Er… what’s a fancam?

Right. And Gordon Brown is in these?

Council officers decided the proposal conflicted with both national and local planning policies because the site lies within designated green belt land.

A proposal to build a small tourism development in the green belt near Braidwood has been refused.

The application, which was presented to councillors on today’s (May 12) planning committee, sought full planning permission for a rural tourism business on land east of Meadow Cottage, off Old Lanark Road near Carluke.

The development would include three glamping-style tourist pods, a lodge/caravan for staff accommodation, a workshop for bicycle repairs and maintenance and a stable block with two stables.

According to planning documents, the business was intended to offer cycling and equestrian tourism, allowing visitors to explore nearby countryside routes, bridleways and cycling networks.

However, council officers decided the proposal conflicted with both national and local planning policies because the site lies within designated green belt land.

Councillor Alex Allison (Clydesdale East), questioned the reasoning behind the refusal.

He said: “I’m a little bit concerned, we’ve had a number of these types of applications come through recently some of them have been refused because they don’t show a good enough business plan.

“We have one here who’s done something to try to improve the business plan, there’s a lot of businesses in the rural area. But the report suggests that it is so far away from Carluke that you’re going to need transport to get there, yet it’s supposedly still in the green belt. There’s a lot of contradictions here and yet again it’s another indication of when ideas do come up for the rural area, it’s very difficult, if not impossible to get a good application through and it really is concerning.

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“How are we supposed to develop businesses in the rural area for the people that stay there if we’re not allowing some of these things to go through?”

Council officials stated that every application is treated on individual merit. The site of this application does sit within the greenbelt and has to be assessed against the greenbelt policy, they said. Access to the site is poor and is a single track, therefore it does not comply with planning policies.

The report for the Planning Committee stated that while tourism and leisure uses can sometimes be acceptable within the green belt, applicants must demonstrate why such a location is essential.

Planners said the supporting information failed to justify why the business could not operate from a more suitable site outside the green belt.

The report noted: “A green belt location is not considered essential and, as such, the proposal could be located on an alternative site.”

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Officers also raised concerns that most visitors would likely rely on private cars due to the rural location, which they considered contrary to suitable planning principles.

The site itself is currently overgrown with vegetation and mature trees. Planning officers say the development would require substantial site clearance and would create an isolated cluster of buildings in an otherwise undeveloped area.

The report stated there are no nearby buildings with which the development could integrate, making it an “inappropriate form of dispersed development.”

Officers also said the application did not include sufficient information on expected visitor numbers, local tourism demand, or long term financial viability.

Consultation responses from council departments and agencies produced no objections from Roads and Transportation Services or Scottish Water.

READ MORE: Derelict East Kilbride church to be converted into social housing

No public objections were submitted during the consultation process.

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The charity treasurer tried to conceal her crimes by sharing false information about the accounts with committee members

A charity treasurer fraudulently took more than £26,000 in primary school funds and reported false accounts in a bid to hide her crimes. Stephanie Delaney, 38, became treasurer of a registered charity responsible for organising events and fundraising on behalf of St Helen’s Primary School, in Bluntisham, in September 2020.

It made her responsible for paying invoices for equipment hire and supplies for events and looking after the general finances. In June 2023, committee members noticed outgoing transactions from their account to Delaney’s and to a Somersham Carnival account.

Delaney had been treasurer since 2017 and following these concerns, the police were contacted. Investigations revealed that between February 2019 and January 2024, Delaney had made transactions and cash withdrawals from the Somersham Carnival Committee account and the Friends of St Helen’s Primary School (FOSH) account for her own personal use without the consent or approval of the committee.

She tried to conceal her crimes by sharing false information about the accounts with fellow committee members. In total, more than £26,000 from both organisations were taken. When questioned by police, she initially tried to claim she had become confused when transferring funds for various events between the charity accounts and her own.

However, she later pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by abuse of position and false accounting. Delaney, of Homestead, Somersham, Huntingdon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 24 months, at Huntingdon Law Courts on Thursday, May 7.

Detective Constable Rachel Brown, who investigated, said: “Delaney’s dishonesty and fraudulent actions are nothing short of shocking. To deprive local charities and committees out of funds designed to help their local communities, including children, is despicable.

“Fraud is a priority area for the force and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders before the courts.”

Sweet Magnolias is returning for season five but fans aren’t entirely happy with its newly released trailer.

