Tommy Walsh has long been synonymous with British garden makeovers, but his own property in Cambridgeshire is where he really puts his skills to work.Best known from the BBC hit Ground Force, which ran through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Walsh helped make outdoor makeovers must-see TV alongside presenters such as Charlie Dimmock, Alan Titchmarsh, Will Shanahan and Kirsty King.The show's...

Joe Swash is set to appear in a St Albans pantomime over the festive season, a move that could see him and wife Stacey Solomon spending much of Christmas apart.The EastEnders alum will star in Beauty and the Beast at the Alban Arena from December 4 until January 3.Although he is not scheduled to work on Christmas Day, it is unclear whether he will commute to their Essex home during the...

Tom Hanks has long pointed to Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science-fiction epic 2001: A Space Odyssey as his top pick when asked about his favourite movie.The actor has talked about the film repeatedly over the years, telling Collider in 2012 he'd watched it roughly 120 times and listing it alongside other favourites like Fargo and The Best Years of Our Lives.Hanks admires 2001 for taking audiences...

The government-backed savings institution National Savings and Investments is preparing to make large payouts after admitting mistakes that left customers without money to which they were entitled.Ministers will discuss the issue in Parliament as officials try to work out the final bill.Officials estimate the problems could affect roughly 37,000 customers. NS&I, which looks after about 24...

After eight years of talks, Australia and the European Union have finalized a wide-ranging free trade agreement in Canberra valued at roughly A$10 billion.The pact removes almost all customs duties between the two sides and also deepens cooperation on defence, supply-chain resilience and critical minerals — steps officials said are designed to withstand growing global uncertainty.Tariffs on...

Two Russian men have gone on trial in Angola accused of running a covert influence campaign to stir anti-government unrest and interfere in next year’s presidential vote.Igor Ratchin and Lev Lakshtanov were arrested in August and face 11 charges between them, including terrorism, espionage and influence peddling.Angolan prosecutors say the pair worked with a wider network that grew out of...

Health officials in England were not notified about a suspected meningitis patient for two days, slowing contact tracing and delaying a public warning about a growing outbreak in Kent.The patient first arrived at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate on the evening of Wednesday 11 March, sources say.The hospital reported the case to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on the...

Five women who say they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein met on camera for the first time in a BBC Newsnight session to share how the crimes still shape their lives.One of them, Joanna Harrison, said she had kept silent for years but was forced into the open when US government files were published with insufficient redactions.That disclosure stripped her of anonymity and pushed her to speak. The...

Two Russian men are set to stand trial in Angola, accused of running a covert campaign to sow dissent, spread false information and interfere in next year’s presidential vote.Igor Ratchin and Lev Lakshtanov were detained in August and face 11 counts including terrorism, espionage and illicit influence.Angolan prosecutors say their activities were part of a wider operation tied to a network that...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will tell MPs how the UK plans to respond if the war in the Middle East pushes energy bills higher.Her Commons statement will cover three main areas: a short assessment of the economic fallout, measures to bolster energy security, and the principles that would guide any future household support.On energy security, Reeves will recommit the government to building more...