The popular hotspot near Inversnaid is facing the closure from the end of the month for vital safety and access changes ahead of the busy summer season.

A popular Stirlingshire beauty spot is set to close for up to three months ahead of the peak summer season for safety and access improvements.

The Falls of Falloch, north of Inversnaid, have become a regular stopping off point for visitors looking to enjoy a tranquil setting away from the hustle and bustle.

But an increase in visitor numbers at the site in recent years has led to an uptick in accidents and incidents at the falls, with officials from the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park (LLTNP) swinging into action to alleviate the issues.

The authority says that rise in tourist numbers has created a need refreshed paths, safer parking arrangements and improved access to better care for the surrounding woodland, riverside and waterfall environments.

A temporary closure of between 10 and 12 weeks has been put into place from March 30 to help with the necessary installations for the long-term health of the spot.

Stuart Mearns, Director of Place, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “Falls of Falloch is a place many people care deeply about and want to visit.

“It’s popularity has, over time, created a need for improvements to protect the site’s environment and ensure a safe visitor experience.

“As part of our Place Programme, this project delivers long-term infrastructure investment that strengthens the site’s resilience, improves visitor safety and access, and supports the recovery of surrounding habitats.

“These works are about ensuring a much-loved location can continue to welcome visitors while safeguarding the natural features that make it such an iconic part of the National Park.”

The investment project will introduce redesigned parking bays, including a dedicated turning area to reduce hazardous roadside manoeuvres near the A82.

It will also implement clearer and more durable walking routes, new protective barriers, updated signage and nature interpretation, and measures to support woodland ecology and habitat recovery will be delivered as part of the upgrade.

When the works are completed, motorhomes, caravans and vehicles over six metres in length will no longer be permitted on site as part of moves to reduce congestion in the area at busy points and safeguard the nearby environment.

During the closure, visitors are encouraged not to visit the Falls either on foot or in a vehicle and instead explore alternative nearby locations with parking, including Tarbet, Inveruglas and the Dalrigh car park in Tyndrum.

Mr Mearns continued: “While works are underway, we’re asking visitors to avoid the site and not to stop or park on clearways along the A82 at any time.

“Keeping the road clear reduces risk on what can be a very busy route and allows construction to progress smoothly.

“When the site reopens, these improvements – including new restrictions on motorhomes, caravans and vehicles over six metres – will play a key role in managing visitor pressures and supporting a healthier, better-functioning site for years to come.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Donna Smith, of the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “It is tragic whenever anyone is killed or seriously injured on our roads, and speeding remains a major factor, which is why our officers are totally committed to reducing that risk.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jay Allen is a fan of President Donald Trump, and voted for him on the belief that the Republican would cut taxes and trim regulations, helping his manufacturing business in northeast Arkansas.

But the tariffs at the core of Trump’s economic agenda have wreaked havoc on his company, Allen Engineering Corp., which makes industrial equipment used to install, finish and pave concrete. The import taxes have raised the costs of engines, steel, gearboxes and clutches made abroad that Allen needs to build power trowels that can sell for up to $100,000 each.

Allen’s experience embodies a growing body of evidence that the tariffs that Trump said would help American factories are, in fact, squashing many of them. The problem could get worse as the administration scrambles to craft new tariffs to replace the emergency import taxes that the Supreme Court ruled illegal in February.

Allen said he ran his company at a loss in 2025 because of tariffs. His payroll has fallen to 140 workers from a peak of 205. To get by this year, he has hiked prices by 8% to 10%, even though that might mean fewer sales.

“What’s really sad is the unintended consequences of his tariffs are hurting manufacturing in our country,” said Allen. “Unfortunately, the working-class people are getting squeezed.”

Manufacturing jobs have declined during Trump’s first year back

Trump’s core rationale for tariffs has been that they would force more factories to open in the U.S. and would generate enough revenue to close federal budget deficits. But that hasn’t materialized.

Factories continue to shed workers, with 98,000 manufacturing jobs lost during Trump’s first full 12 months back in the White House. American companies that foot the bill for tariffs are now suing the Trump administration for more than $130 billion in tariff refunds. Meanwhile, the federal deficit is projected to climb over the next decade.

The White House maintains that construction spending is high, more workers are being hired to build factories, new investments are being made and labor productivity in manufacturing is increasing — which could eventually fuel a factory revival.

“It takes time to get production online, and therefore it will be some more time before we fully materialize the benefits of the president’s policies,” Pierre Yared, the acting chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in an email.

