SNP veteran Alex Neil to stand down as an MSP at next year's Holyrood election

spiders that can walk on water have bounced back from the brink of extinction in Britain. The UK's biggest spiders are booming according to encouraging research which will send shivers down an arachnophobe's spine.

Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt has credited Dancing On Ice for reigniting a spark in her marriage. Kimberly, 40, has been married to model Max Rogers, 39, since 2014, and the pair share three kids together: Willow Jane, seven, Maple Lyla, four and Ford Senna, two. With the mum-of-three’s performance background in mind, Kimberly gushed over how supportive Max has been since she joined Dancing On Ice – despite her initial reluctance to take part – and spoke of how much he enjoys watching her perform.

Liam Payne is sharing some very rare comments about his son Bear!

Julia Fox is not afraid of taking a risk with fashion!

Lizzo is celebrating the premiere of her new Amazon Prime Video series!

Anna Sorokin, who is also known by her alias Anna Delvey, is no longer being deported to Germany… for now at least.

There’s so much content on TV right now, it’s hard to know what’s what, but if you’re looking for a Boston crime show, Showtime’s “City On A Hill” is a pretty solidly acclaimed, meat and potatoes crime thriller that checks off a lot of boxes. Plus, it features a lot of great actors, including its leads Emmy nominee Kevin Bacon and Screen Actors Guild award winner Aldis Hodge whose career is really taking off of late.

Slash has announced that he’s doing a livestream event with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators next month.The global event, shot on location this month at the group’s sold-out House Of Blues show in Boston, is set to take place on April 15 at 12:00pm PT (7:00pm GMT).The full production, multi-camera streaming event is being put on in association with premium concert livestream platform Veeps. The setlist will include fan favourites, as well as songs from ‘4’, the new album from the Guns N’ Roses guitarist, Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators.Released last month, the album features the tracks ‘Call Off The Dogs’, ‘The River is Rising’ and ‘Fill My World’.Tickets for Slash Ft.

Announced last week, the two-hour benefit show will air March 29 on ITV in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee‘s (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.After hearing of the concert’s announcement, the members of Antytila – who are currently fighting the Russians in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv – sent a video message to Ed Sheeran via Facebook to ask to play the concert remotely from their home country.The ‘Bad Habits’ hitmaker responded by telling the band: “I just watched your video this morning, thank you so much for sending it. Firstly I just wanted to say to all Ukrainians, I love you, I stand with you and I’m so proud to be playing this fundraising event next week.”However, Antytila have now been told they will not be permitted to perform as part of the benefit, with organisers explaining that the event must avoid association with the military.“Because we are standing with guns and helmets, we are soldiers, and this concert is not for soldiers but for helping civilian people,” singer Taras Topolya said in a video posted to social media.The singer said the band accepted the stance taken by the concert: “First of all we are musicians, helmets and body armour are temporary, but we understand the answer and we accept it.”He added: “The main thing is the people of the United Kingdom must stand with Ukraine.”@antytila_offic’s response “First of all, we’re musicians.

Boy George has spoken about the importance of music in his life and how it’s helped him get through some difficult times.The Culture Club singer is one of several celebrities who have donated prizes to Chris Evans’ charity auction for Ukraine. Other big names who have offered up prizes include Rod Stewart, Coldplay and Jared Leto.For Boy George’s prize, he is auctioning off all the rights to a song he has written about Ukraine following his visit to the country eight years ago.Speaking to Evans on his ‘Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky’, the singer said: “I went there about eight years ago, I Dj’d there, and I had the most amazing night and I remember thinking, this is such a beautiful place, I must come back.”He continued: “I suppose the spirit of this song is saying Ukraine is a beautiful country and hopefully it will be a beautiful country again, you know, and I watched this young kid the other day on Instagram saying, ‘Don’t be sad about all of that’.

Fire crews are battling a major moorland blaze near Greater Manchester.

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.Shotts MP Neil Gray has announced he will be seeking his party’s nomination to succeed Alex Neil as the town’s MSP.Mr Gray, senior member of Ian Blackford’s frontbench team at Westminster as Work and Pensions spokesperson, would need to stand down as an MP by March in order for the UK Parliament by-election to be held on the same day as the Scottish Parliament elections.Neil Gray became the first SNP MP for Airdrie and Shotts in 2015 and has held the seat in the subsequent two General Elections.He said: “Alex Neil leaves big shoes to fill but I have worked closely with him for many years and have had the pleasure of representing the people of Airdrie

Click here for more news from the Airdrie and Coatbridge AdvertiserNorth Lanarkshire Council leader Jim Logue, of Labour, said: “Alex Neil is a very unique politician – a former cabinet secretary who isn’t afraid to speak his mind irrespective of party loyalties.“Whether you agree with him or not, he always leaves anyone in his presence little doubt as to his thoughts on the issues of the day; parliamentarians like him are all too few and his direct style will be sorely missed.“Despite our political differences, I have enjoyed many a conversation with Alex and wish him all the very best – and I look forward to working with him to influence the Scottish Government on a location for Monklands Hospital.” Labour politician Elaine Smith MSP –

Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser: “I’d been betwixt and between for a long time and originally intended to stand again, but rethought over the past three weeks.

Alex Neil warns voters will reject independence if it means rejoining the EU and erecting "customs barriers" at the border. The ex Scottish Government minister was the only one in Nicola Sturgeon's cabinet to support Brexit.

harassment to a woman who went on to lodge a complaint against Alex Salmond. Senior official Nicola Richards told MSPs under oath that a draft was shared in late 2017 before the policy was changed to include the conduct of former ministers.

Get the stories that interest you straight to your inbox every day with our personalised newsletterSecondary school pupils in Ayrshire will be told to wear face masks from Monday (August 31).The Scottish Government confirmed this morning that they would be implementing the guidance following a review of safety measures.Pupils will have to wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas but there will also be exemptions, the Government has said.Education Secretary John Swinney told BBC Good Morning Scotland: "We are recommending the guidance that will be published later on today that from August 31 young people over the age of 12 at secondary schools should be habitually wearing face coverings when they are moving in schools and

address claims senior government staff were advised not to be alone with Alex Salmond during his time as First Minister. Leslie Evans had initially told members of a Holyrood committee last week that she could not comment on the matter, prompting criticism from opposition MSPs.

Nicola Sturgeon has said she was not aware of female civil servants being advised not be alone with her predecessor Alex Salmond.But she said MSPs probing the Scottish Government’s handling of sexual harassment allegations made against the former first minster were “perfectly entitled” to take up this issue.She vowed she was “absolutely committed to fully complying with the inquiry”.Her comments came after concerns were raised about “huge swathes” of information provided by the Scottish Government being “heavily redacted”.The First Minister was pressed on the issue after the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints held its first evidence session on Tuesday – with the country’s most senior civil servant,

Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox every Friday.Nicola Sturgeon claimed she was not aware of female civil servants being advised to avoid being alone with former first minister Alex Salmond.Sturgeon was confronted with the direct question during First Minister's Questions two days after MSPs were prevented from probing the allegation in parliament.The First Minister said MSPs were "perfectly entitled" to take up this issue and vowed she is "absolutely committed to fully complying with the inquiry".Her comments came after Holyrood started its probe on the botched Scottish Government investigation into allegations about Salmond when he was in office.

harassment.Civil service boss Leslie Evans confirmed she raised the issue with Sturgeon in November 2017 after learning about media interest in an "incident" at Edinburgh Airport.It adds to growing questions about the government's timeline of events while the Scottish Government was drawing up a complaints policy designed to cover former ministers.Evans was appearing before MSPs on a special Holyrood committee set up to investigate the Scottish Government's botched handling of their inquiry into allegations about Salmond's conduct.He was accused of harassment which he denied. A judicial review then found the government inquiry was bias and unlawful.