teams to learn on the fly, week by week.
Piastri said Sunday’s race at Albert Park, a suburb of Melbourne, would probably showcase the more “unnatural” parts of driving.
“You know, a lot more lift and coast, a lot more kind of just driving to maximise the power unit,” he said.
“You’ve got power units that are reducing in power down the straights at different points. And there’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of challenges in there.”
The new regulations raised hopes of a more open championship and the prospect of a disruptor team emerging to force change at the top. But preseason testing in Bahrain hinted at a familiar top four, with Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren all performing well.
Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley said the gap between the “best and the rest” might only widen.
“I think it’s going to be a very different year in terms of the competitiveness in the sport,” he told the Reuters news agency. “We’re already seeing the gap between the fastest teams and the slowest teams but larger than it’s been in the last few years.”
Whatever the pecking order, F1 race tracks will be more crowded with the addition of the new Cadillac team although there may be more breathing room at Albert Park, given Aston Martin’s preseason troubles.
Despite the technical guidance of Adrian Newey, who joined from Red Bull, the Honda-powered team completed few laps during winter testing and have reliability problems.
The AMR26 cars will be in Australia – something of a relief for F1 management – but may only race for a few laps before retiring.
Russia blames Ukrainian naval drones as tanker sinks in Mediterranean
The Arctic Metagaz went down between Libya and Malta after it was hit by explosions and a fire, Libyan officials say.
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The week’s bestselling books, March 8
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, March 8, 2026, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction.
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Texan James Talarico becomes a fresh face of Democrats’ midterm hopes after Senate primary win
AUSTIN, Texas — James Talarico did not mention President Trump when he greeted exuberant supporters at his primary night celebration.
But the newly minted Democratic U.S. Senate nominee in Texas is now a front man for the political opposition to the Republican president, not just in his own state but around the country. With his victory over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the state lawmaker from Austin will test whether a smiling message of unity and change is enough to answer voters’ frustrations amid discord at home and now a war abroad.
“We are not just trying to win an election,” Talarico told supporters in the Texas capital early Wednesday. “We are trying to fundamentally change our politics, and it’s working.”
The campaign provided “Love thy Neighbor” signs to people in the crowd.
The question for Talarico as he heads into the general election campaign is whether he can generate enthusiasm from voters who opted for Crockett because they saw her as the more aggressive fighter against Trump. Crockett conceded to Talarico on Wednesday morning, saying that “Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person.”
Talarico will need all the help he can get in a Republican-dominated state where Democrats have gone decades without winning a statewide race. He will face either U.S. Sen. John Cornyn or state Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton, who advanced to a Republican runoff on Tuesday.
Conventional political wisdom has it that Talarico was the stronger Democratic candidate in November, especially if Republicans nominate Paxton, a conservative firebrand who has weathered allegations of corruption and infidelity over the years.
Although Democrats are often choosing between moderate and progressive candidates in primaries, they faced a largely stylistic choice in Texas.
Talarico, 36, is a Presbyterian seminarian who quotes Scripture and rarely raises his voice. Crockett, 44, is an unapologetic political brawler who hammers Trump and other Republicans with acidic flourish.
Both have been reliably progressive votes in their current roles and telegenic faces across cable news and social media. Both represent generational change for a party with aging leadership. Each called for a more equitable economy and society. Each talked about bringing sporadic voters into their coalitions.
But Talarico’s broader argument is one that he could have made regardless of whether Trump was in the White House. Talarico’s campaign, he said often, is about addressing a country whose fundamental divide is not partisan but “top vs. bottom.” He regularly assails the rise in Christian nationalism. A former teacher, he has advocated for public education — and against Texas conservatives’ policies to restrict curriculum and reshape how U.S. history is taught.
“He’s just a good friend and he’s a serious advocate for the disenfranchised and a serious policymaker,” said Lea Downey Gallatin, 40, an Austin resident who became friends with Talarico when they interned together for a congressman.
Crockett promised Democrats that she could increase turnout within the party’s base, while Talarico campaigned on the theory that he could pull new people into the party’s tent.
“I can’t tell you how many have come up to me, whispering that they’re not a Democrat,” Talarico said as he campaigned in San Antonio in the closing days of the primary campaign. “I can’t tell you how many young people have said it’s the first time that they’ve ever voted, and that they are participating for the first time.”
As he strolled through the city, Talarico posed for pictures and greeted the singer of a Tejano band playing nearby. He later spoke to hundreds of people at the historic Stable Hall, a 130-year-old circular structure built for showing horses and now a converted event center. Hundreds more, unable to get into the full event, wound around the corner and along the sidewalk for blocks.
Inside, Lori Alvarez, a 39-year-old who works for a disaster relief nonprofit, said she supported Talarico because “he really listens to what we need.”
“I think he’s going to be able to make change in Washington for us,” said the married mother of three young girls.
Yet that was not what attracted so many voters to Crockett.
Troy Burroughs, a 61-year-old Navy retiree, called Crockett “rugged” and “the only one I see fighting for us.”
He added: “I like how she doesn’t back down from anybody.”
Burroughs said some voters probably saw Talarico as more electable because he is more soft-spoken. But, he said, “We’ve got to get into the gutter with these folks, because that’s where they are.”
Talarico, meanwhile, keeps fighting his own way.
“Tonight, the people of our state gave this country a little bit of hope,” he said Tuesday, “and a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing.”
Barrow, Figueroa and Beaumont write for the Associated Press. Barrow reported from Atlanta, Figueroa from Austin, Texas, and Beaumont from San Antonio.
Clayton Kershaw gives some insight into Shohei Ohtani
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell reminding you we are only 22 days away from the season opener.
Clayton Kershaw appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday and had this to say about Shohei Ohtani:
“With Shohei, he’s got to pitch and he’s got to hit, and he’s a monster in the weight room, and he’s so fast, all these things,” Kershaw said. “So it’s amazing what Shohei does. And as far as secrets, I don’t know how he does it. I have no idea. I’ve watched him for a few years, still have no idea how he does it.
“I think with the media circus that follows him everywhere and all the Japanese reporters that are in L.A., as a team, we don’t see that. He does such a good job of handling all that and still being a good teammate and still playing really well. So, like I said, it all bakes into the formula … I don’t know how he does everything that he does, because he literally does have a country watching him every second of the day.
“We played opening day in Tokyo last year and that was wild. I think it was probably like what the Beatles were. It’s kind of like that’s what I would experience, just being around Shohei and being on the Dodgers. That was once in a lifetime to see him in Tokyo last year.”
“And he’s funny. He speaks a lot of English, which I don’t know if he lets on to the media too much. But Shohei’s great, and he’s been a great addition to the clubhouse.”
Do Spring Training games matter?
The Dodgers are 8-3 in exhibition games. But does it mean anything? Let’s take a look at the team with the best spring training record since 2016 and also how the Dodgers did each year:
2016
Best spring record: Washington, 19-4, .826
Season record: 95-67, .586
Dodgers: 13-17, .433
Season record: 91-71, .562
World Series winners: Chicago Cubs
Their spring record: 11-19
2017
Best spring record: NY Yankees, 24-9, .727
Season record: 91-71, .562
Dodgers: 18-17, .514
Season record: 104-58, .642
World Series winners: Houston Astros*
Their spring record: 15-15
*-Astros cheated to win the 2017 World Series.
