Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker TJ Watt has had surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung sustained during dry needle treatment.
Watt, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, made six tackles in Pittsburgh’s victory over Baltimore Ravens last Sunday.
But the 31-year-old was taken to hospital for a lung evaluation after feeling discomfort on Wednesday.
Dry needling is a treatment for pain and movement issues involving the insertion of tiny needles into the body.
The Steelers made no reference to dry needling in an update on Friday but that element was revealed in a post on X by his older brother JJ.
“Yesterday TJ had successful surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung suffered Wednesday after a dry needling treatment session at the facility,” said JJ Watt, who is a minority investor in Premier League side Burnley.
“Recovery timeline is still TBD [to be determined], but all went well and he is being released from the hospital today. He and his family are very appreciative of everyone’s kind words and well wishes.”
Charlie Quirke has raised over £177,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK after completing a five-day Trek for a Cure retracing his mother’s steps
Daniel Bird Assistant Celebrity and Entertainment Editor
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The actor raised over £177,000
Pauline Quirke’s son has raised over £177,000 after completing his charity trek for Alzheimer’s Research UK. Charlie Quirke crossed the finish line of his Trek For A Cure in Buckinghamshire on Friday, having undertaken the challenge after his mum was diagnosed with dementia in 2021.
Earlier this year, the 66-year-old actress, famous for her role as Sharon Theodopolopodous in the beloved BBC sitcom Birds Of A Feather, stepped back “from all professional and commercial duties”.
Over five days, Charlie retraced his mother’s journey through life, visiting meaningful locations including former schools, theatres, and the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts.
He expressed his gratitude: “I can’t thank people enough. The love from people all over the country has meant everything, from those who have joined me or messaged me or stopped me in the street to thank me for doing this.
“I’m blown away by how much we’ve raised for Alzheimer’s Research UK, and I just want to thank everyone for caring. We’ve done this to raise money to find a cure, and we’re so grateful to everyone who has got behind our family.”
Charlie began his journey in Chigwell, Essex – the setting of Birds Of A Feather – on December 8, with fellow cast members Linda Robson and Ray Winstone there to see him off.
His route then took him to West Ham United’s training ground at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, home to the family’s cherished football club. His journey wound through Greater London, Surrey and Berkshire, taking in former family residences, studios and other significant locations from his mother’s life.
Throughout the week, Charlie was accompanied by several well-known personalities, including actors Mathew Baynton and Perry Benson, whilst television presenter Lorraine Kelly walked alongside him for the concluding stretch.
Steve Sheen, Charlie’s father, explained: “This support for Alzheimer’s Research UK is not just for Pauline, it’s for everyone affected by dementia.
“If nothing changes, one in two will be directly affected by dementia, either by developing the condition themselves, caring for someone with it or both. We can’t continue to accept that.”
Jessica Taylor-Khan, director at Alzheimer’s Research UK, commented: “Charlie’s efforts have raised over £177,000 for dementia research so far, and this will make such a difference in our efforts to speed up progress towards a cure.
“Something we desperately need. On top of that, Charlie has raised much-needed awareness of dementia and given a voice to so many others who are experiencing the devastation of this condition.
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“These conversations will help drive the change we desperately need for everyone affected by dementia. We can’t thank Charlie enough for his support.”
Israel’s security cabinet has signed off on plans to formalise 19 illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, in a move Palestinian officials say deepens a decades-long project of land theft and demographic engineering.
Israeli media reported on Friday that the decision also revives two northern West Bank outposts dismantled during the 2005 “disengagement”.
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The Israeli press outlet Ynet claimed the plan “was coordinated with the US in advance”, while Channel 14 said the push came from far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – a settler himself and one of the most hardline figures in Israel’s governing coalition.
Settlement expansion, though illegal under international law, is widely accepted across Israel’s political spectrum.
Palestinian officials condemned the decision, warning that it accelerates Israel’s annexation drive.
Mu’ayyad Sha’ban of the Palestinian Authority’s Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission described it as another step towards erasing Palestinian geography, saying it underscored growing fears about the future of the territory.
‘Colonial spoils’
Hamas condemned the plan as a dramatic escalation. In a statement, the group said the move “constitutes a dangerous escalation in the annexation and Judaisation project” and reflects a government that “treats Palestinian land as colonial spoils and desperately seeks to entrench a settlement reality, ultimately aiming for complete control over the West Bank”.
