Scotland

A woman pleaded for her boyfriend to be taken into hospital the day before he stabbed her 57 times, an inquiry heard. Joanne Gallacher, 33, was so concerned for James Kennedy , 37, that she contacted an NHS mental health unit to ask for help. But no action was taken after senior charge nurse Paul Thomson said he could not ­discuss Kennedy's treatment without his permission.

BBC Breakfast's Carol Kirkwood swiped 'I'm really disappointed' over Strictly Come Dancing's ongoing scandal on Thursday and admitted that she no longer watches the show. In recent weeks, Strictly has been embroiled in accusations about their professional dancers bullying and abusing their celebrity partners. The scandal erupted in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice of abuse after she unexpectedly quit the programme just five weeks in. Then, in July, it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked from Strictly for 'kicking' his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott. Scottish meteorologist Carol, 62, appeared on BBC reality show Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, and was partnered with Pasha Kovalev.

Anyone caught taking part in copycat rioting and looting in Scotland will be hammered by 'very swift justice', John Swinney has warned. The First Minister vowed the police and courts would crack down on troublemakers amid fears civil unrest in England could spread north of the Border this weekend. Emergency plans drawn up to tackle mass disorder at Cop26 are being dusted off to deal with the threat of rioting by far-Right thugs. Mr Swinney said police intelligence had identified the possibility of 'some gatherings' in Scotland over the coming days.

She has struggled so much with the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia that it forced her to step away from her broadcasting job. But now Kirsty Young has revealed when she thought she might have the debilitating condition, a medic 'snorted' and suggested it was not a real illness.

Humza Yousaf has revealed Britain's riots crisis is making him unsure if his family should remain in the UK. The former SNP leader, who was Scotland's first Muslim first minster, described the scenes of violence across towns and cities as 'horrendous'. He said he had worried 'for some time' about rising Islamophobia in Britain and claimed the 'language of the far-right' had 'become institutionalised in our politics'. Mr Yousaf replaced Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland's first minister in March last year, but quit in May after little more than a year in the job.

Lewis Capaldi has reportedly split from his girlfriend Ellie MacDowell after two years together - and the singer is reportedly back in the studio following his hiatus from music. A source told The Sun that their relationship has come to an end as the couple struggled with the distance between them and being able to make time for each other.

Bosses at a crisis-hit health board have created a 'toxic culture' of ­bullying and cover-ups which is harming patients and staff, ­according to a bombshell report. A survey of hundreds of staff across Forth Valley Health Board found workers pushed to 'breaking point' by the senior leadership team. The damning indictment comes two years after the Scottish Government was forced to assume oversight of NHS Forth Valley because of its corrosive culture.

Scotland could face an infestation of ticks - with climate change to blame. That's according to scientists from the University of Stirling, who have used computer modelling to predict how numbers of the pests will change by 2080. Under the most optimistic climate change scenario, in which global temperatures rise by 1°C, they predict that the prevalence of ticks in Scotland will increase by a quarter. However, if temperatures rise by just 4°C, numbers will almost double, according to the team.

Was Lord Darnley, husband to Mary, Queen of Scots, killed by English spies, plotting Scottish lords or... his wife? Now, a new Daily Mail podcast presented by columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams has delved into the mystery. In the early hours of February 10, 1567, a huge explosion rocked the building in Edinburgh were Lord Darnley - who was ill and may have been suffering from syphilis - was staying with his valet, William Taylor. Intriguingly, the bodies of the two men - who are believed to have been strangled - were found outside beside a length of rope, a dagger, a chair and two dressing gowns. In the first episode Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things, Professor Williams - Mary's biographer - explore the theory that Mary herself could have been involved. They also examine the nefarious activities of James Stewart - the queen's half-brother - and the Earl of Bothwell, who went on to force Mary to marry him after allegedly raping her following the death of her husband.

The Princess Royal, 73, who has now returned to public duties after sustaining a minor head injury and concussion in June, received the salute from the British Armed Forces during the event. Princess Anne looked typically elegant at the show, which is this year entitled Journeys, and wore a scarf of Edinburgh tartan with a long beige coat adorned with a red and gold brooch.

More than a million parcels ordered online in Scotland last year went missing before they arrived. Substantially more packages were either damaged, delayed or left somewhere that was insecure or inaccessible. Two out of every three Scots say they had been the victim of a poor service, with something going wrong with their delivery, according to a survey. While a third said their parcels - a staggering 1.3 million packages - had not appeared at their door at all. It comes as online market places continue to thrive at the expense of the traditional High Street, promising swift, easy delivery.

Derek McInnes insists it's still all to play for in Kilmarnock's UEFA Conference League tie with Tromso after a late goal from teenager Bobby Wales salvaged a 2-2 draw at Rugby Park. Killie face an uphill task in next week's return leg, with McInnes having stated pre-match that any failure to take a lead to Norway would be disappointing. But he reckons his team are still in with a fighting chance following the 19-year-old substitute's dramatic intervention - and believes they can punish what he claimed was a sense of complacency in the visiting ranks.