2018
Best spring record: Boston, 22-9, .710
Season record: 108-54, .667
Dodgers: 17-15, .531
Season record: 92-71, .564
World Series winners: Boston Red Sox
2019
Best spring record: Oakland, 14-8, .636
Season record: 97-65, .599
Dodgers: 14-15, .483
Season record: 106-56, .654
World Series winners: Washington Nationals
Their spring record: 17-12
2020
Best spring record: Philadelphia, 15-6, .714
Season record: 28-32, .467
Dodgers: 13-7, .650
Season record: 43-17, .717
World Series winners: Dodgers
2021
Best record: Miami, 14-5, .737
Season record: 67-95, .414
Dodgers: 13-11, .542
Season record: 106-56, .654
World Series winners: Atlanta Braves
Their spring record: 15-13
2022
Best spring record: Angels, 11-6, .647
Season record: 73-89, .451
Dodgers: 5-9, .357
Season record: 111-51, .685
World Series winners: Houston Astros
Their spring record: 8-5
2023
Best spring record: St. Louis, 17-7, .708
Season record: 71-91, .438
Dodgers: 14-13, .519
Season record: 100-62, .617
World Series winners: Texas Rangers
Their spring record: 13-15
2024
Best spring record: Baltimore, 23-6, .793
Season record: 91-71, .562
Dodgers: 14-7, .667
Season record: 98-64, .605
World Series winners: Dodgers
2025
Best spring record: San Francisco, 21-6, .778
Season record: 81-81, .500
Dodgers: 14-9, .609
Season record: 93-69, .574
World Series winners: Dodgers
As you can see, only once has the team with the best spring record gone on to win the World Series. Four times, the team with the best spring record had a losing record in the regular season. The last time the Dodgers had a losing spring record, they went on to win 111 games. So, just enjoy the exhibition games for what they are, meaningless fun.
Or, as Andrew Friedman told my colleague Bill Shaikin about spring training games, “It’s always fun to win. That is always way more fun than losing. But so much of spring training is, just don’t get a call from our trainer. Keep guys healthy.”
Blake Snell unlikely to be on opening day roster
Dave Roberts said that Blake Snell won’t appear in a spring training game this season, which would seem to indicate he won’t be on the opening day roster.
“He’s not on a mound right now. He’s not in games,” Roberts told reporters. “The odds of him starting the season are probably zero…. I think he’s working through it in the sense of, last year he was on a new team. He pushed through things to start the season healthy, which is understandable. And you learn from it, he was never right all year. I think that this year, he’s going to make sure that he is ready to go.”
Gavin Stone sidelined
Gavin Stone, who sat out last season after shoulder surgery, has had a setback.
“Stone threw the inning and then he had a bullpen the next day, and then his shoulder flared up and was sore,” Roberts told reporters Monday. “And so right now, we put him on ice, and trying to let the soreness dissipate. So, given everything that he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure that we kind of pushed pause, so I don’t know when he’s going to start throwing again, but I think it is a setback unfortunately.”
Stone had an MRI on Tuesday that showed no structural damage, just inflammation, which is the best possible news. He will stop all throwing activities for two weeks and be re-evaluated.
WBC schedule
The World Baseball Classic starts today, and five Dodgers are participating: Will Smith for the U.S., Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Japan, Edwin Díaz for Puerto Rico and Hyeseong Kim for Korea. Former Dodger (how weird does that sound) Clayton Kershaw is also on the U.S. team. Three Dodger minor leaguers are participating: pitcher Antonio Knowles for Great Britain, infielder Jake Gelof for Israel, and pitcher Shawndrick Oduber for Netherlands.
Here is the schedule for the U.S. games. You can find the entire schedule by clicking here.
Friday
5 p.m.: USA vs. Brazil, Fox
Saturday
5 p.m.: Great Britain vs. USA, Fox
Monday
5 p.m.: Mexico vs. USA, Fox
Tuesday
6 p.m.: Italy vs. USA, FS1
Quarterfinals are March 13-14
Semifinals are March 15-16
Title game is March 17 at 5 p.m. on Fox
In case you missed it
Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki struggles early in second Cactus League start, then settles down
Shaikin: Will Klein isn’t surprised he saved the Dodgers’ World Series dynasty
Shaikin: Clayton Kershaw’s ‘perfect’ ending has one final chapter in WBC
‘That’s what I expect.’ Dodgers’ Mookie Betts seeks to regain his All-Star form
For pitching prospect Jackson Ferris, Dodgers organization is ‘a breath of fresh air’
Shaikin: In L.A. and in Cooperstown, Freddie Freeman will forever be a Dodger, not a Brave
Edwin Díaz is unquestionably the Dodgers’ closer. How the rest of the bullpen shapes up
‘Maybe you’re in the wrong business.’ Blake Treinen fires back at Dodgers’ spending critics
Shaikin: Dodgers hype time: How many games will they win in 2026?
‘Just go out and pitch.’ Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow is efficient in his first spring start
‘Things I need to work on.’ Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki struggles in first Cactus League start
After ‘a normal offseason,’ Freddie Freeman drives in two in Cactus League debut
SoCal product Pete Crow-Armstrong disses Dodgers fans with a curious comment
‘Pretty healthy’ Kyle Tucker content to fit in among Dodgers’ galaxy of stars
And finally
Maury Wills hits a walk-off single to win the 1966 All-Star game for the NL. Watch and listen here.
Until next time….
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
New Zealand annihilate South Africa to reach T20 World Cup final | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup News
Finn Allen hits fastest century at a T20 World Cup as New Zealand crush South Africa by nine wickets to reach final.
Published On 4 Mar 2026
New Zealand stormed into the Twenty20 World Cup final with a nine-wicket demolition of South Africa in the first semifinal at the Eden Gardens.
Put into bat, South Africa recovered from a precarious 77-5 to post a competitive 169-8 after Marco Jansen led their recovery with a belligerent 55 not out.
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Finn Allen smashed an unbeaten 100 off 33 balls, however, and shared a 117-run opening stand with Tim Seifert (58) as New Zealand romped to their target in only 12.5 overs.
Allen’s achievement was the fastest century scored at a T20 World Cup.
“We wanted to start well and put them on the back foot early,” Allen said. “It is easy for me when Tim [Seifert] is going like that. The way he batted got us off to an absolute flyer.
“It is easy in semifinals to stay up for the fight and with Tim [Seifert] we keep each other in it, and we enjoy it out there together.”
Earlier Jansen’s fifty came in response to Kiwis spinners Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie took two wickets each before Tristan Stubbs and Jansen put on 73 to rescue the innings at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
Stubbs (29) and Jansen, who hit two fours and five sixes in his 30-ball knock, helped set New Zealand a target of 170 to reach the final.
India successfully chased 196 against the West Indies on Sunday on the same ground.
South Africa were the only unbeaten team in the tournament, while New Zealand had edged into the semifinals on net run-rate.
