Author: News Desk

The closures are due to begin in May as the group concentrates on its online services Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to close 136 high street bank branches Lloyds Banking Group is to shut 136 more high street branches as it accelerates plans to cut costs and digitise the bank. It will close 61 Lloyds, 61 Halifax and 14 Bank of Scotland branches between May this year and March 2026. The closure plan comes just weeks after Lloyds shook up its branch business to allow customers of Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to use stores across any of…

Mohamed Samak would complain that he and his wife Joanne did not have a sexual relationship Hockey coach and wife were living ‘separate lives’ before she was ‘stabbed to death’ An interior designer was living an almost separate life to her hockey coach husband before she was stabbed to death, a court heard. Egyptian Mohamed Samak stands accused of murdering his 49-year-old wife Joanne who he claims stabbed herself “repeatedly” in front of him after he woke at around 3am. He told a jury at Worcester Crown Court, he found Joanne screaming and “trying to stab herself” before she slumped…

Trump briefed on ‘terrible accident’ after jet collides with Army helicopter President Donald Trump says he has been briefed on the “terrible accident” after a passenger jet collided on Wednesday with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington DC. There was no immediate word on casualties, but all take-offs and landings from the airport were halted as helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region flew over the scene in search of survivors. In a statement late on Wednesday, Mr Trump thanked first responders for their “incredible work,” noting that he was “monitoring the situation…

Former US senator Robert Menendez, 71, was sentenced to 11 years in prison Wednesday for corruption, including extortion, obstruction of justice, and accepting bribes tied to Egypt and Qatar. Gold bars and cash were found at his home. The New Jersey Democrat, convicted in July 2024, sought leniency but vowed to appeal. He chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Ex-US senator Bob Menendez gets 11 years for bribery, acting as Egypt's agent

Claudia Winkleman’s ‘truly unique’ show revived after The Traitors success Claudia Winkleman’s popularity has reached new heights after winning the nation over as host of The Traitors. Now her on-pause Channel 4 game show, One Question, is making a comeback. There’s no doubt that Claudia’s charm and steadfast chaotic commentary are a huge part of the BBC show Traitors’ success each year, with season three viewership peaking at over 10 million. So for fans who can’t get enough of the 53-year-old Strictly star, you’re in luck as she’ll be back on screen imminently for the suddenly rebooted quiz show,…

‘I was approached by BBC for Celebrity Traitors – but turned it down’ As the dust settles on the dramatic conclusion of The Traitors, viewers are now turning their attention to the UK’s first celebrity spin-off due to air on the BBC later this year. The rumoured names are impressive; with everyone from Stephen Fry to Friends legend Courteney Cox said to be heading to the Scottish castle for the ultimate game of deception overseen by the inimitable Claudia Winkleman. But there is one celebrity who definitely will not be insisting they’re ‘100% Faithful’ at the roundtable. And that’s…

Iconic Suits star ‘apologises profusely’ to dedicated fans ahead of spin-off series Suits star Gabriel Macht has revealed that he often finds himself apologizing to fans who changed their entire career paths because of the hit drama. The acclaimed legal drama aired for nine seasons between 2011 – 2019, and also starred Meghan Markle, Patrick J Adams, Sarah Rafferty and Gina Torres and Rick Hoffman. It focused on college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick) as he tricked his way into a job at New York law firm Pearson Hardman, working as the associate to cocky and ridiculously dapper lawyer Harvey Specter (Gabriel) – despite not…

Bruno Mars pokes fun at $50,000,000 gambling debt rumour Bruno Mars shocked fans with his return to music last week and now he’s taken a step further and joked about his supposed $50,000,000 debt. The 39-year-old singer dropped his racy track Fat, Juicy and Wet featuring Sexyy Red, 26, last week in a wild departure from his Grenade era. With reactions to the song going viral on TikTok, it wasn’t long before Bruno jumped into the charts with over 10million streams on Spotify. Thanks to this success, he is now the first-ever performer to hit a monthly total of…

Prime Video’s ‘steamy’ new drama smashes records despite scathing reviews Prime Video’s steamy new Spanish-language movie has broken records on the streaming platform despite rather dire reviews branding it ‘mind-pulverisingly bizarre’ and ‘nonsensical’. The young adult movie Your Fault (Culpa Tuya) has now officially become the most-watched international original film on Prime Video ever. Based on Mercedes Ron’s bestselling Culpables book trilogy – which initially started out as a Wattpad novel the author penned on the social media site – Your Fault was released in late December. During its first few days, it ranked in the number one spot…

Craig Revel Horwood takes swipe at Ola Jordan after ‘suggesting he’s replaced’ Craig Revel Horwood has taken a swipe as former Strictly Come Dancing professional Ola Jordan after calling out comments she made about him being ‘too nicely nicey’. The judge, 60, is one of the key fixtures of the BBC dancing competition who has judged on the show since its inception in 2004. More than 20 years on he still sits on the panel with fellow judges Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse and head judge Shirley Ballas. Craig has now taken a swipe at Ola, 42, after she…