In the book – Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, serialised in the Daily Mail – the earl claims that Charles, then the Prince of Wales, subjected him to a “stream of anger” after he insisted Diana would not have wanted Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to walk in her funeral procession.

Scientists are perplexed by the discovery of what looks like footprints on the surface of Mars.

Images captured by the Curiosity Rover show an unusual feature on the Red Planet’s surface – broad, shallow pits unlike anything researchers have previously spotted.

The discovery was made as Curiosity explored Mount Sharp, a vast mountain rising from the floor of Gale Crater.

The rover has been exploring Mars since landing in 2012, and despite more than a decade on the planet, it continues to find things that puzzle scientists back on Earth.

Small pits and depressions are relatively common on Mars. They can form when harder nodules or pebbles embedded in rock gradually weather away, leaving a hollow behind.

But the newly observed features are different. They are much wider and shallower than similar pits seen previously, and researchers could not identify obvious objects that might once have occupied them.

The Curiosity team used the rover’s cameras and instruments to examine the features in detail.
MAHLI and the Mastcam instrument captured overlapping images that can be combined to produce three-dimensional models of the pits and their structure.

The team does not believe the marks are actual footprints, but the unusual formations provide a new clue about the geological processes that have shaped this part of Mount Sharp.

The surrounding bedrock also provided plenty for Curiosity’s instruments to investigate. Mastcam images and measurements from the ChemCam instrument revealed layers whose texture and structure changed over relatively short distances.

Scientists say these variations could indicate changes in the conditions under which the sediments were deposited.

The rover also examined rough, grey layers that were more resistant to erosion than the surrounding rock. ChemCam, MAHLI and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) analysed the material, which may have a different chemical composition from the bedrock around it.

After almost 14 years on Mars, Curiosity continues to provide scientists with new glimpses of the planet’s geological history – and, occasionally, features they have never seen before.

In an image taken in 2013, UFO hunters thought they’d spotted a wrinkly mushroom on the planet’s surface.

MORE: Nasa finds ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moon crater bigger than the Roman Colosseum

MORE: Scientists find 27 strange new objects hovering on the edge of our Solar System

MORE: US has put a mystery weapon into space but won’t reveal what it is

The closures are scheduled between September and November 2026.

The affected branches in the North East, operating under both the Lloyds and Halifax brands, are located in Durham, Gateshead, South Shields and Wallsend.

The move comes as more customers choose to manage their finances online, through mobile banking apps or over the phone, reducing demand for traditional branch services.

Lloyds Banking Group says customers who need face-to-face help can use Banking Hubs or branches run by Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland.

Customers of the three brands can access services across the group’s wider branch network.

Lloyds Bank Durham City Centre (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

The changes also form part of Lloyds Banking Group’s ongoing plans to bring Halifax customers onto Lloyds banking platforms, with some accounts and services set to be rebranded in the coming years.

Branches closing in the North East

Halifax

Durham: 1 North Road, DH1 4UQ. Closing date: September 29, 2026.

Gateshead: Jackson House, 24-26 Jackson Street, NE8 1ED. Closing date: October 19, 2026.

Lloyds

South Shields: 101 King Street, NE33 1DT. Closing date: October 12, 2026.

Wallsend: Royal Chambers, High Street East, NE28 8PJ. Closing date: November 3, 2026.

The four closures mean residents in parts of County Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and North Tyneside will lose local bank branches this year.

Customers are being directed towards alternative banking facilities and digital services.

The same announcement also included Halifax’s Redcar branch, scheduled to close on November 2, with customers directed to Middlesbrough.

He told Capital Breakfast: “They sent one of the casting directors to the school to audition a load of the kids there and my dad, obviously being in the industry, was like, ‘that is a complete waste of time, no-one has ever been cast from an open audition. I will get you one-on-one time with the casting director.’”

What did the research show?

1) Heart

2) Kidney

3) Pain

4) Brain

5) Liver

6) Diabetes

Doctors may ascribe more of women’s symptoms to anxiety

If your PIP claim is rejected by the DWP, you have a number of rights – but many do not use them

Millions of people submit benefit claims every year across the UK. A government assessment conducted last year revealed that 24.3 million people were claiming some form of DWP benefits as of August 2025.

Of these, 10 million were of working age, with 860,000 aged under 16. A further 13.4 million were of State Pension age.

Managing the benefits system is something people must deal with on a daily basis – yet it can prove challenging. And applicants do not always achieve success with their submissions.

For example, during 2023-24, of the 721,100 claimants who submitted a PIP (Personal Independence Payment) claim to the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions), 332,800 – approximately 46% – were turned down by the benefits department. It is possible to challenge such benefit decisions – but many do not.

