£100,000 to control seagulls ahead of summit Funding of £100,000 will be given to councils to control seagulls ahead of a summit on Tuesday, the Scottish Government has announced. Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie will chair a summit in Inverness on Tuesday, bringing together council officials, NatureScot, waste management firms, community groups and others to discuss
Lucian Freud self-portrait could sell for up to £12 million A self-portrait by the British artist Lucian Freud is expected to sell for millions, with estimates ranging from £8 million to £12 million. The art and luxury auction house Christie’s will offer three major works in its 20th/21st Century: London Evening Sale on October 15,
Freeze alcohol duty in Budget, Reeves urged Rachel Reeves has been urged to freeze alcohol duty in her upcoming Budget. An open letter from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), UK Spirits Alliance, Welsh Whisky Association, English Whisky Guild and Drinks Ireland has pushed the Chancellor not to increase the rate of excise duty on alcohol
France recognises Palestinian statehood at UN meeting to revive peace efforts France has recognised Palestinian statehood at the start of a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanising support for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict. More nations are expected to follow, in defiance of Israel and the United States. French
Charities sever ties with Duchess of York after Epstein email Two charities have severed ties with Sarah, Duchess of York, after it was disclosed she sent a message to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein describing him as a “supreme friend”. A spokesman for the duchess previously said she apologised to Epstein in April 2011 for associating
Quarter say new archbishop of Canterbury should talk less politics – polling A quarter of people think the next archbishop of Canterbury should talk less about political topics and that it is unacceptable for someone in the role to speak about immigration and asylum, new polling has suggested. The Church of England’s most senior bishop
Fifth of adults think tea originates in UK, Fairtrade poll finds A fifth of British adults think the tea they drink originates in the UK, research for Fairtrade has found as the organisation calls on brands to be more transparent about where their products come from. The research, carried out by consultancy Kantar, suggests widespread
Members of Israeli government have ‘genocidal intent’, says UK minister Members of the Israeli government have “genocidal intent” in Gaza, a newly-appointed UK minister has said. Dr Zubir Ahmed – the MP for Glasgow South West – was appointed as a health minister in the Prime Minister’s re-shuffle brought about by the resignation of Angela
Call for plain packaging for vapes to reduce use by teenagers Vapes should be sold in plain packages to reduce their appeal to children, a new study suggests. But adults are still likely to buy e-cigarettes sold in plain packs, researchers found. Experts say that using plain packaging could reduce the number of children who
Georgia Hunter Bell takes silver and Keely Hodginson bronze in 800m final Georgia Hunter Bell pipped training partner and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson to an 800 metres silver medal by one one hundredth of a second on the final night of action at the World Athletics championships in Tokyo. The British duo were in gold