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Published on
02/03/2026 – 10:23 GMT+1

European markets cratered on Monday as the fallout from a dramatic weekend of US and Israeli strikes on Iran rattled investors across the continent.

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The Euro Stoxx 50 shed 2% at the open, with the broader pan-European Stoxx 600 close behind at -1.8% — and the selling shows no signs of stopping.

Regional indices from Frankfurt to Paris to Milan are all in the red, spooked by an escalating conflict that has choked shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and drawn Hezbollah into the fray on Sunday.

In London, the FTSE 100 is having the more durable response, only falling around 0.3%.

However, Germany’s DAX 30 edged down 1% whilst France’s CAC 40 dropped more than 1.4%.

Italy’s FTSE MIB fell roughly 1.8%, the Netherlands’ NL 25 declined over 1% and Spain’s IBEX 35 has seen a sharp drop of more than 2%.

Before European markets opened, Japan’s Nikkei 225 was already in free fall and is currently down over 2.3%.

Likewise, US futures opened lower on Sunday with the E-mini S&P 500 dropping over 1.6% and E-mini NASDAQ down more than 2%.

In the UAE, regulators have taken the dramatic step of shutting down both the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the Dubai Financial Market for the next two days.

The Capital Market Authority made no attempt to dress it up and the closures are explicitly designed to prevent panic selling after a staggering 165 ballistic missiles, 541 drones, and 2 cruise missiles rained down on the country over just 48 hours.

Oil and precious metals

While global markets sink into negative territory, crude oil prices rose in early trade on Monday morning as investors continue to weigh the potential impact of escalating tensions in the Middle East on the supply of energy.

The price of a barrel of US benchmark crude initially surged by about 8%. It later traded 5.9% higher at $71.00 per barrel. Brent crude rose 6.2% to $77.38 per barrel.

Gold is up roughly 2.5% while silver climbed 2% and platinum 1.2% as well.

Anton Forsberg made 29 saves, Alex Laferriere scored in the second period and the Kings beat the Calgary Flames 2-0 on Saturday night to end a five-game losing streak.

Forsberg had his second shutout of the season and 10th of his NHL career, two nights after coming on in relief of Darcy Kuemper in the second period of an 8-1 home loss to Edmonton.

Laferriere scored with 4:24 left in second, putting his own rebound past goalie Dustin Wolf for his 14th goal of the season. Adrian Kempe added his 22nd into an empty net in the final minute.

Wolf made 35 saves. He spent seven years in the Los Angeles Junior Kings youth program before playing major junior for Everett in the Western Hockey League.

The Kings have three games left on a six-game homestand.

Up next for the Kings: vs. Colorado at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.

TWO major UK train stations are shutting down for 22 days over the summer.

Southern Eastern Railway will carry out engineering works which will affect journey time for 10,000 commuters.

From Sunday 26 July to Sunday 16 August, Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations will be closed for essential track and bridge repairs.

Officials say the closures are part of a £20 million overhaul that’ll see nearly 1,800 metres of old, worn-out track ripped up and replaced between Waterloo East and Charing Cross.

Customers have been advised that their journeys might be different and take longer.

Routes to London will remain open but will instead be diverted to other stations.

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Southeastern services into Charing Cross will be redirected to Victoria, Cannon Street and Blackfriars stations.

Some trains will be terminating at London Bridge while tickets will be accepted on alternative rail routes, London Underground and buses.

The ageing track, which was last replaced more than 35 years ago, has caused repeated faults on the approaches to Charing Cross.

This has led to hundreds of hours of delays, leaving frustrated commuters stuck on platforms or stranded on packed trains.

As well as ripping up and replacing worn-out track, engineers will tackle drainage upgrades at Waterloo East and carry out vital structural repairs to Hungerford Bridge.

The three-week closure is expected to prevent future shutdowns during bank holidays and weekends and will deliver more reliable service.

Scott Brightwell, Director of Operations and Safety, South Eastern Railway, said: “We know closing Charing Cross and Waterloo East for 22 days is a significant change and we’re sorry for the disruption it will cause.

“This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly. We’ve looked long and hard at every possible option and although none of them are without impact, a single summer closure is the least disruptive and most efficient way to carry out this vital work.”

Parents who lost their son at 14 days old opened up on BBC Breakfast on Thursday (February 26)

A grieving mum has claimed her concerns were “shut down” as she opened up about the loss of her baby on BBC Breakfast.

Robyn Davis – whose son Orlando died at 14 days old – appeared on the BBC show on Thursday (February 26), where she said that she was made to feel “like I was going insane and that my concerns weren’t valid or real”.

She spoke out during a report about maternity service failings, with host Charlie Stayt explaining: “Maternity services in England are failing too many families with problems at every stage of maternity journey. It’s the interim conclusion of the national review being led by Baroness Amos.”

His fellow presenter Naga Munchetty continued: “It has identified six factors that impact care, including racism, staffing and culture. The health secretary Wes Streeting, who commissioned the review, has promised to act on Baroness Amos’ final recommendations which are due in April.”

