International ice hockey federation

Jason Donovan appears to be on the road to recovery after being forced to pull out of Dancing On Ice with a crippling back injury. The 52-year-old star was seen carrying bags of shopping and a rucksack after making an essential trip to a supermarket in London's Notting Hill. It comes days after Jason said he was 'devastated and gutted' to have to quit the ITV skating show after failing to recover from an injury sustained in training. Following medical advice, the actor and singer gave up his place on the reality show - making him the fifth contestant to do so in the disaster-struck 2021 run. Denise Van Outen and Billie Shepherd were also forced to leave the show after sustaining nasty injuries. While Rufus Hound and Joe Warren Plant had to drop out after catching Covid-19. Breaking the sad news to fans in a video, Jason said: "I am devastated to announce that unfortunately I can't continue in the competition and therefore have to withdraw. "We put so much work into … [Read more...] about Jason Donovan carries hefty bags after quitting Dancing on Ice over back agony

After news of Dancing On Ice being cut short broke out, the hit ITV series was instantly branded "cursed" and "disastrous" by some viewers. However stars who are competing on the hit skating show this year hit back at the claims - despite the countless obstacles bosses were forced to face this year. Appearing on This Morning alongside their professional partners, Faye Brooks, 33, and Rebekah Vardy, 39, opened up about this year's eventful series. Chatting to hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary, Faye explained how difficult it was to have a change of partner halfway through the series after Hamish Gaman, 37, injured his finger. Now being partnered up with Matt Evers, Faye revealed admitted that the skating competition is "the most dangerous show on television". "We signed up for this - we know this is the most dangerous show on television," she said. "We've got to make sure we take care of ourselves, trust our partner, and keep entertaining on the show every week." … [Read more...] about Dancing On Ice stars slam ‘curse’ claims as disaster-struck show is cut short

Aid organizations are still unable to reach parts of the conflict-torn Tigray region, three months since the conflict began. Information is thin as communications is interrupted. Ethiopian opposition parties claim that at least 52,000 people have died in Tigray since November. About 60,000 have fled the embattled region for Sudan, according to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR. A third of those displaced are children. The European Union's special envoy, Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, warned this week that the crisis in Tigray region is "completely out of control militarily, human rights-wise and humanitarian-wise." EU's special envoy Pekka Haavisto has urged Addis Ababa to grant full access to aid organizations He said the Ethiopian government must urgently provide full humanitarian access to Tigray and its estimated six million inhabitants. In December, Brussels announced it was withholding some 90 million euros ($110 million) in aid to Ethiopia because the … [Read more...] about Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis: Too little aid for distraught citizens

We don't know about you, but we adore dogs! So, if anyone loves good television and some cute four-legged canines then you probably love Pooch Perfect. The BBC One contest is presented by award-winning actress-singer Sheridan Smith and sees sixteen professionals compete to best groom some poochest and be named the best in the country. Now, as part of the latest instalment of Jess Saying arrives on our Facebook screens today at 2pm, Jessica Boulton chats to Pooch Perfect judges Colin Taylor and Verity Hardcastle. Colin is a renowned dog grooming expert who is one of the most decorated in the industry, having developed a reputation over 25 years. He has won Intergrooms International Groomer of the Year, along with Winner of the “World Cup Grooming Games and has won numerous other titles. Meanwhile, Verity is a Master Groomer and a member of the Guild of Mastergroomers. While not a real Lady as Sheridan Smith refers to her, Verity is a championship level dog … [Read more...] about Tune in as Pooch Perfect’s Colin Taylor and Verity Hardcastle spill show secrets

A so-called "blank cheque" company set up by a group of financiers is weighing a merger with Lombard International, one of the largest UK-based wealth management groups. Sky News has learnt that Kingswood Acquisition Corp, which listed in New York late last year, is among a number of suitors expected to table bids for Lombard in the coming days. If successful, Kingswood's merger with Lombard would be among the first examples of a UK-based financial services business listing in the US via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). City sources said that Apollo Global Management was among the other likely bidders for Lombard, which has been owned by Blackstone since 2014. Analysts have suggested that the wealth manager, which had more than €47bn in assets under administration last June, could fetch around €700m. Advertisement One source said Blackstone was expected to proceed towards signing a formal deal later in the spring, with other bidders also … [Read more...] about Kingswood SPAC and Apollo among suitors for Blackstone’s Lombard