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Watch as Trump opens golf course on last day of Scotland visit
US President Donald Trump is cutting the ribbon at the opening of Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen
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Ozzy Osbourne cortege to travel through Birmingham
Ozzy Osbourne fans will be able to say goodbye to the heavy metal pioneer at a procession for his cortege through his home city of Birmingham tomorrow. The star's hearse will make its way down Broad Street towards the Black Sabbath bridge and bench - where thousands of fans have left flowers, messages and other tributes since his death. Osbourne, 76, died less than three weeks after performing his "final bow" in the city - the Back The Beginning reunion with his Sabbath bandmates at Villa Park, which raised about £140m for charity. Large crowds are expected to gather tomorrow as fans pay their respects to the performer who shaped heavy metal music and "proudly carried the spirit of Birmingham throughout his career", the city council said. Members of Osbourne's family will also be in attendance and have funded the event, the council added. "Ozzy was more than a music legend - he was a son of Birmingham," said the city's lord mayor, Councillor Zafar Iqbal. "We know how much this moment will mean to his fans. We're proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began." 7:56 Mr Iqbal said it was important to the city to give the star "a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral". Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates Terence "Geezer" Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward were awarded the Freedom of the City in June, before the Back To The Beginning show, honouring their "significance to the cultural and musical identity of Birmingham". The star's cortege will travel down Broad Street from about 1pm tomorrow, accompanied by a live brass band, Bostin' Brass. For those not able to make it, a live stream of the Black Sabbath bench, which has been running since Osbourne's death, will continue. There is also a book of condolence for public messages at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, alongside the Ozzy Osbourne Working Class Hero exhibition, highlighting his solo career achievements. Osbourne, the self-styled Prince of Darkness, pioneered heavy metal with Black Sabbath before going on to have huge success in his own right. He was famous for hits including Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, Crazy Train and Changes, both with the band and as a solo star. The singer also found a different kind of fame thanks to noughties MTV reality show The Osbournes, which followed his somewhat chaotic life with wife Sharon and two of their children, Kelly and Jack. Following his death, his family released a statement saying he died alongside them, "surrounded by love".
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Manhunt after couple hiking with their children killed in Arkansas park
A manhunt is under way after a married couple were killed while hiking with their children in an Arkansas state park. Clinton Brink, 43, and Cristen Brink, 41, were walking with their daughters, who are aged seven and nine, when they were attacked in Devil's Den State Park on Saturday afternoon, according to Arkansas State Police. Officers were called to reports of two people dead in the park at around 2.40pm, before their bodies were found on a walking trail. Arkansas's state lab are working to determine their cause of death, officials said. Their children were not injured and are safe with relatives, authorities added. A statement from the Brink family said the couple "died heroes, protecting their little girls". "They deserve justice. They will forever live in all our hearts," the family added, asking for privacy as they "grieve and learn to navigate this new reality". The couple had only moved to Arkansas three weeks ago, having previously lived in California and eastern Montana, Mr Brink's sister Karina Hutchins said. Officials have not said how the couple were killed and have not provided a possible motive for the attack. The suspect has been described as white, of medium build, and was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, a dark baseball cap, and sunglasses. He was also carrying a black backpack and wearing fingerless gloves. Police said he could have sustained injuries during the attack and exited the park in a black, four-door car, possibly a Mazda, with the number plate covered with duct tape. He is then believed to have travelled on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 to escape. Police have urged anyone who was in or near the park that day with smartphone or GoPro footage to come forward.
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Energy Asia: Government, industry urge swift energy transition
Energy Asia 2025 concluded with a resounding call for urgent, inclusive and actionable delivery of the energy transition. Held in Kuala Lumpur from 16 to 18 June, the conference drew more than 4,000 delegates from 60 countries and 38 industries to discuss how the region can balance rising energy demand with decarbonisation targets under the theme 'Delivering Asia's Energy Transition'. With over 180 speakers and more than 150 sessions, Energy Asia marked a step change in how the region approaches the energy transition - not as a future ambition, but as an immediate priority requiring delivery at scale. The second edition of Energy Asia was officially launched by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and hosted by PETRONAS in partnership with CERAWeek by S&P Global. From the opening keynote to the final sessions, discussions were centred around the knotty conundrum of meeting growing energy demand while advancing the Asian energy ecosystem through decarbonisation, economic development, and social equity. Call for greater collaboration and investments Asia's energy transition is uniquely complex. Nations must expand access for growing populations while cutting emissions, making planning and investment more challenging. Collaboration is key to effectively address the energy transition, not just across conventional energy players, but also industry leaders in cleantech and renewables, power and utilities, finances and logistics, as well as policymakers and authorities. The Malaysian Prime Minister underscored that while most Southeast Asian nations have committed to net-zero targets, clean energy investment remains disproportionately low - just 2% of global spending in 2023, despite the region consuming half the world's energy. Tengku Muhammad Taufik, PETRONAS chief executive officer and Energy Asia Chairman, stressed the need for regionally specific solutions amid growing disruptions. He also called