praise

The Voice UK semi-final will see the ITV contestants fighting for a spot in the coveted final

The Voice UK has finally whittled down its semi finals line up.

ITV viewers were glued to their screens as the singing competition returned on Saturday night (October 17) for another week of The Battle Rounds. This time it was the turn of Kelly Rowland along with Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones to pick their semi-finalists.

The coaches pitted their contestants against each other and selected their three favourite performers with help from guest mentors. Kelly was joined by singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem, while Tom and Danny invited their McFly bandmates Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd to help them through the tough decision.

Who made it through to The Voice UK semi finals?

In the end, just three contestants from each team made it through to next Saturday’s (October 24) show. Read on for the full list of contestants set to face off in the semi-finals.

Team Tom and Danny

• Frank Raven
• Jack Algar
• Ciiara Nyx

Fans at home were thrilled with the coaches’ selections, as one commented on social media: “Absolutely amazing lineup!!,” with a second adding: “Good choices! Hard decision as they were all really good xx.”

Team Kelly

• Lascel Wood
• Monique Nicholson-Porter
• Aaren James

Team Kelly also received praise from viewers, with some fans predicting they will be difficult to beat. “THE TEAM TO BEAT!!,” commented an Instagram user. Someone else agreed, posting: “Excellent choices for team Kelly.”

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Last week’s episode saw Sir Tom Jones and will.i.am choose their own semi-finalists, with help from Paloma Faith and Cheryl, respectively.

Team Sir Tom

• Molly J
• Cate McHugh
• Amãlia Estradas

Team Will

• Naná Aldrin-Quaye
• Sonna Rele
• Diogo Ferreira

ITV viewers can tune into The Voice UK semi-finals next Saturday at 8.35pm on ITV1 and ITVX. Only one artist from each team will be chosen to progress to the final. Whoever wins the show walks away with a recording contract with Universal Music Group and a huge £50,000 cash prize.

The latest episode of The Voice UK is available to watch on ITVX.

The beautiful spot is perfect for pensioners seeking a relaxed lifestyle

New analysis from World Atlas has named the best Spanish towns to relocate to. They are all stunning, overlooked locations, ideal for retirees seeking a peaceful and authentic way of life away from well-known resorts such as Benidorm or the Costa del Sol.

The research highlighted seven picturesque towns with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants across Spain that feature “walkable, historic centres with accessible recreation, including coastal paths, mountain trails, canoeing rivers, and reservoirs a short drive from the front door”. On Reddit, expats praised the “affordable living” and the “amazing regional food” of some of these picture-perfect locations.

Trujillo, in Extremadura, was named the best small town to retire in, with the lowest housing prices of around €717 (£605) per month. Locals praised the town’s authenticity on social media, with one saying that “life is more or less affordable, with no uncontrolled tourism problems, and food is amazing”.

Trujillo was followed by Arcos de la Frontera, in Cádiz, which has an estimated population of 31,046. Experts at World Atlas noted: “For retirees who want a classic Spanish white town with water sports on the doorstep rather than just mountain views, Arcos is a rare combination.”

Baiona, in Galicia, was also named one of the best places to relocate to. The charming town in northern Spain has a population of 12,380. World Atlas stated: “Baiona offers a version of coastal Galicia that pairs history with a genuine beach-town feel, at a price most Mediterranean resort towns can’t match.”

Other places included the picturesque town of Sitges, just half an hour down the coast from Barcelona, and Cangas de Onís, best known as the historic gateway to the Picos de Europa National Park.

Best small towns to retire in Spain

1. Trujillo, Extremadura
2. Arcos de la Frontera, Cádiz
3. Baiona, Galicia
4. Hondarribia, Basque Country
5. Cangas de Onís, Asturias
6. Comillas, Cantabria
7. Sitges, Catalonia

Move comes after ethics experts criticised three nationally broadcast ads and called for independent investigations.

United States President Donald Trump has said he will stop using taxpayer funds for television advertisements featuring him after widespread criticism of the campaign-style spots.

In a post on his social media site on Monday, Trump defended the advertisements, which cost at least $1.5m in federal funds and were aired ahead of the US November midterm elections.

Trump said he considered the advertisements to be “a positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.”, but that they would no longer be funded by taxpayers but by either him or his MAGA PAC,

MAGA Inc. is Trump’s political war chest and had amassed more than $400m by the end of July.

The announcement came as ethics experts and lawmakers from both ⁠parties have criticised the three nationally broadcast advertisements and called for independent investigations.

The advertisements have run during football games as recently as Sunday and during other programming.

One features Trump declaring that “America will never be a communist country”, ⁠while a chorus repeats the words “love me”. Another combines ⁠images of Mount Rushmore with footage of Trump praising a “golden age of America”.

The advertisements end with a disclaimer saying they were paid for by the US government.

Democratic lawmakers said last month that the White House transferred $20m in Homeland Security Department funds to air ⁠the advertisements, including one that closely resembles a 2024 Trump ⁠campaign ad, and sought independent probes.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday called ‌for an independent investigation, calling it a “staggering misuse of public funding and breach of public trust” after the calls for a probe.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, a ‌Republican ‌named to his position by Trump, last week said the advertisements were appropriate and rejected a request to investigate them.