McConchie struck first in the second over with his off-spin to send back Quinton De Kock for 10 and Ryan Rickelton next ball, but Dewald Brevis avoided the hat-trick.
Aiden Markram was reprieved on three when Ravindra dropped him at midwicket off pace bowler Lockie Ferguson.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra made amends when he had the South Africa captain caught in the deep by Daryl Mitchell for 18.
David Miller was dropped on three by Glenn Phillips but fell for six to Ravindra five balls later, with Mitchell again taking the catch at long-on.
South Africa had lost half their side in 10.2 overs when Jimmy Neesham cut short Brevis’s knock on 34.
Ferguson bowled Stubbs but Jansen hit him for six to reach his fifty.
Pace bowler Matt Henry, who arrived back only on Tuesday night after going home for the birth of his child, took 2-34.
The bowling figures for South Africa will be ones to quickly forget, as the figures to focus on – and the moment to remember – belonged to Allen.
“You take the positives from this game, celebrate little moments of success,” Allen added “Then we have a final to play on Sunday and we look forward to that.”
Defending champions India take on twice champions England in the second semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday, ahead of Sunday’s final.
Iraqi women’s rights activist Yanar Mohammed killing spurs call for justice | Women’s Rights News
The killing of prominent Iraqi women’s rights activist Yanar Mohammed has fuelled an outpouring of grief and calls for justice, with advocates from around the world remembering Mohammed as a “courageous” voice.
Mohammed, 66, was killed earlier this week after unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire outside her home in the north of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.
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“Despite being rushed to the hospital and attempts to save her life, she succumbed to her wounds,” the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, a group that Mohammed co-founded, said in a statement shared on social media.
“We at the Organisation for Women’s Freedom in Iraq condemn in the strongest terms this cowardly terrorist crime, which we consider a direct attack on the feminist struggle and the values of freedom and equality.”
Several international rights groups also condemned Mohammed’s killing, with Amnesty International on Wednesday decrying the deadly attack as “brutal” and “a calculated assault to stifle human rights defenders, especially those defending women’s rights”.
The organisation, which said Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al‑Sudani ordered an investigation into the killing, also called on the Iraqi authorities to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
“Yanar Mohammed … dedicated her life to defending women’s rights,” Amnesty’s Iraq researcher, Razaw Salihy, said in a statement. “The Iraqi authorities must stop this pattern of targeted attacks in their tracks, and take seriously the sustained smear campaigns designed to discredit and endanger activists.”
Mohammed was one of Iraq’s most prominent women’s rights activists, working since the early 2000s “to protect women facing gender-based violence, including domestic abuse, trafficking, and so-called ‘honour killings’”, Front Line Defenders said.
Her work included the establishment of safe houses, which sheltered hundreds of women experiencing exploitation and abuse.
In a 2022 interview with Al Jazeera, Mohammed described her organisation’s efforts to support Iraqi women who survived violence at the hands of ISIS (ISIL), which had seized control of large swathes of the country.
“Muslim-Arab women who were enslaved by ISIL and have not found a place to go back to, they are still living in the shadows of the society,” she said at the time.
“Not less than 10,000 women were the victims of ISIL attack[s], and this femicide is not really acknowledged by the international community or dealt with in a way that keeps the dignity or the respect [of], or compensates, those who were the victims.”
Years of threats
Mohammed had been the target of death threats for decades, “aimed at dissuading her from defending women’s rights”, Front Line Defenders said. “Yet she remained defiant in the face of threats from ISIS and other armed groups.”
In 2016, she was awarded the Rafto Prize “for her tireless work for women’s rights in Iraq under extremely challenging conditions”.
The Rafto Foundation, the Norway-based nonprofit group that administers the award, said it was “deeply shaken” by her killing. “We are deeply shocked by this brutal attack on one of the most courageous human rights defenders of our time,” the foundation said in a statement.
“The assassination represents not only an attack on Yanar Mohammed as a person, but also on the fundamental values she dedicated her life to defending: women’s freedom, democracy, and universal human rights.”
Other activists and human rights groups also paid tribute to Mohammed this week, with Human Rights Watch describing her as “one of Iraq’s most courageous advocates for women’s rights” for more than two decades.
“Yanar was a dear colleague and friend to so many of us in the women’s rights and feminist community, one of our icons. She spent her life standing up for women’s rights in the most dangerous environment,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International.
“She faced constant threats, but she never stopped. And today we cry and mourn her energy, her commitment, her profound humanity, her amazing courage.”
London’s biggest rooftop attraction to open this summer with live DJs and food festivals
A NEW 1,000-plus capacity rooftop destination will open in London this year.
Freight Brixton in South London will open on May 7 as an open-air food, drink and music venue.
And it is set to become the capital’s largest rooftop venue.
There will be chef residencies, cocktail bars, live music, DJ sets, food festivals and major sports screenings, amongst other events.
With the upcoming World Cup, the rooftop will boast a dedicated World Cup Fanzone with screenings of the matches.
Food festivals include Taco Fest and Bite Twice presents Dine Hard.
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And brunch lovers won’t miss out either as there will be Reggae Brunch and Maggi Brunch.
There will be family-friendly daytime sessions in the summer too.
When it comes to grabbing a tipple at the venue, guests will be able to choose from a number of speciality bars.
One bar will be the Casamigos ‘House of Friends’ and another will be Hotel Milano, centred on the much-loved Italian aperitivo concept.
Hotel Milano will also form part of the new Brixton Cocktail Club.
Each Thursday, the venue will host South of the South as well, which is a collaboration with Cross The Tracks Festival and includes jazz, funk and soul music.
The line-up for the opening of the venue will include reggae musician Davis Rodigan on May 9.
Laurence Guy will then perform house music on May 16 and on May 30, Ghosts of Garage will take over the rooftop.
In total, 50 jobs will be created as well and the venue aims to also host grassroots events, youth programmes and charity fundraisers.
Dan Morris, Managing Director of Freight Island, said: “Freight Brixton is an incredible rooftop in the heart of South London and will be a place for locals and the city beyond to come together and enjoy themselves with the best food, drink and music.
“I cannot wait for us to get this open – we have seen what creating these kinds of spaces can do for a community in Manchester, and we are all very excited to build something just as special in Brixton.”
Freight Island already has a destination in Manchester, located near Piccadilly Station.
And another new destination was recently announced for Leeds, inside the Trinity Leeds shopping centre.
In addition to street-style food stalls and independent bars, there will also be an outdoor terrace which will look over City Square.
If you are looking for more rooftop venues to explore in the capital, here’s London’s best rooftop bars including one that feels more like Mykonos.
Plus, Europe’s highest rooftop bar is in the UK and it is like ‘stepping into another world’.
Britain’s Got Talent hit with Ofcom complaints after horrified viewers left ‘physically sick’
Britain’s Got Talent viewers were ‘disgusted’ after Saturday night’s show when ‘marmite” performer, Baron, flew through the air – hooked up by his nipples
Britain’s Got Talent has been hit with a number of Ofcom complaints(Image: DIGITAL/EROTEME.CO.UK)
Britain’s Got Talent has been hit with a number of Ofcom complaints after Saturday night’s show. Thousands of viewers had tuned in to see the latest instalment of the ITV talent programme, which is celebrating its 19th series. There was plenty to enjoy with a whole host of acts getting the judge’s approval, but when performing duo, Baron and Vesper, appeared on stage, things took a turn.