Sweet Magnolias fans are threatening to abandon season five after it’s trailer dropped.

Netflix subscribers have been anticipating the return of the South Carolina-set drama for over a year, eagerly awaiting its much-hyped fifth instalment.

The streaming platform unveiled the Sweet Magnolias season five trailer on Thursday, 11 June, hinting at significant developments ahead.

However, what has particularly alarmed devotees is the apparent absence of Maddie (portrayed by JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and Bill Townsend’s (Chris Klein) son, Tyler (Carson Rowland).

The promotional footage contains no glimpses of Tyler alongside Annie (Anneliese Judge), despite the pair finally becoming a couple towards the conclusion of series four.

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This includes the brand new UK drama Unchosen, starring Asa Butterfield and Christopher Eccleston.

In YouTube’s comments section, one viewer questioned, “Is Ty not there this season?” prompting another to respond, “Ty better be in this season, or else I’m not watching.”

A third declared: “Finally it’s coming back! Just hoping Ty is still in the season since Carson isn’t anywhere in this trailer.”

Another commented: “This is cool and all you know.. but where is Tyler I need to see Tyler and Annie.”

One devoted fan wrote: “Love this show, but where are Ty and Annie??!!!

“We’ve waited so long for them to get together, and having them break up after like two episodes. Give us TY and ANNIE!”

While Tyler is notably missing from the footage, Annie does make a fleeting appearance in the season five trailer.

She is shown both alongside her father and subsequently receiving support from friends in the kitchen.

This is likely connected to Annie’s imminent departure to the Monterey Institute for the Arts in California to pursue her photography career, as established in season four.

During the season four finale, Ty revealed he was set to embark on a European music tour shortly after he and Annie became a couple.

Annie had originally planned to accompany him, but ultimately chose to focus on her own career aspirations, leading the devoted pair to part ways.

Sweet Magnolias season five premieres on Thursday, June 11, on Netflix.

With his premiership imploding, Boris Johnson famously observed that: “As we’ve seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful – and when the herd moves, it moves.”

The words will already be familiar to Sir Keir Starmer, who, in 2022, in a series of superb performances as leader of the opposition, did so much to bring down the then prime minister.

Now, he is finding out first hand something of what Mr Johnson experienced: being under constant attack from his own MPs, many of whom owe their parliamentary seats to his general election victory, and being ground down by a series of ministerial resignations that reach a crescendo when some of his most senior colleagues quit in protest.

Certainly, the Labour “herd” has been moving – with far less justification – and in a manner reminiscent of what eventually secured Mr Johnson’s downfall. Indeed, a similar exercise in what might be termed incremental regicide ensured Tony Blair’s exit in 2007, although he was adept enough to avoid an ugly denouement.

Sir Keir is proving more stubborn in office than either of those forebears. That he should also fall victim to a political assassination is not inevitable – in a rearguard action, more than 100 backbenchers have pledged their loyalty to him. However, pressure is noisily building, and the discontent is real.

The prime minister pulled a surprising tactic by saying he wasn’t going to go just as cabinet was sitting down. In effect, he ambushed them – and his hijack of the initiative is what pushed them into acquiescence. It gives him breathing space, albeit for who knows how long?

There is no point in denying it. More than 81 MPs have now called for him to go, the number needed to trigger a leadership contest if they were to rally behind a single candidate, which has not yet happened. Some favour Wes Streeting, the health secretary and reputed leading replacement candidate who, in the words of The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul, would bring “fluency, clarity and humour to the serious business of government”, but who is also “sometimes described as smug, too smooth, too young (he is 43) and too pleased with himself”.

For all his support on Labour’s soft left, Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, lacks the necessary Westminster seat from which to launch a leadership campaign, and – following his party’s washout in last week’s local elections – would face an enormous challenge were he to mount a bid in a by-election.

Angela Rayner, having urged Sir Keir to move harder to the left to stay in office, has made clear she is prepared to run if the role becomes available. Meanwhile, Shabana Mahmood’s spokesperson has confirmed that the home secretary, who was among a number of ministers calling for Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his resignation, now wants to get on with her own job rather than make a bid for the prime minister’s.

Which means that all that the public denunciations, the frustrated letters of resignation and the multifarious grievances aired on social media have achieved so far is to make Labour look unworthy of holding power.

