The white Maxus Deliver with registration mark SG24 UXJ was stolen around 4.05pm on Tuesday, May 5, near to Guildiehaugh roundabout at the junction of Edinburgh Road.

Police officers in Bathgate are appealing for information following the theft of a van.

The white Maxus Deliver with registration mark SG24 UXJ was stolen around 4.05pm on Tuesday, May 5, near to Guildiehaugh roundabout at the junction of Edinburgh Road.

The van was recovered a short time later in Rowan Street, Blackburn.

READ MORE: West Lothian company achieves King’s Award for Enterprise

Constable Callum Jackson said: “The van travelled along Blackburn Road, Bathgate Road, Mosside Road, Mosside Drive, Beechwood Road, Catherine Terrace and Rowan Street.

“I would appeal to anyone has dash cam or private CCTV in those areas to get in touch, you may have captured something that can assist our enquiries.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 2178 of 5 May, 2026.

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On the day, 10 of Scotland’s best independent brewers were joined by a host of Scottish drink brands and street food vendors to offer up plenty of tasty treats for revellers.

Strathaven Beer Festival returned at the weekend, with punters being treated to a fabulous day of food, drink and music.

Despite almost two weeks of stunning weather, the forecast for the day was a “bit iffy”.

However, the predictions of perspiration couldn’t deter locals, as over 1100 punters popped out for a bank holiday weekend hooley.

Organiser Fraser Wilson told us: “Saturday was not only a great day for us as organisers, but also for Strathaven as a whole.

“If you choose to run outdoor events in Scotland, more often than not, the weather will play tricks on you, and that was the case on Saturday. The weather in the run up to the event had been great and Friday set-up even finished with pink skies at night.

“Yet, at 11.58am – just minutes before we opened the gates – it started to rain. Thankfully it was just a light shower that lasted for about 20 minutes, but we had a slightly heavier one around 3pm that lasted for 40 minutes.

“To their credit though, our punters were well-equipped to deal with any rain and were definitely in the mood to party, because hardly anyone headed for the hills.”

On the day, 10 of Scotland’s best independent brewers were joined by a host of Scottish drink brands and street food vendors to offer up plenty of tasty treats for revellers.

The day really kicked into gear when Underdog took to the stage for a fantastic set of singalong hits, before Connor Fyfe again packed out the main marquee with a superb singing session.

Willie Munro kept the crowd singing and dancing in the smaller tent, before Braumans brought the event home with a brilliant DJ set.

Fraser added: “There was such a fun, family atmosphere throughout the day, with plenty of entertainment for everyone.

“We even managed to raise a good amount for local charities thanks to the chilli eating challenge put on by Theo from Roasted. I was one of the participants trying to eat as many bowls of chilli as possible in a minute.

“I was nowhere close, but I’ll be heading along to Roasted soon for a bowl for my lunch as it was a tasty challenge.”

■ All pictures from the beer festival are by JSB Media Services.

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Frazer Barker, 19, from Washington, launched Technical Focus with help from the North East BIC to take his first steps into entrepreneurship.

The coaching business offers group and one-to-one football training for individuals aged six and above, and now supports more than 40 young people each week.

Frazer Barker has launched football coaching business Technical Focus (Image: Helen Smith Photography)

Mr Barker said: “It was quite daunting setting up on my own, but I’ve been blown away by the response it’s received.

“It started off with me delivering one group session a week but that has quickly grown to four, with up to 12 people in each.

“I am also delivering one-to-one training outside of the classes which is proving really popular.

Frazer Barker (Image: Helen Smith Photography)

“So much so, I am now working with two other coaches to help me cater for the demand.”

Before launching the business, Mr Barker worked for another coaching company but was inspired to go it alone.

He said: “Being only 19, I didn’t think I had anything to lose and thankfully it’s all worked out.”

Sessions currently take place at The Millenium Centre and The Hub in Washington, with prices starting from £15 per session.

Frazer Barker has launched football coaching business Technical Focus (Image: Helen Smith Photography)

In addition to running the business, Mr Barker plays Northern League football and aims to use his coaching to help young people stay active and build confidence.

He said: “I enjoy playing football and working with children so that was really what inspired me to get into coaching.

“I personally think playing football from an early age has shaped who I am today and given me the drive to do it.

“Football has a whole host of benefits, from improving your mental wellbeing to learning vital life skills and staying physically fit.

“Hopefully the work we are doing can help inspire more young people to get involved in the game.”

With no prior business experience, Mr Barker turned to the North East BIC for guidance.

He worked with business adviser Helen Wardropper, who helped him register the business with HMRC and is now supporting him as he explores funding opportunities for further growth.

He said: “Helen has been a huge help.

“Not only has she helped me register the business and make sure I’ve done everything right, but she also assisted me with my business plan and has helped me network and widen my business circles.

“I am still working with her now as I explore grant funding to help support the purchase of equipment and securing more venues to deliver sessions from.

“I can’t thank her enough for her support.”

Ms Wardropper praised his drive and determination.

She said: “Frazer is a remarkably motivated and driven young man, who has studied hard to qualify in his chosen career path and then used this, alongside his natural ability to work with young people, to set up a thriving business.

“The services he provides are invaluable and great for young people seeking to improve their football skills and also their confidence.

“I would like to wish him the very best and look forward to supporting him on his entrepreneurial journey as the business continues to go from strength-to-strength.”

Peter McIntyre, executive director of economy and place at Sunderland City Council, said: “We’re really proud to be directing funding into programmes like Enterprising Sunderland that help entrepreneurial talent to begin their business journey.

“SMEs are a critical part of our economy in Sunderland, and through support like this, we are seeing the city increasingly recognised as a great location to start-up and grow a business.”