Flying through the air, hooked up by his nipples, earlobes and various other body parts, Baron’s performance needed to be seen to be believed. Off stage, co-host Declan Donnelly could be heard saying: “Obviously don’t try this at home, it’s very dangerous,” as a warning flashed up on-screen urging viewers not to copy what they were about to see.
READ MORE: Britain’s Got Talent fans left ‘physically sick’ as ITV airs viewer warningREAD MORE: Simon Cowell slapped with ‘ban’ on set of Britain’s Got Talent after causing ‘headache’ for bosses
However, despite the warning, some viewers complained they were physically sick after the stunt, with several phoning up Ofcom to make their feelings known.
The broadcasting regulator received a total of 89 complaints following the show after the performance was so extreme even the judges looked uncomfortable while some audience members shielded their eyes. Turning to YouTube star, KSI, fellow judge Alesha Dixon exclaimed: “Even you’re shocked” as Baron exposed a nipple.
As the performer, still with the hooks through him, started to approach the judges’ desk with his partner still airborne, judge, Amanda Holden, ran away, screaming: “Oh my God he’s coming, he’s coming,” barely able to watch the act unfold. “I don’t know what to look at,” KSI added.
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Viewers at home also struggled to watch the act, with many left divided by what they had just seen. One viewer fumed: “This needs to stop in the bedroom, not on TV.” Another wrote: “Don’t know whether to clap or cry or to gag or to do all three?” A third said simply: “I feel physically sick.”
Another said: “That’s not talent, that’s just stupidity.” before one other viewer chipped in: “Well I’ll not try that at home” and simply: “MAKE IT STOP!”
Despite the squeamish nature of the act, the duo won a standing ovation from the live audience. Co-host Ant McPartlin, watching from the side of the stage, commented: “That’s something we haven’t seen before and we’ve seen almost everything on this show.”
Offering her feedback on the act, Alesha said: “I found it difficult to watch, and weird and brilliant,” while Amanda said: “It looked awful in the best way,” saving herself from the crowd’s boos by swiftly adding: “It was horrifically brilliant.”
The pair won a yes from both Amanda and Alesha, while KSI said no. Meanwhile , head honcho, Simon Cowell had the deciding vote, throwing it to the audience, who cheered enthusiastically, earning the peculiar pair a place in the next round.
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Hegseth says U.S. is ‘accelerating’ war on Iran, but strike at Turkey won’t trigger NATO
The U.S. war effort against Iran was “accelerating” as American and Israeli forces fought for control of Iranian airspace and pressed farther inland to seek and destroy Iranian missile capabilities, top U.S. officials said Wednesday.
“Four days in, we have only just begun to fight,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
“The throttle is coming up,” said Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
However, a reported Iranian missile strike at NATO member Turkey — intercepted by NATO defense systems — was not expected to immediately broaden the war theater by triggering a NATO clause requiring other member nations to get involved, Hegseth said.
Hegseth, striking an unapologetic tone, said Iran’s surviving leadership “don’t know what plays to call” after exhausting initial retaliatory strategies devised prior to the U.S. assault, while the U.S. is firing on all fronts and stacking up wins — including an American submarine recently sinking an Iranian warship with a torpedo in international waters, which Hegseth called the first such sinking since World War II.
“We are just getting started. We are accelerating, not decelerating,” he said. “We can sustain this fight easily for as long as we need to.”
Caine, striking a far more measured tone at the Pentagon briefing, spoke of the “sacrifice” of the six U.S. service members who have been killed in the conflict to date and the “clear military objectives” of the operation, which include dismantling “Iran’s ability to project power outside of its borders, both today and into the future.”
And he said the U.S. has made “steady progress” toward those goals in recent hours. He said Iran’s “ballistic missile shots” were down 86% from the first day of fighting, and down 23% “just in the last 24 hours.” He said their “one-way attack drone shots” are down 73% from the “opening days” of the war.
That has allowed the U.S. to establish “localized air superiority across the southern flank of the Iranian coast and penetrate their defenses with overwhelming precision and firepower,” Caine said. “We will now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory and creating additional freedom of maneuver for U.S. forces.”
Hegseth and Caine spoke against a backdrop of escalating destruction across the Persian Gulf region, as Iran — which Hegseth acknowledged is a “formidable” enemy — continued to unleash a wave of retaliatory strikes and Israel pushed into Lebanon and against Iran-allied Hezbollah fighters there.
Their message of U.S. control in the region belied chaos in many parts of it — as sirens blared in Bahrain, U.S. and other foreign citizens scrambled to flee the area, global air traffic was in disarray and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for the flow of global energy, was down by about 90%, according to the Associated Press.
Turkey’s defense ministry announced Wednesday that NATO air defenses had shot down a ballistic missile fired toward Turkish airspace from Iran, which raised additional questions about a rapidly expanding footprint of the war given that Turkey is a NATO member and protected by a treaty clause — Article 5 — stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
Hegseth said the U.S. was aware of the strike, but that he did not believe it would trigger Article 5 or force all of NATO into the conflict — which has already drawn in nations throughout the Gulf region as Iran has targeted U.S. allies and military facilities.
Hegseth jettisoned any pretense of constraint or measured force by the U.S., instead casting its operations as an all-out assault on “radical Islamist Iranian adversaries” that he suggested both Democrats and the U.S. media were badly misrepresenting to make President Trump look bad.
He suggested the U.S. media was overly focused on losses, such as the deaths of U.S. military personnel, and not nearly focused enough on the progress the U.S. has made toward destroying Iran’s military capabilities in a matter of days.
“They are toast, and they know it — or at least soon enough they will know it,” he said of Iran. “And we’ve only just begun to hunt, dismantle, demoralize, destroy and defeat their capabilities, just four days in.”
He said that the U.S. and Israel in “under a week” will “have complete control of Iranian skies — uncontested air space,” which he said will mean that “we will fly all day, all night, day and night, finding, fixing and finishing the missiles and defense industrial base of the Iranian military, finding and fixing their leaders and their military leaders.”
“Death and destruction from the sky, all day long,” he said. “We’re playing for keeps.”
It was unclear what exactly Hegseth meant by that, given the Trump administration’s constant messaging that the war on Iran will not be another “endless” engagement for the U.S. in the Middle East.
The U.S. was using rules of engagement that are “bold, precise and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it,” Hegseth said. “This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be.”
Disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and their potential effect on global and U.S. gas prices, were clearly on Trump’s mind. On Tuesday, he posted to his Truth Social platform that the U.S. would be providing wartime insurance for “ALL Maritime Trade” through Gulf shipping lanes — as other insurers began canceling coverage — and that the U.S. Navy would begin escorting tankers if necessary.
“No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD,” he wrote.
The message drew immediate concern from some of Trump’s political opponents, who questioned the cost to the U.S. of securing energy shipments for the entire world, including rivals such as China, one of the largest purchasers of crude oil from the region.
