22 h. ago ITV Emmerdale icon 'to return' 19 years after debut to support Eric

Emmerdale's Eric Pollard has been struggling with his health in recent weeks, and he finally agreed to get some help in during Thursday's episode

Politics

4 d. ago Ten year West Lothian plan raises concern as council given just weeks to agree

Councillors may have just over a month before they are asked to agree to a 1,000-plus pages draft of evidence to submit to the Scottish Government for a new Local Development Plan.

Politics

7 d. ago China has ‘totally violated’ its trade agreement’ with the US, says Trump

President took to social media to denounce Beijing in the latest development in his ongoing tariff warDonald Trump declared that China has “totally violated its agreement” against the US on trade just two weeks after the countries reached a deal, raising fears that the trade war will continue to rattle the global economy.“I made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday morning. “Everybody was happy! That is the good news!!! The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago China hails Keir Starmer's surrender of the Chagos Islands to leave PM facing furious demands to apologise for 'peddling lies' over his deal

After he signed the agreement to hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius last week, Sir Keir Starmer claimed that Russia, China, Iran were opposed to the deal.

Economics

2 w. ago Hundreds of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers and civilians released in biggest prisoner swap of war

Russia and Ukraine had each agreed after two hours of peace talks in Istanbul last week to swap 1,000 prisoners

Events

2 w. ago Hundreds of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers released in biggest prisoner swap of war

Russia and Ukraine had each agreed after two hours of peace talks in Istanbul last week to swap 1,000 prisoners

Events

2 w. ago Caitlin Clark downplays fracas with Angel Reese as rivalry reignites: ‘I went for the ball’

Both players say clash was just part of basketballFever and Sky met on opening weekend of WNBACaitlin Clark and Angel Reese agreed on one thing Saturday: their dustup during the teams’ WNBA season opener was just part of basketball. Both stars downplayed the on-court fracas that occurred with in the third quarter, and spurred Indiana to a 93-58 victory over the Chicago Sky. It started with Reese grabbing an offensive rebound and Clark slapping Reese’s arm hard enough to jar the ball loose and knock Reese to floor.When Reese got up, she tried to confront Clark before Indiana center Aliyah Boston stepped in to calm tempers down. Clark’s third personal foul was upgraded to a flagrant 1 while Boston and Reese each drew technical fouls following a replay review by the referees. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Week of geopolitical poker over Ukraine ends with no endgame in sight

Path to peace looks as unclear as it was before European leaders’ meeting with Zelenskyy in KyivRussia and Ukraine agree prisoner swap but peace talks fail to make progressThis week began with four European leaders, standing defiantly in Kyiv alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy, issuing an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin: sign a ceasefire now, or together with Donald Trump we will force you to do so, with sanctions and other tough measures.Over the subsequent days, there followed a series of offers, counter-offers, ultimatums and deflections, in a dizzying week of high-stakes diplomacy that often seemed to resemble a geopolitical poker game. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago South Carolina Supreme Court decides heartbeat definition allows six

The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled the state can keep banning abortions around six weeks after conception by agreeing with the earliest interpretation offered of when a heartbeat starts

Events

3 w. ago Fewer cuts for West Lothian grassland as council opts for low maintenance plan

Councillors on West Lothian’s Executive agreed to the new five year biodiversity project which means a later start to the cutting season and fewer grass cuts to react to changing weather patterns.

Politics

3 w. ago Government supports ‘controlled’ youth movement schemes, minister says

Ahead of the UK-EU summit next week, backbench Labour MPs pressed the Government to agree a youth mobility scheme.

Politics

3 w. ago British soldiers will be sent to fight Russia alongside EU troops under a landmark new pact

Laked documents revealed that the UK and EU are set to unveil a defence agreement next week, bringing Britain into the deepest military alignment with the EU since its historic 2020 departure.

Events

3 w. ago Russia bombards Ukraine with drone attacks after European leaders joined Zelensky in demanding ceasefire

The assault came hours after the Ukrainian president agreed to meet Vladimir Putin ‘personally’ in Turkey this week

Events

3 w. ago Zelenskyy challenges Putin to meet in person for peace talks

Ukrainian president proposes face-to-face meeting after Russian leader suggests he is open to talks in TurkeyUkraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged Vladimir Putin to meet in person for peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday and urged Russia to accept a 30-day truce, in a dramatic turn after a weekend of diplomatic flurry.His comments came after the US president, Donald Trump, pressured him to agree “immediately” to Putin’s offer of negotiations this week with Russia, but upped the stakes by suggesting the enemies meet “personally”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Putin offers new peace talks as West demands ceasefire and threatens sanctions

Vladimir Putin has proposed restarting direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next week, but stopped short of agreeing to a Western-backed ceasefire due to begin on Monday.

Events

4 w. ago Xabi Alonso confirms Bayer Leverkusen exit before expected Real Madrid move

Leverkusen agree to cut contract set to run until 2026Alonso led club to unbeaten Bundesliga title last seasonXabi Alonso will leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the Bundesliga season, with the expectation he will take on the imminently vacant seat at Real Madrid.“We can let you know that this week the club and I, we have agreed that these two games are going to be my last two games as a Bayern Leverkusen coach,” Alonso told a Friday press conference. “We have been talking during this week that is always about the moment and now is the right moment to announce it.” Continue reading...

Politics