New help for abuse victims in Dumfries and Galloway

Lewis Capaldi has stunned fans after taking his kit off for a national billboard photoshoot to promote his new single.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has launched a new campaign urging people to get advice if they are worried about money or energy bills ahead of the cost of living crisis putting an extra squeeze on household budgets this autumn.

BBC Scotland is set to showcase an interesting two-part series which will reveal, for the first time, the untold story of a vicious gang war that tore through Glasgow housing estates in the early 1980s.

Outlander star Graham McTavish has signed up to celebrity personalised video site Cameo, and is charging an eye-watering £168.

Dumfries and Galloway is set to be hit by bin collectors strikes after unions rejected a new pay offer.

Queen Elizabeth will receive the new UK Prime Minster at her Balmoral estate. The 96-year-old monarch - who has been suffering with health issues and mobility difficulties in recent months - arrived at her Scottish residence last month but would typically have been expected to interrupt her 10-week annual summer holiday to return to either Buckingham Palace in London or Windsor Castle to officially accept Boris Johnson's resignation and to welcome either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak into office. However, a royal spokesperson has confirmed that, for the first time ever, the politicians will travel to Aberdeenshire for the official meetings.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor BMG has posted the best-ever half-year results in its 14-year history, with revenues up 25% year over year, according to an announcement from the Berlin-based music company and its parent, Bertelsmann. According to the report, revenue for the period that ended June 30 was up 25% to approximately $405.7 million and operating EBITDA increased 46% to $79.8 million. And even as the catalog market is cooling elsewhere due to high prices and interest rates, its spending on catalog acquisitions tripled over the same period last year as part of Bertelsmann’s Boost program. The company’s revenue for the half year was also diversified, with 60% from publishing, and 40% from recordings.

The Scottish Government is encouraging families to apply for a grant worth £267.65 which could help to cover the costs of a child in primary school and ease the pressure of the rising cost of living. The Best Start Grant School Age Payment provides a one-off lump sum of £267.65 to families who get Tax Credits and certain benefits with children born between March 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued a new phone scam warning concerning National Insurance (NI) numbers. It has been over a year since the last spate of scams involving NI numbers swept across the country, resulting in tens of thousands of incidents being reported to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, by June 2021.

Talks are to take place about forming an enterprise area around a Dumfries and Galloway port.

Nearly half of Tory voters want to renationalise energy firms to help the UK cope with the cost of living crisis, a new poll has found.

A Scots girl has been invited to fly to New York to meet singer-songwriter Jax after a video of her singing Victoria's Secret went viral.

Ofgem announced on Friday (August 26) that the energy price cap will rise to £3,539, resulting in an 80 per cent rise in bill costs.

Solar panels will be installed at Denny waste water treatment works by Scottish Water, if planning permission is granted.

Supermarket giant Asda is helping shoppers save some extra cash by officially rolling out their new loyalty scheme to every store across the country.

Make no mistake, the cost of living crisis is a national emergency on the scale of the pandemic. People are facing the worst fall in living standards since the war. Millions of people are already struggling and it’s going to get worse as summer turns to winter.

Labour is set to call for the energy price cap to be frozen at its current level of £1,971 as UK households struggle to pay their bills.

Gail Porter has been pictured re-enacting the moment she was hit in the face outside her home on Saturday night.The 51 year old was punched in the jaw as she attempted to stop two women scuffling outside her London flat. Gail said she was left “shaken” as she shared the update of her attack on social media afterwards on Saturday, telling followers: “Please remind me…when two women are fighting outside my home… don’t go out and try and make peace. “At home now with a punch to the jaw.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorJi.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival has revealed to Variety the projects that the participants of its 2022 Emerging Producers program are working on. The producers were asked to deliver an elevator pitch for their projects.Every year since 2010, the festival has selected 18 up-and-coming producers of documentary films (17 European and one representing a non-European guest country), which are then provided with educational, networking and promotional support.There are almost 200 alumni of the program, many of whom have gone on to win awards at major festivals.The 2023 participants will be announced by Ji.hlava during the Sarajevo Film Festival on Aug. 15.“All Roads” (working title)Producer: Charlotte Hailstone, Hailstone Films (U.K.)Director: Laura WadhaSynopsis: A decade after the war began, a Scottish/Syrian filmmaker tries to reconnect with her fractured Syrian family, scattered around the world. She embarks on a journey, exploring the breakdown in communication between loved ones she hasn’t seen since 2010, wondering to what extent this has actually been caused by the war.Pitch: Laura’s debut feature builds on her successful short documentaries, including Berlinale Crystal Bear-winning “Born in Damascus.” This intimate film shows the audience what happens long after the initial upheaval of war. A timely light shone on the lasting impact this trauma has on lives and relationships.