The application, from Modern Housing, proposes 23 flats which would be built at a currently vacant site off Holytown Road. This housing development also includes 28 parking spaces.

North Lanarkshire Council has received a planning application seeking approval for new housing association flats in Holytown.

The application, from Modern Housing, proposes 23 flats which would be built at a currently vacant site off Holytown Road. This housing development also includes 28 parking spaces.

Supporting information from the applicant explains that the brownfield site used to be the location of a row of cottages but these were demolished in 2010, leaving the land vacant, becoming overgrown and unattractive.

According to this statement the area is also associated with antisocial behaviour including unauthorised gatherings and fly tipping, and the community wants to see the land brought back into productive use.

The 23 affordable homes would be a mixture of one and two bedroom properties in line with local housing demand, and the residents would enjoy excellent access to various local amenities including shops, schools and health facilities within easy walking distance as well as very good public transport by bus and rail.

For further information on this application or to leave comment for consideration, visit North Lanarkshire Council’s website and search for planning reference 26/00881/FUL.

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LIV Golf has announced the cancellation of its Michigan team championship event, with the season ending early as the team title will now be decided at LIV Golf Indianapolis this week

LIV Golf has announced it is bringing its season to a close a week ahead of schedule, confirming on Monday that the planned team championship in Michigan will not go ahead. Instead, the team title will be decided this week at a venue 20 miles north of Indianapolis.

This year’s 12-event schedule – reduced after New Orleans was previously postponed – represents the smallest calendar LIV Golf has seen since its launch in 2022, backed by substantial Saudi Arabian funding, when it featured just eight tournaments.

Jon Rahm has already secured the individual season title for the third consecutive year. LIV Golf Indianapolis, which gets under way on Thursday at The Club at Chatham Hills, will determine the second and third-placed players, as well as the top team.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has been the financial backbone of the rival league from its inception, decided in March that this would be its final year of funding. Earlier this month, LIV Golf announced it had reached an agreement with a lead investor to sustain a new version of the league from 2027.

LIV CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement: “By concluding the season now, we can put our full resources behind what comes next and maintain the operational rigor this transition demands,”.

He added: “We are reimagining LIV Golf as a fundamentally new league owned by the players and anchored in a sustainable business model, with an evolved fan experience built for the markets where the game is growing fastest across the globe and the support of world-class partners.”

The scrapping of LIV Golf Michigan came as little surprise. Reports had been circulating in recent weeks that the tournament had not even begun preparations for grandstands and other facilities.

LIV Golf confirmed that ticket holders would receive full refunds.

In a further belt-tightening measure, which LIV attributed to “unavoidable changes in the entertainment program,” the league informed Thomas Rhett and Disco Lines that their live performances would no longer be going ahead at LIV Golf Indianapolis.

The final event, boasting a $20 million purse that pays out $4 million to the winner, could represent the last significant payday for LIV and its 57 players. LIV declined to name the lead investor, disclose the size of the cash injection, or clarify whether it constituted an investment or a loan.

O’Neil has indicated that the LIV 2.0 version, planned for 2027 and beyond, would see players become equity owners. He described it as a “second bite at the apple” – equity rather than cash.

However, this likely signals the end of $20 million purses for individual events, with cutbacks already under way. Rahm earned $6 million for clinching the points title, a stark drop from the $18 million paid out in each of the previous two years.

“As we concentrate on finishing the season strong and building the next chapter of LIV Golf, we’ll carry the energy and enthusiasm our fans have shown us into what comes next,” O’Neil said.

The structure for the 2027 campaign and the squad compositions also remain up in the air. What’s yet to be decided is whether Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau – the two most prominent figures – along with other players who signed up to the league for its eye-watering prize purses will fancy sticking around for LIV 2.0.

Regarding the concluding tournament, Joaquin Niemann, Lucas Herbert and Tyrrell Hatton are battling it out for third spot, which comes with a $1 million bonus. DeChambeau sits comfortably in second, earning $3 million.

Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces outfit holds a slender advantage over Australia-based Ripper, while Rahm’s Legion XIII, which includes Belfast golfer Tom McKibbin, and Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers squad are all vying for the team championship.

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Witnesses reportedly heard strange sounds from the aircraft before it went down

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Three people have perished in a horror helicopter crash in Greece, according to local reports.

The crash, which unfolded on the Greek island of Sifnos at around 6pm local time (4pm UK time) on Monday (August 17), saw the helicopter erupt into a giant fireball.

Local news reports a British couple visiting the island on their honeymoon are among the three dead. The third is reportedly an experienced military pilot and dad-of-three.

After the flames were extinguished, the bodies of all three people were sadly pulled from the wreckage, The Mirror reports.

The crash occurred near to homes in the Tholos neighbourhood. The fire department said the bodies of three people were recovered once the flames have been put out.

The helicopter, operated by Bellavia Aviation Services, crashed just before it was due to land at Sifnos heliport. Witnesses claimed they heard a strange noise as the aircraft approached, Proto Thema reported.

A photograph taken of the crash in the aftermath showed plumed of thick black smoke billowing from a fireball at the site.

A ship was hit by a projectile early Tuesday as it was sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the attack highlights the ongoing danger of attempting to transit the waterway as Iran continues to throttle shipping traffic, even as it finalizes negotiations with Oman on a plan to manage the critical passage.

Here’s a look at the latest developments Monday in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Ship hit on way through Strait of Hormuz

An unidentified projectile damaged the engine room of a ship and “resulted in a crew casualty” early Tuesday morning as the vessel was trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, the UKMTO said, citing a report from the company’s security office.

The maritime monitoring agency did not release any details about the ship or its cargo, and it was not clear whether the crew member was killed in the attack or wounded. It said the Omani Coast Guard was assisting other crew members and that authorities were investigating.

There has been growing concern about oil spilling into the Persian Gulf and other area waters from vessels damaged as they have attempted to transit the strait, but the UKMTO said no environmental damage had been reported in the latest attack.

Iran effectively closed the strait — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the war — after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on Feb. 28.

The U.S. also is currently blockading all Iranian shipping traffic through the strait.

With negotiations between the U.S. and Iran stalled, Iran has been holding separate talks with Oman on a plan to manage ships transiting the strait, and said Monday it was in the process of finalizing details for a joint statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump reacted angrily, reportedly threatening to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst in a telephone interview that the U.S. would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way.”

Turkey urges Trump to seek diplomatic solution to war

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone call to continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Iran.

The call between the two presidents came late Monday as the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the United States and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were at the start.

Shares in the former high street giant, which now operates as an international franchise business, fell by 17% to 0.75p on Friday, after it revealed a sharp drop in revenues and ongoing financial pressures.

The latest annual accounts showed that the company would “have insufficient cash” at certain time periods if “trading conditions were to deteriorate” or it was unable to improve its cost and cash management sufficiently.

Auditors concluded there is “is a material uncertainty that casts significant doubt that the group will be able to operate as a going concern” without new funds, the accounts revealed.

UK High Street shops that no longer exist

Mothercare reported a 42% fall in revenue to £22.4 million for the year to March 28, compared with a year earlier.

This was driven by a steep decline in global sales from its international franchise partners, largely due to conflict in the Middle East.

Sales also suffered from the termination of its exclusive distribution agreement with Boots at the end of 2025.

The company posted a pre-tax loss of £4.3 million for the year, compared to an £11.9 million profit the previous year.

Net debt also rose to £6.4 million, up from £4.5 million.

Why are so many UK pubs closing?

Mothercare closed its final 79 UK stores in 2020, bringing an end to its 59-year presence on the high street.

Since then, the brand has focused on its international franchise model and supplying products to other retailers.

UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026

While Mothercare hasn’t announced that it has entered either administration or liquidation, it has been a tough year for the UK high street, with several other retailers entering administration or liquidation and others announcing widespread store closures.

Major high street brands LK Bennett, Claire’s and Quiz have been forced to close all their remaining stores after falling into administration.

