Award-winning Herald and Sunday Herald columnist Ian Bell has died at the age of 59.

THE Treasury has bombarded us all week with facts, figures and forecasts making the case for the UK to remain in the European Union. Its big report, on Monday, warned Brexit would tip the country into a year-long recession, resulting in up to 820,000 job losses within two years.

MSPS were really quite excited last week to be taking part in a largely symbolic vote with an entirely predictable outcome.

NICOLA Sturgeon was at her best during the new, extended First Minister's Questions on Thursday when she spoke about the sickening murder of Liam Fee.

"Everyone hates politicians," the MSP observed. We were chatting about the EU referendum and she was explaining why the polls were showing a rise in support for a Leave vote.

DOMINIC McKay, Scottish Rugby’s chief operating officer, has warned that if Covid-19 social distancing measures mean that rugby cannot resume by the end of November, the financial impact will be considerably more than the £12m lost revenue quoted by chief executive Mark Dodson in respect to the Autumn Tests not going ahead. The organisation’s total turnover last year was £61m.

Scotland will not adopt the Prime Minister's new coronavirus slogan which drops the 'stay at home' message, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.

Wise words

What if the lockdown was lifted and nobody came? A lot of people seem quite happy with life under Covid, especially educated middle-class people on social media who are happily swapping Spotify playlists and recipes for sourdough bread.

Source: www.reuters.com - Sunday, May 10, 2020
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out a five-tier warning system for the coronavirus in England on Sunday when he outlines the government's plans to begin slowly easing lockdown measures, British media reported.

Source: www.justjared.com - Saturday, May 09, 2020
Kristen Wiig is the host of the season finale of Saturday Night Live ! The 46-year-old Wonder Woman 1984 actress hosted the Mother’s Day episode remotely from her home. During her monologue, Kristen took the opportunity to wish her mom a Happy Mother’s Day. “This is the Mother’s Day show and at SNL it’s a very special time to celebrate moms,” Kristen said. “Unfortunately, like a lot of you, I can’t be with my mom this Mother’s Day so I hope it’s okay I tell her I love her.” “You know I’ve been thinking lately, I don’t know if I truly appreciated my mom the first 45 years of my life, but this year I’m feeling especially grateful for all the things she taught me, preparing me to be a mom myself,” Kristen said before showing a plate of raw chicken breast. “Things like breastfeeding, babies love that chicken, she would always say that.” Kristen ended her monologue by thanking all the parents supporting their families during the pandemic. “So I do want to thank my mom and all the moms out there helping us get through this and have been there,” Kristen said. “We thank you so much, happy Mother’s Day. Thank you moms and thank you dads.” Find out when Wonder Woman 1984 will be out in theaters .

Source: www.justjared.com - Saturday, May 09, 2020
Alec Baldwin is back as President Trump on Saturday Night Live ! The actor once again impersonated the president on the sketch show’s season finale on Saturday (May 9). Alec as Trump made an appearance during the cold open, which featured a virtual graduation for college students. “I’m so honored to be your vale-dictator,” Alec as Trump said. “But today’s not about me. It’s about you. Although I should spend a little time on me first, because I’ve been treated very poorly, even worse than they treated Lincoln.” “You’re actually lucky to be graduating right now there are so many exciting new jobs out there, like grocery store bouncer, cam-girl, porch pirate, amateur nurse and coal,” he continued. “Don’t forget about coal. It’s in the ground, and you just dig down and grab it.” At the end of the cold open, Alec broke character, suggesting that this is his last time playing Trump . “And taped from my home, one last time,” Alec said, “it’s Saturday night.” Alec has been playing Trump for the past four years since the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

A Muslim man sees God answer prayers, receives a New Testament and then searches for more.

Claudia Costa, from Brazil, discusses her personal journey to leadership in Europe and the unity believers share in the body of Christ.

A scholarship from OM Bosnia gives a young woman from a needy family the chance to go to school.

A team of 38 from El Salvador and Guatemala visited the Salvadoran city of Perquín to spread the message of the Saviour.

Pason lost his family when he fled Myanmar. By playing football with OM team members, he finds friendship and hope.

"How could God use someone from the jungle to go to another country?" Agustinus once wondered. 

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong, International Director

A single mother finds hope through a Self Help Group and is sharing the good news.

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong

In 2019, OM Ireland hosted its largest St. Patrick's outreach.