Construction is up — but that’s due to Biden’s bill

Some of the bright spots in construction cited by the White House appear to be the result of programs launched by then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

Factory construction spending began to accelerate in 2022 with the anticipation of government support from Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act, which included big subsidies for computer chip plants. The law was a primary contributor to a historic surge in the annualized rate of construction spending on manufacturing facilities, said Skanda Amarnath, executive director of the economic policy group Employ America.

Construction spending on factories has slipped during Trump’s presidency, but the pace remains relatively high largely because of continuing work on Biden-era projects in Arizona, Texas and Idaho, Amarnath said.

Amarnath has also gone through the interviews regional Federal Reserve banks have held with businesses. Those comments show some companies might expand by taking advantage of Trump’s tax breaks on investments in equipment and new buildings.

But while the pharmaceutical drug sector might be expanding, the comments show no overall uptick in manufacturing because of Trump’s tariffs.

“You don’t get the sense that there is this new manufacturing renaissance underway,” Amarnath said.

Uncertainty in tariffs has deterred investments

Based on orders, proclamations and other statements, Trump has taken more than 50 actions on tariffs so far — and that tally doesn’t include the tariff threats he regularly makes on social media or in conversations with reporters but hasn’t formally put in place.

The flurry of announcements, reversals, exemptions and legal challenges — as well as Trump’s decision to bypass Congress to impose tariffs — has made it difficult for smaller manufacturing companies to plan.

For example, Allen Engineering imports its 75-horsepower diesel engines from Germany. Building them in the United States would require a $20 million investment — a huge risk if the status of the tariffs is unclear.

Are engine-makers “going to spend that kind of money to move production from Germany to the U.S. when they don’t know what the landscape is going to be in three years?” Allen said. “I don’t know who is going to be in the White House, and what the stance is going to be on these tariffs.”

Joseph Steinberg, an economist at the University of Toronto, said research shows that under the best-case scenario “it would take a decade for manufacturing employment to rise above where it was before tariffs were enacted.”

But Steinberg said “the current situation is nothing like the ‘best case,’” since U.S. trade policy is unsettled and that leaves companies reluctant to expand.

Equipment makers have been hit hard by rising steel costs

About 98% of U.S. manufacturing establishments have fewer than 200 workers, according to Census Bureau data, and don’t have the kind of name-brand recognition or lobbying heft to minimize the damage from tariffs that big players like Apple, General Motors and Ford possess.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers in February reported that America’s share of global manufacturing severely lags China’s. The group has urged tax credits to offset the expense of tariffs, and specifically called for tariff relief on raw materials, parts and components that cannot be acquired domestically at scale.

Steel tariffs have been a particular concern. Trump imposed them last March and hiked them to 50% in June. They were not affected by the Supreme Court decision.

Trump has credited the tariffs with restoring profits at American steel mills. But they have hurt companies that use that steel, like Calder Brothers in South Carolina, which makes equipment to pave asphalt.

“The steel tariffs were the first thing that got my attention,” said Glen Calder, the company’s president. “My steel pricing jumped 25% two weeks before the tariffs went into effect for domestic steel. The market price just jumped. It has stayed elevated.”

Meanwhile, China’s trade surplus has grown

Part of Trump’s push to expand manufacturing was to help American companies compete against China — a country he plans to visit this spring for talks with its leader, Xi Jinping.

But the U.S. manufacturing trade imbalance rose last year under Trump instead of narrowing. Meanwhile, China’s trade surplus with the world climbed to a record $1.2 trillion.

This trend exposes one of the big problems with Trump’s tariff strategy, said Lori Wallach, director of the Rethink Trade program at American Economic Liberties Project. She noted that he largely bypassed Congress and failed to address gaps in the World Trade Organization’s rules for the trade frameworks that he negotiated with other countries.

Instead of working with partners to ensure there were penalties for foreign manufacturers with abusive labor practices and unfair subsidies, Trump chose against rallying partners to counter China as a unified group. American manufacturers are at a disadvantage, Wallach argued, because there is not a coalition of nations that can impose penalties for currency manipulation, subsidies and schemes to evade tariffs.

“The general revulsion of this administration to international cooperation means they’re trying to do it alone,” Wallach said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s pick for Homeland Security secretary, appears before senators on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing and will face questions over his vision for a department tasked with carrying out the Republican administration’s push for mass deportations.

Mullin, an Oklahoma senator, has spent 13 years in Congress and has emerged as a close ally of the president’s. If confirmed, he would replace outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired earlier this month amid mounting criticism of her leadership of the Department of Homeland Security.