UK fashion retailer Leading Labels is also set to close its remaining 15 stores after falling into liquidation.

Read more:

Whitbread recently confirmed it will be closing all its UK restaurants in September:

• Brewers Fayre (89 locations) – September 7
• Beefeater (106) – September 10
• Bar + Block – September 3
• Table Table – September 3
• Cookhouse + Pub – September 3

TG Jones and the British Heart Foundation will also both be closing around 150 stores across the UK.

A variety of other businesses have entered administration or liquidation this year, including construction firms and travel companies.

Do you miss Mothercare on our high streets? Tell us in the comments below.

Tyson Fury, Jeremy Clarkson, Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash are also among those going head-to-head at the NTAs this year

The National Television Awards 2026 nominations have been revealed, and one of the categories features an all-female shortlist for the first time.

This year marks the 31st NTAs, with the public able to vote for who they want to win in each category by visiting the National Television Awards website.

Votes must be cast by midday on Tuesday, September 8, just hours before the ceremony takes place. It will be hosted for the sixth time by comedian Joel Dommett at The O2 in London, and will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX from 8pm.

This year, the NTAs are celebrating their first all-female drama performance shortlist – with Gavin And Stacey star Ruth Jones to compete with Ella Bruccoleri, Judy Parfitt, Sheridan Smith and Vicky McClure for the prize.

Meanwhile, reality documentaries starring Tyson Fury, Jeremy Clarkson, Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash are also among the shows competing for a prize. They have been nominated in a new category recognising the rise of fly-on-the-wall celebrity-led shows, with At Home With The Furys, Clarkson’s Farm and Stacey & Joe to go head-to-head for the inaugural award.

Their competition includes Fletchers’ Family Farm, in which Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher turns to rural life, and the fishing programme led by comedians Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse – Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

Other shows nominated include I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and The Traitors, dominating the reality competition category along with their all-star spin-off series – I’m A Celebrity… South Africa and The Celebrity Traitors. They are joined in the category by Race Across The World.

Meanwhile, breakout romance series Heated Rivalry has been nominated for the new drama prize. The show, starring Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams as two rival hockey players who fall in love, will battle it out against A Woman Of Substance, Believe Me, I Fought The Law and The Other Bennet Sister.

In the year he celebrated his 100th birthday, beloved naturalist Sir David Attenborough has been recognised for his nature documentary Secret Garden, and he is also up for the TV presenter prize.

In the latter category, Sir David is up against This Morning host Alison Hammond, Sort Your Life Out star Solomon and former Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman, who is the current face of The Traitors. TV presenting duo Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are also in the running, after their 23-year winning streak was ended by former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker at the 2025 ceremony.

Ant and Dec have also been recognised in the quiz show section for Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win, which is up against Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, Richard Osman’s House of Games, The 1% Club and The Chase.

Meanwhile, comedy sees nods for Amandaland, Changing Ends, Last One Laughing and Not Going Out, as well as Mrs Brown’s Boys – which recently announced it would be cancelling its Christmas and New Year specials as creator and star Brendan O’Carroll faces an “unexpected medical issue”.

Another category, authored documentary, sees nominations for shows that include posthumous appearances from Caroline Flack and Ozzy Osbourne, in Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth and Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, respectively. Also nominated in the category are Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix, Our Girls: The Southport Families and Sir Chris Hoy: Cancer, Courage And Me.

Serial drama sees nominations for Casualty, Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks – while EastEnders’ Aaron Thiara, Emmerdale’s Jeff Hordley and Coronation Street’s Gareth Pierce are among those up for serial drama performance.

Other categories include factual entertainment, daytime, talent show, returning drama and The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award – with the latter having Gladiators, The Masked Singer, The Graham Norton Show, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and Would I Lie To You? in the running.

Morrisons, headquartered in Bradford, reported the reductions in its latest financial accounts, which show that its average monthly workforce fell from 101,144 to 96,232 in the year to October last year.

This marks a loss of 4,912 jobs across the business.

The job losses included more than 4,200 store positions, with additional cuts in food manufacturing and distribution.

