Scotland great Scott Hastings has died at the age of 61 after undergoing treatment for cancer.

One of the greatest Scottish players of all-time, Hastings won 65 caps for his country in the centres in the 1980s and 1990s, touring twice with the British and Irish Lions.

He featured regularly alongside his elder brother Gavin, and became a popular commentator and pundit for a range of television stations after concluding his playing career with Watsonians in 2000.

His passing on Sunday came on the birthday of his late wife, Jenny.

“Corey and Kerry-Anne Hastings are saddened to inform you that Scott, the Scotland and British & Irish Lions centre, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on the morning of Sunday 17 May,” a statement released by Scottish Rugby said.

“This also marked his late wife Jenny’s birthday, which speaks louder than words that he is safe and with his beloved Jenny. Scott was undergoing cancer treatment and, due to complications, deteriorated extremely quickly.

“Despite every effort by the incredible team at the Western General Hospital ICU, he passed away peacefully and pain-free. At this time, the family ask everyone to give them space to process and manage their energies and ask for their privacy to be respected.”

Hastings announced in 2022 that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and undergone chemotherapy.

Hugely respected within the game both during and after his playing career, Hastings featured 12 times for the Lions on the 1989 and 1993 tours, and also made 13 appearances for the Barbarians.

He remains the most-capped male centre for Scotland of all-time, and helped seal a grand slam with a totemic performance against England in the 1990 Five Nations.

Sir Ian McGeechan, former Scotland and Lions head coach, said: “My association with Scott and his brother Gavin was always special for me because we came into the Scotland set-up, myself as coach, and Scott and Gavin as players, at the same time. We came in together and we grew together.

“I remember Scott on the Lions tours taking an absolute lead. He was so single-minded and determined about winning.

“He was very much your right-hand man, given what he did on the field. I still remember the Grand Slam game against England in 1990. There was his Lions team-mate from the previous year, Jerry Guscott, in the England team, but Scott gave nothing away to him whatsoever.

“Whatever jersey Scott wore, he just made it better.”

Gregor Townsend, a former teammate and now Scotland head coach, added: “In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Scott was an iconic figure for Scottish rugby.

“His defensive display in the 1990 Grand Slam victory over England was crucial to that day’s success and he epitomised what it meant to play for Scotland – combining passion, confidence and aggression, whenever he wore the navy blue jersey.

“Like many other schoolboys throughout Scotland at the time, I wanted to emulate Scott’s approach to the game and how he took the game to the opposition.

“A few years later, I was fortunate to play alongside him on a number of occasions for Scotland, as he became our most-capped player.

“His influence on his team-mates was still very strong towards the end of his career as he helped us come very close to winning another Grand Slam game against England at Murrayfield in 1996.

“Scott always brought positivity and energy into everything he did from his playing career then into the past couple of decades as a widely travelled and respected commentator.

“His passing is a huge loss for Scottish rugby, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and close friends. Rest in peace, Scott.”

Emergency services were called to Redhill Road at 4.23pm today (Sunday, May 17), following reports of a road traffic collision involving a car and a teenager.

The teenager was taken by air ambulance to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for treatment.

The driver of the car was also taken to hospital by road ambulance.

North East Ambulance Service dispatched three ambulance crews, the air ambulance and a clinical team leader to the scene.

A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 4.23pm today (17 May) to a road traffic collision between a car and a teenager on Redhill Road in Stockton.

“We dispatched three ambulance crews, the air ambulance and a clinical team leader.

“The teenager was taken to RVI in Newcastle by the air ambulance and the driver of the car was taken to hospital by road.”

Jemma Warburton, of Briar Close, Spennymoor, was caught exceeding the 30 mph speed limit on Sunday, May 25, 2025.

She was driving a Volkswagen, on the C36 road, which is covered by a local traffic order restricting speed to 30 mph.

Police used manned equipment to record her speed above the limit.

Warburton received the disqualification, as well as four notional penalty points on her record.

Warburton was fined £293.

Court records also show she must pay £130 in costs and a £117 victim services surcharge, with all payments due by June 11.

Her guilty plea was taken into account.

Windsor is known instantly by most as home to one of the world’s oldest royal residences.

However. the picturesque Berkshire town has experienced a surge of a different kind of tourism.

Rather than hoping to get a glimpse of Changing of the Guard, keen cyclists are clamouring to the town to reel in a bargain cappuccino.

The Cinnamon Café has become something of a place of pilgrimage for two-wheeled travellers with its self-described ‘Lycra discount’.

The deal gives cyclists a 10 per cent discount on all food and drink, and plenty of London punters are now going out of their way to Windsor for the ‘Bun run’, the Telegraph reported.