The hearing will be the first opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from Mullin about how he intends to run the third-largest department in the Cabinet. The sprawling department, with a workforce of roughly 260,000 employees, oversees a diverse mission set of responsibilities ranging from protecting the president from a bullet to helping states recover from disasters to deporting people in the country illegally.

Mullin is a former mixed martial arts fighter who ran a plumbing business in Oklahoma before running for Congress. He has in the past indicated support for immigration operations, and he’s expected to be a faithful ally for Trump’s agenda if he is confirmed for the top job at DHS.

“Whether it be protecting the homeland from bad actors, stopping dangerous drugs from flowing into American communities, or removing the worst-of-the-worst criminal illegal aliens, Senator Mullin will work tirelessly to implement the President’s agenda,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in an emailed statement Tuesday.

The president’s immigration agenda and how Mullin intends to execute on it is expected to be a key line of questioning as Democrats drill down into Mullin’s views. The hearing comes as the president’s mass deportations agenda is at a crossroads, and Mullin will face pressure to reach the president’s lofty deportation goals when the public mood has soured over the aggressive way immigration enforcement operations have been carried out.

Anger over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics has prompted Democrats to refuse to fund DHS until it makes a series of changes to its officers’ conduct.

In an opening statement released ahead of the hearing, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the ranking member on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the Democrats were asking for “straightforward” reforms in line with rules police departments follow. Peters underlined the challenges that Homeland Security is facing from threats from Iran to criminal hackers and said the department needed someone with a “steady hand.” But Peters said he had “reservations” about whether Mullin was ready to assume such a significant role.

As the latest partial government shutdown drags on, there have been long security lines at a growing number of U.S airports as security screeners go into another month without pay. Republicans have repeatedly charged that Democrats are risking the nation’s national security by blocking funding to the department.

Under Noem, intense enforcement operations were launched in places including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, where immigrants were rounded up in arrest sweeps and protesters clashed with federal officers.

Activists and politicians accused DHS officers of smashing car windows, roughing up bystanders who tried to record their activities and detaining immigrants in squalid conditions. The shooting deaths of two protesters — Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis — contributed to swelling criticism of Trump’s immigration agenda.

Homeland Security has said that its officers are responding with force only when necessary and have blamed activists and politicians, who they say are dialing up the rhetoric against their officers.

Mullin also will likely face questions about the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which is in the middle of a tumultuous reform process after Trump said he wanted to overhaul it, if not eliminate it.

Noem led a Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council that was set to recommend sweeping changes to how the federal government helps states, tribes and territories prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. The reforms had the potential to drastically reduce federal support for disasters and put more responsibility on local jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, under Noem’s leadership, all contracts above $100,000 had to wait for her approval. That led to long delays for states desperate for reimbursements for money they’d already spent on things like storm debris removal.

After two acting administrators left FEMA during Noem’s tenure, the agency is still without a permanent head.

Trump said he was making Noem a special envoy for a new security initiative that would focus on the Western Hemisphere. Noem thanked Trump for the appointment and touted her accomplishments as secretary, saying she made “historic accomplishments” at DHS to make America safe.

___

Associated Press writer Gabriela Aoun Angueira contributed.

In its ruling to award Morocco the title, Caf also “partially upheld” an appeal against an incident involving ball boys in the final, and reduced the Moroccan FA’s fine for the incident.

In torrential rain, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy regularly dried his gloves, but the ball boys repeatedly tried to discard his towel.

At one point Senegal reserve goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf was tackled to the ground by three ball boys and dragged around on the floor when he tried to intervene.

A fine for fans shining lasers at players on the pitch was also reduced by Caf.

Caf’s former head of disciplinary, Raymond Hack, questioned the decisions made by African football’s governing body and suggested there is a perception of “political interference” as “the president of the Moroccan Football Association [Fouzi Lekjaa] is the first vice-president of Caf”.

“The circus continues,” Hack told BBC World Service.

“A lot will depend on the referee’s written report, but the fact that the referee allowed the game to continue and they went into extra time gives the impression that he was satisfied that the game will continue.

“He is the only person who can call an end to the game. Not the authorities, not the governing bodies, only the referee.

“Otherwise you’re going to have situation worldwide where every time someone disagrees with a decision, they’re going to go on appeal or take it to court or something ridiculous like that.

“The game should be won on the field of play not in a boardroom.”

