Donald Trump to open resort's second golf course on final day in Scotland
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Western Telegraph
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Canal+ flags smaller line-up of films in 2025 but hails Paddington hit
The company, which launched its shares on the London Stock Exchange last year, reported group revenues of 3.1 billion euros (£2.7 billion) for the first half of 2025. This was down 3.3% on the same period a year ago, driven by contracts coming to an end, including with Disney in France and the Uefa Champions League, it said. For the group's film and TV production business, which includes StudioCanal, revenues dipped by about 3% year on year. This was mainly because of a smaller line-up of films sold internationally over the first half of 2025, compared with 2024, which included the releases of Back To Black and Wicked Little Letters. StudioCanal's Back To Black was released last year (Ian West/PA) But the impact of fewer releases was partly offset by the success of major films including Paddington In Peru, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, and We Live In Time. Canal+ said there had been 'record viewership' in cinema, series and live sports events across its regions over the period. The company floated on the London Stock Exchange in December in one of the biggest new listings for the City in several years. The decision for Paris-based Canal+ to list in London was hailed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as a 'vote of confidence' in the UK's stock market. The company had 25.7 million subscribers at the end of June – about 1.2% fewer than it had the same time last year. It has been eyeing cost reductions across Europe which it hopes will boost profits. Maxime Saada, chief executive of Canal+, said: 'I am pleased with all we have accomplished at Canal+ since our listing. 'Our strategy of bringing our in-house content together with content from the world's best studios, sports competitions and streaming platforms, and super-aggregating it all on our enhanced Canal+ app for the benefit of our customers, provides us with a unique value proposition.'
Western Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Trump suggests Sir Sean Connery helped get his golf resort plans ‘into line'
Mr Trump even attempted to recreate the late actor's voice as he addressed a crowd of invited guests and media in Menie on Tuesday. In 2008, Sir Sean described Mr Trump's proposals to develop the land in north-east Scotland as 'terrific' – though he did not know what the local impact would be. John Swinney said the controversial proposals were handled with 'due process' by the Scottish Government's planning reporter. During the final day of his trip to Scotland, Mr Trump hit the first ball at the New Course in Menie. Sir Sean Connery once said the plans for the Trump golf resort near Aberdeen were 'terrific' (Danny Lawson/PA) He was joined by members of his family including his sons Donald Jnr and Eric – the latter of whom has overseen the creation of the course. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the president said: 'This has been an unbelievable development. 'The land, they said it couldn't get zoned, it was an impossibility. 'And Sean Connery said 'let the bloody bloke build his golf course'. 'Once he said that everything came into line. John (Swinney) and I were talking about that last night.' The president met First Minister Mr Swinney on Monday evening for a private dinner, and the two had a more formal meeting on Tuesday ahead of the course opening. The president also said: 'We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful.' John Swinney said 'due process' was followed in the planning process for the Trump resort (Jane Barlow/PA) Mr Swinney spoke to journalists about his earlier exchange with the president and the suggestion that Sir Sean helped to secure permission for the golf courses. The First Minister said it was matter of 'historical record' that two committees of Aberdeenshire Council came to different conclusions on Mr Trump's proposals, which had proved divisive in the area. Mr Swinney said that as a minister at the time he had taken a decision to 'call in' the application, with a government reporter reviewing the planning application according to 'due process'. Asked if Sir Sean had no involvement, the First Minister said: 'Well, that's an explanation of the due process.' Opponents of the development were concerned about the environmental impact and staged a high-profile campaign against the plans. In August 2008, Sir Sean spoke of his enthusiasm for Mr Trump's plans for the north-east of Scotland. He told an audience in Edinburgh he had met the businessman after the plans were announced, saying: 'I said 'Well, I think it's terrific'. 'But I had no idea what local repercussions would be. 'My first response was I couldn't see anything but benefits for that part of Scotland because it's pretty neglected, apart from the oil fields.'
Western Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Trump didn't push me to support new oil and gas drilling, Swinney says
The SNP leader said the US President made his views clear during their dinner on Monday but did not actively press him to back fresh drilling in the North Sea. Mr Swinney said he was aware of Mr Trump's posts on his social media platform urging the UK to lower taxes and drill. US President Donald Trump played some golf at Trump International Golf Links, on the Menie Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire (Jane Barlow/PA) On the last day of his five-day visit to Scotland, the American leader posted: 'North Sea Oil is a treasure chest for the United Kingdom. 'The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense. 'They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, 'we don't want you'. 'Incentivize the drillers, fast. A vast fortune to be made for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people!' Mr Swinney had dinner with the President who was flanked at the table at Trump MacLeod House & Lodge – named after Mr Trump's Scottish mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump – in the Menie estate alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Asked if the President pressed Mr Swinney to back new oil and gas licenses during the two-hour event, the First Minister said: 'He didn't. He didn't press me to do that. Trump had dinner with Keir Starmer and John Swinney on Monday evening (Jane Barlow/PA) 'He obviously expressed his view that there should be more oil and gas activity undertaken and I've seen material from the President this morning which raises issues about taxation, which of course, is not under my control. 'I don't have any influence over North Sea oil and gas taxation. 'Obviously the President made clear his view that he is not a supporter of wind turbines and I expressed the view that we have about our energy priorities on renewable energy.' Mr Trump landed in Prestwick on Friday on Air Force One before travelling to his golf course in Turnberry, South Ayrshire. On Monday, he and the Prime Minister were transported by Marine One to his golf course in Menie. He opened up The New Course there on Tuesday shortly before leaving for Washington. Mr Swinney had dinner with Mr Trump for around two hours where the First Minister made the case for exempting Scotch whisky from US tariffs, while a shorter discussion on Tuesday morning focused on what Mr Swinney said was the 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Gaza. During his trip – his first since 2023 and first since winning re-election – Mr Trump repeatedly referred to Aberdeen as 'the oil capital of Europe'. The US President campaigned on 'drill baby drill' during his election campaign last year. He has been outspoken in his dislike of 'windmills', having taken the Scottish Government to court over an offshore wind farm near his Aberdeenshire estate. Mr Trump said Scotland had the 'ugliest windmills I've ever seen', describing them as 'ugly monsters' that were 'destroying the beauty' of the country. Donald Trump has urged the UK to extract more oil from the North Sea (Andrew Milligan/PA) 'Wind is a disaster,' Mr Trump said. 'Wind is the most expensive form of energy. 'When we go to Aberdeen you'll see some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen. 'They're the height of a 50-storey building. 'You could take 1,000 times more energy from a hole in the ground. It's called oil and gas, and you have it in the North Sea. 'You are paying in Scotland, and the UK, and all over place, where they gave them massive subsidies to have these ugly monsters all over the place.'