But the sudden influx of middle-aged men or ‘mamils’ as they have become known in the town, has divided locals.

Hugh Nixon, 84, said the lycra discount had turned Windsor into a cycling hub, a particular nuisance for local drivers who can’t get past large bunches of riders.

Café owner Ian Jones said the scheme was designed to encourage less car use, given the shortage of parking in the Berkshire town.

He added that the deal was available to local residents as well as visitors, provided they come on two wheels.

The joint has even put out cycle racks so that punters can safely store their vehicles while they take a pit stop.

The capital is amidst a boom in cycling, with more than nine million Santander Cycle hire in the year up to October 2025, a four per cent rise on the same period the previous year, according to figures provided by contractor Serco.

Councils nationwide have invested heavily in cycle ‘superhighways’ in an effort to boost ridership and cut down car use and traffic in town centres.

But new legislation has also created new offences to tackle dangerous cycling.

Under the newly introduced law, causing death by dangerous cycling is now punishable by up to life imprisonment.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: King’s armed guards accused of falling asleep on the job

MORE: King left ‘shocked’ after soldier dies falling from horse at Royal Windsor Show

MORE: Kate and Wills are paying HOW much for their Forest Lodge home?

One of Scotland’s best and most loved rugby union players, Scott Hastings, has died at age 61.

Hastings, alongside his brother Gavin, was part of the last Scotland side to win a Grand Slam when they triumphed in the 1990 Five Nations.

In 2022 Hastings revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer, receiving treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which could not be cured.

A statement on Sunday from Hastings’ son Corey and daughter Kerry-Anne confirmed his death.

“We are saddened to inform you that Scott passed away peacefully surrounded by family on the morning of Sunday 17 May,” it said.

“This also marked his late wife Jenny’s birthday which speaks louder than words that he is safe and with his beloved Jenny.

“Scott was undergoing cancer treatment and due to complications deteriorated extremely quickly. Despite every effort by the incredible team at the Western General ICU, he passed away peacefully and pain free.

“At this time, the family ask everyone to give them space to process and manage their energies and ask for their privacy to be respected.

“More information will be shared in due course to celebrate Scott’s incredible life.”

While playing club rugby for Watsonians in his hometown of Edinburgh, Hastings earned 65 caps and toured twice with the British and Irish Lions in 1989 and 1993.

After ending his rugby career in 1999, Hastings became a well known rugby broadcaster, both as a commentator and pundit.

He was also known for his charity work in aid of mental health, motor neurone disease, and plenty of other causes.

Inducted into the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame last year, Hastings is considered as one of Scotland’s greatest rugby union players.

TECATE, Mexico (AP) — White sage burning, Norma Meza Calles gathers guests at a Mexican wellness resort into a semicircle facing Kuuchamaa Mountain and asks everyone to close their eyes and feel its presence.

“This is sacred to us like a church for you all. The mountain is our healer, our psychologist,” said Meza Calles, a Kumeyaay Nation tribal leader who explains that in its creation story a shaman transformed into the mountain. “Here is where we gather strength to live in this difficult world.”

Then she calls for a moment of reflection. But the silence is pierced by the crushing of rock. U.S. federal contractors have been blasting and bulldozing Kuuchamaa, which straddles both countries, to make way for new sections of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Indigenous leaders say that in the Trump administration’s rush to build border walls, contractors are desecrating Native American sacred places and cultural sites at an unprecedented pace, more than 170 years after the international boundary split the territories of dozens of tribes.

Federal crews set off blasts on sacred mountain

Barrier construction has ramped up along the 1,954-mile (3,145-kilometer) border even as illegal crossings have plummeted to historic lows. Much of it began this year after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security waived cultural and environmental laws.

In California, explosions on Kuuchamaa send rocks hurtling down its Mexico side.

“We feel that in our DNA,” said Emily Burgueno, a California member of the Kumeyaay Nation, adding that “body” and “land” are the same word in the Kumeyaay language. Some tribal leaders met with DHS officials to urge them to protect Kuuchamaa and are looking into legal action.

“No one ever consented or supported the use of dynamite on the mountain,” Burgueno said.

The nation consists of more than a dozen tribes in California and Mexico’s Baja California.

In Arizona, DHS contractors last month carved through a massive 1,000-year-old fish-shaped geoglyph called “Las Playas Intaglio.” The rare drawing, etched into the desert floor much like Peru’s Nazca Lines, was created on a lava field in what is now the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.

The Tohono O’odham Nation said it had pointed out the site on its ancestral land for contractors to avoid.

“This was a devastating and entirely avoidable loss,” Tohono O’odham Chairman Verlon Jose said in an April 30 statement. “There is nothing more important than our history, which is what makes us who we are as O’odham. The site was also an irreplaceable piece of the United States’ history, one none of us can ever get back.”

