Scottish Labour calls for tax on booze sales to fund treatment services

While she is usually up bright and early to grace screens on her eponymous show every morning, viewers have noticed that Lorraine Kelly has recently been missing from the early show on Fridays. While many took to social media to complain about her absence, with some even suggesting it no longer air on a Friday, the presenter has now stepped in herself to give an explanation.

Taylor Swift appeared online this week.Deepfakes are created using artificial intelligence (AI) to make a photo or video of someone by manipulating their face or body.The images have appeared on sites including X/Twitter and Telegram and have been viewed millions of times. One such photo was reportedly seen by users 47million times before being taken down.X/Twitter said in a statement that it was “actively removing” the images and taking “appropriate actions” against accounts involved in spreading them [via BBC].It added: “We’re closely monitoring the situation to ensure that any further violations are immediately addressed, and the content is removed.”Now, numerous US politicians have pointed to the need for legislation to catch up with advancements in AI technology.

The final report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on its independent investigation into changes made to the State Pension age is expected to be published early this year. However, Labour MP Alistair Strathern, has asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if any recent assessment of the “potential merits of compensating women born in the 1950s affected by changes to State Pension age legislation” has been made.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The CEO of Paramount Global urged staffers at the entertainment conglomerate to focus on their 2024 business goals, even as a handful of industry heavy hitters and investment firms explore a potential acquisition of the company and speculation about looming layoffs intensifies. In a memo issued to employees Thursday and reviewed by Variety, Bob Bakish acknowledged that Paramount’s future “remains a topic of speculation,” a nod to the fact that a group of investors led by Skydance founder David Ellison have engaged in talks with Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone.

More than 7,800 new homes planned across Greater Manchester are set to receive a share of a £115m fund. The 92 developments across the city-region which have been selected for a slice of the government's Brownfield Housing Fund have been revealed.

A former Lockerbie publican is calling on the Scottish Government to do more to support the hospitality industry.

A Greater Manchester MP has called for an 'immediate' and 'sustainable' ceasefire in Gaza. Gorton MP Afzal Khan, who quit the Labour frontbench in November over the party's stance on the Middle East conflict, will present a petition to Parliament today (January 24).

ITV Love Island fans were left fuming after the latest instalment of the show and have called for one of the stars to be kicked out of the villa as he “doesn’t deserve to be there”. Fans of the All Stars series of the show saw Mitchel Taylor embark on his “messy Mitch” antics as he was engulfed in controversy among the other islanders.

perform just an instrumental version of ‘Rule Britannia’ at the Last Night Of The Proms after criticism over historic links with colonialism and slavery.A survey shortly after revealed that 55 per cent of people opposed the decision, and the song ended up being performed in its original version.Now, lauded cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason – who performed at Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle and was in 2016 the first black person to win the BBC Young Musician award – has shared his hope for the song to be banned at the Proms moving forwards.In an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Kanneh-Mason said that there was “so much wonderful music” that could be performed instead of ‘Rule Britannia’.“I think maybe some people don’t realise how uncomfortable a song like that can make a lot of people feel, even if it makes [the people singing it] feel good,” he said.“There is so much wonderful British music. The wealth of folk music from this country is astonishing,” he added.“There is so much that is worth celebrating and having as part of a big celebration at the end of a wonderful music festival.”In response, a BBC spokesperson said: “The Proms are built on longstanding traditions that were established by co-founder Sir Henry Wood, and which are loved by people around the world.“One of these traditions is the last night festivities.

A former Cabinet Secretary has said any decision to prosecute Nicola Sturgeon or her husband over SNP fraud claims should not be made by the Crown Office.

Dua Lipa has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and urged for world leaders to “take a stand” in a new interview.The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has continued into the new year, with over 24,000 people now having died on both sides, 23,469 of them Palestinian and 1,200 Israeli.Last year, Lipa joined the likes of Michael Stipe and Cate Blanchett in signing an open letter to President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire and “an end to the bombing of Gaza and the safe release of hostages”.Speaking to Rolling Stone about her upcoming new album, Lipa reaffirmed her stance on the conflict, saying: “My existence is kind of political, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left from the war,” she said. “I feel for people who have to leave their home.

Hundreds of university places for Scots students will be slashed as part of government budget cuts, an SNP minister has admitted.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief As Russia’s war in Ukraine approaches its second anniversary, leading Russian director Aleksey German Jr. (“House Arrest,” “Under Electric Clouds”), is currently giving “Air,” his state-funded WWII thriller, a commercial release in Russian cinemas. With ferocious action and cruel detail, “Air” has been called out for being a patriotic film.

A new online petition is calling for the UK Government to reform the State Pension system and link the payment rate to the National Living Wage. Petition creator Michael Thompson, also proposes making a ‘universal State Pension’ available to everyone over the age of 60, worth £549.12 each week - equivalent to 47 hours at the National Living Wage rate.

Turning 100 years old is a rare milestone that very few of us are lucky enough to achieve and to celebrate one resident reaching this fine old age, a care home in Greater Manchester is asking the public to help them mark the occasion, with 100 birthday cards for 100 years.

Lee Sun-kyun died at age 48. Lee starred as the father of a wealthy family in “Parasite,” which was the first non-English-language movie to win best picture in the Oscars’ 92-year history.

Eurovision Song Contest.Organisers of the contest faced backlash and boycott calls in December after allowing Israel to participate in 2024 competition – which is due to take place in Malmö, Sweden from May 7-11 – despite the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.Since Hamas forces launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, at least 22,835 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, amounting to one per cent of the territory’s total pre-war population of 2.27million (per CNN).The petition urges a ban over alleged “war crimes” in Gaza, adding that if Israel is not excluded, they want public broadcaster Yle to withdraw Finland’s entry.Yle said it is monitoring the position of the organiser of the contest, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).One of the petition’s authors, Lukas Korpelainen, told newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet (via BBC) that it was not acceptable for Israel to “take part in the Eurovision Song Contest to polish its image”.Others who have signed the petition include Finnish artists Olavi Uusivirta, Paleface and 2011 contestant Axel Ehnström.Signatories have accused Yle of double standards, noting that the broadcaster was among the first to demand a ban on Russia from the 2022 contest after its invasion of Ukraine, saying “we expect the same active defending of values from Yle now as well”.Russia was banned from competing in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, which was won by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra.Yle representative Ville Vilén said the situation in Israel and Gaza was “not quite the same”.“As gruesome as it is, it is not a war of inter-state aggression like between Russia and Ukraine,” he told Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.Yle’s head of communications, Jere Nurminen, told

South Korean arts and culture organizations, artists and filmmakers, including Bong Joon-ho, have joined together to call for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of actor Lee Sun-kyun. Lee, whose credits include Bong’s Oscar winning Parasite, died last month in an apparent suicide at the age of 48.

Simon Jordan has called for a change of Financial Fair Play rules that could impact Manchester United in the future.

More than 17,000 people have signed an online petition calling for income tax on the State Pension to be scrapped in order to help “reduce the tax burden on pensioners”. The ‘make State Pensions tax free’ petition has now met the 10,000 signature threshold which entitles it to a response from the UK Government.