According to the Benefits and Work website, there are two key points to remember. Firstly, when it comes to PIP appeal tribunals, your likelihood of success is high – provided you reach that stage. During the three months to July 2023, 68% of all PIP appeals were successful for the claimant.

However, the site warns: “But most people never make it to a hearing. Because, before you can lodge an appeal, you have to ask the DWP to look at its own decision again. It’s a process called a mandatory reconsideration.”

This extra step was implemented by the DWP specifically to cut the number of appeals, and the site says it has proved remarkably effective in doing so. Just 20% of mandatory reconsiderations led to an increased award in April 2025.

And even then, many of these increased awards remain below what the claimant is rightfully owed. However, 65% of claimants abandon their case following mandatory reconsideration and therefore never present their evidence to an independent tribunal.

Among those who did proceed to a tribunal appeal in the three months to March 2025, 66% achieved a favourable outcome. According to gov.uk, if you dispute a decision regarding benefits or child maintenance you can request the decision be reviewed again — this is known as ‘mandatory reconsideration’.

There is no charge for requesting mandatory reconsideration. You can request mandatory reconsideration if any of the following circumstances apply: you believe the office handling your claim has made a mistake or overlooked crucial evidence; you disagree with the reasoning behind the decision; you wish to have the decision reviewed again.

The site states: “Some decisions cannot be reconsidered. Others can go straight to an appeal. Your original decision letter will say if this applies to you.”

How long do PIP appeal decision take?

Speaking in July this year in response to a question from an MP, Sir Stephen Timms, Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities) at the DWP, said: “The mean and median waiting time between a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeal being lodged and the Department submitting its response to HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), for initial clearances and award review clearances in the calendar year 2025, was 5 weeks.

“The Department does not hold data on when a tribunal hearing date is set. This information is in the domain of HMCTS. We are increasing resources available for writing appeal responses by redeploying staff and making overtime available.

“We are also looking to make appeal writing more efficient by improving the programme that decision makers use. The improved tool will integrate better with other DWP computer systems, which will make it faster and easier to use than the current process.

We will continue working to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey so people get the support they are entitled to without needing to appeal.”

What about the one-month rule?

Gov.uk states you typically must request mandatory reconsideration within one month from the date of the decision. You can request it beyond one month if you have valid grounds, for instance if you have been hospitalised or experienced a bereavement.

Yet there is more to it than that, campaigners argue. Citizens Advice says your benefit decision letter must inform you of the timeframe you have to request the decision be reviewed again. If you are claiming Universal Credit, you may receive a message in your online account rather than a letter.

The site says: “For most benefits, you should ask within 1 month from the date the original decision was sent to you. For tax credits, you should ask within 30 days of the date of the decision.

“It’s still worth asking for mandatory reconsideration. Try to get it to the DWP or HMRC within 13 months of the date they sent you their decision.”

The site says you will need to give a good reason for why you didn’t ask for mandatory reconsideration in time. For example, because you’d spent some time in hospital. The longer it is since the deadline, the stronger your reason will need to be. You’ll need to write to the DWP or HMRC to explain why you didn’t ask on time.

You can send a letter to the address on your decision letter or write a message in your Universal Credit online account, if the decision is about Universal Credit. It notes: “The DWP or HMRC can refuse your application if it’s late, but as long as you applied within 13 months you can usually still appeal that decision at a tribunal.”

Beyond that 13-month limit, the decision may still be revised if the law was incorrectly applied, an error was made during calculation, or some of your evidence was overlooked.

If you are dissatisfied with a benefit decision, you have the right to challenge it. To do so, you must request that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review their decision.

You are generally required to seek a mandatory reconsideration and receive a decision before you can appeal to a tribunal.

How to appeal a PIP decision, and what PIP is

You can find out more information about appealing a benefit decision on the government’s dedicated web page on the issue. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a government benefit that can help people with extra living costs if they have both a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition.

The government says you can get PIP even if you’re working, have savings or are getting most other benefits. There are 2 parts to PIP that offer different rates. There is a daily living part – if you need help with everyday tasks – and a mobility part – if you need help with getting around. The government guidance says that whether you get one or both parts, and indeed how much you get, “depends on how difficult you find everyday tasks and getting around.”

For more on PIP, see the government web page on the subject.

A British man has died in Spain after he tried to drive across a flooded creek as parts of the country were ravaged by ferocious storms last night. 

News of the tragedy in Olivella near the Catalan coastal resort of Sitges emerged overnight, but the victim’s nationality had not been disclosed. 

This morning a town hall official confirmed: ‘The man who died was a British national living in the municipality.’

Video footage showed the Brit’s Volvo being swept away as he tried to cross the raging waters. 

The town hall official said: ‘It is normally a dry waterway but in exceptional circumstances, it fills with water.

