Ayrshire vows to embrace Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian forces as councils offer support to war-torn country

Will Smith rocked the Oscars by slapping presenter, Chris Rock, in the face, he has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The King Richard star issued a statement via People which read: "I have directly responded to the Academy's disciplinary hearing notice, and I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. MORE: Chris Rock breaks silence on Will Smith Oscars altercation: 'I'm still processing what happened'"My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home.

Mo’Nique will be reuniting with Lee Daniels for his next film, Demon House.

Jame Martin, 49, returns to ITV this morning to continue hosting his cooking show, Saturday Morning.Speaking on a podcast episode, ex-Strictly contestant James Martin hit out at new stars from the dance show, saying they don’t have as much of a “journey” as previous contestants did.Former Strictly star James was asked about his 2005 experience and “being a bit of a whizz on the dancefloor”.The 49-year-old said there was “magic” to the show because contestants didn’t have much previous experience when it came to dancing.When asked if the dance show is as much fun as it appears, the television chef replied: “Back then, it was a journey and people didn’t really know what they were doing.“I think that was the magic of it.”He continued, saying that new Strictly stars seem to be quite skilled dancers “before they even start”.James said: “Nowadays, they seem to be pretty good before they even start, don’t they?”The host of ITV’s Saturday Morning added: “It was that journey that I think people followed, and I enjoyed it, but you have no control over what the hell’s going on.”James compared competing in Strictly Come Dancing to being a professional chef, saying: “But the same ethos applies working in a restaurant.“You just want to be good at it.“You don’t want to appear an idiot,” he told the Talkshire podcast in February.He admitted that his Strictly stint caught the attention of BBC bosses and opened doors for him.James went on to present Saturday Kitchen from 2006 until 2016.James also admitted that he became a chef, despite failing his cooking class in school.He said: “I got a C in art, that was all I got, all I came out with.“But I came out with a passion for food really.“I was quite fortunate, I met an amazing guy called

Chloe Madeley, 34, shared a post on her Instagram story in view of her 249,000 followers.The snap showed her husband of three years, former rugby player James Haskell, 36, eating seafood accompanied by a list of things she had heard him say that day.Chloe called her husband “grumpy” in the social media post.The fitness expert and TV personality said: “Things grumpy James has said today: After waving to a little kid: ‘Don’t blank me, you little s**t.’“‘There’s more meat on my piece than this little langoustine w****r.’“‘When we have our kid and she gets annoying, I’m going to tell her it’s time to b****r off and go make some friends.’”Chloe and James have been sharing their holiday snaps on the social media platform.The 34-year-old posted a selfie of her and James on Monday with the caption: “Day 1 in paradise”.Chloe is the daughter of daytime TV presenters, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.Her growing baby bump could be seen in the photo.The couple are expecting a baby girl in the summer.While on holiday, James took a photo of Chloe swimming underwater and made a cheeky remark about his pregnant wife.The image showed her posing in the ocean and she could be seen making a peace sign.The 36-year-old was called out for calling his wife a “huge sea cow” while she was snapped in her swimsuit.He captioned the photo, joking: “B****y hell, you go snorkelling and the first thing you see is a huge sea cow doing a mating display!“She appears to think I’m her partner.“I didn’t know whether to harpoon it or feed it.”James added laughing emojis to the Instagram caption, but his comments received a backlash from his followers who felt his comments were insensitive.Others thought it was very funny.James also added a red heart emoji to

Matt Tebbutt, has hosted BBC's Saturday Kitchen since the departure of James Martin in 2016.The television chef has spoken exclusively to Express.co.uk about how he is doing since having "emergency" keyhole surgery in January.Matt was rushed to hospital in the middle of January this year, telling his fans on January 19.He posted a picture from a hospital bed, worrying many, but reassured his fans he was getting the help he needed.Matt has since fully recovered and has spoken to Express.co.uk about how he is doing.He said: "Oh god, it was a bit of a scare, but luckily, I got away with just having keyhole surgery."I'm feeling fine now and pretty much back to normal, thanks to all the wonderful staff at The Grange hospital in Newport."At the time with the picture of himself in a hospital bed, he penned on Instagram: "Me, a morphine drip and an emergency appendectomy are keeping me from a much anticipated lunch at @manteca_london with @ollysmith @sarah10016 @hardiegrantuk."But everything and everyone here at The Grange hospital in Gwent has been fantastic."Couldn’t ask for more from such a brilliant health service."So grateful. #nhs #nhsnurse #thegrangehospital #appendectomy."Friends, along with other social media users, took to the comments to wish the TV star well after the shocking news.Susanna Reid said: "Ouch."Naga Munchetty also commented: "Get well soon xx."DJ Sara Cox added: "Woah! Matt! Hope you're feeling better.

wedding three months before she was about to get hitched - and many think she has “dodged a bullet.”Finding out that the one you love hasn’t turned out to be the person you thought they were can be heart-breaking.But for one woman, her world quickly came crashing down after she discovered the awful truth about her partner after going onto his work computer.In a clip posted to TikTok, a 25-year-old who is documenting her “breakup diary” under the username @lifebymaria shared her gobsmacking story.She wrote: “Imagine being engaged, 3 months away from your dream wedding, invitations are sent, and on a random Thursday finding out your fiancé has been hiding a porn folder which included photos of your sisters and his co-workers."Since being posted, the brutal discovery has gone viral and has racked up a whopping 668,000 views.After getting such a huge reaction online, the woman further explained her ordeal in the comments.She claimed: “He was helping me apply for a job because my computer wasn’t working. He downloaded my resume to his work computer and went to his folder files to look where the files were downloaded.“When he clicked on the folder file I saw photos of my sisters and others.“He said he would stare at the photos of my sisters and others.

England goalkeeper Robert Green has reacted in style to England's World Cup draw, as they were drawn with the United States for the second time in 12 years.England will also be joined by Iran and either Ukraine, Scotland or Wales, but the last time they faced the US in this competition it made for a memorable moment for Green. Although England were overwhelming favourites to win the group, they finished second behind the US on goal difference.That's partially down to an awful blunder as Green spilled the ball into his own net to gift the US a crucial goal in their clash against England, handing top spot over to their group rivals.

Newcastle United team-mates Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer engaged in a remarkable fist fight with each other on the pitch indicated to the world this was a club in dire straits.On April 2, 2005 at Villa Park, an extraordinary fight between two team-mates stunned English football into silence. There had been scuffles and disagreements between players before, but rarely had they contained this level of anger and spite. As it was later revealed, the incident had been bubbling underneath the surface for some time.

Meghan Markle's sister, Samantha believes the former actress and Prince Harry have burnt their bridges with the British public after their "hurtful" attacks. Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, left the world speechless when they decided to step down as senior working royals in January 2020.

crash was on his 'last day in the job', according to his son.Paul Troja, 73, was a passenger among 5 killed when the chartered aircraft smashed into Mount Disappointment in Victoria, just north of Melbourne, Australia.The meat industry entrepreneur had four children and five grandchildren, with one of them born only a few days ago.His son Luke Troja made the heartbreaking revelation while speaking to 9News this week, describing his father as a devoted man who had worked hard to provide financial security for his family.He told the news channel: "He saw the value in everyone.

It's perhaps a potential momentum builder for the Championship relegation fight - but Motherwell loanee Darragh O'Connor can't wait for a crack at silverware.

Nestled within the borough of Stockport is an ancient village with rolling hills and stone cottages. Right on the fringe of the Peak District in the Pennines, Mellor enjoys panoramic views of three counties.

Footage showing a cyclist falling off her bike into a ditch after a car drove by her on a country lane has divided opinion as to who was in the wrong. The video, taken from a helmet camera, shows the woman topple over after a motorist in a Land Rover Defender drove past her in the village of Ashby St Ledger, Northamptonshire.

There is a lot going on in Stockport 's Old Town as the regeneration continues, but there is also a busy network of hidden structures underground that many may not realise exist. Beneath the cobbled and winding streets lie forgotten doorways and secret cellars that tell tales of the town's rich past.

The cost of living crisis is biting harder than ever as we step into the new financial year. With fears growing over the number of families having to choose between heating and eating, shoppers are looking to save wherever they can.

Black Sherif, the 20-year-old Ghanaian artist that broke out last year with the first and second instalments in his "Sermon" freestyle series, has dropped a new single. "Kwaku The Traveller" finds Sherif in full grind mode but able to acknowledge the bumps in the road he encounters on his way to making the money in his sights.

Harry Styles has come clean about the 'transatlantic accent' after his One Direction bandmate's bizarre Oscars interview this week.Fans were left baffled after Wolverhampton-born Liam Payne was filmed speaking with a new accent in his red carpet chat with Good Morning Britain, with many on social media asking afterwards why his voice had changed.Liam had spoken at length about Will Smith's dramatic slap on Chris Rock and revealed that he lives close to the Hollywood actor, saying he believed there were "three losers in one fight" — Will, Chris and Jada.Some confused viewers commented that he had appeared to have taken on a Los Angeles way of speaking, while others also heard unexplained Irish and Welsh intonations in his delivery despite him being from England.While on Sonny Jay and Roman Kemp's Capital Breakfast show on Friday morning, Harry was asked if he had also started to get a "transatlantic accent from America", which he replied to by saying: "Well don’t think in the time that I just got here, because I only got in yesterday for Coachella rehearsals, so in the space I’ve been here this trip I think I’ve survived" "I think it’s a little bit all over the place because I’m from up north and I’ve lived in London for 10 years and I’ve spent a lot of time in America and stuff and I think when I’m with Americans they don’t think I sound American at all, and then I think sometimes when I’m with English people they expect me to sound American, I don’t think I do, but I try and translate for whoever I’m with!"The singer was also asked by Roman whether he sees himself as "an artist first or an actor first", and said he thought he was a "musician first" "I feel really lucky to get to do a job that I love and I feel very

Barcelona legend Gerard Pique says being abused by football fans is better than having sex with his partner Shakira. No, really.Pique made the bonkers claim while discussing Barca's rivalry with Espanyol. The club's Catalan neighbours were relegated from La Liga in 2020 but returned to the Spanish top-flight this season after winning promotion at the first time of asking.

South Ayrshire Council leader Peter Henderson has hit back at claims the local authority is putting their £45m leisure centre project ahead of other crucial services.

All of South Ayrshire Council’s service charges and council tax payments will increase by 2.9 per cent from April to bridge a £6.7m shortfall.

The Ayrshire Growth Deal is on track to create 7000 new jobs for the region over the next decade, say those at the helm of the project.