North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not undergo surgery or any other medical procedure, a South Korean official has said amid continued speculation about his health.

Determined to bring some light and hope to those facing challenges during this difficult period, popular producer Notnice has teamed up with a number of reggae and dancehall artistes to create the inspirational anthem, entitled We Are , which is being released today.

NEW YORK (AP) — Idris Elba, who battled the coronavirus this year, has lent his voice to a new song about black men and mental health that will benefit pandemic relief efforts.

MOST people's memories of Millie Small in 1964 are of her climbing international charts with the massive hit song, My Boy Lollipop. But for Dennis Smith, it was her return to Jamaica that year that made the greatest impression.

'Digicel Unplugged', the online performance series sponsored by the telecommunications firm, returns this Sunday with the Mother's Day edition featuring veteran reggae crooner Freddie McGregor, and young recording artiste Sevana.The event will be streamed live on Digicel's Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages beginning at 2:00 pm.

Dear Editor,On May 5, 2020, at about 8:40 am, I went completely berserk in the Scotiabank Liguanea Branch.I was astonished by my behaviour, to say the least, as this is the first time in the history of my existence that I had behaved in such a manner. I never used curse words. Thus, I have narrowed down my conduct to a moment of insanity.

Dear Editor,In response to the 1980s drug crisis there was a meeting of the minds of people knowledgeable about substance abuse. Richmond Fellowship Jamaica-Patricia House emerged as one of the possible answers where a multiplicity of answers were needed.

Over twenty people have been killed in a landslide in Costa Rica, due to heavy rainfall in the Central American country. The disaster caused huge damage in both in the Pacific coast and in a suburb of the capital San José. Together with local churches, OM Costa Rica is organising help for families who lost their homes.

A group of Costa Ricans visit a local church in an indigenous region of the country and bring encouragement by serving.

OM Costa Rica has been hoping to initiate a sponsorship programme in the indigenous reservation of Talamanca. Now, they’re finally starting to see it happen.

OM Costa Rica is excited to celebrate a growing ministry. This year the team opened a second OM location in Perez Zeledon, an office responsible for the southern end of Costa Rica and local church partnerships in this region.

As far as viral beauty trends go there’s no denying that the use of charcoal-based products is still going strong from face masks and sponges to teeth whitening powders.

RESEARCHERS have called for a two-track approach to easing lockdown which would strengthen protection for the most vulnerable but relax restrictions for the majority of the population.

NICOLA Sturgeon hopes to reopen IVF clinics “as quickly as possible” to stop the closure having a “devastating” impact on families’ lives during the pandemic.

THE people of Scotland have been offered a “light at the end of the tunnel” in the form of various potential relaxations to lockdown - but warned they will only get there if they double down on their compliance.

A PUBLIC health professor has warned that the Scottish Government’s strategy to escape the lockdown will encounter “a big problem” unless test results can be provided quicker.

NICOLA Sturgeon said she does not expect police to be “routinely patrolling office blocks” as sweeping new enforcement powers come into force to include workplaces flouting social distancing rules.

Calabash African Restaurant

Some things just instinctively go together, brandy and a good cigar, vintage port and blue cheese, then there's Chardonnay and oak barrels!

"Every time we communicate, there is potential to inform and inspire others for mission. Shall we not then covenant to ‘tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth’?" asks Greg Kernaghan.

"The more I look at biblical examples of ministry, the more I see a simple yet profoundly flexible grassroots approach to ministry that compels me to focus on things that really matter," shares Ben.

If you're yearning for all the gardening shows that have been cancelled, you can still be inspired by exploring gorgeous virtual gardens now and throughout the summer, from the comfort of your armchair.

HOLIDAYS may be temporarily on hold, but planning magical trips is still possible. Spontaneity shapes thrilling travel escapades, but there's also a case for careful, methodical planning. Often, the preparation – deciding on a route, reading up about a destination – can be just as enjoyable as the trip itself.