Hack, a lawyer and a member of Fifa’s disciplinary committee, said the Morocco players should have informed the referee they were playing under protest if they intended to challenge the result.

He also said it could take six months for Cas to rule on Senegal’s appeal.

Moroccan journalist Jalal Bounar told Newsday that Caf’s decision had been welcomed “with great excitement and joy across the country”.

“Morocco appealed the decision to the confederation of African football because they believed that Senegal had broken the rules during the match, and that’s why Moroccans went out to celebrate,” he said.

“If they give it to Senegal, it won’t be the end of the world. We will accept because we are satisfied that we reached the final.”

However, north African journalist Maher Mezahi said such a sentiment is not matched across the continent.

“It does seem like the rest of Africa feels outraged by this because it seems like, once again, the Confederation of African Football has almost disgraced the sport,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Mezahi cited Caf’s decision to ban Togo from two Africa Cup of Nations for quitting the 2010 competition following a gun attack on their team bus in Angola two days before the tournament.

Referring back to Caf’s decision on the 2025 final, he said: “They have, unfortunately, come up with a habit of releasing decisions like this – whether it’s the disciplinary committee or the appeals board – that eventually do get shot down at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but it makes the entire thing look very amateurish.”

From now on daytime will be longer than night-time

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Longer days have officially arrived. Depending on where you live in the UK, yesterday and today mark the Spring equilux, the precise moment when sunlight and darkness are evenly split at 12 hours apiece.

From this point onwards, daylight hours will exceed night-time hours, reports the Liverpool Echo, a much-anticipated development for millions following a prolonged and dreary winter. However, two significant calendar milestones in the coming days promise even brighter prospects. First, the Spring equinox arrives on Friday, March 20, signalling the beginning of astronomical spring. Then next Sunday (March 29), the clocks spring forward, delivering considerably longer and brighter evenings for everyone.

What is the Spring equilux?

Whilst most people are familiar with the Spring equinox, fewer understand the Spring equilux – arguably the occasion we ought to be marking. At the equinox, occurring this year on Friday, March 20, a measurement is recorded when the centre of the Sun aligns with Earth’s horizon and we experience 12 hours between sunrise and sunset, meaning day and night are equal lengths.

But the upper edge of the Sun actually becomes visible before that, initially at sunrise. And there remains illumination for a brief period even after the sun disappears from view, adding slightly more time to daylight hours. This means that the date when day and night are genuinely equal occurs prior to the equinox. For the northern half of the UK it was yesterday, March 17, while for the southern half it is today, March 18.

What is the Spring equinox?

The Spring equinox consistently falls between 19-21 March. This year, it’s set to occur on 20 March, precisely at 2.45pm. The event takes place simultaneously worldwide – however, in the northern hemisphere it signifies the commencement of Spring, whilst in the southern hemisphere it heralds the onset of Autumn.

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This date is dictated by the Earth’s axial tilt as it orbits the Sun. During the equinox, the tilt is neither towards nor away from the Sun, resulting in equal sunlight reaching both the northern and southern hemispheres (the term “equinox” originates from Latin, where ‘equi’ means “equal” and ‘nox’ translates to “night”).

When is the first day of Spring?

Many of us are likely accustomed to considering 1 March as the inaugural day of Spring, with March, April and May constituting the Spring months. This is also the perspective adopted by weather forecasters. However, this year’s Spring equinox on 20 March additionally marks the advent of astronomical Spring.

When do the clocks go forward in 2026?

For those who relish extended evenings, increased daylight and the general arrival of Spring and Summer, the date when the clocks spring forward is a significant occasion. In 2026, the clocks will advance at 1am on 29 March.

Following a winter that has seemed particularly lengthy and damp, this will be a much-anticipated day for millions. This shift also denotes the conclusion of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the start of British Summer Time (BST).

Whilst this will initially result in darker mornings for early risers, the trade-off will be evident later in the day as the evenings become noticeably brighter.

The group of Scouts from the region have been selected to head to the prestigious global event – and surprised climbers on a local slope with a special coffee spot..

Hillwalkers taking on a chilly early spring walk on a Stirling peak enjoyed a special treat on Sunday as a troop of local Scouts offered hot drinks at the summit.

The pop-up coffee shop is the first of several appearances being planned by the Scouts from Stirling and Dunblane over the coming months at Dumyat as part of their fundraising efforts to help with the costs of representing Stirlingshire at the World Scout Jamboree.

The Jamboree will see 50,000 Scouts from all over the world gather in the Polish city of Gdansk in July 2027, with the event representing the highlight of the calendar.

