John Swinney has said he would not resign if he wins next year’s Holyrood election but fails to secure an SNP majority. Delegates at the SNP conference backed the plan to base a renewed push for independence on winning an SNP majority at the next election. Soon after the proposals were approved, SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said the First Minister was “staking his premiership on independence” and would quit […]

Staffordshire Police say a 43-year-old woman from the Stafford area has been arrested on suspicion of murder after two children died in Stafford. Officers were called to a home on Corporation Street at about 07:30 on Sunday following a report from the West Midlands Ambulance Service. The two children were pronounced dead at the scene. Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. […]

Diane Keaton has died in California at the age of 79, a family spokesperson has said, asking for privacy while relatives grieve. Keaton rose to global prominence in the 1970s as Kay Adams in The Godfather films and through her collaborations with Woody Allen. She won an Oscar for Annie Hall and became closely associated with the film’s menswear-inspired look. Her other well known titles include The First Wives Club, […]

UK travellers visiting Spain, Portugal and Italy are being advised to expect longer border checks when the EU’s Entry Exit System (EES) comes into force. The system requires people from outside the Schengen area to have biometric details recorded, including fingerprints and a photo, to enter the 29-country zone. Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, said: "For major airports in southern Europe, we recommend that travellers now […]

A 17-year-old boy is in a critical condition after being shot in north London. Police were called to High Road, Arnos Grove, at 17:04 on Thursday. Paramedics treated him at the scene before he was taken to hospital, where he remains in a critical condition, the Metropolitan Police said on Saturday. Detective Sergeant Catherine Dempster is leading the inquiry. She said the community would be shocked and that officers are […]

Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre (GCRC) has warned that services could be forced to close without urgent additional funding from the government. The centre says demand for its support has risen every year since 2021, yet funding remains short-term and insecure. Last year the centre logged more than 40,000 contact points with survivors, up 42% on the previous year, and 3,100 women and girls received one-to-one support from trauma […]

Quaker, a 15-year-old horse from the Life Guards Squadron, was one of five horses spooked by rubble dropped through a plastic tunnel during an exercise in Belgravia on 24 April 2024. Footage of the incident circulated widely as the animals bolted through central London, colliding with vehicles including a double-decker bus and injuring several people. Ambulance crews treated four individuals at three locations within about 10 minutes. Quaker has undergone […]