Alex Salmond says Scotland should pursue 'clean break' with UK on national debt during any independence talks

Lady Gaga is the current favourite to win Best Leading Actress at the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2022, ahead of Joanna Scanlan, Alana Haim and Tessa Thompson.The Bad Romance singer and A Star Is Born actress is nominated for her role as Patrizia Reggiani in the 2021 film House of Gucci.Bookmaker William Hill has now listed her as the odds-on favourite to win Best Leading Actress at the EE BAFTA Film Awards, with Even odds, when the ceremony is held on Sunday March 13, 2022.The singer's fans have also declared that Lady Gaga is "coming for the win", following the nomination announcements on February 3.One fan took to social media to say: "Give way, Lady Gaga coming to win," while a second added: "Gaga is taking it!"A third added a photo of Lady Gaga with the caption: "The best b***h is gonna win and that's me."However, the singer faces tough competition from other stars nominated in the category, including Joanna Scanlan, who is nominated for her role in After Love, with odds of 5-2.They're joined by other huge names including Emilia Jones with odds of 11-4 for her role in CODA and musician Alana Haim with odds of 7-1 for Licorice Pizza.Completing the nominations are also Renate Reinsve with odds of 8-1 for her role in The Worst Person In the World, and Thor actress Tessa Thompson, with odds of 22-1 for her role in Passing.Not only are the actresses nominated for their roles, but many of the critically acclaimed films also feature in nomination categories including Best Film and Outstanding British Film.House of Gucci and Passing are both nominated for Outstanding British Film, while Licorice Pizza is nominated for Best Film alongside Belfast, Dune, Don't Look Up and The Power Of The Dog.With a range of critically acclaimed

A group of fake monks shaved their heads and donned robes to extort people of cash in Thailand.The men ran their evil scheme in the province of Rayong, on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, in the south of the country.They were busted after people raised the alarm when the gang would demand cash only donations and chomp rice and chicken after noon, when real monks fast after that time.The seven men were arrested by the Royal Thai Police force and taken to a nearby temple and searched for valid monk credentials by an actual man of the cloth, Noppadon Natataro.He found that one man had the certification, but he said he bought it from a real monk for about £116.Their bags also contained two knives, fake amulets and cash collected from people they managed to dupe. In late 2019, a group of individuals who appeared to be dressed as Buddhist monks, but who had allegedly been demanding large sums of money from people outside Waverley Station and the Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street, appeared in Edinburgh.

Emmerdale fans were left awestruck on Thursday evening as Olivia Dingle wore a gorgeous white gown as she finally married the love of her life Vinny Dingle, but many feared it wouldn't go to plan.The loved-up couple ran away together and secretly tied the knot in Daventry, West Northamptonshire.Despite the fact that they left their close family and friends out of the loop regarding their wedding, Liv and Vinny looked excited to finally say "I do."But with all the drama unfolding on screen, fans were pleasantly surprised to see Liv dressed elegantly for her big day and rushed to Twitter to share their thoughts on her flawless attire as she walked down the aisle.One happy viewer penned: "Liv looks stunning in her wedding dress."Another said: "Liv looks so gorgeous. My heart is so warm."A third added: "Aww, Liv looks beautiful! Nice to see her in a dress instead of those awful joggy bottoms.""Good to see Vinny and Liv so happy #Emmerdale writers don't muck this up," another viewer shared.Fans were certainly on tenterhooks on Thursday as they feared the couple's wedding wouldn't go to plan.With Chas and Mandy Dingle eager to find out what was going on while back in the Dales, many feared that they would try to prohibit Vinny and Liv's wedding.But spectators at home were shocked that Chas and Mandy didn't manage to get their way on this occasion.One social media user penned: "Shock, Horror Call! Call the scriptwriters immediately! Something has gone terribly wrong.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterFox’s animation house Bento Box Entertainment has signed a development deal with former TruTV executives Chris Linn and Marissa Ronca, and their consulting firm Contrast Media.Under the pact, Linn and Ronca will work closely with Bento Box’s development department, advising on creative strategy, packaging and development of animated projects for Fox Entertainment and ad-supported streaming service Tubi, as well as third-party platforms.Additionally, the WarnerMedia alums — Linn the former president of TruTV and Ronca the cable network’s former executive vice president and head of original programming and development — “will offer support” regarding Bento Box’s NFT studio, Blockchain Creative Labs. “Chris and Marissa are fantastic executives whose work we’ve admired for quite some time,” Scott Greenberg, co-founder and CEO of Bento Box Entertainment, said.

Angelique Jackson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will accept the NAACP President’s Award during the 53rd annual Image Awards on Saturday.Previous recipients of the prestigious prize include sporting icons (Muhammad Ali, LeBron James), political figures (Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice), entertainers (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Lauryn Hill) and journalists (Soledad O’Brien), among others.“It’s a true honor to be recognized by President Derrick Johnson and the NAACP, whose efforts to propel racial justice and civil rights are as vital today as they were nearly 115 years ago,” stated Prince Harry and Markle.The couple also announced that they’ve partnered with the NAACP to create a new honor — the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award — supported by their Archewell Foundation and administered by the NAACP. The annual award will recognize leaders creating transformational change — at the intersection of social justice and technology — to advance civil and human rights.

Formula 1 team Haas announced they will scrap the Russia-themed paint job on their car, as well as remove the branding of sponsor Uralkali, for their pre-season test in Barcelona. The Russian fertiliser and exportation company has sponsored Haas since 2021 and are also part owned by Dmitry Mazepin – father of Haas driver Nikita Mazepin.

Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood has been removed from Football Manager 2022, following the release of a new update to the game's database. Greenwood, 20, was arrested last month on suspicion of rape and assault.

Russia. In a clip uploaded on Twitter by Sky News reporter Emily Upton, people are forming a line out the door of the clinic and all the way to a car park.The Ukrainians look tired but resolute as they prepare to do whatever they can to help keep war casualties alive.A young blood donor wearing a green coat gives a peace sign towards the camera as he walks past.The journalist said the doctor commented that the last time he saw this scale of blood donation was during the 2014 conflict in Donbas.

The One Show fans weren't best pleased to learn that their favourite evening programme had been moved across to BBC Two on Thursday February 24.Ordinarily, the programme kicks off on BBC One at 7pm every weekday - however the family favourite show will now need to vacate to it's sister channel for tonights episode. Instead, BBC News At Six has dominated the primetime slot after Russia invaded Ukraine by air, land and sea.

Ethan Shanfeld The Florida state House of Representatives passed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill on Thursday, The Hill reports. The legislation would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.The legislation, officially titled the Parental Rights in Education bill, passed in a 69-47 vote.

Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Tottenham have led the way in building stunning new bases across the past 15 years - but some expensive projects fall by the wayside too.Although many projects get left on the drawing board, others have gone as far as setting up building works before the plug was pulled - resulting in expensive eyesores for the local community.Daily Star Sport has looked at four projects that never made it to fruition, including a half-finished structure that was due to be even bigger than Wembley....Nou Mestalla is a planned 50,000-seat football stadium to replace Valencia's 48,600 seater Mestalla - that remains partially built.With costs estimated to be around £250million, the design features a futuristic exterior as well as aluminium cladding and an unusual wood interior.With plans initially unveiled way back in 2006, planned capacity was reduced from 80,000 to 61,500 and later 54,000, with construction beginning in 2007 - and dreams of a 2009 opening.A tragedy hit when four construction workers lost their lives in 2008, with construction not being renewed after it came to a halt in 2013.The current plan is for the stadium to open in 2024, with an estimate of 43.000-50.000 seats.Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande, now known simply as Guangzhou FC, revealed plans to build a stunning 100,000 seater stadium back in 2020.The new home venue of their club has a construction cost of 12 billion yuan, which is almost £1.5billion, and had a planned opening for December of 2022.However, The Evergrande Group, who are owners of the club and also one of China's largest property developers have since become riddled with debt.The 'Lotus Flower' Stadium has since been left part-filled with seats

EXCLUSIVE: DeVon Franklin is staying in business with CBS Studios. The producer, motivational speaker and bestselling author has re-upped with the studio with a multi-year overall deal.

Alex Neil said while there must still be focus on tackling the coronavirus pandemic after Thursday’s election, there “is no reason why we should not also be pursuing our constitutional demands at the same time”.

Alba Party instead.The councillor for the Maryhill ward is a former business manager for the SNP administration on the council.Letford will appear alongside Alex Salmond when the former first minister hosts a campaign session in Glasgow tonight as the election campaign enters its final week.He said: “I have left the SNP and joined the Alba Party because I want to work towards achieving Scottish independence. "I can think of no greater democratic renewal for my country than achieving independence by campaigning with Alba for a super-majority in the Parliament."By voting for Alba on the list, pro-independence supporters can send a strong team to begin the process of negotiating our independence.

Nicola Sturgeon today confirmed that her “number one priority” is keeping Scotland safe from coronavirus. It comes after Alba, a rival pro-independence party headed by Alex Salmond, called for action on independence immediately after next month’s Holyrood election.

Alex Salmond has launched a new political party in the area.The Alba party will be hoping to secure at least one MSP from the area, however the Scottish Tories are expected to pick up the most seats.The larger geographical seats across Scotland have a range of issues so it is something the candidates will need to be clued up on throughout the campaign.Here's all you need to know about the North East Scotland regional list:At the 2016 election the Scottish Conservatives managed to secure four of the seven seats that were up for grabs on the list.Alex Johnstone, who has sadly passed away, topped the poll for the Tories in the region.Jenny Marra from Scottish Labour was elected in second place, however she is stepping down as an MSP at this

Alex Salmond and the Greens would quickly put the parliament and the First Minister off the road. Rennie said the prospect of nationalist in-fighting dominating the parliament would see Scottish politics “bedevilled” by the constitution for another five years.

Nicola Sturgeon a majority of five at Holyrood. Scottish Labour is projected to win 24 seats, the same number the party won in the last Holyrood election.

Lorna Slater – to decide whether it should enter a coalition with the SNP if that is an option after the May 6 Holyrood election.

annual STUC conference backed a motion today that Holyrood “should have the power to hold a referendum on Scotland’s future and should not require UK Government consent.” Members said it would be wrong for Westminster to “resist a second vote if a majority of pro-independence MSPs are elected alongside a clear preference among the Scottish people for a second vote.” But the trade union body also rejected Alex Salmond's argument for a so-called "super majority" of MSPs. The vote is awkward for Scottish Labour and leader Anas Sarwar, as many of the 50 unions affiliated to the STUC contribute financially to the party - despite its opposition to both independence and another referendum.

independence in the Scottish Parliament. The former SNP leader will lay out his plans later today at a virtual event where he is likely to say that "independence is not an alternative to recovery.