Inverness Botanic Gardens

AN EDINBURGH-BASED hydrogen technology firm is to open the first public hydrogen refuelling station for vehicles in Scotland’s central belt.

Police have issued more than 140 fixed-penalty notices to people flouting coronavirus lockdown rules in Scotland in the week since new powers came into force.

THIS time last year the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the Crown Office were united in great fanfare about groundbreaking new legislation designed to tackle domestic abuse.

A man has been found dead outside of a police station in Ayrshire.

GUTTING news for great swathes of the Great British public - eating chips is not exercise.

It was 3pm on May 8 1945 when Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill addressed the nation from the Cabinet Room announcing that “we may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing,” but that message instead led to three days of partying in Glasgow’s George Square, children were given time off school and families were looking forward to being reunited again.

There will be no street parties on the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Friday, and it’s uncertain how many will participate in the virtual versions being touted on social media.

WHETHER through shrewd planning, good fortune or a bit of both, Edinburgh managed to complete the bulk of their business for next season before rugby came grinding to a halt. When precisely play resumes is, of course, unknown and out of their control, but they are at least confident that they will be in good shape to hit the ground running.

It was 25 years ago this month that the sporting world witnessed a miracle when the former pariah state of South Africa hosted what many people still consider to be the best ever Rugby World Cup finals.

Edinburgh Rugby have announced the signing of three Scottish qualified youngsters in Nathan Chamberlain, Ben Muncaster and Dan Gamble on academy deals which will turn into full-time contracts next summer, and head coach Richard Cockerill has promised that three current academy prospects in Rory Darge, Connor Boyle and Sam Grahamslaw will soon be elevated to the senior squad ahead of next season.

Global carbon emissions from energy are expected to fall by almost 8% in 2020 in the biggest drop in history as a result of the pandemic, experts said.

It is a tiny spit of land that lies in the Firth of Clyde two miles off the coast of Troon where colonies of seabirds have made their homes for centuries.

Celtic Connections

Celtic Connections

Celtic Connections

Celtic Connections

Celtic Connections

The Celtic Connections roots and traditional music festival recorded 100,000 visits this January.

WHEN Malian quartet Songhoy Blues performed at last year's Celtic Connections, audiences were treated to a form of music appealingly dubbed “desert blues”. A user-friendly term, it sounds like it could have been dreamed up by a marketing agency and applied equally well to a perfume, a brand of jeans or a chain of upmarket Tex-Mex restaurants.

Celtic Connections

From Thursday 16 January to Sunday 2 February 2020, musicians from across the world will take part in over 300 events in venues throughout Glasgow for the UK's premier celebration of celtic music.

THE Celtic Connections music festival last night lifted the curtain on next year’s line up – and revealed it will be kicking off the 700th celebrations of the Declaration of Arbroath.

FOR decades, both Celtic and Rangers have dominated the national conversation when it comes to football in Scotland. The vast majority of issues seem to revolve around the two Glasgow clubs and, predictably, the issue of how to conclude the Premiership campaign has been boiled down to whether or not Celtic should be crowned champions if – as is looking increasingly likely – the 2019/20 campaign is unable to be played to a finish.

Speak to anyone involved in Scottish football and they'll tell you that the current crop of Under-16 players coming through the academy systems are among the best they've seen.

I TOOK a bottle of Cot home the other day to share with a friend and his reaction got me thinking about the subject matter for this week's column, so here’s to wines and blends you may not have come across.

IT’S been an up and down sort of day for Imran Akhtar. And in a much too literal sense, as far as he’s concerned. First, he had to clamber on top of the roof of the Ottoman Coffee House on Glasgow’s Berkeley Street, to make sure the temporary tarpaulin was still in place and keeping out the wind, rain, hail and snow. (It’s been one of those typical Scottish afternoons, with the weather behaving like a plump maiden aunt’s two-layered chocolate box. In other words, way too many delights