Members of the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona, which represents 21 tribes, traveled to Washington last month to lobby against a 20-foot (6-meter) secondary wall being built along that section of the border, as well as a primary 30-foot (9-meter) bollard wall planned on Tohono O’odham tribal lands. They met with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a Cherokee Nation member, who listened but made clear his intent is to build more border walls as fast as possible, the Tohono O’odham Nation said in a statement.

Hundreds of miles are under contract

The Trump administration says the barriers are necessary to keep people and drugs from entering the U.S. illegally. It wants walls to cover at least 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) of the border.

Trump’s “ big, beautiful bill ” devoted over $46 billion to the effort.

CBP has awarded contracts or begun construction on over 600 miles (966 kilometers) of new border wall, with companion surveillance technology. A double wall is planned or under construction along another 370 miles (596 kilometers).

Advertisement

Advertisement

He told BBC Sport: “While I think that it is commendable to see a referee stick with his original decision – for only the fourth time in the Premier League this season – I believe that football’s expectation is Mbeumo controlling the ball, especially when it leads to a goal, outweighs the possible deflection off Mbeumo’s hip.”

Criminal Record has brought together a round-up of today’s biggest crime stories.

Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.

If you love to read about crime in Scotland – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Sunday.

Kingpins who dubbed themselves ‘The Lambros’ face losing supercars

Two drug kingpins who dubbed themselves ‘The Lambros’ face losing their supercars as prosecutors target them under proceeds of crime laws.

David Stephen and Shaun Brown are behind bars after being caught masterminding a £12m cocaine importation ring.

They used their DX Home Improvements firm as a cover for their criminal enterprise, which saw them importing class A drugs and selling them on.

The firm appeared to be a thriving legitimate company and they managed to secure a deal as shirt sponsors for Scottish Premiership side Motherwell FC.

But they were actually pocketing a fortune in Crime profits and used the criminal cash to treat themselves to a number of luxury items.

As well as watches, properties and holidays, they splashed out on matching Lamborghinis and dubbed themselves The Lambros.

READ MORE: Kingpins who dubbed themselves ‘The Lambros’ face losing supercars under proceeds of crime

14 arrested after Celtic title victory as two officers seriously injured

Police arrested 14 people during Celtic title party chaos in Glasgow as officers called on the club to “be more accountable”.

Of the 14 arrests, 10 were related to Celtic fans gathering in the Trongate area following the match, while four were at the stadium itself. Police Scotland’s Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said two officers were injured during disorder in the Trongate, while three members of the public were either injured or suffered medical episodes.

Of the two injured officers one cop has suffered a “significant” facial injury and the other has been left severely bruised.

Sutherland said that so far, there have not been any arrests in relation to the pitch invasion at Celtic Park, but work on the police response to this is ongoing.

Celtic fans flocked to the Trongate to celebrate following their side’s 3-1 win against Hearts, which clinched the league title.

Two police officers were left seriously injured and three people were rushed to hospital.

READ MORE: 14 arrested after Celtic Trongate party as cops demand club ‘be more accountable’

‘Influencer’ unmasked as sex offender makes new social media account claiming to be journalist

A travel “influencer” unmasked as a sex offender has wiped his social media – with new accounts in his name claiming he is a journalist.

Curtis Heighes had more than 60,000 followers across his Curtis Unchained profiles.

But he placed a blackout on the accounts after being found guilty of preying on a disabled woman in her home in 2023.

The 25-year-old has now deleted his Facebook account bar one picture, while new Facebook and Instagram pages bearing his name and purporting to be a journalist have been set up.

The new pages contain AI generated images of a news reporter and copy and pasted stories from real news outlets in his hometown of Bearsden, Dunbartonshire.

A source said: “It is scary to think someone can effectively wipe one life and start another online.”

READ MORE: ‘Influencer’ unmasked as sex offender makes new social media account claiming to be journalist

Family of child rape victim fear attacker could be freed back into their community

The family of a child rape victim say they fear the attacker could be freed back to their community on release from prison this month.

Robert McGregor filmed himself raping three boys, aged three, six and 12, then shared the videos with other paedophiles online. The delivery driver from ­Inverness was jailed for 10 years in April 2017.

The family of one victim was notified by letter last week from the Scottish Prison Service, telling them that the 45-year-old is due to be released on May 29.

They are terrified of coming face to face with their son’s attacker as authorities would not confirm if McGregor will be allowed to return to their home town.

The mum said: “In November he was denied parole and the letter from the board stated he would be released in April 2027 so we thought we had a year. It turns out there was an error in the paperwork because they hadn’t taken into consideration his time on remand.”