“Very few, if any, of these tankers are coming to the United States,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) wrote on X. “This certainly looks like the United States will be subsidizing and protecting oil shipments to China.”
Venezuela signs new contracts to supply oil to United States
March 4 (UPI) — Venezuela state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. announced signing new contracts to supply crude oil and refined products for the U.S. market.
The agreements were signed with several international trading companies to ensure a stable flow of energy to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to a statement from the company.
Although PDVSA did not disclose the names of the parties, the contracts add to existing operations involving major companies such as Chevron, which plans to increase exports to about 300,000 barrels per day this month.
PDVSA said the agreements maintain a “historic commercial relationship” with the United States and reaffirm the company’s “commitment to the stability of the international energy market.”.
The newly signed contracts mark the official return of Venezuelan crude to U.S. refineries after the United States captured former President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3.
The agreements were facilitated after the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued licenses, signaling significant changes in Washington’s licensing policy this year.
The authorizations allow U.S. entities to participate in lifting, transporting, storing and refining Venezuelan oil. The current regulatory framework favors companies from the United States and Western countries, while maintaining strict restrictions on entities from countries such as China, Russia and Iran.
In addition to Chevron, four other oil companies — BP, Eni, Shell and Repsol — have received authorization to resume operations and sign investment agreements in Venezuela.
In its statement, PDVSA reiterated the Venezuelan government’s call for the removal of sanctions on the country’s energy industry.
“The Venezuelan nation reiterates the need for a hydrocarbon industry free of sanctions in order to boost national production and strengthen international trade,” the company said.
Through these contracts, PDVSA aims to restore its position as a strategic supplier in a global market that continues to demand heavy crude, while Washington seeks to use Venezuelan oil to stabilize domestic fuel prices and reduce dependence on other suppliers.
During his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump highlighted the arrival of 80 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, describing Venezuela as a “new friend and partner” in energy cooperation.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited Venezuela on Wednesday, marking a new step in the energy and diplomatic agenda between Washington and Caracas.
Since January, Burgum has led discussions with executives from Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips aimed at granting general licenses that would allow private operations in the country, local outlet Efecto Cocuyo reported.
The plan aligns with Trump’s “Energy Dominance” policy, a central strategy of the administration designed to position the United States as a global energy superpower.
Under the approach, U.S. companies would provide private capital without federal subsidies, while the government would guarantee security and stability for investments.
First government flight for UK nationals due to leave Middle East tonight
Some British nationals are being invited to board the flight from the capital of Oman later on Wednesday.
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Dubai flight updates: Latest guidance from every major airline as Brits stranded
Many Brits have been left stranded in Dubai after Israel and the US’ attacks on Iran. Here’s all the latest guidance from airlines
A 12 year old Brit, Ahmad Ali, was stranded alone in Dubai for three nights on his return to the UK from Pakistan. Yesterday, he finally made it back home(Image: PA)
Many Brits are still left stranded in the Middle East as Iran’s counter attacks continue.
Brits and Europeans from other nations are fearing being caught in the crossfire after the Iranian regime let loose at neighbouring nations, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Hundreds of people stranded abroad have said they are seeing and hearing bombs rain down near their accommodation, with some advised on ways to board up their windows to prevent them shattering in the event of an explosion.
An explosion was heard close to the US consulate building in Dubai on Tuesday night, with a fire breaking out. There were also reports of explosions and air raid sirens going off in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and air raid sirens sounding in Kuwait city. Iran is continuing strikes in the Middle East after US-Israeli military action started at the weekend.
Brits stuck in the Middle East and those with holidays booked to tourist hotspots like Dubai are now scrambling for answers from airlines on what to do next.
Holidaymakers have been issued a warning by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which has provided live updates on the popular spots affected, including Thailand and the UAE.
After residents received a state-wide warning to remain vigilant and remind renters of basement bunkers, many British immigrants and visitors in Dubai are facing a new challenge – how to leave and return safely home.
With flights to and from Dubai completely suspended over weekend, many Brits are still stranded. Today, (Wednesday 4 March) a number of flights are resuming from Dubai Airport. But a large number of flights remain cancelled.
Emirates
Emirates says on its website: “All scheduled Emirates flights to and from Dubai remain suspended until 2359hrs UAE time on March 4, due to airspace closures across the region.
“Emirates continues to operate a limited number of passenger repatriation and freighter flights on March 3 and 4. We are accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority on these limited flights.
“Please do not go to the airport unless you have been notified directly by Emirates or hold a confirmed booking for these flights. Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly.”
Manchester Evening News reports that, overall, Emirates is now running 45 flights scheduled from Dubai for today, with seven returning Brits to the UK.
Qatar Airways
Yesterday morning (March 3), Qatar Airways stated flights were still “temporarily suspended”. Taking to X (Twitter), the official account wrote: “Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace”.
They added that the next update will be posted on March 6, 0900 Doha time (0600 UTC) and that passengers should watch the official app or website for the latest flight information.
READ MORE: Popular European city-break route to be axed from major UK airportREAD MORE: Iran’s horrifying torture methods from gas in hospitals to kill squad executions
The UK government has confirmed that around 300,000 British nationals are currently in Gulf countries affected by the escalating conflict. Of those, 102,000 have registered their presence with the Foreign Office as officials draw up contingency plans, including the possibility of a large-scale evacuation.
Sir Keir Starmer said the government is “looking at all options to support our people”, while Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper indicated that detailed preparations are under way. British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE have been urged to register online and monitor official travel advice, which could change rapidly.
British Airways
Speaking to the Mirror, British Airways said: “We’re continuing to do everything we can to support customers and colleagues in the region and are in regular contact with them”.
“We currently remain unable to operate flights from destinations including Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Amman, and Tel Aviv. We’re aware that a number of our customers are now in Oman, where the airspace is currently open. Working with the relevant authorities, we’ve been able to schedule a flight from Muscat to London, departing at 02:30 local time on March 5. Existing customers who are in Oman can let us know they wish to travel on this flight via a dedicated phone line: +44 203 467 3854”.
The advised: “Customers should continue to follow the latest safety advice from local government and the Foreign Office. Customers are advised NOT to travel to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking”. They added that “flights to Cairo, Riyadh, and Jeddah continue to operate as normal”.
The airline went on, saying: “We have actioned a flexible customer booking policy which allows all customers due to travel between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv in the coming days the option to change the date of their flights for free or get a refund. Customers travelling to Larnaca can rebook for a different date for free. Customers travelling to these destinations in the coming days can also change their booking to a different route with no change fee but will need to pay the fare difference,” ended BA.com.
British Airways has also said: “If you are due to fly between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv you can change your flight free of charge up to and including 29 March. Customers travelling up to and including March 4 may also request a full refund”. Those concerned have been recommended to keep up with the latest on the FCDO and their airline/travel provider websites for real-time guidance.
Wizz Air
Wizz Air states: “The airline is now suspending all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up to and including Sunday, March 15 (previously March 7), pending structural schedule changes reflecting reduced demand. Flights to and from Saudi Arabia will recommence as planned from March 8 inclusive”.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic says that some flights were resumed yesterday between London Heathrow Airport, Dubai and Riyadh.