First, fundamentally, they have merely demonstrated that while there is a great deal of disappointment internally with Sir Keir, it is still not substantial enough to oust him. Collectively, they don’t know who they want to replace him. As the prime minister forcefully reminded his colleagues around the cabinet table, there is no party mechanism for facilitating a vote of no confidence in the occupant of No 10. Sir Keir has said he will fight anyone who dares challenge him.

The second unfortunate feature the Labour Party has chosen to flout in front of a dismayed public is how utterly divided it is, and how confused are the various personalities now seeking to supplant an elected prime minister.

Third, if they did ever manage to seize power on the back of the votes of about 300,000 unrepresentative Labour Party members, the chances are that one of the soft-left candidates would win, and the bond markets would panic – with good reason. The cost of UK borrowing is already starting to spike higher in anticipation and, as Sir Keir keeps trying to warn his comrades, that is now damaging hard-pressed businesses and households, as well as adding to the interest burden – about £100bn a year – on the national debt.

None of the likely alternatives to Sir Keir has a convincing alternative strategy for government, and those on the left would implement policies sharply different to the 2024 manifesto on which they were entrusted with government. The sense of betrayal among the public if they tried to steer the party towards heavier taxes, more costly regulation and higher borrowing would keep Labour out of power for years, if not decades.

Harking back to Mr Johnson’s valedictory address, the outgoing prime minister added, perhaps not entirely sincerely, that: “No one is remotely indispensable, and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times.” As it turned out, Britain got Liz Truss.

Quite apart from her disastrous dash-for-growth mini-Budget – another pertinent warning from history – her elevation to her party leadership, by about 140,000 out-of-touch reactionary Tory activists, only added to their problems and deepened their unpopularity. Changing leader didn’t work, and when Rishi Sunak arrived, the position was irrecoverable.

Labour would do well to avoid unleashing similar demons and making parallel mistakes, and not least because they promised to abolish such silly psychodramas. They should instead get on with governing and supporting their prime minister, as boring as it, and Sir Keir, can sometimes be.

Spotify has acknowledged the problems in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter

Thousands of Spotify users have reported issues with the music streaming platform this evening, with many saying they are unable to use the app or stream music.

Outage tracking website Downdetector showed more than 10,000 reports from users experiencing problems, with the majority linked to the Spotify app itself. Others reported issues with audio streaming and server connections.

Frustrated users took to social media and online forums to share their experiences as the disruption appeared to affect people across multiple devices.

One Reddit user said: “Yeah I guess, the server is really slow – the playlists in the app don’t load and the website is unreachable.”

Spotify later acknowledged the problems in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The company said: “We’re aware of some issues right now with the app and are checking them out!”

The disruption was not limited to the UK, with users in the United States also reporting widespread problems.

According to Downdetector, more than 15,000 outage reports were logged in the US within a short period of time. Data from the site suggested that 54% of complaints were related to the Spotify app, while others involved streaming and server connection failures.

It remains unclear what caused the outage or when normal service will be fully restored.

Greater Manchester Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of a bladed article and possession of class B drugs. Police say an officer was also assaulted when they attended the scene.

Police rushed to the scene near a sports centre in Manchester this afternoon after reports emerged of a man ‘brandishing a knife’.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that a man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of a bladed article and possession of class B drugs. The force also revealed that an officer was attacked when police arrived at the scene.

A significant police presence remains outside Denmark Road Sports Centre this evening, with both Denmark Road and nearby Cecil Street cordoned off.

Greater Manchester Police stated: “At around 4.55pm we were called to reports of a man brandishing a knife on Demark Road in Manchester. Police attended the scene [and] an officer was assaulted.

“A man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, possession of a bladed article and possession of class B drugs. He remains in custody for questioning.”, reports the Mirror.

Eyewitness Simon Bailey told the Manchester Evening News: “The injured officer was pulled away and got treated. There were about 30 officers there and they cordoned off the road.”

Photographs from the scene show no fewer than eight squad cars in attendance. Members of the public are urged to steer clear of the area, while motorists are advised to seek alternative routes where possible.

Southampton and Middlesbrough play the second leg of their play-off semi-final tonight amid the ‘Spygate’ scandal which has surrounded the tie

Southampton and Middlesbrough meet in the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final tonight, but much of the build-up has been dominated by a major ‘Spygate’ controversy.