Engineering works mean that buses will replace trains on some routes

Rail passengers travelling to Stansted Airport this weekend may have to take an alternative route as major engineering works are taking place. Services running to and from London Stansted will be impacted on May 9 and May 10.

During this time, there will be no direct services to or from London Liverpool Street, with passengers instead encouraged to travel to London via Cambridge and London King’s Cross. Buses have been scheduled to replace trains between Bishops Stortford and Waltham Cross, as well as between Hertford East and Waltham Cross.

Trains will still be operating between Cambridge/Stansted Airport and Bishops Stortford, as well as Waltham Cross and London. The service will only run half-hourly.

Passengers for the Stansted Express are being asked to travel via Cambridge and King’s Cross instead because of limited rail replacement. Tickets for the Stansted Express will be accepted on alternative routes.

Elsewhere on the network, buses will also be replacing trains between Thetford and Cambridge North as well as Bury St Edmunds and Peterborough. Trains will still be operating between Norwich and Thetford, Cambridge North and Stansted Airport, and Ipswich and Cambridge.

The Swifts fell short when losing 3-2 to Coleraine at the weekend

Rodney McAree insists his Dungannon Swifts team will be ready for the second bite at the cherry as they chase a return to Europe.

Having sampled continental action last summer after winning the Irish Cup, the Swifts fell short when losing this year’s final 3-2 to Coleraine at the weekend.

But despite that shattering disappointment, McAree says his tight-knit squad will respond in the right manner as they plot an alternative route back into the UEFA Conference League – starting tonight against Carrick Rangers.

When asked how the Swifts players will be able to pick themselves up after emptying the tank in a classic Cup final, the 51-year-old said: “You just have to do it. There’s no other way.

“You can respond one or two ways, and you either pick yourself up or you don’t.

“And I have complete faith in the changing room.

“Swifts changing-rooms, all over the years, have been extremely tight, barring maybe three or four years.

“We have a tight set of players within the dressing room, and I’ll back them to go and respond because we’re like family.

“We want to fight for each other, and we have to do that. We have no alternative.

“We can either turn up on the night or throw the towel in, but we have an opportunity of getting European football, and that starts on Wednesday night.

“We know that’s going to be a difficult game because Carrick finished the season very, very strongly.

“They’ve got good players also, but it’s another opportunity for us.

“We knew that finishing in the top six and being in the Irish Cup final, we were going to have at least two opportunities.

“So we’ve got to take the second one now.”

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At 14:15 local time on 8 April 2026, Israel launched a massive wave of strikes against Lebanon – just hours after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran to pause fighting in the Gulf region.

Israel said it struck 100 targets in 10 minutes, dashing hopes in Lebanon that the pause in fighting in Iran would end the violence there too.

The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah – the Lebanese militia and political party that is funded and armed by Iran – started on 2 March after the group fired rockets into Israel, which responded with widespread air strikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

Since then, more than 2,600 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, and roughly a fifth of the population displaced, the UN says.

The BBC’s Nawal Al-Maghafi has been piecing together what happened that day and meeting people who lost loved ones on one of the deadliest chapters in the country’s recent history.

Read more about this story here.

Vincent Kompany is sympathetic to Mikel Arteta’s ‘different worlds’ comment on the quality produced by Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, due to the intense schedule in England.

The Arsenal manager said the first leg of PSG vs Bayern in the Champions League semi-finals is ‘probably the best game’ he has ever seen.

The defending champions won the game 5-4, with the second leg to come in Munich on Wednesday night.

It was a thrilling spectacle, not just because of the goals, but because of the incredible quality on show from both teams.

Arsenal have now booked their place in the final to face either PSG or Bayern, with Arteta saying he is not surprised by the standard the teams produced, given the relatively light pressure on their players domestically compared to in England.

‘Bayern v PSG is probably the best game I have ever witnessed on the quality of two teams, and especially the individual quality that the players deliver,’ Arteta said last week.

‘I’ve never seen something like this. But when I look at the amount of minutes and the freshness of those players, then I’m not surprised. To deliver those moments of quality, you have to be very fresh and the difference in the leagues and the way they compete is night and day, and you just have to see a lot of stats that have been recently around it.

‘We are competing in two different worlds, so you cannot compare one part of that without giving any context to that. I don’t think it’s fair.’

Bayern boss Kompany had no intention of causing a row, understanding where Arteta was coming from with his point.

The Belgian spent 11 years at Manchester City and knows very well the demands placed on the players in England and the unsympathetic nature of pundits and fans.

‘I don’t want to comment too much, but obviously having been in the Premier League for many years, if I read between the lines, it’s basically a calendar discussion,’ Kompany said.

‘I don’t think it’s a criticism on PSG or Bayern Munich or anything like this. It’s that fact that you have 38 games to play, plus the League Cup, plus the FA Cup, you don’t really have a winter break.

‘Then every time someone has a bad game, you go, “well how come they have a bad game?” I think that’s the conversation these guys are having.

‘It’s not for me to jump in, but it’s legitimate. Obviously Jurgen Klopp, being German, how many times has he spoken about this? At that time I was in the league so I understand it. But it’s not my problem to solve at the moment.’

Arsenal secured their spot in the Budapest final with a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates on Tuesday night, completing a 2-1 aggregate victory.

‘An incredible night,’ said Arteta. ‘We made history again together and I cannot be more proud for everyone. The way that we were welcomed outside the stadium was special and unique. The atmosphere, our support has created the energy, the way they managed every ball with us, they made it special and unique, I never felt that in the stadium.

‘We knew how much it meant to everybody. The boys did an incredible job and after 20 years and a second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final.’

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