Fourteen Scouts from the region have come through the tough selection process to make the trip and a group of Scouts and helpers scaled the local peak to serve ramblers a selection of hot drinks, soft drinks, biscuits and cakes.

Seven further days are planned throughout the spring on various Sundays.

Paula Connar, unit leader for the central Scotland region said: “The World Jamboree is a fantastic experience in building confidence in young people and in building connections between Scotland and Scout groups all over the world so it will be a fantastic experience for these local young people.

“We do need your support to get there though, so please do look out for the group on future Sundays up Dumyat through the spring and treat yourself to a well-earned coffee and cake, and any donations to the GoFundMe will be hugely appreciated too.”

Thomas Pankhurst of Riverside, who is also doing ironing and odd jobs to support his fundraising, added: “I’m so excited to be representing Stirling and Trossachs at the World Jamboree.

“I’m most looking forward to meeting the other Scouts from all over the world, and swapping our Scottish neckies for ones from other countries.”

Anyone wanting to support the youngsters without scaling Dumyat can also donate to their GoFundMe atwsj2027.abct.net.

Wallace High student Oliver Taylor, who is also washing cars to support his fundraising, said: “I’m excited to meet new people, make new friends and to be part of something that doesn’t happen very often.

“I feel quite lucky to have been chosen to go.”

The car left North Brink and entered the River Nene

Cambridgeshire Police are searching for two people after a car left the road and entered the River Nene near Wisbech. The car was travelling southbound on North Brink, in Wisbech St Mary’s, at around 8.20pm on Tuesday, March 17, before it left the road.

The car contained five people aged between 16 and 18. Two were male and three were female.

Three people, two female and one male, are known to have got out of the vehicle. They have been taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn with non-life threatening injuries.

A male and a female have not been accounted for and police are continuing to search for them. North Brink is likely to be closed for the remainder of the day.

Police are now appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage of the incident. Anyone with information about the incident should use the reference incident 515 of 17 March and report it through the Cambridgeshire Police website. Anyone without access to the internet should call 101.

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If you’re struggling with your sleep and you can’t work out why, a sleep tracker might help. On its own, it won’t solve your problems, but it can show patterns and provide useful information for doctors as part of a diagnosis.

Basic sleep trackers collect data like sleep duration and time spent in each stage (light, deep and REM). More advanced models may track heart rate, stress levels and body temperature. Often, these stats are combined to calculate a sleep score and accompanying apps may suggest adjustments to your routine.

We’ve reviewed dozens of fitness trackers and accessories for their sleep tracking capabilities, but only eight made the cut here. Prices range from £100 for Amazon own-brands to over £2,500 for an Eight Sleep pod system. Remember to factor in running costs and rolling subscription fees.

The best sleep trackers of 2026: At a glance

How we test sleep trackers

Our experts test the trackers for at least two weeks. Some are purely for sleep, while others incorporate the technology as part of their broader offering. We score each tracker against the following criteria:

• Design and build: The tracker should look good and feel well-made. If it is wearable, we consider whether it feels comfortable over several hours of use and whether it’s sufficiently discreet to wear during the day.
• User experience: We navigate the app interface to make sure it offers insightful, personalised recommendations in a user-friendly fashion.
• Accuracy: Where possible, we try using multiple sleep trackers at the same time (or back to back) to see whether the results are consistent.
• Results: We consider whether the results align with how we perceive our own sleep quality. We award bonus points for trackers that help you to get better sleep as well as monitoring your current sleep.
• Value for money: We compare the upfront cost to similar models, factoring in any running costs or subscription fees.

How to choose the best sleep tracker

“Trackers generally fall into three categories: rings, smart watches, and bedside or under-mattress sensors,” says Kerry Davies, certified cognitive behavioural therapist for insomnia and founder of The Sleep Fixer. “Rings tend to be less obtrusive, so they’re popular with people who don’t like wearing a watch at night.”

A big consideration is the data that you would like to see. “For some people, a simple overview of sleep duration and consistency is enough,” Davies says, “while others enjoy exploring trends over time. Smart watches like Apple Watch or Fitbit offer broader health tracking but can feel bulky for some sleepers.”

“Price-wise, a sensible range is usually £100 to £300, depending on features,” Davies continues. “Some of the more premium devices also charge a monthly subscription.”

“Ultimately, the best sleep tracker is one that feels comfortable, doesn’t disrupt sleep and is used as a guide rather than a judgement tool. The data should support better sleep habits and not create pressure or perfectionism.”