Nearly 5,000 jobs were lost at Morrisons last year

A spokesman for Morrisons said: “Colleague numbers in the year ending October 2025 primarily reflect the impact of the closure of the newspaper home delivery service in convenience, the restructuring of the retail people team and the downsizing of the Rathbones bakery business.

“There was no additional redundancy programme in stores, where numbers were only reduced by not replacing those who had chosen to leave.”

The cuts come as the company continues a turnaround plan under chief executive Rami Baitieh, following a decline in market share to rivals Aldi and Lidl.

Despite the staff reductions, revenue grew by 2.8% to £15.7 billion.

However, the retailer reported a pre-tax loss of £629 million before exceptional items.

Morrisons also revealed that its reported net debt rose to £7.52 billion, up from £7.07 billion the previous year.

The figure includes lease liabilities and preference shares.

Net debt excluding these items stood at £3.2 billion.

The company said its underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) remained steady at £835 million, despite higher costs linked to the autumn budget.

The spokesman said: “In our 2025 full year we grew like-for-like sales every quarter, maintained EBITDA and our market share, and demonstrated our resilience in the face of some tough external headwinds, from the cyber incident, rising inflation and government cost increases, which we worked hard to offset.”

Morrisons is currently the UK’s sixth-largest supermarket group and is owned by US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

What is your favourite UK supermarket to shop in? Let us know in the comments.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president said Tuesday a solid alliance with the U.S. strengthens the foundation of national security, as many South Koreans were baffled and concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt order to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises.

Trump made the surprise announcement in a social media post just before U.S. and South Korean soldiers began Monday’s annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which are largely designed to sharpen readiness against North Korean threats.

Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to join the U.S. war against Iran.

Trump’s move was apparently taken without consultations with South Korea and meant to reach out to Kim, deepening concerns about the reliability of the U.S.-South Korean alliance forged in the turmoil of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Confidence in the U.S. has already eroded among many South Koreans because of Trump’s tariff war and last year’s immigration raid in the U.S. state of Georgia that led to the detainment of hundreds of South Korean workers.

Trump’s announcement “reveals the stark reality of a faltering Korea-U.S. alliance, fueling public anxiety,” South Korea’s Hankook Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial Tuesday. “It’s absurd that the U.S. appears to treat North Korea more respectfully than its ally South Korea.”

South Korean leader calls for solid US alliance

In a regular Cabinet meeting, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stressed the importance of a firm military alliance with the U.S., saying that “national security will be further strengthened when the alliance is solid.”

“When we build up our strengths, our value and importance as an ally will further grow,” said Lee, a liberal who has called for a stronger, self-reliant defense posture.

It was unclear which parts of the 11-day South Korea-U.S. exercises were being downsized. The South Korean and U.S. militaries earlier said their drills this year would be similar in scale to previous years and incorporate lessons from recent conflicts such as North Korea’s battlefield experiences in the Russia-Ukraine front. They also said the drills are defensive in nature.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused South Korea and the U.S. of plotting more provocative drills this year and vowed to respond with “a new level of a deterrent.”

Prospects unclear for reengagement between Trump and Kim

Kim has shunned any talks with the U.S. and South Korea since his earlier high-profile diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019.

Experts say Kim won’t likely embrace Trump’s overture and return to talks anytime soon unless he is promised bigger U.S. concessions. Kim has boosted his military and diplomatic credentials in recent years by enlarging his nuclear arsenal and aligning with Russia over its war against Ukraine.

Lee’s presidential office on Monday expressed hopes that a “friendly relationship” between Trump and Kim would lead to “meaningful dialogue” between their countries to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. That invited a backlash from conservatives, who criticized Lee’s government for allegedly prioritizing resumption of Kim-Trump diplomacy over security concerns.

“South Korea’s security bulwark is being shaken to its very foundations,” Park Chung-kwon, a spokesperson for the main conservative opposition People Power Party, said in a statement.

A weakening of the U.S. defense commitment could shake South Korea’s national security as it has no nuclear weapons and is under the so-called U.S. “nuclear umbrella” protection, which guarantees a devastating American response in the event of an attack on its ally by nuclear-armed North Korea. The U.S. has about 28,500 troops in South Korea.