A spokesperson shared: “The safety and security of our customers and people is always our top priority, and our operation is subject to ongoing assessments”
“We are contacting customers regarding their travel arrangements. We’d like to thank them for their patience and understanding and recommend that all customers due to travel to or from Dubai and Riyadh over the next 48 hours check the status of their flight on virginatlantic.com before going to the airport.
“We continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East with ongoing dynamic assessments and active changes to our flight routings based on the latest information and guidance, if required”. These are the ongoing flights now resumed:
- VS400 London Heathrow – Dubai, Tuesday March 3
- VS242 London Heathrow – Riyadh, Tuesday March 3
- VS401 Dubai – London Heathrow, Wednesday March 4
- VS243 Riyadh – London Heathrow, Wednesday March 4
The airline ewill not fly over Iran and flights “to India and Maldives may experience slightly longer flight times,” says a recent update. A spokesperson tells the Mirror: “All flights will carry appropriate fuel to allow for short notice re-routing” and that “all cancellations are being continuously updated”.
“To provide greater flexibility for customers with affected upcoming travel plans, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holidays has introduced flexible booking options, which remain under constant review. For full details and contact information for customer teams please see https://www.virginatlantic.com/travel-news/middle-east-airspace”.
“Virgin Atlantic customers with a cancelled flight who are away from home for longer than planned will have all reasonable expenses, accommodation and transport covered. They are asked to submit all receipts via our website”.
Ethiad
Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways have continued to suspend their commercial flights and are currently only operating a small number of repatriation flights, Manchester Evening News reports.
An Emirates flight from Dubai and a Qatar Airways departure from Doha landed at Manchester Airport this morning. In total, Emirates is operating seven flights from Dubai to the UK while Etihad has two Abu Dhabi departures.
The airline said on Wednesday that Etihad’s flights to and from Dubai are suspended until at least Friday morning. All scheduled flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 2pm UAE time on Thursday. The airline has warned travellers to only head to the airport if contacted directly by Etihad.
Gulf News reports that passengers should:
- Check flight status at etihad.com
- Ensure contact details are up to date
- Rebook free of charge for tickets issued on/before 28 Feb 2026 (travel dates up to 10 March) onto flights up to 31 March
- Request refunds via Etihad refund form or through travel agents
Meet the Mexican American talent behind ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
The House of Pies, a Los Feliz institution, is bustling on a chilly January morning.
It wouldn’t be shocking if some of the patrons here for breakfast were casually chit-chatting about the cultural behemoth that “KPop Demon Hunters” has become. After all, the 2025 animated saga about three music stars fighting otherworldly foes is now the most-watched movie ever on Netflix; “Golden,” its showstopping track, has since become the first Korean pop song to ever win a Grammy.
But for Danya Jimenez, 29, who sits across from me sipping coffee, the reception to the movie she began writing on back in 2020 isn’t entirely surprising, but certainly delayed.
“When we first started working on it, I was like, ‘People are going to be obsessed with this. It’s going to be the best thing ever,’” she recalls. But as several years passed, and she and her writing partner and best friend Hannah McMechan, 30, moved on to other projects. They weren’t sure if “KPop” would ever see the light of day. Production for animation takes time.
It wasn’t until she learned that her Mexican parents were organically aware of the movie that Jimenez considered it could actually live up to the potential she initially had hoped for.
“Without me saying anything, my parents were like, ‘People are talking about this’ — like my dad’s co-workers or my aunt’s friends — that’s when I started to realize, ‘This might be something big,’” she says.
“But never in my life did I think it would be at this scale.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” is now nominated for two Academy Awards: animated feature and original song. And that’s on top of how ubiquitous the characters — Rumi, Mira and Zoey — already are.
“Everyone sends me photos of knockoff ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ dolls from across the border,” Jimenez says laughing. “My friend got me a shirt from Mexicali with the three girls, but they do not look anything like themselves. She even got my name on it, which was awesome.”
After graduating from Loyola Marymount University in 2018, Jimenez and McMechan quickly found their footing in the industry, as well as representation. But it was their still unproduced screenplay, “Luna Likes,” about a Mexican American teenage girl obsessed with the late chef and author Anthony Bourdain, that tangentially put them on the “KPop” path.
“Luna Likes” earned the pair a spot at the prestigious Sundance Screenwriters Lab, where Nicole Perlman, who co-wrote “Guardians of the Galaxy,” served as one of their advisors. Perlman, credited as a production consultant on “KPop,” thought they would be a good fit.
Jimenez didn’t see the connection between her R-rated comedy about a moody Mexican American teen and a PG animated feature set in the world of K-pop music, but the duo still pitched. Their idea more closely resembled an indie dramedy than an epic action flick.
“If [our version of ‘KPop’] were live-action, it would’ve been a million-dollar budget. It was the smallest movie ever. Our big finale was a pool party,” Jimenez says. “We had all of the girls and the boys with instruments, which obviously is not a thing in K-pop, and everyone was making out.”
Even though their original pitch wouldn’t work for the film, Maggie Kang, the co-director and also a co-writer, believed their voices as two young women who were best friends, roommates and creative collaborators could help the movie’s heroines feel more authentic.
“Maggie had already interviewed all of the more established writers, especially older men,” Jimenez says. “She knows the culture. She knew K-pop, she’s an animator. She just needed the girls’ voices to come through, so I think that’s why we got hired.”
Kang confirms this via email: “It’s always great to collaborate with writers who are the actual age of your characters! Hannah and Danya were exactly that,” she says. “They were very helpful in bringing a fresh, young voice to HUNTR/X.”
Neither Jimenez nor McMechan were K-pop fans at the time. As part of their research, they both started watching K-pop videos, but it was McMechan who got “sucked into the K-hole” first. Still, it didn’t take long until the video for BTS’ “Life Goes On” entranced Jimenez.
“K-pop is a river that you fall into, and it just takes you,” Jimenez says. BTS and Got7 are her favorite groups. For McMechan, the ensemble that captivates her most is Stray Kids.
In writing the trio of demon hunters, the co-writers modeled them after themselves. The characters’ propensity for ugly faces, silliness and a bit of grossness too, stems from the portrayals of girlhood and young womanhood that appeal to them. Jimenez, who says she was an angsty teen, most closely identifies with the rebellious Mira.
“I have a monotone vibe,” says Jimenez. “People always think that I’m a bitch just because I have a resting bitch face,” she says. “But as you can see in the movie, Mira cares so much about having everyone be really close. I feel like that’s how I’m with all my friends.”
Characters with strong personalities that are not simplistically likable feel the truest to Jimenez. In “Luna Likes,” the prickly protagonist is directly inspired by her experiences growing up, as well as the bond she shared with her dad over Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” show.
“There’s a pressure to show that Mexicans are nice people and we’re hard workers. I was like, ‘Let’s make her kind of bitchy and very flawed,’” Jimenez says about Luna. “She’s a teenager in America and she should be given all the same opportunities — and also the forgiveness for being an ass— and [as] selfish at that age as anybody else.”