READ MORE: Family of child rape victim fear attacker could be freed back into their community

Man arrested after early-hours ‘rape’ on Glasgow city centre lane

A man has been arrested after an alleged rape in the city centre of Glasgow.

Police were alerted to an alleged sex attack on West Regent Lane at 2am on Saturday, May 16. Police confirmed that a 22-year-old man has since been arrested in connection.

He has been released pending further inquiry. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

A police presence remains in the area.

READ MORE: Man arrested after early-hours Glasgow city centre ‘rape’ in lane

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

Riders Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco were taken to hospital after high-speed crashes at the Catalonia MotoGP.

The race was twice red-flagged after incidents before eventually being won by Fabio di Giannantonio in Barcelona.

The Italian Ducati rider was able to take the flag at the third attempt from Joan Mir and Fermin Aldeguer.

Two big crashes stopped the race, with Marquez involved in a nasty accident when he ran into the back of Pedro Acosta.

Acosta was leading the race on lap 12 of 24 ⁠when his bike ​suddenly ⁠lost power on the straight and ⁠the Spaniard desperately tried to warn ​the ⁠riders behind him.

However, ‌second-placed Marquez had no time to react, hitting the back of ‌the KTM before he ‌and his Ducati bike went towards the wall and then cartwheeled through the ⁠air.

Marquez was taken away in ‌an ambulance and was ​not involved in the ‌restart, with his team Gresini Racing saying he was conscious.

Di Giannatonio was hit by debris in the crash but was able to restart – and win.

Former Moto2 champion Johann Zarco was also taken to hospital after crashing out of the restart, which triggered a second red flag.

Zarco will have tests on his left leg after he became tangled up in his bike.

“Today has not been an easy day for everybody. I really hope that Alex is fine,” Di Giannantonio said.

“We’ve been really lucky. We know that our sport is amazing. We try to ⁠give an amazing show, but also we are humans and we are in danger. So I really ​hope that ⁠everybody is safe.”

Reigning champion Marc Marquez – Alex’s brother – missed the race after fracturing his foot in France last weekend.

Michael Carrick said he expects his future to be clarified in the next few days after he saw Bruno Fernandes equal the Premier League’s single-season assists record in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.

Fernandes set up Bryan Mbeumo for United’s third of the afternoon, his 20th league assist of the season matching Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s record, as they hung on for a win that sealed third place.

Carrick then addressed the Old Trafford crowd, saying he hoped there were many more big moments, to come at the end of a week when he is understood to have reached broad agreement on a deal to remain in charge.

After the match, the 44-year-old said: “Over the coming days there’ll be clarity in the situation. Today what was important was the game and getting the right result, and about some individuals as well.

“Whatever news there is going to be, I’m sure you’ll get it in a few days.”

Luke Shaw fired United ahead and although Morato levelled early in the second half, Matheus Cunha quickly restored United’s advantage with a controversial goal.

Fernandes then set up Mbeumo for a third which proved vital as Morgan Gibbs-White got Forest back into it.

“I think he’s dealt with it really well,” Carrick said of Fernandes’ pursuit of the record. “Watching from the sides you’re thinking ‘What’s going through his head? Is he looking for the pass? Is he looking to score? Is he second-guessing it?’.

“I think he coped with it fantastically well. It was a really nice moment for everybody and credit to him.”

United announced after the match that full-back Tyrell Malacia would leave the club in the summer after an injury-hit four-year spell.

During the match a supporter near the directors box held up a sign towards United’s minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, criticising his stance on immigration, before having it removed by security.

Forest had fumed over the decision to allow Cunha’s goal to stand. The ball clearly struck Mbeumo’s arm before falling to Cunha but after being sent to the monitor by VAR Matthew Donahue, Michael Salisbury stuck with his decision to allow the goal.

“I’m very proud of my players because we got the points before the last two games,” Vitor Pereira said. “If the game was decided in this way and we needed the points to be safe, it would be a big, big problem!”

Pereira said Salisbury told him “the control with the hand was after the touch on the body” but the Portuguese insisted: “In my opinion, he touched the ball with his hand and the goal comes from the control. If not, they would not have had the chance to shoot and score.

“This is the doubt we have in the Premier League at the moment about these decisions. We don’t know what is handball or not. (Set-pieces), we don’t know what is a free-kick or not.

“I think it’s important to have a meeting and try to understand the rules, the decisions. In this moment, all managers have doubts about these decisions.”

Following reports Forest could offer Pereira a contract extension after speculation regarding yet another coaching change Pereira, who has a year left on his deal, said: “We’re planning next season together.

“Of course this speculation is normal but I think we did good work together.”

PA