Workers Berni and Carla are passionate about reaching the East of Turkey and encouraged by spiritual growth happening there.

Saskia perseveres through language learning and connects with a young Albanian girl who becomes a follower of Jesus.

Rosario, Argentina :: When their programme for the day gets cancelled, crew take to the streets to share their faith with those they meet.

ESTABLISHING a consensus to maintain the peace has never been trickier. Being stuck at home for 23 hours a day has taken the already onerous challenge of preserving civil relations and lifted to it a new level altogether.

Pason lost his family when he fled Myanmar. By playing football with OM team members, he finds friendship and hope.

"How could God use someone from the jungle to go to another country?" Agustinus once wondered. 

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong, International Director

A single mother finds hope through a Self Help Group and is sharing the good news.

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong

In 2019, OM Ireland hosted its largest St. Patrick's outreach.

Workers Berni and Carla are passionate about reaching the East of Turkey and encouraged by spiritual growth happening there.

Saskia perseveres through language learning and connects with a young Albanian girl who becomes a follower of Jesus.

Rosario, Argentina :: When their programme for the day gets cancelled, crew take to the streets to share their faith with those they meet.

Barack Obama has criticised Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pabndemic, and described it as an 'absolute chaotic disaster', according to reports.

THERE is a new altar to worship at: all hail the mighty god of DIY. If you're not sitting down to a Zoom call on Monday morning with plaster-streaked hair, singed eyebrows and muscles aching from hard graft, what on earth have you been doing with your weekend?

PREPARATIONS to give out millions of coronavirus vaccines must start now or Scotland risks compounding the economic damage caused by the pandemic, a leading expert has warned.

The government's new public slogan for the next phase in the fight against coronavirus has fallen flat ahead of its proposed reveal tonight.

Source: www.businessinsider.com - Friday, May 08, 2020
The US Navy sent two ships into the middle of a South China Sea dispute on Thursday as the commander of US Pacific Fleet warned China to stop "bullying" other countries in the region. A US Navy littoral combat ship and a cargo vessel conducted "presence operations" near the West Capella, a Malaysia-contracted drillship at the heart of a standoff with China and, to some extent, Vietnam. Adm. John Aquilino, commander of US Pacific Fleet, said in a statement Thursday that China "must end its pattern of bullying Southeast Asians out of offshore oil, gas, and fisheries." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . The US Navy warned China to stop "bullying" other countries in the South China Sea as two Navy ships sailed into the middle of a dispute in the contested waterway. The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Cesar Chavez conducted "presence operations" near the West Capella, showing apparent support for the Malaysia-contracted drillship that has been hassled by Chinese ships in recent months. Adm. John Aquilino, commander of US Pacific Fleet, said in a statement Thursday that the US is "committed to a rules-based order in the South China Sea and we will continue to champion freedom of the seas and the rule of law." He continued: "The Chinese Communist Party must end its pattern of bullying Southeast Asians out of offshore oil, gas, and fisheries. Mi

Source: www.businessinsider.com - Saturday, May 09, 2020
Mother's Day is the single most important holiday for flower shops, with many businesses relying on strong holiday sales to survive the summertime slowdown in demand for flowers. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, spring 2020 got off to an ominous start for florists across the United States. 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. CEO Chris McCann and BloomNation CEO and cofounder Farbod Shoraka told Business Insider that their florist partners are seeing a major uptick in spending in the run-up to Mother's Day. The National Retail Federation is projecting that flower sales on Mother's Day will increase from $2.01 billion to $2.1 billion in 2020. Despite the good news, there remain major challenges to florists and the flower industry as a whole during COVID-19, including a major downturn for growers and wholesalers, reduced staffing, and even figuring out distribution capabilities. But Society of American Florists CEO Kate Penn told Busines Insider that florists are some of the "resourceful" and scrappy business owners out there: "Come rain, sleet, or social distancing they'll figure out how to get it delivered." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . For flower shops across the United States, Mother's Day is the most important date on the calendar. Millions of Americans setting out to make their moms feel special with a bright bouquet consistently ensure that the second Sunday of May is the biggest holiday in the flower business

Pason lost his family when he fled Myanmar. By playing football with OM team members, he finds friendship and hope.

"How could God use someone from the jungle to go to another country?" Agustinus once wondered. 

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong, International Director

A single mother finds hope through a Self Help Group and is sharing the good news.

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong

In 2019, OM Ireland hosted its largest St. Patrick's outreach.