Hannah McMechan, left, and Danya Jimenez, co-writers of “KPop Demon Hunters,” met in college.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
Though their upbringings were markedly different, it was their shared comedic sensibilities that connected Jimenez and McMechan when they met in college. The two were close long before deciding to pen stories together. “Having a writing partner is the best. I feel bad for people who don’t have a writing partner, no offense to them,” says Jimenez.
McMechan explains that their writing partnership works because it’s grounded on true friendship. And she believes they would not have gotten this far without each other. While McMechan’s strong suit is looking at the bigger picture, Jimenez finds humor in the details.
“Danya is definitely funnier than me,” says McMechan. “It’s really hard to write comedy in dialogue versus comedy in a situation because if you’re putting the comedy in the dialogue, it can sound so forced and cringey. But she’s really good at making it sound natural but still really funny.”
Though she had been writing stories for herself as a teen, Jimenez didn’t consider it a career path until as a high schooler she watched the romantic comedy “No Strings Attached,” in which Ashton Kutcher plays a production assistant for a TV series.
“He is having a horrible time. But I was so obsessed with movies and TV, and I was like, ‘That looks incredible. I want to be doing what he’s doing,’” she recalls. “And my dad was like, ‘That’s a job.’”
Danya Jimenez grew up in Orange County.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
As an infant, Jimenez spent some time living in Tijuana, where her parents are from, until the family settled back in San Diego, where she was born. And when she was around 5 years old, Jimenez, an only child, and her parents relocated to Orange County. Until then, Jimenez mostly spoke Spanish, which made for a tricky transition when starting school.
“I knew English, but it just wasn’t a habit,” she recalls. “I would raise my hand and accidentally speak Spanish in class. My teachers would be like, ‘We’re worried about her vocabulary.’ That was always an issue, so it’s really funny that I turned out to be a writer.”
As she points out in her professional bio, it was movies and TV that helped with her English vocabulary, especially the Disney sitcom “Lizzie McGuire.”
Jimenez describes growing up in Orange County with few Latinos around outside of her family as an alienating experience. She admits to feeling great shame for some of her behaviors as a teenager afraid of being treated differently and desperate to fit in.
“I would speak Spanish to my mom like in a corner because I didn’t want everyone else to hear me speak Spanish,” Jimenez confesses. “If my mom pulled up to school to drop me off playing Spanish hits from the ‘80s or banda, I was like, ‘Can you turn it down please?’”
Like a lot of young Latinos, she’s now taking steps to connect with her heritage, and, in a way, atone for those moments where she let what others might think rob her of her pride.
“During the pandemic I cornered my grandma to make all of her recipes again so I could write them down,” she recalls. “Now I have them all written down on a website. Or if my mom corrects me for something that I’m saying in Spanish, I now listen.”
At the risk of angering her, Jimenez describes her mother as a “cool mom,” and compares her to Amy Poehler’s character in “Mean Girls.” Raised in a household without financial struggles, Jimenez doesn’t often relate to stories about Latinos in the U.S. that make it to film and TV. Her hope is to expand Latino storytelling beyond the tropes.
“That’s very important to me, to just tell Latino stories or Mexican stories in a way that’s just authentic to me and hopefully someone else is like, ‘Yes, that’s me,’” she says. “A lot of people have certain expectations for Latino stories that I’m not willing to compromise on.”
Though they still would like to make “Luna Likes” if given the chance, for now, Jimenez and McMechan will continue their rapid ascent.
They’re “goin’ up, up, up” because it is their “moment.” They recently wrapped the Apple TV show “Brothers” starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson that filmed in Texas. They are also writing the feature “Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman” for Tim Burton to direct, with Margot Robbie in talks to star.
“I feel like I’ve just been operating in a state of shock for the past, I don’t know how many months since June,” says Jimenez in her signature deadpan affect. “But if I think about it too much, I’d be a nervous wreck.”
Harry Maguire: Man Utd defender given 15-month suspended sentence over Greece incident
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended sentence by a Greek court following an incident on the island of Mykonos in August 2020.
England international Maguire was given a suspended sentence of 21 months and 10 days in prison in 2020, after initially being found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against public employees and insult.
The following day Maguire’s legal team lodged an appeal against the verdict. In accordance with Greek law, the appeal nullified his conviction and meant there would be a full retrial.
The retrial was postponed on four occasions between 2023 and 2025, before it restarted in Syros on Wednesday.
It concluded that Maguire was guilty of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery.
In accordance with the reduced severity of the defender’s crimes, Maguire’s sentence was reduced to 15 months.
Sources have told BBC Sport that Maguire denies wrongdoing and plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Maguire has rejected a number of opportunities to settle the case out of court, as he is determined to clear his name legally.
The 32-year-old is in the Manchester United squad for Wednesday’s Premier League game at Newcastle United (20:15 GMT), despite having to come off during the win against Crystal Palace on Sunday with illness.
Are the US and Israel planning an ethnic civil war in Iran? | Politics
Reports are emerging that the US and Israel are supporting separatist groups in Iran to launch attacks. The reports claim its part of an evolving US strategy to weaking Iran’s defences and possibly collapse the Islamic Republic. Soraya Lennie breaks it down.
Published On 4 Mar 2026
Which oil and gas facilities in the Gulf have been attacked? | Infographic News
Global energy markets remain in a state of high alert after several Gulf states suspended oil and gas production following escalating tensions in the region.
Since Saturday’s attacks by the United States and Israel, Tehran has targeted various sites in Israel and across several Gulf countries.
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Initially, these Iranian attacks focused primarily on US military assets, but Gulf states have reported that Iran has since broadened its scope to target civilian infrastructure, including hotels, airports and energy facilities. Iranian officials have publicly denied targeting Gulf energy facilities, however.
The Middle East remains the world’s dominant source of hydrocarbon reserves and a major driver of crude oil and natural gas output.
How much oil and gas does the Middle East have?
Nearly half of the world’s oil reserves and exports come from the Middle East, which contains five of the seven largest oil reserves in the world.
Once refined, crude oil is used to make various products, including petrol, diesel, jet fuel and a wide range of household items such as cleaning products, plastics and even lotions.
After Venezuela, which has 303 billion barrels, Saudi Arabia holds the world’s second-largest proven crude oil reserves, estimated at 267 billion barrels.
The Middle East’s largest oil reserves:
- Saudi Arabia: 267 billion barrels
- Iran: 209 billion barrels
- Iraq: 145 billion barrels
- UAE: 113 billion barrels
- Kuwait: 102 billion barrels
Saudi Arabia is also the world’s top oil exporter with an estimated $187bn of crude in 2024, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).
The Middle East’s top oil exporters:
- Saudi Arabia: $187bn
- UAE: $114bn
- Iraq: $98bn
- Iran: $47bn – largely sold at a discount due to US sanctions
- Kuwait: 29bn
Other Middle Eastern countries with sizeable oil exports include: Oman ($28.9bn), Kuwait ($28.8bn) and Qatar ($21bn).
In addition to crude oil, the Middle East is a global powerhouse for natural gas, accounting for nearly 18 percent of global production and approximately 40 percent of the world’s proven reserves.
Natural gas is primarily used for electricity generation, industrial heating, and in chemicals and fertilisers.