‘But the amount of water in it last night and the force the water was moving at was very exceptional.’

The alarm was raised around 11pm last night by a witness, and initial reports described the person missing as a woman.

Firefighters found the dead Brit’s body at around 2.25am local time, some 500 metres from his vehicle following a search involving drones and specialist divers.

Muddy water is seen after heavy rain in Olivella, Barcelona, Spain, 17 September 2026

A road is closed after a vehicle was swept away by heavy rain in Olivella, Barcelona, Spain, 17 September 2026

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He is understood to have been travelling alone at the time. 

Local firefighters confirmed on X overnight: ‘In Olivella we have located the lifeless body of a man about 500 metres from the point where the vehicle swept away by the stream was found, in an accessible area.

‘We have recovered the body and police have confirmed the man was the driver of the vehicle.’ 

Police said today they were treating the incident as a ‘tragic accident.’

A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force said: ‘The man who died was a 48-year-old British national who lived in the municipality of Olivella.’

A forensic expert will now be tasked with determining the cause of death, and a full autopsy is only expected to take place if that cause of death, expected to be determined as drowning, is unclear from an initial examination.

A well-placed source said: ‘The watercourse this man got swept away in is normally dry.

‘It’s not one of the watercourses that’s categorised regionally as a place of potential danger that can flood and pose risks to human life.

A car partially submerged at the entrance of a flooded underpass after heavy rain in Torrent, near Valencia, Spain, September 17, 2026

Firefighters and workers remove a tree damaged by heavy rain in Valencia, Spain, 17 September 2026

A woman cleans up a store after heavy rain in Torrent, near Valencia, Spain, September 17, 2026

Partially submerged vehicles stand surrounded by flood water while it rains, after local authorities issued a weather alert in Valencia, Spain, September 17, 2026

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‘It’s likely the man who died didn’t realise the danger he was in until he was already surrounded by water.’

Another said: ‘The watercourse separates two residential areas. The investigation will determine what he was doing in that area last night and whether he was trying to get home.’

The Brit, described as middle-aged, lived on a residential estate called Las Colinas.

It was not immediately clear this morning how long he had been living in the area.

The Brit’s death comes as North-eastern Spain was hit by torrential rain and flash floods. 

Spain’s national weather agency AEMET issued warnings for heavy rain across eastern regions on Wednesday, including Barcelona. 

The downpour has disrupted travel across the Catalonia and Valencia regions, with flights cancelled and roads submerged in rainwater. 

In Barcelona, some metro stations were closed, buses were diverted, while trains were cancelled. 

The Valencia region had more than 70mm of rainfall in just half an hour, sparking memories of the 2024 flood disaster in the region, which resulted in over 200 deaths. 

‘Rarely have we seen such rainfall accumulations in 30 minutes,’ the meteorological association said on X.

In the regional capital, all metro lines were suspended, while the city’s airport was closed for several hours.  

Fan-favourite Strictly professional dancer Dianne Buswell is involved in the new series announced by the BBC

Strictly Come Dancing is set to get its first new spin-off, its first in 22 years, with the announcement coming just days before the launch of the brand new series.

From this Saturday (September 19) our weekends will once again be filled with the glitz, glam and impressive dance move as the BBC One dance contest returns for it’s next run with a whole new celebrity cast/

Among the 15 famous faces set to take to the Strictly ballroom this year are EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, singer Delta Goodrem, Man City legend Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Gavin & Stacey favourite Melanie Walters.

Strictly returns when the pre-recorded launch show airs on Saturday, September 19, at 7.25pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. This will then be followed by the first live show a week later on Saturday, September 26, and is when the competition really begins as the new couples perform for the judges’ verdict and all-important scores for the first time.

But, ahead of the new series, a new spin-off has been announced, joining the already established Strictly companion show, It Takes Two, which this year will be hosted by former contestant Ellie Taylor.

Strictly Pro Dance Off will see the Professional Dancers go head-to-head in a series of interactive dance battles for BBC iPlayer and CBBC, with viewers encouraged to join in if they can, or sit back and enjoy a bonus Strictly spectacle to their favourite hit tracks.

According to the BBC, CBBC’s Strictly Pro Dance Off is a brand-new original series created by the world of Strictly Come Dancing, “inspiring young audiences to deepen their fandom of the iconic dance show, as they step into our virtual Strictly ballroom”.

The synopsis continues: “The new seven-minute show will see one Strictly Pro joined in the virtual training room by two others to lead a tutorial on a routine, before their two pro students take to the floor to battle it out and impress their teacher, who holds the all-important Strictly score paddles.s

“Combining competitive performance with a lot of behind-the-scenes fun, young viewers will be taken step by step through the different Strictly dance styles by their favourite Pros.

