7 h. ago Strictly Come Dancing pros sizzle in their sexiest dance to date as they strip down to lingerie to perform Chicago's Cell Block Tango for Musicals Week

The Strictly Come Dancing professionals will turn up the heat with their sexiest dance to date - stripping down to lingerie for a hot new performance.

Culture

10 h. ago Scarlett Johansson joining the Batverse is good news for the franchise – but who will she play?

The actor who marries box office ratings with Wes Anderson cool should revive the Batman series, but trying to guess who she might play is a thankless taskFor years the follow-up to Matt Reeves’ slick but glacially paced 2022 comic-book epic The Batman has existed in a dimly lit rumour void. We know it will eventually get here (supposedly in October 2027), but nobody knows quite what it will look like. Entire geological epochs may come and go before the film-maker finally decides which doyen of Batman’s infamous rogues’ gallery he wants to unleash next. The foundations of Gotham itself may shift before Reeves works out which brooding, rain-soaked grunge ditty will form the basis of the new soundtrack.And then – out of nowhere – comes this week’s news that Scarlett Johansson is in final talks to join the cast of the sequel. We have no idea who she’s likely to play but it matters not: this feels consequential, a bat-signal flickering to life over a city long abandoned. Johansson is mo...

Politics

12 h. ago Major high street retailer announces another 14 UK store closures in coming weeks

Stores in Liverpool and Lancaster are among the stores set to close

Politics

13 h. ago BBC Strictly Come Dancing star confirms 'exciting' new role just weeks after exit

Strictly Come Dancing fans were delighted after the show shared an announcement on Thursday

Politics

15 h. ago Poundland announces another wave of store closures over winter

The budget retailer will have shut more than 100 shops in the UK by early next year after kicking off its restructuring programme.

Politics

16 h. ago I'm A Celebrity Tom Read Wilson's next career move exposed after jungle exit

Miranda Wilson, Tom Read Wilson's sister, dropped major hints about her famous brother's next move after his I'm A Celebrity jungle stint comes to an end this weekend

Politics

17 h. ago Cloudflare down: Internet stops working properly amid major outage

Problems comes just weeks after worldwide technical issues that broke sites including ChatGPT and X

Politics

32 h. ago Strictly Come Dancing star makes huge announcement ahead of quarter final

This weekend on Strictly Come Dancing, BBC viewers will see the remaining contestants tackle Musicals Week as the competition draws closer to an end.

Politics

39 h. ago Claudia Winkleman wears £50 emerald ring on Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool week

Strictly host Claudia Winkleman proved you don't need to break the bank for statement jewellery, wearing a stunning £50 emerald ring from this little-known brand

Economics

42 h. ago Hardline migration policies are fuelling people smuggling, report finds

As leaders try to break smugglers’ business model, research suggests strategy so far has had opposite effectHardline migration policies adopted by governments across the globe have been a boon for people smugglers, fuelling demand and allowing them to raise their prices, according to a report.The findings, released on Thursday by the Mixed Migration Centre of the Danish Refugee Council, and based on interviews with thousands of migrants and hundreds of smugglers, come as officials prepare to gather next week in Brussels to discuss how best to combat smuggling. Continue reading...

Events

44 h. ago Major UK high street retailer in trouble as it's treated like 'unloved child' after failed sale

Sainsbury's briefly explored selling Argos in September before cutting 2,200 jobs following significant losses. Analyst says retailer is treated like an 'unloved child'

Events

60 h. ago Strictly Come Dancing's La Voix reveals 'heartbreaking' injury happened weeks before exit

La Voix missed out on Blackpool during the BBC series

Events

63 h. ago Mystery as pregnant mum, 22 dies suddenly in her sleep after 'dodgy' chippy tea

Charlie Comer was 20 weeks pregnant and couldn't wait to meet her baby boy Arlo - but her devastated family said she went to bed feeling ill after a chippy tea, but never woke up

Events

3 d. ago Federal panel could call for scrapping of infant hepatitis B vaccines this week

Two-day meeting under new, RFK Jr-appointed chair could see radical overhaul of US childhood immunizations policyA reversal of a decades-long program of childhood immunizations, including a recommendation to scrap hepatitis B shots for newborn babies, could come as early as this week in a vote by an advisory committee of allies convened by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr.Speaking to the Washington Post, Kirk Milhoan, the new chair of the federal advisory panel on immunization practices, said members would vote whether to push for the axing of the hepatitis B requirement during its two-day meeting ending Friday. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago New favourite to win Strictly Come Dancing emerges after most emotional week yet as 'everything changes' in run

A new frontrunner has emerged to win this year's Strictly Come Dancing - with just weeks remaining in the competition.

Politics

3 d. ago BBC Strictly star admits 'it wasn't easy' after breaking down in tears

Strictly Come Dancing professional Carlos Gu became emotional at the weekend

Politics

3 d. ago Ukraine war live: Trump envoy Steve Witkoff set to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow amid US push for peace deal

Talks come after Witkoff led US discussions with Ukraine at weekend amid European concerns that Kyiv will be pressured to make concessions to MoscowUS-Russia talks may pile pressure on Kyiv to make concessions, says EU foreign policy chief See all our Ukraine war coverageThe Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin will meet Steve Witkoff for their talks on Tuesday afternoon. It’s now approaching 9.10am local time in Moscow.Their meeting would take “in the second half of the day”, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, while refusing to be drawn on Russia’s red lines, saying megaphone diplomacy was not helpful.Russian military commanders told Putin in comments reported on Monday that Russian forces had captured the frontline Ukrainian towns of Pokrovsk – a key logistics hub – and Vovchansk and were advancing elsewhere, which the Russian president hailed as successes to enable further gains. Ukrainian officials have made no acknowledgement that either place has fallen into Russian hands. Co...

Politics

4 d. ago Strictly's Alex Kingston says 'it was upsetting' as she confirms injury after fans' concern

Alex Kingston became the eighth celebrity to leave Strictly Come Dancing at the weekend

Events

4 d. ago Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are showing the resilience of champions

In the past, moments like Chelsea’s shorthanded goal might have sent Arsenal reeling. No longerSign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson hereThe gap at the top is five points. Arsenal have now played two of their three toughest away games of the season. They’ve come through a potentially extremely tricky week with reputation enhanced, despite being without one of their starting centre-backs for all three games and both for one of them. If there is any sense of disappointment, it is only that they failed to beat Chelsea, whom they have become accustomed to getting the better of, despite having a man advantage from the 38th minute on Sunday.But really there shouldn’t be any disappointment. Coming out of the international break, having conceded a late equaliser to Sunderland in their previous game, Arsenal looked potentially vulnerable. Despite having been by far the most impressive side this season, their lead over Manchester City was only four points. They were without Gabriel, who pro...

Sport

4 d. ago BBC's Balvinder Sopal to cause 'the biggest upset in Strictly history'

Strictly Come Dancing fans bid farewell to another celebrity over the weekend as the remaining contestants set their sights on the final.

Politics