3+ week, 6+ day ago (421+ words) This show is angering me tonight," say viewers Strictly Come Dancing fans have complained that George Clarke is being underscored by the show"s judges after he received his second week of low marks. The 25-year-old YouTube star, who had a promising start in the competition, was bottom of last week"s leaderboard with a mere 27 points after he failed to impress as Harry Styles for Icons Week. It was a similar story on Saturday night"s Halloween Week (1 November), which saw Clarke and his partner Alexis Warr receive a score of just 29 for their spooky Cha Cha to "Apple" by Charlie XCX. Viewers complained on X/Twitter that the judges had picked up on "every single one of George"s mistakes", while the viewing public "barely noticed". "Then they haven"t mentioned Vicky [Pattison] and Kai [Widdrington]"s visible mistake…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (396+ words) The cabin crew member resigned almost immediately after the incident A former United Airlines flight attendant was taken for treatmentafter consuming 10 times the legal alcohol limit on a flight, a court heard. Margit Lake, 56, was treated by paramedics at Heathrow after the Boeing 777 she was working on arrived from San Francisco on 17 October. The cabin crew member was later taken to the hospital. It is alleged that her blood alcohol level was 216mg, over 10 times the legal limit of 20mg to work on a plane. Appearing at Uxbridge Magistrates Court, Ms Lake was told by the prosecutor that her consumption of alcohol was an "obvious risk to herself and other passengers," The Sun reported. The California-based flight attendant was accused of drinking multiple miniature bottles that she had brought onto the aircraft ahead of the 10-hour flight. Ms Lake had a career…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (490+ words) These offers have Christmas tech gifts covered Black Friday is looming, with the annual shopping bonanza officially landing on 28 November. However, the good news is that some Black Friday sales have started early, and if you're looking for tech, buying refurbished can be a great way to save and shop sustainably. Refurbished tech marketplace Back Market has early Black Friday deals running from 17-23 November as well as its official savings. Keen to get ahead of the game? Right now you can save up to 8 per cent on purchases at Back Market that are more than "150 (on selected product lines). Keep reading for all the details on this discount, plus other ways to save at the refurbished tech retailer. Discover unmissable discounts from the refurbished tech expert now. Perfect for organised shoppers, you can find early Black Friday deals across selected…...

23+ hour, 46+ min ago (1330+ words) Labour will need the Budget to have been well-received by swing voters in areas such as Sheerness and Kensington if the party is to stand a chance of holding onto power at the next general election. Dan Haygarth and Hebe Campbell spoke to locals to see if they were convinced Peter Cripps voted for Labour at the last general election because he was desperate to get rid of the Conservatives. But he wouldn't vote for the party again, not least after the chancellor's make-or-break Budget on Wednesday. As he sat outside his shop Car, Home and Garden in Sheerness on Kent's Isle of Sheepey, the 76-year-old told The Independent: "I've lived on the isle for 50 years, this is the worst I've ever known it and this Budget is not going to turn that around." Rachel Reeves outlined in her fiscal…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (620+ words) Iqbal Mohamed's departure comes just one week after Adnan Hussain pulled out of the Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana-led project A second MP has quit Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's party to return to serving as an Independent MP, in yet another blow to the chaotic alliance. Iqbal Mohamed's departure comes just one week after Adnan Hussain said he was withdrawing from the "steering process" for the new Jeremy Corbyn-backed party, citing concerns about factionalism and "veiled prejudice" against Muslims. Your Party, which has yet to even adopt a formal name, has been riven by infighting and rifts almost since it was announced earlier this year. But the loss of another MP also comes at a difficult time, just a week before the party's first annual conference is due to get underway. At the event, in Liverpool, members are expected…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (239+ words) Editor-in-chief Geordie Greig on why The Independent has partnered with Missing People to launch the SafeCall campaign At The Independent, we've always believed journalism should do more than describe the world " it should try to improve it. Over the years, we've stood by causes that matter: from shining a light on the mistreatment of Afghan special forces soldiers who served alongside British troops, to exposing the injustice of indeterminate prison sentences. This Christmas, we're asking for your help again as we launch our new campaign with the charity Missing People " the SafeCall appeal. You may remember our Brick by Brick campaign last year, when we joined forces with Refuge to build safe homes for women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Thanks to our readers' generosity, we raised more than "575,000 " enough to fund two new safe houses. That achievement reminds us…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (490+ words) The allegations are entirely without foundation " we expect cynical attempts to smear Reform to intensify closer to the election," says Reform UK People who were at school with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claim he displayed offensive behaviour as a boy, including giving Nazi salutes and making racial slurs. The Clacton MP, who could potentially be the UK"s next prime minister since his party is ahead in opinion polls, emphatically denies allegations in The Guardian that he used racist or antisemitic insults as a teenager. He suggested that the paper was attempting to smear Reform. One former contemporary at Dulwich College in south London told The Guardian he felt humiliated by the antisemitic words of the then 13-year-old Mr Farage, who allegedly also urged pupils of overseas heritage to "go home. Peter Ettedgui, now an award-winning director and producer,…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (439+ words) Bettors have spent over $1 million guessing whom the president will pardon next Following last month's pardon of crypto executive Changpeng Zhao, bettors are eagerly trying to guess whom Donald Trump will pardon next. The online prediction site Polymarket's users believe there is a nine percent chance that Trump pardons his former advisers Steve Bannon and Roger Stone, as of Tuesday. Other top picks included outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams at eight percent, and, each with seven percent, former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, music mogul P. Diddy, and crypto executive Roger Ver. While bettors believed these individuals had higher chances of getting a pardon, more money was spent betting on those with lower percentages, including crypto executive Sam Bankman-Fried, who generated more than $916,000 in trading volume, and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who caused more than $463,000 in trading. Not everyone…...

3+ day, 18+ hour ago (544+ words) Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves stood outside Downing Street on Wednesday with the iconic red box before outlining key budget changes in the House of Commons. While many of us were tuned into her plans to battle the downgrade in forecast economic growth, we want to know what these changes actually mean for our pensions. We spoke with Lily Megson-Harvey, policy director at My Pension Expert, who broke down the pension-related announcements, explained who may be affected, and outlined what actions savers should consider now. What are the main changes in the budget concerning pensions? "The main announcement from the budget concerning pension was her announcement regarding the changes to salary sacrifice," says Megson-Harvey. "She announced that there will be a "2,000 annual cap on the salary sacrifice limit that will be brought in by 2029." "So, anyone who contributes over…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (247+ words) Foreign governments will be banned from owning UK newspapers and magazines, a minister has confirmed, amid concern over the UAE-backed takeover of the Telegraph. In the face of cross-party pressure and a threatened defeat in the House of Lords, the Government has said it will bring forward an amendment to the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill that would block such deals. The move was prompted by concern about the proposed takeover of the Daily Telegraph and The Spectator by Redbird IMI, an investment fund majority-owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and owner of Manchester City Football Club. Source: PA, Parliament TV Telegraph's future in limbo as "500m takeover bid scrapped - US investment group RedBird Capital has abandoned its proposed "500m takeover of The Telegraph, casting uncertainty over the newspaper's future. - The…...