The first broadcast of each episode will go out live during CBBC’s Saturday Mash-Up! each week, lining up with the Strictly themes families can look forward to enjoying together in the main show that evening.

The series will feature all of Strictly’s returning professionals alongside the five new professional dancers, giving CBBC audiences a closer look at the skill, personality and hard work behind the performances. Episode one will feature Dianne Buswell as the lead pro, with Kai Widdrington and Lauren Oakley joining her for a Jive.

Sarah Muller, Senior Head of Commissioning for BBC Children’s and Education 7+ said: “Strictly Pro Dance Off brings everything children love about Strictly into a short, energetic new format made especially for them. Viewers will see the Professional Dancers learning, teaching and getting competitive, while discovering more about the different styles and techniques that bring the ballroom to life.”

The series will launch as part of Saturday Mash-Up! on CBBC from Saturday, September 19, with episodes available afterwards on BBC iPlayer.

It was a mystery that every parent dreads – how a toddler can run off from a playground and simply vanish.

But yesterday, after a frantic 24 hours during which more than 2,000 members of the public joined police, coastguards and other agencies in the wide-ranging search for Noah Woods, a body was found in a large pond just 250 yards away.

Although formal identification has yet to take place, the three-year-old’s parents have been informed and a file has been passed to the coroner.

This morning, more than 100 floral tributes had already been left at the playground, along with touching messages, teddy bears and model cars.

There were also Bluey toys, in recognition of one of the youngster’s favourite cartoon characters. He was wearing a T-shirt of the puppy when he ran off.

Noah’s tragic last journey began in Merriam Way playground in Brantham, Suffolk, where he was playing with a relative on Tuesday afternoon.

He suddenly ran off at 2.37pm down a path that runs alongside the play area and heads downhill past a newbuild housing estate.

Although his exact route is yet to be confirmed, it almost certainly took him past an area of the building site that remains under construction.

It sits beside picturesque Decoy Pond – a 150-yard-wide fishing pond with ducks and cormorants, surrounded by trees and fields, that is an attractive spot for young children.

Divers entered the water near this point yesterday afternoon, and a short while later they found a body and the tragic announcement was made at 5.40pm.

Concerns about finding Noah had been heightened by the fact that he was non-verbal with partial hearing loss and was undergoing tests for autism.

The toddler disappeared after running from the play area, where a relative had accompanied him

More than 100 bouquets have been left by the playground, as well as messages and toys

But it now seems likely he found his way to the pond within a short time of getting lost.

Speaking at a nearby leisure centre, an emotional Superintendent Tom Pearse, of Suffolk Police, said yesterday afternoon: ‘Our thoughts are with Noah’s family and all those who knew him.

‘We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support and people putting on their boots to help.’

As darkness fell last night, a number of villagers left candles at the playground.

The floral tributes for Noah, who had curly ginger hair, started to be placed next to the play area’s wooden fence this morning.

One message next to a cuddly toy read: ‘Little Noah, May you rest in eternal peace. You will remain in the hearts of the village and all your friends forever. Shine bright XX’.

Another said: ‘We didn’t know you but we helped to find you. RIP little man’, while a sticker on a bouquet read, ‘You have touched do many hearts. RIP’.

Divers found a body of a child in nearby Decoy Pond yesterday afternoon

Pictures released by police show Noah’s last movements

There were also personal notes left in envelopes for Noah’s family and a message attached to a Bluey butterflies book, saying: ‘I am so sorry Noah that we were not close enough to you last night. Sleep tight angel boy’.

Up to 1,000 people spent Tuesday night searching the village and local farmland for him, alongside teams of police, coastguards and firefighters after the alarm was raised

Noah’s desperate father Rhys Woods, 25, posted on social media asking volunteers to widen their search beyond the village where possible.

‘I cannot go another night knowing he’s out there alone, please don’t give up on him, guys. He is out there somewhere and I appreciate every single one of you,’ he said.

Police estimated that 1,300 members of the public flocked to the village beside the River Stour estuary to resume the search for him yesterday.

The search was coordinated by Brantham parish council, which used the village hall and leisure centre as hubs to organise the effort.

But volunteers were left in tears as the terrible news emerged that a body had been located.

Georgia Terry, 30, a carer who had rushed from her job in Clacton, Essex, to join the hunt, told the Daily Mail: ‘It just makes your blood run cold. In the blink of an eye, as well. It’s dreadful.’

A man in his 30s, walking with a young girl at his side, wiped his eyes as he said: ‘It sounded bad from the start but we had to come because there’s always hope.

‘It looks like that’s gone now. I can’t imagine what Noah’s family are going through.’

Superintendent Pearse said the death was being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.