24+ min ago (539+ words) Actress Alex Kingston has become the eighth celebrity to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing. The Doctor Who star and her professional dance partner Johannes Radebe have left the show after losing the dance battle to EastEnders'actress Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon. The couples performed their routines from Saturday night, with Kingston and Radebe dancing their cha cha cha to Anita Ward's Ring My Bell. They failed to make it through to the quarter-final after the majority of the judges chose to save Sopal and Caillon, who danced a jive to Right Back Where We Started From by Maxine Nightingale. Sunday-night's leaderboard was the first to have extra points from the brand new instant dance challenge, which offered a maximum of six additional points to the team who impressed the judges the most. Following the performances, the judges cast their…...

32+ min ago (748+ words) Jeremy Corbyn's new left-wing movement decided to make the name Your Party permanent at the conclusion of its tense inaugural conference. The former Labour leader announced the interim name will be kept as he wrapped up the weekend which also saw his preferred leadership set-up rejected. Members voted for the name Your Party over the alternatives Our Party, Popular Alliance and For The Many. They also voted narrowly against having a single elected leader, opting instead for a collective model favoured by his rival Zarah Sultana that puts a committee of members in charge. Mr Corbyn acknowledged there had been "frustrations" in the establishment of the outfit but said "we have come a long way" as he closed the gathering in Liverpool on Sunday. The first day of the founding conference was marred by a dispute over the expulsion of…...

43+ min ago (556+ words) A report on a proposal to rename Herzog Park in Dublin is set to be withdrawn from the agenda of a council meeting on Monday. Lord Mayor Ray McAdam said the chief executive of Dublin City Council Richard Shakespeare had indicated to him he intends to withdraw the report, stating that legislation pertaining to renaming of place names had not been "fully commenced. The council proposal had been criticised by Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Simon Harris. The Office of the President of Israel had also expressed concern over the proposed renaming of the park in south Dublin. It is named after Chaim Herzog, who was was born in Belfast and raised in Dublin. He was the sixth president of Israel between 1983 and 1993. Dublin city councillors had been expected to vote on a motion to rename the park at their…...

49+ min ago (713+ words) Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower has revealed his favourite episode from the new series, teasing that there were some "very important visitors. The 37-year old British actor plays antagonist Vecna in the hit supernatural Netflix show which premiered part of its final season last week. The first series of the coming-of-age drama follows a psychokinetic girl named Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, as she escaped from a laboratory in Hawkins and makes friends with a group of local kids who embarked on a mission to find their friend Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) after he became lost in an alternative reality called the Upside Down. Its fifth series sees Hawkins placed under a military quarantine and intensified hunt to find Eleven, as the group of friends come up against the evil Vecna for one final time. Speaking at MCM…...

1+ hour, 23+ min ago (854+ words) The Irish Government needs to "step up" and establish mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles "at pace", a new report from MPs has said. The cross-party Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has published the report which it said highlights concerns from victims and veterans over new Westminster legislation aimed at addressing legacy issues. The UK and Irish governments unveiled their new legacy framework in September. As part of that, the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill is expected to reach committee stage at Westminster in the coming weeks. The framework also included a commitment from the Irish Government for the "fullest possible" co-operation with the new'legacy'commission and the creation of a dedicated'legacy'unit within the Irish police force, An Garda Siochana. The NIAC report said it welcomed the commitment on co-operation over legacy by the two governments. It added:…...

1+ hour, 23+ min ago (309+ words) The Post Office has urged people to organise sending their parcels ahead of the expected busiest day at its branches on December 8. Britons are planning on sending more gifts this Christmas compared to last year " up from 20% to 33%, according to a survey for the Post Office. The poll found that 34% of Britons consider sending Christmas parcels and cards to be an important festive tradition. However, just 33% plan to post their gifts and cards by early to mid-December, while 8% admit to sending everything in the week leading up to Christmas. Post Office branches can be used to collect or drop off prepaid parcels, not only with Royal Mail and Parcelforce, but Amazon, DPD, DHL and Evri in selected branches as well. Post Office mails and parcels director Candice Ohandjanian said: "This Christmas is shaping up to be one of the busiest…...

1+ hour, 23+ min ago (529+ words) The National Gallery has unveiled a new piece of art which commemorates a Welsh quarry that housed the country's paintings during the Second World War. "Boxing Day bounce' expected to boost housing market William to champion Wales at investment summit Last-minute knee surgery cancellations "cost millions and ramp up waiting lists' The tablet, made from slate taken from North Wales, has inscriptions in both Welsh and English honouring Manod quarry in Eryri (Snowdonia). It reads "Daw'r llechen hon o chwarel Manod yng Ngogledd Cymru lle cafodd paentiadau'r Oriel Genedlaethol eu diogelu yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd" which translates to "This slate is from Manod quarry in North Wales where the National Gallery's paintings were protected during World War II". Following the outbreak of war, the National Gallery moved its art to'the Manod mine, with the whole collection rehomed by…...

1+ hour, 23+ min ago (479+ words) The housing market could be set for a strong Boxing Day bounce this year as buyers who paused to see what the Budget would bring spring back into action. Several rumours had been circulating about potential property taxes before the Budget " and with the Budget and Christmas being close together this year, some house hunters who had been hesitant may resume their searches once the distractions of Christmas Day are over. Property website Rightmove often sees jumps in activity on its website on Boxing Day. Colleen Babcock, a property expert at Rightmove, said: "We usually see a bounce in market activity from a quieter Christmas Day into a busier Boxing Day and New Year, as many get going with their New Year move. "This year, many of those who put their plans on hold over the last few months due…...

1+ hour, 58+ min ago (512+ words) Doctor Who star Alex Kingston has said it has been a "journey of a lifetime" to perform on Strictly Come Dancing. Kingston and professional dancer Johannes Radebe were eliminated from the BBC dancing competition series on Sunday night after losing the dance battle to actress Balvinder Sopal and professional dancer Julian Caillon. The actress shared a heartfelt post on her Instagram page following the results show, describing her time on the series as a "dream come true". She said: "If you had told me a year ago while in the midst of radiotherapy that a year later I'd be on strictly come dancing I wouldn't have believed you! "I'm so proud of everything Johannes and I have accomplished, and so grateful to my body for getting me this far. "It was always my dream to get to dance with Jo…...

2+ hour, 1+ min ago (579+ words) Scotland's First Minister is not being "fully candid" about engagement with the UK Government on housing asylum seekers in Inverness, the Scottish Secretary has said. Rachel Reeves defends Budget comments amid row over headroom Prince of Wales "moved by courage' of Gazan children brought to UK for treatment Cameron Barracks asylum seeker plans "made up on back of an envelope' " Swinney The Scottish Government has consistently said there was no consultation before the decision was announced to house 300 asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks in the Highland city. The proposals caused concern on the council and in the Government before being postponed on Friday, with First Minister John Swinney telling the Press Association on Saturday that the plans had been drawn up "on the back of an envelope". Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Show, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: "Highland Council,…...