The heart of Middle Eastern gas is a single, massive underwater reservoir called the South Pars/North Dome field. It is the largest gasfield in the world, and it is shared directly between Qatar and Iran.
Gas is transported either through pipelines or by tankers. When using pipelines, the gas is pressurised and moved through steel networks. When pipelines are not feasible, such as across oceans, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is used.
To create LNG, the gas is cooled to approximately -162C (-260F), shrinking its volume and allowing it to be safely loaded onto specialised tanker ships for global transport.
To transport oil and gas, tankers from various Gulf states must navigate the narrow waterway known as the Strait of Hormuz. Approximately one-fifth of global oil and gas passes through this strait, primarily heading to major markets in Asia, including China, Japan, South Korea and India, as well as to Europe.
Which energy facilities have been attacked?
Here are the facilities which have recorded damage as of Wednesday:
Saudi Arabia – Ras Tanura oil refinery
On Monday, one of the world’s largest oil refining complexes, the Ras Tanura oil refinery owned by Saudi Aramco, was forced to halt operations after debris from intercepted Iranian drones caused a small fire.
Saudi Aramco is one of the world’s largest companies, with a market capitalisation exceeding $1.7 trillion and revenue of $480bn. Headquartered in Dhahran, in eastern Saudi Arabia, Aramco controls 12 percent of global oil production, with a capacity of more than 12 million barrels per day (bpd).
On Wednesday, Saudi defence officials reported a second drone attempt on the facility but this was successfully intercepted with no damage or disruption to operations reported.
Qatar – Ras Laffan Industrial City LNG facilities
On Monday, Qatar’s Ministry of Defence reported that Iranian drones had targeted an energy facility in Ras Laffan belonging to QatarEnergy, the world’s largest LNG producer.
While no casualties were reported, QatarEnergy suspended the production of LNG and other products at the impacted sites.
QatarEnergy’s 81 million metric tonnes of LNG exports are mostly bound for Asian markets, including China, Japan, India, South Korea, Pakistan and other countries in the region. The halt in production hiked global gas prices to a three-year high this week.
Qatar – Mesaieed Industrial City
Qatar’s Defence Ministry said the country was attacked by a second drone launched from Iran on Monday, targeting a water tank belonging to a power plant in Mesaieed, without reporting any casualties.
On Tuesday, QatarEnergy also stopped production of some downstream products like urea, polymers, methanol, aluminium and others.
UAE – Fujairah and Mussafah oil terminals
On Monday, a fire broke out at Mussafah Fuel Terminal in southwest Abu Dhabi after it was struck by a drone.
On Tuesday, falling debris from a drone interception caused a fire at the Fujairah Oil Terminal along the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates. No injuries were reported.
Oman – ports of Duqm and Salalah
On Tuesday, multiple Iranian drones struck fuel tanks and a tanker at the port of Duqm, with at least one direct hit on a fuel storage tank, causing an explosion.
On the same day, a drone strike was recorded at the Port of Salalah, which handles fuel and industrial minerals.
Athe Nova – oil tanker
On Monday, the Athe Nova, a Honduran-flagged tanker positioned off the coast of Khor Fakkan, UAE, was struck by Iranian drones as it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze. Despite the fire, the vessel managed to exit the chokepoint into the Gulf of Oman, and no casualties were reported.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the strike, identifying the Athe Nova as an “ally of the United States”.
On the same day as the attack, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, warning that any ship attempting to pass would be “set ablaze”.
Since then, several other tankers have been hit.
Other regional energy disruptions
Although not directly targeted, the following energy sites suspended operations in response to Iranian retaliatory attacks:
Israeli offshore gasfields – Major gas production fields such as Leviathan and Tamar were shut down as a precaution following regional drone and missile launches linked to Iran.
Oil fields in semiautonomous Iraqi Kurdistan – Producers including DNO, Gulf Keystone and Dana Gas halted output as a safety measure amid the escalation.
Rumaila oilfield – Operations at Iraq’s largest oilfield – operated by BP – in southern Iraq were halted on Tuesday as a security precaution due to its proximity to the escalation zone.
Win a luxurious 7-night escape to Royal Marbella Golf Resort
We’re giving away a spectacular seven-night stay for up to six people at Royal Marbella Golf Resort. From high-tech suites and sparkling pools to world-class golf and golden beaches, this is the ultimate prize for those who crave sun, style, and sophistication. Flights are not included.
Win a luxurious stay at the Royal Marbella Golf Resort
Swap the everyday for sun-drenched days and cloudless blue skies! We’ve teamed up with IDILIQ Hotels & Resorts to offer one lucky winner a spectacular seven-night stay at the enchanting Royal Marbella Golf Resort.
Nestled in the foothills of the Serranía de Ronda mountains with the Mediterranean Sea shimmering below, this resort hits all the right notes. Whether you’re a golf enthusiast, a sun-seeker, or a family looking for a stylish retreat, this is your chance to experience the perfect blend of Andalusian charm and contemporary elegance.
The winner will stay in a Classic Two Bedroom Apartment, where the comforts of a private home meet the service of an elite hotel.
Designed for open-plan living, your apartment features:
- Space for the Whole Crew: Two spacious bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a comfortable double sofa bed in the lounge—sleeping up to 6 people (maximum 4 adults).
- Tech & Comfort: Stay connected with high-speed WiFi and three Smart TVs (a 55” in the lounge and 42” in each bedroom).
- Gourmet Living: A fully equipped kitchen with an oven, hob, dishwasher, washing machine, and coffee machine—perfect for chilling a bottle of local Cava or whipping up a tapas feast.
- Private Terrace: Step out onto your own furnished balcony to soak up the mountain, pool, or fairway views in the warm Spanish breeze.
Royal Marbella Golf Resort is a true “Stay and Play” destination. Golf enthusiasts are just 50 meters from the El Paraíso Golf Club —a classic Gary Player-designed course. Through the resort’s free golf booking service , you can also secure tee times at world-class nearby courses like Atalaya, Los Arqueros, and Marbella Golf & Country Club.
If you prefer a slower pace:
- The pools: Wander through fragrant, flower-filled gardens to find two sparkling outdoor pools, perfect for all-day lounging on a sunbed.
- Fitness & wellness: Keep your routine on track at the well-equipped gym, available free for guests.
- The hub: Need to check an email? Our co-working space provides a peaceful, productive zone with high-speed connectivity.
- Attentive service: The experienced concierge team is on hand to book the hottest tables in Marbella or arrange excursions into the rugged Spanish countryside.
Beyond the resort, you are perfectly positioned between Marbella, Estepona, and Benahavís . Explore world-class golf courses, glitzy marinas, and the characterful pueblos blancos (white villages) of Andalucía. This is the heart of flamenco and tapas—expect a holiday full of tradition and timeless beauty.
How to enter
To be in with a chance of winning this ultimate Spanish retreat, simply fill in your details in the form below. If you can’t see the form, click here.
PLEASE NOTE: This prize covers your accommodation only. FLIGHTS ARE NOT INCLUDED and must be arranged separately. This gives the winner total flexibility to choose their preferred departure airport and travel dates within the eligibility window!
The competition closes at midnight on 5th April 2026 and the winner will be selected at random. Good luck!