Strictly Come Dancing's professional dancers will embody different eras of Britney Spears as part of icons week. A group routine nods to videos including Oops!... I Did It Again and is set to feature during Sunday’s results show. On Saturday, the show will pay tribute to a range of music stars as couples perform icon-inspired dances. Among those honoured are Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Celine Dion, Johnny Cash, Cher, Usher, Prince, […]

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust performed 12 Aquablation procedures for enlarged prostates on 18 October, the highest number carried out in a single day within the NHS in England. Eleven patients were discharged on the same day. Nigel Howlett, 68, of Farnham in Surrey, had treatment on the record day after an 18-month wait. He said the condition had caused years of sleep disturbance and reduced fluid intake to manage […]

Court records show Sheffield Wednesday has filed a notice to appoint an administrator at the Insolvency and Companies Court, a specialist court within the High Court. The filing was made at 10:01 on Friday. The club's financial difficulties under owner Dejphon Chansiri have been widely documented, with reports that HMRC was poised to pursue a winding-up order. Under EFL rules, a club entering administration faces a 12-point deduction. The club […]

An analysis of constituency‑level data by Friends of the Earth draws on official figures from government sources, the National Audit Office, Natural England and the Environment Agency. It finds millions of people in England live under multiple environmental threats, including floods, poor air quality and sewage discharges. Boston and Skegness, the constituency represented by deputy Reform leader Richard Tice, is identified as the most flood‑prone, with more than 90% of […]

A report by the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee says the UK government should not accelerate the decline of Scotland's oil and gas industry. It notes the sector is at a critical juncture as the country moves away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy and that clean energy jobs have not yet offset losses in the North Sea. MPs said action should have been taken sooner to prepare for […]

Plaid Cymru has won the Caerphilly by-election for the Welsh Parliament, defeating Reform UK as Labour finished in third. The party secured a majority of 3,848 votes and a swing of almost 27 percentage points from Labour, achieved on a turnout above 50%. The result boosts Plaid ahead of a Welsh Government budget vote and represents a setback for Labour, which had held the seat since the Senedd’s inception in […]

Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly have confirmed they will depart Strictly Come Dancing at the end of the current series. In a joint Instagram post, the presenters said they have enjoyed fronting the show together since 2014 and that now feels like the right time to go. Daly has presented the series since its 2004 launch alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, while Winkleman has fronted its weekday companion It […]

Aviva says motor claims linked to rodent damage rose by 28% in 2024. The insurer notes damage ranging from nests inside engine compartments to wiring that has been chewed and seatbelts gnawed. The average 2024 claim stood at £2,494, while one case cited by Aviva exceeded £24,000, resulting in a write-off for interior and exterior damage. Average costs for rodent-related damage also climbed, by about 11% from 2023 to 2024, […]

Plans to bolster protections for households and businesses against energy firms have been announced by the government. The reforms aim to strengthen the industry ombudsman and improve dispute resolution for consumers. They also target third‑party intermediaries such as energy brokers and price comparison sites, while offering safeguards for firms installing smart meters. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said the measures could unlock savings for energy users […]