The programme then cut to a report from reporter Michael Buchanan, who said: “When an inquiry in 2015 found that 11 babies and one mother had died avoidably at Furness General Hospital due to poor maternity care, the NHS promised the mistakes would never happen again. Over a decade later, more than 10,000 babies are estimated to have died in England due to maternity errors.”

He went on: “Orlando Davis died in 2021 at 14 days old. Maternity staff failed to recognise his mother had become ill in labour and Orlando was born in a poor condition.

“An inquest found his death had been contributed to by neglect.”

Orlando’s mum Robyn said: “They actually made me feel like I was going insane and that my concerns weren’t valid or real because every time I raised them, they were met with a quick shut down. And because of this, I genuinely believe that that’s why our son is not here.”

The baby’s father Jonathan Davis said: “The number of individuals that were involved in this situation, this wasn’t one or two, this was multiple midwives, multiple consultants and registrars across a prolonged area of time from in the community to in hospital. This was not a one event caused an outcome.”

The report said the family’s experience is supported by Baroness Amos, “who says problems occur at every stage of the maternity journey”.

It went on: “The issues, she says, are caused by cultural leadership of maternity units with midwives and obstetricians sometimes not cooperating, workforce with units not being fully or properly staffed, racism and discrimination, including against poor women, a lack of accountability when things go wrong and outdated and dilapidated buildings.”

The report said that the health secretary “has promised to ensure the review’s final recommendations due in April are enacted”.

“But a maternity safety task force that Wes Streeting also promised to establish by now hasn’t yet been created,” it said. “He says it will be shortly.”

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BBC Breakfast airs on BBC One from 6am.

PLANS to permanently close a historic seaside cliff lift have sparked backlash from local groups.

Campaigners have criticised the proposal, arguing the historic significance of the lift as well as its role in providing disability access to the seafront area.

Whitby’s Cliff Lift was first opened in 1931, transporting beachgoers down a vertical shaft for over 90 years.

The lift, located on the town’s North Terrace, became a “staple of the town’s history” before shutting temporarily in 2022 due to corrosion and water damage.

Now North Yorkshire Council has outlined plans to permanently close the attraction after estimating repair costs would total around £5.5 million.

Campaigners have met the plans with backlash, emphasising the continued need for the lift.

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Alison Hume, MP for Scarborough and Whitby called for the council to backtrack restore the lift to its former use.

“The Whitby Cliff Lift is part of Whitby’s identity as well as providing vital access to the beach from the West Cliff,” she said.

“This is a good opportunity to invest in a town which brings so much value to the county as a golden tourism goose.”

And campaigner Andy Jefferson told the BBC that the beach could risk losing its blue flag accessible beach award if the lift was permanently scrapped.

He described the access route as “imperative” to the beach’s status and warned of the “significant” detriment its loss posed to the area’s tourism.

A spokesperson for the Whitby Community Network shared similar concerns when speaking to The Yorkshire Post.

“Setting aside the fact that the Cliff Lift building is actually a non-designated heritage asset and so should be proportioned a level of protection, it has a critical importance,” they said.

“That is, providing access to Whitby sea wall to many elderly and disabled people who either live in the town or visit – the town has double the national average of over-60s and the visitor age profile is not seen as so dissimilar.”

North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby, said: “We understand how important access to the seafront in Whitby is for residents and visitors alike. The cliff lift has been a staple of the town’s history, and we are not taking a decision lightly.

“For the lift to be brought back into use, there would be significant costs for repairs and ongoing maintenance, and there remains uncertainty surrounding the need for waterproofing the shaft.

“We have listened to the views of the local community and our executive members will discuss its future on March 17, considering how many people used it and making an informed decision that ensures we use taxpayers’ money wisely.”

NBA star Jaylen Brown had a public spat with the Beverly Hills Police Department Saturday night after police shut down a brand event he was hosting.

Brown, who signed a $285-million contract with the Celtics in 2023, was in Los Angeles for the National Basketball Assn.’s All-Star festivities.

He told ESPN that the event was hosted at Oakley founder Jim Jannard’s house. Brown is sponsored by Oakley.

The event took place in the Trousdale section of Beverly Hills and was shut down about 7 p.m. In a video posted on Brown’s Instagram account, the NBA star could be seen arguing with a BHPD officer who was shutting the party down.

“The owner didn’t say we needed a permit,” Brown told the officer in the video. Brown claimed the event was not a party, but rather a panel on culture.

“300k down the drain,” Brown wrote in a post on X after the incident, tagging the Beverly Hills Police Department.

“An event permit had been applied for and denied by the City due to previous violations associated with events at the address,” BHPD said in a statement.

“Despite the fact that the permit was denied, organizers still chose to proceed with inviting hundreds of guests knowing that it was not allowed to occur,” the statement continued.

Brown plays for the Boston Celtics, a historic rival of the Los Angeles Lakers, but added that he was surprised at his treatment by the city of Beverly Hills.

“I feel like we’re being targeted right now,” he said in a video posted to Instagram.