Lee’s office said South Korea and the U.S. are closely discussing practical and military contributions that South Korea can make to help restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Trump thinks of an alliance as an investment that should pay regular dividends, or a rainy-day fund he can withdraw from when another project isn’t going well,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

“South Korean leaders understand that relations with the Trump administration will be a constant renegotiation linking economic and security issues. Seoul is thus cautiously responding to recent developments within that framework,” Easley said.

A recent survey jointly conducted by South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper and the East Asia Institute, a Seoul-based research group, showed 46.4% of respondents in South Korea viewed the U.S. as “not a trustworthy partner” while 45.4% called it “trustworthy.”

It was the first time that more Koreans said they could not trust the U.S. than said they could since the East Asia Institute began asking the question in 2017, JoongAng Ilbo reported.

Alicia Moss’ post went viral, and a kind stranger took pity on her

A woman who posted a plea on Facebook to trade her horse for a car has ended up with a free Range Rover. Alicia Moss, 27, was devastated when her silver Volkswagen Golf broke down unexpectedly.

She could not afford a new car so put a cheeky post on social media offering to trade in the one asset she did have – her mare called Pizza. The post read: “Unlike Roger, Pizza starts every morning, doesn’t have an engine warning light, and has only ever left me stranded because she fancied grass.

“This is either the world ’s worst sales advert or the start of a very questionable deal… either way, my inbox is open.”

Her post went viral – reaching nearly one million accounts – and received over 170 comments from people with several offers. But one offer stood out: a kind stranger called Pete Wood who was willing to gift her a grey 2008 Range Rover HSE TDV8 – for free.

Alicia, a dock worker, said yes gratefully and is now the proud owner. And she says that Pete had loved her post and didn’t want her to have to part with her homebred mare.

She said: “I put the post up on a whim really. It was a bit of a laugh but also serious at the same time. I thought it could work as a good swap.

“I had nothing to lose at the time. Either way I needed some money or a car. On the post a guy commented saying he had a Range Rover that I could have free of charge so that I could keep my horse.

“I thought it couldn’t be real, but I messaged him. He didn’t want a swap, he wanted me to keep my horse and to see his car go to good use.”

The car, which the owner bought new 18 years ago, was an hour from Alicia and she went to pick it up a week later. It passed its MOT, and she says is working perfectly. It has around 95,000 miles on the clock.

Alicia says getting a 4×4 was also ideal as she can now start towing a trailer for her horses. She added: “That was a really happy ending. It has worked out really nicely for me and him and my horse.

“When we went and picked it up he was the loveliest guy ever. I am so grateful for what he offered. He just said that he absolutely loved my post. He was so genuine. He will definitely be on my Christmas card list. It is really crazy. Things like that don’t really happen to anyone let alone me.”

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Alicia has four horses and says she decided to try selling Pizza as she was the only one old enough to be of value. However, she had not wanted to part with the beloved mare, who was her first ever homebred horse.

She is called Pizza as it was a running joke when the mum was pregnant that the ‘pizza was in the oven’ rather than a bun. Alicia says she is like an “overgrown Labrador” and is very sweet.

She added: “I have no money and the only other asset I had to sell was my horse, Pizza.

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“I didn’t want to ship her off but needs must. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to. But luckily thanks to this lovely guy I didn’t need to. I am so glad that she is safe. She is like my first child.”

Alicia says she intends to keep in touch with her heroic stranger and give him updates on the car, which hasn’t broken down yet.

She said: “In a time where there is so much going on in the world there is always someone out there just trying to do a nice thing, and it goes a long way. He has done a lot for me without probably even realising what he has done.”

Man United are aware of interest in Bruno Guimaraes, amid reports of a £43million bid from Galatasaray, and are said to be interested in Adam Wharton and Kim Min-jae. Meanwhile, Liverpool have agreed personal terms with Ibrahim Mbaye as they take another huge step towards a double deal including Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola.