Market town, county town of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Peter Murrell has been jailed for five years and three months after admitting he embezzled just over £400,000 from the Scottish National Party over a 12-year period. Separately, Greek courts have convicted a man over the 2009 killing of Jean Hanlon and Cédric Jubillar has written a first confession admitting involvement in his wife Delphine's disappearance.
[Synopsis will be inserted here]
Scotland faces a maternity care crisis with hundreds of deaths in five years. An independent review is announced to inspect culture, rural services and safety, while calls grow for a broader safety remit.
Dumfries’ Regal Cinema reopening faces further delays after break-ins and snagging issues push plans beyond previously stated dates. Landlords urge the public to stay out until work is complete and police are alerted to suspicious activity.
A roundup of recent Formula 1 coverage shows drivers pushing back on 2026 regulation changes, arguing the 50/50 power split and energy-management tech disrupts on-track racing. Editors stress the sport’s growth goals clash with drivers’ call for more direct control and traditional racing dynamics.
The government has unveiled plans to give England’s mayoral authorities a share of income tax to fund local development. While praised as a potential fix for regional inequality, the policy will take years to implement and risk leaving slower-growing areas behind, as councils seek to borrow for major projects amid central oversight.
The bank holiday weekend is marked by widespread rail disruption due to a Birmingham power outage affecting CrossCountry’s control centre. Plans for a near-normal service on Monday are in flux as rail routes face cancellations, rail replacement buses are in place, and tickets remain valid across operators amid disruption.
A 16-year-old, Kenzie Carmichael, has died after collapsing near The Boathouse on Nith Avenue in Dumfries. Police say there are no suspicious circumstances and are appealing for information from those in the area. The teenager had recently left St Joseph’s College to pursue further education.
A string of cyber incidents targets McKesson and Beacon CRM-holding charities in the UK. McKesson reports data exfiltration and service degradation after a Snowflake/Salesforce cloud breach. Separately, Beacon CRM vulnerabilities have affected about 1,500 charities, prompting warnings to supporters and measures to bolster security.
The Guardian reports a new graphic novel by Melissa Chan and Badiucao imagines a dystopian future where China and the United States are at war in 2035. It foregrounds the experiences of the Chinese-speaking diaspora and argues authoritarianism everywhere is bad, while highlighting risks to journalists and artists who criticise Beijing.