One of the most fun things to do at Halloween time is to get the Halloween songs playlist going and have a dance party with the kids! Take the fun one step further this year by taking this Halloween quiz and see if you can guess the Halloween songs together. Next challenge – […]
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Irish star Colin Farrell was once best known for his playboy ways, drinking heavily and taking substances. But that all changed when he became a dad when his eldest son James was born. Colin’s son with ex-girlfriend Kim Bordenave, who is now 21, has Angelman syndrome, a genetic disorder named after paediatrician Harry Angelman, who […]
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Many parents in Ireland are in for a boost this month as some may be eligible for the October cost-of-living bonus payment. There will be a double social welfare payment made at the end of October, after it was announced in this year’s budget. This is a separate bonus payment to the double Child Benefit […]
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RSV immunisation for babies was introduced recently but only those born since September 1 are eligible. The shot helps protect against RSV – respiratory syncytial virus – a common condition that can make babies and older adults seriously ill. It is recommended during pregnancy and for adults aged 75 to 79. RELATED: Babies born from […]
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While on a family holiday in Turkey, Drogheda native Stacey Callan suffered a fall that resulted in a dangerous bleed on her brain. The mother-of-two was with her children and partner when the shocking incident happened, and is currently in a coma in a Turkish hospital. RELATED: Fundraiser launched to help support ‘wee Danny’ fight […]
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SPORTS broadcaster Jeff Stelling has slammed pal Paul Merson’s Strictly Come Dancing exit as “unfair.”
The former Sky Sports Soccer Saturday anchor – who quit the show in May 2023 after 29 years – promptly took to social media after former footballer Paul, 56, was axed from Strictly in Week 5.
The Arsenal legend was given the boot after battling it out against JLS singer JB Gill in Sunday’s shock Dance Off.
Jeff, 69, suggested Paul – who performed a Samba with partner Karen Hauer – came a cropper as some of his co-stars already have dance experience.
In his stark message after Sunday’s Results Show played out Jeff wrote: “Proud of you Merse.
“Shame they ruin the show by including people who are trained dancers or have musical theatre backgrounds.
Should be people who don’t have any dance training imo.”
Jeff – who quit Soccer Saturday after it was “making him ill” – then added: “But you were brilliant!”
The TV star’s support of his pal came after Paul’s eviction was leaked by an online mole on social media site X earlier in the day.
During the dance off with JB and Amy Dowden, who performed a lively Jive, all four judges revealed they were in agreement in choosing to keep the JLS star.
As Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all agreed to save JB, Shirley Ballas‘ vote was not required but she admitted to show host Tess Daly that she would have also chosen to save JB.
As the news began to settle on their exit, Paul told Tess: “It’s been really good.
“For anybody I talk to, I would say you’ve got to go on this show. It’s amazing – everybody.
“There’s a Tottenham fan over there called Lincoln and even he’s nice! It’s been amazing, honestly, amazing. I loved every minute of it, I’ve had a great teacher.”
He went onto add of his pro partner Karen: “She’s been amazing, absolutely amazing and I couldn’t wish for a better coach.
“I’ve loved every minute of it.
Here's who is matched with who this series...
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
JB Gill and Amy Dowden MBE
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova
Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
“I can dance now – I’ve won because I can dance, I couldn’t dance before and I can half dance now. It’s a bonus, absolute bonus.”
Yet Paul’s legions of loyal fans were quick to brand the outcome a fix.
One fan took to social media to question the entire Strictly results process and said: “I think they just pick anyone to be in the dance off. The votes don’t mean anything at all.
“Waste of money. They have prob already decided who’s in the dance off. All fixed.”
A second added: “They always say it’s about the dance off but it can’t have been because Paul was the better dancer in it so it seems like a fix.”
And a third said: “They knew they’d save JB even though his jive was messy and boring.
“Paul has been brilliant to watch and should’ve been saved. What a fix.”
It came after his dance skills had vastly improved through the series.
Meanwhile, viewers have also called on the show to make a major change after the couple crashed out.
They fear plum professional Karen won’t stick around unless she is paired with more popular contestants.
AN iconic high street retailer will start selling vinyl records again after thirty years off the shelves.
WHSmith said it will begin restocking the vintage disc in response to growing demand from shoppers.
As part of the roll-out, music buffs will be able to snap up records from new talent such as Taylor Swift alongside 80’s icons like Queen.
Over 80 sites across Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh Gyle and York will stock the records.
The newsagent, which has over 1,000 stores across the high street and travel locations, has not sold records at its sites in over three decades.
Collecting vinyl records has become trendy among consumers, as they seek tangible ways to connect with music amid a rise in streaming sites such as Spotify.
Records also come with larger packaging and can include freebies such as posters or clothing.