Hamas urged the UN and human rights organisations to confront what it called Israel’s “unchecked colonial behaviour”.
The Palestinian National Council also denounced the decision. Its head, Rouhi Fattouh, said the move “constitutes a double violation of international law and a blatant breach of international legitimacy”. He added that the policy “represents a systematic expansion of a colonial structure … a de facto colonial authority” outlawed under global legal frameworks.
The approval comes as Israeli forces and settlers escalate violence across the West Bank, against the backdrop of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
According to the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), at least 232 Palestinians – including 52 children – have been killed by Israeli troops and settlers since the start of the year. OCHA has also recorded more than 1,700 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage, averaging five assaults per day across more than 270 communities.
Most attacks were clustered around Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron, areas long targeted by settlement expansion.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced this year in Area C, which makes up roughly 60 percent of the West Bank and remains under full Israeli military control.
Spanish authorities have detected four bird flu outbreaks among wild birds in the Madrid region after discovering hundreds of dead storks. Officials say no poultry farms are affected and there is no serious risk to humans amid a wider surge across Europe.
Amy Dowden has provided a candid update on her cancer journey live on Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4. The professional dancer appeared live on the show as she shared her heartbreak about motherhood.
The Strictly Come Dancing star said: “A cancer diagnosis changes you forever… I’ve been put into menopause… I don’t know if I’ll ever have the honour of becoming a mum which I desperately want to… Five weeks ago I have another mastectomy…
“I’m so grateful for another shot of live, to be able get back on the dance floor… I’m so grateful for my medical team, the doctors and nurses who have kept me alive. A cancer diagnosis changes you forever, I’m no longer the person I was and that’s not by choice.”
Amy shared the update on Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer ( Channel 4)
The Welsh dancer was diagnosed in 2023 and subsequently underwent chemotherapy and two mastectomies. Appearing on Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer, she said: “I still receive monthly injections on the oncology unit. I’ve been put into menopause because of my hormone-fed cancer.
It comes after King Charles III also gave an update. In his pre-recorded message, which he created just over a week ago in the morning room at Clarence House, he said: “Today I am able to share with you the good news that thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to ‘doctors’ orders’, my own schedule of cancer treatment can be reduced in the New Year.
“This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years; testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the fifty per cent of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.”
He went on to speak of his own experience of feeling overwhelmed when receiving a cancer diagnosis. However, Charles, who was wearing a Stand Up To Cancer lapel pin, used his address to stress the importance of early detection.
He said it’s ‘troubling’ people aren’t taking up cancer screening available to them. “Throughout my own cancer journey, I have been profoundly moved by what I can only call the ‘community of care’ that surrounds every cancer patient,” he said.
“The specialists, the nurses, researchers and volunteers who work tirelessly to save and improve lives. But I have also learned something that troubles me deeply – at least nine million people in our country are not up to date with the cancer screenings available to them. That is at least nine million opportunities for early diagnosis being missed.”
And the monarch added: “Yet too often, I am told, people avoid screening because they imagine it may be frightening, embarrassing or uncomfortable. If and when they do finally take up their invitation, they are glad they took part.
“A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the reassurance that comes for most people when they are either told they don’t need further tests, or, for some, are given the chance to enable early detection, with the life-saving intervention that can follow.”
Stand Up to Cancer on Channel 4, to check if you are eligible for NHS / PHA cancer screening, go to www.screeningchecker.co.uk’
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support.
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England women conceded a late goal to lose 2-1 to Belgium and continue their poor start to the Pro League.
This was England’s third match in this season’s competition and they took a 14th-minute lead with a goal from Darcy Bourne in the match played at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin.
But they could not hold on to their advantage.
Charlotte Englebert, on her 100th international appearance for Belgium, made it 1-1 in the 42nd minute, before Stephanie Vanden Borre struck a 59th-minute winner.
Belgium are top of the nine-nation competition with three wins out of three. England lost 3-0 to the same side on Tuesday and were then beaten 4-3 in a shootout by Ireland after their encounter had finished 1-1 on Thursday.
England’s next match is on Sunday with a second encounter against Ireland.