for a balance to be struck between sustainability and energy security, noting over 350 million Asians still lack reliable electricity. "The objective of Energy Asia 2025 is to address the realities of the energy transition within the context of this region," Mr Muhammad Taufik said in an interview after the conference. "The perspectives aired over the past three days have successfully highlighted the existing and emerging challenges faced and underscored the imperative to build a resilient energy system." He added that Asia stood firm in its "pragmatic and collaborative approach in shaping a just and equitable energy future for more than half of the global population." "Beyond the thought leadership that was front and centre at the conference, Energy Asia 2025 also witnessed the formation of numerous new initiatives and partnerships, that are positioned to deliver real outcomes for the region," Mr Muhammad Taufik said. Speakers also emphasised the evolving role of energy demand driven by artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure. The conference featured speakers including OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, and TotalEnergies Chairman Patrick Pouyanné. Delivering Asia's energy transition Energy Asia went beyond conversations. The conference marked the signing of 14 memoranda of understanding and several major partnership announcements between some of the world's largest energy companies. PETRONAS, Malaysia's state oil company, announced a strategic cooperation agreement with French energy giant TotalEnergies to expand upstream operations in Malaysia. The Malaysian company also signed a framework agreement with Italy's Eni to explore regional upstream joint ventures, and reached a liquefied natural gas supply deal with Commonwealth LNG to diversify exports to the United States. Other significant announcements included PETRONAS's agreement with Japan's JERA to collaborate across the gas value chain, supporting Japan's energy security objectives. PETRONAS also announced plans for an Energy Transition Academy to train workers for low-carbon industries. Focus on Carbon Capture Technology Several initiatives launched at the conference target carbon capture and storage technology. PETRONAS announced the formation of Jules Nautica, a joint venture with shipping companies MISC Berhad and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines to operate vessels that transport liquefied carbon dioxide for storage projects. The company also launched what it calls the Blue Carbon Collective, a research partnership with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team and universities in Brazil and Malaysia to study mangrove-based carbon capture methods. EAGLe Forum Produces Sturdy Framework A landmark feature of this year's conference was the inaugural Energy Asia Global Leadership Executive Forum (EAGLe), a closed-door gathering of over 30 global CEOs and C-suite leaders from energy, finance, technology, and professional services. This high-level dialogue produced alignment on four critical areas of action: building resilient energy systems - sharing best practices for energy system resilience; improving project financing; reducing emissions whilst delivering social benefits; and accelerating technology deployment. The forum, held under Chatham House rule, marked the first time such a gathering has taken place in Asia focused specifically on energy transition challenges. Energy Park: Where innovation and collaboration converge The accompanying Energy Park exhibition attracted nearly 14,000 visitors over three days, showcasing emerging technologies from carbon capture systems to renewable energy platforms. Conference organisers said the 52 corporate sponsors and high attendance demonstrated strong industry support for collaborative approaches to energy transition. Asia accounts for more than half of global energy consumption and a similar proportion of carbon emissions. The region's approach to energy transition will significantly influence whether global climate targets can be met, according to energy analysts.
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Trump visit gives Swinney golden opportunity to butter up president on Scotch whisky tariffs exemption
There had been much talk of the possibility of a frosty reception when the US president locked eyes with Scotland's first minister. Donald Trump and John Swinney are not natural friends. They couldn't be further apart politically speaking and personality-wise. However, it seems Mr Trump is enjoying his foreign holiday enough for the pair to park their differences and bond over their mutual love for Scotland. As Mr Trump departed the White House, he branded Mr Swinney a "good man" before turning up the love suggesting he had heard "good things" about the SNP leader. As close to an endorsement as it gets from Mr Trump. The White House extended an invite for a one-to-one meeting between the president and first minister but last night came another opportunity, in the form of a VIP dinner. Sources close to the Aberdeenshire banquet, where seafood was on the menu, described it as a "productive, interesting" event. I am told Mr Swinney and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer sat on either side of the president in an evening where they talked golf and trade in the company of around 20 others. 2:20 POTUS (president of the United States) had earlier said he wanted to see Scotland "thrive" and clearly the presence of both Mr Swinney and Mr Starmer created the golden opportunity to butter up the president who is mulling over reducing Scotch whisky tariffs to zero. Sources in the room described the first minister as "landing some arguments" before the prime minister departed the event early. Ditching dessert apparently. But the dinner had all the ingredients to be an awkward encounter. The first minister previously called for the upcoming state visit with Mr Trump to be axed in the wake of the Volodymyr Zelenskyy White House shouting match earlier this year. And in true Mr Trump style, just hours before the Aberdeenshire summit the president had been freewheeling live on TV about Scottish independence - Mr Swinney's lifetime goal - saying a second vote on the country's future should be restricted to "50 or 75 years". An eye-bulging intervention from the leader of the free world. The pair met again on Tuesday morning to talk business in a more formal, sober setting on the Aberdeenshire estate. Mr Swinney's team were wanting to talk about the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Scotland has been at the epicentre of international politics for the past five days where, it seems, Mr Trump has been in listening mode. His new political friends will be hoping they have persuaded him to act harder on the pressing issues in the Middle East.
