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ONS data for three months to February is not expected to alter Bank of England’s decision on interest ratesUnemployment in the UK unexpectedly fell in the three months to February, according to official figures – but the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East is expected to cause a rise in job cuts.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the rate of unemployment was 4.9% in the three months to February. This compares with 5.2% in the three months to January, a rate that economists had expected to also see in February. Continue reading...

Government allocated 0.43% of national income to aid in 2025, with total spend down £1bn on previous yearThe UK government’s spending on foreign aid has hit its lowest level in nearly two decades, figures show, as humanitarian experts warn the cuts are costing lives.Provisional data shows the government allocated 0.43% of national income to official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, a decrease from 0.5% in 2024 and matching the level in 2008. Continue reading...

• President Trump's approval rating dropped to 41% in a Fox News poll released last week, with 59% of voters disapproving, marking the lowest point of his second term. • A war abroad and stalled domestic agenda are colliding with weakening polls, raising alarms inside the GOP as midterm fears grow. • The declining ratings underscore challenges for Republicans heading into elections, potentially impacting party strategy and legislative priorities.

• The US Composite PMI dropped to 51.4 in March 2026, marking its lowest level since April 2025 and indicating slowing economic growth across the board. • Business activity hit an 11-month low driven by softened orders and price surges, with the services sector leading the slowdown while manufacturing remained more resilient. • Employment fell for the first time in over a year amid weakening confidence, while sharp input cost rises pushed selling prices higher across the economy.

• The US long winter COVID-19 wave is ending with all major metrics showing declines or plateaus in SARS-CoV-2 spread nationwide as of mid-March 2026. • COVID-19 test positivity dropped to 2.5% for the week ending March 14, the lowest since 2022, while emergency department visits for COVID reached just 0.4%. • Cases are declining or likely declining in 45 states per CDC forecasts as of March 17, with flu-like illness visits down 12% to 3.3% and RSV levels also falling.

• The FTSE 100 fell 1.44% on Friday to close at 9,918, down approximately 9% since the Iran conflict began and at its lowest level since December 2025, reflecting broad market weakness across UK equities. • The FTSE 250 mid-cap index declined 1.01% on the day and has dropped 11.3% since the start of the conflict, hitting its lowest level since November 2025, indicating selling pressure across market capitalizations. • Oil prices climbed despite geopolitical uncertainty, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rising 2.8% to $98.50, though the Brent-WTI spread has widened sharply, signaling market stress and supply concerns.

Figures seen by the Guardian show the two peers each attended just 1.12% of sessions in past four yearsEvgeny Lebedev’s longstanding commitment to being the most relaxed member of the House of Lords has come under threat from another peer, Ian Botham, with both recording identical attendance rates of 1.12% over the past four years.According to Lords records seen by the Guardian, Lebedev and Botham – who were both appointed by Boris Johnson – each managed to make it to seven of the 625 sessions of the upper house that took place from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025. Continue reading...