Saints have been charged by the EFL following allegations that someone connected to the club filmed a private Middlesbrough training session ahead of Saturday’s first leg at the Riverside Stadium, which ended 0-0.

Now, with a place at Wembley against Hull City on the line, there are growing questions over what exactly happened, what punishment Southampton could face and whether the south coast side could even be thrown out of the play-offs.

Here is everything we know so far.

What are Southampton accused of?

Middlesbrough lodged an official complaint with the EFL after alleging that a person connected to Southampton carried out unauthorised filming of one of their private training sessions before the first leg.

The EFL subsequently charged Southampton with alleged breaches of regulations relating to observing another club’s training sessions and acting in “good faith”.

An EFL statement read: “Southampton have been charged with a breach of EFL regulations, and the matter will be referred to an Independent Disciplinary Commission.”

What punishment could Southampton face?

The big question is whether Southampton could actually be expelled from the Championship play-offs.

Reports claim Middlesbrough are pushing for a sporting punishment rather than a financial penalty, with comparisons being made to the infamous Marcelo Bielsa ‘Spygate’ incident at Leeds United in 2019.

Back then, Leeds were fined £200,000 after Bielsa admitted sending a staff member to spy on Derby County training sessions.

However, Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg believes a fine alone would not be enough.

He said: “I know Bielsa paid £200,000, but that was not the law then. I think a lot of clubs will pay that amount to try to get an advantage by seeing you in the two sessions before a game.

“If it’s a game of this magnitude, clubs would pay that, but it’s not legal, so they should not do it.”

Because the matter has been referred to an Independent Disciplinary Commission, the panel would have the power to impose sporting sanctions if Southampton are found guilty.

That could theoretically include points deductions, expulsion from the play-offs or Middlesbrough being reinstated even if they lose tonight’s second leg.

According to reports, Boro are planning to continue training even if they are knocked out because they could yet replace Southampton in the final should sanctions follow.

What have Middlesbrough said?

Hellberg has been outspoken throughout the controversy and accused Southampton of trying to “cheat”.

He said: “We have watched every Southampton game there is, trying to find different solutions to beat them, how they press, how they build up, working hard with that.

“Putting every hour of the day to try to do what you should do, to get the advantage to win in the right way.

“But if someone makes decisions to go and try to cheat, that’s clear and it will be interesting to see what happens with that.”

The Middlesbrough head coach added: “Who will get the fine? Should they just pay it to the EFL? So, they see everything we do, and that’s OK? I just think it’s weird.”

What have Southampton said?

Southampton have largely remained tight-lipped throughout the saga.

The club initially released a short statement saying they would be “fully cooperating with the league throughout this process”.

But on the morning of the second leg, Saints CEO Phil Parsons issued a fresh statement.

He said: “The club is fully cooperating with the EFL and the Disciplinary Commission, whilst also undertaking an internal review to ensure that all facts and context are properly understood.

“We understand the discussion and speculation that has followed over recent days, but we also believe it is important that the full context is established before conclusions are drawn.”

Parsons also urged supporters to get behind the team ahead of tonight’s decisive clash at St Mary’s.

Other clubs raise suspicion

Part of the intrigue comes from the timing and the stakes involved.

A place in the Premier League — and the huge financial rewards that come with it — is on the line.

The allegations also emerged against the backdrop of Southampton’s remarkable 19-match unbeaten run which propelled them into the top six.

According to The Guardian, other clubs are understood to have contacted Middlesbrough to voice suspicions that Southampton may have observed training sessions previously.

Meanwhile, Southampton boss Tonda Eckert has repeatedly refused to discuss the allegations publicly.

After Saturday’s first leg, the German coach walked out of his press conference after repeatedly referring journalists back to the club’s official statement.

What happens next?

The second leg goes ahead as planned tonight at St Mary’s, with the tie level at 0-0.

But regardless of the result, the EFL investigation will continue.

Any disciplinary hearing is not expected to take place until after the semi-final, leaving only 11 days before the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

That means the outcome on the pitch tonight may not necessarily be the final chapter in one of the most explosive Championship controversies in recent years.

Following his conviction, Detective Constable Lewis Whitlock, from Scotland Yard, said: “Our investigation left us with no doubt that Ram intended to kill those he targeted, and we are pleased the jury has reached the same verdict based on the evidence we presented at court.