Sales for the product grew for the 16th year in a row in 2023, with nearly six million units sold, according to data from the British Phonographic Industry.
Demand for records also helped turn around the fortune of struggling high-street retailer HMV.
Last November, the music retailer reopened its site on Oxford Street after a four-year hiatus following investment from Canadian businessman Doug Puttman.
Emma Smyth, Commercial Director, WHSmith High Street said: “After thirty years vinyl is back at WHSmith,
“I’m sure there are many customers out there who remember spending hours in record shops browsing the latest vinyl LPs and the artistic record covers.”
She added: “It’s no surprise that vinyl is growing in popularity again, and we are very excited to be bringing back record selections to more than 80 different stores across the UK for both seasoned fans and new listeners alike.”
As for WHSmith, the introduction of records will be the latest move from the business to revamp its product line.
Since last year, shoppers have been able to purchase Toys ‘R’ Us products in a number of its stores.
The American toy retailer collapsed in 2018 and closed all of its 100 UK branches, but announced plans for a relaunch in October 2021.
A total of 76 WHSmith sites will have a Toys ‘R’ Us section by the end of the year.
The iconic British brand has struggled on the high street following the aftermath of the pandemic, but its travel arm has been booming.
In September it closed two stores in Sale and Bridgewater.
Despite this, WHSmith has announced plans to open 110 new shops this year in airports, railway stations and hospitals.
It has been a tough time for retailers since Covid and the last few years have seen many vanish from our high streets.
The rising cost of living and expensive rents have all been playing a part in the demise of some of our much-loved high street names.
Last year much-loved retailer Wilko fell into administration and closed all of its shops in September 2023, leaving Brits heartbroken.
However, a glimmer of hope was given when the brand name was scooped up by The Range, in a £5million deal – meaning that the name would live on.
Customers were overjoyed after learning the store was being relaunched online, and even more so when in a surprising turn of events, physical branches started to open up again.
Elsewhere, Paperchase is now available to purchase at Tesco stores following its collapse almost three years ago.
And there has been talk that Topshop could return to the high street after a nearly four-year hiatus.
Owners ASOS said last month it would sell a 75% stake in the brand to Bestseller, a Danish retail group that owns Jack & Jones.
José Antonio Ramos Calamonte, chief executive of ASOS, told reporters that the deal would make Topshop “more accessible”.
IT'S not all bad news on the high street as several retailers are bucking the trend and opening shops.
IF you think you’re an expert puzzle solver then try and spot the seven hidden animals blended in among the huge polar bear.
This family friendly optical illusion is a real challenge as only those with a high IQ and eyes like an eagle stand a chance of spotting the whole gang within 12 seconds.
The picture shows a giant red polar bear looking off into the distance with several other animals gleefully hanging out inside his fur.
Some are obvious due to their big size or unrecognisable features such as antlers and ears.
Whereas others are almost impossible to spot through their expert camouflage and tiny stature.
Spotting different types of animals such as a dog or a cat can be one of the toughest tasks in optical illusions as they’re never quite where you expect.
This illusion is made especially difficult as the scene is so busy with so many creatures hidden.
Another clever ploy to throw off those seasoned puzzlers is the use of colours.
The animals are all a mixture of blue and red meaning they are very different to what our brains are expecting to see.
This makes spotting them all incredibly hard as people easily skip over certain portions of the image.
Many people will be able to uncover a couple of the animals within seconds with some being obvious.
After six seconds those expert boffins should be well on their way to discovering all seven hidden animals.
But with less than half of the time remaining, finding the final few could be an incredibly hard task.
Luckily these puzzles are super fun to try out with friends and can be a great conversation starter.
In this particular piece, people with a high visual IQ should be able to spot all the animals within the 12 seconds and leave themselves enough time to enjoy the rest of the image.
But even those that find just four or five can still be proud of themselves as the optical illusion is one of our toughest yet.
This clever brainteaser was shared online by optical illusion legends Times Now.
If you still can’t quite spot the whole animal gang then here’s a rundown of all the species to look for before we reveal the answer.
The polar bear has been joined by a donkey and a reindeer as well as a turkey and a squirrel.
The final ones are a partridge, turtledove and a robin but they are super tough to find as they are all birds perched in peculiar spots.
Engaging in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions.
Some benefits include:
As you scroll, why not try other optical illusions?
Have a go at these brainteasers to test your ability to spot things at speed.
Try figuring out what’s wrong with this image of smiling women as you count their legs in 11 seconds.
Or you might want to prove you have a 20/20 vision as you search for a strawberry in this carnival scene.
Lastly, puzzle fanatics have been left scratching their heads trying to find the lost feather in just 12 seconds.
Keep your brain engaged and have a go at our three other illusions below.
