Discovery April Ad Sales Off 20% But May-June Better; Co. Will Consider Acquisitions; CEO Slams Pricey Sports-Stuffed Cable Packages

A council tax rise will be announced in Dumfries and Galloway next week – after it was confirmed that the authority is facing a budget shortfall of more than £5million.

A Lockerbie man has raised enough money to buy two new defibrillators for the community.

A knack for delving into the past to uncover answers has become a “labour of love” for retired New Abbey clinical psychologist, Alverie Weighill.

Bolton Council face an ‘incredibly difficult’ challenge over the next two months to distribute a one-off £150 government payment to more than 30,000 households who do not pay their council tax by direct debit.

Gemma Collins has revealed she's had to have a nurse come to her home and administer an IV drip after struggling to recover from coronavirus. Former The Only Way Is Essex star Gemma, 41, opened up to fans on her Instagram stories as she filmed herself having a vitamin C drip put in and explained she's been feeling "exhausted" lately. As Gemma filmed herself with the cannula in her arm, which was being fixed on by her nurse, she explained to her followers: "So guys, today I am poorly.

Judi Love has opened up about her horror at the story involving West Ham player Kurt Zouma kicking his cat in a video uploaded to social media, calling for us all to be more aware of cruelty towards animals. Writing in her weekly column for OK!, the Loose Women star said: "Animal cruelty has been on the rise throughout the pandemic but animals have feelings and emotions, too. We need to ensure that all animals and humans are safe." See what else she had to say below...

The Official Charts Company is launching its latest chart review of the year, this time taking a look back at the hits of 2021.

HYBE boybands Tomorrow X Together (TXT) and ENHYPEN have opened up about collaborating with one another for their joint performance at last December’s 2021 KBS Song Festival.In the newly released ‘BACKSTAGE: TXT x EN-‘ documentary – which features never-before-seen backstage footage of the two boybands, alongside interviews with the individual members – the members of TXT and ENHYPEN talked about how the rehearsals leading up to the performance helped form a friendship between both groups.“I thought we would be competitive, but they came to us first. We were so comfortable with each other in the practice studio,” noted TXT member Beomgyu. His thoughts were echoed by ENHYPEN member Ni-ki, who said that the two groups “became much closer” through the process.

Beck and Lizzo are among the keynote speakers announced for this year’s edition of SXSW Festival next month.The two artists join author Neal Stephenson, director Celine Tricart, Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McHill Johnson and Brentwood Growth Partners Founder Reggie Fils-Aimé in giving keynote addresses as part of the program.TX IM COMING BAAAACK—- it’s been a min, is @torchystacos vegan

New Zealand has voted to protect LGBTQ youth from so-called “conversion therapy.”In an almost unanimous vote, the New Zealand Parliament voted 112 to eight in favour of banning the controversial  practice. So-called “conversion therapy” is the discredited and dangerous practice that is intended to change, often by force, a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. The New Zealand Herald reported that it is now an offence to “perform conversion practices on a child or young person aged under 18, or on someone with impaired decision-making capacity. Such offences would be subject to up to three years’ imprisonment, and up to five years where it has caused serious harm, irrespective of age.”Leader of End Conversion Therapy NZ Shaneel Lal tweeted, “The ban on conversion therapy is a win for humanity, not just the queer community.

Jamie Redknapp and his wife Frida celebrated their very first Valentine's Day as a married couple this week – but it wasn't quite as romantic as you might think.The newlyweds only recently returned from their honeymoon in the Maldives, along with their baby son Rafael. But it was back to earth with a bump on Monday.WATCH: Jamie Redknapp's baby son is already taking after him!Jamie, 48, shared a snapshot showing the couple looking hot but happy as they posed with their trainer after a boxing session.

Jessica Kiang In a valley in the Swiss canton of Bern dominated by the local watchmaking industry, the first ever International Anarchist Congress was held in 1872. And inside a traditionally made clockwork watch, such as the factories of Bern would have been producing at the time, there is a tiny spiral wheel that balances the mechanism, called the unrueh — the unrest.This dainty coincidence of echoing terminology at most might raise a “huh” from those of us into wordplay and social history and Twitter accounts that exclusively post images of machinery at work.

Bruce Willis might have spent Valentine's Day with his wife Emma Heming Willis and their two daughters, Mabel, nine, and Evelyn, seven, but on Tuesday he planned a special date with two of his eldest daughters.MORE: Bruce Willis delights fans with rare family photo with two daughtersTaking to Instagram, Emma shared the sweetest photo of Bruce smiling widely towards the camera whilst sitting in the passenger seat of a car next to daughter Scout. Behind them, his and Demi Moore's eldest daughter, Rumer, could be seen, with her seatbelt on and smiling at Emma.WATCH: Bruce and Emma's daughter learns how to ride a bike with the help of Demi Moore"If this isn't the cutest daddy-daughter date," Emma wrote alongside the photo, before adding that Bruce was a "girl dad".READ: Demi Moore pays tribute to ex Bruce Willis in the most amazing wayRELATED: Rumer Willis proudly poses in provocative lingerie – fans praise her body and messageBruce has a great relationship with all his daughters and Rumer recently paid tribute to him and mom Demi, 58, for how they have co-parented throughout the years.

Anton Du Beke has taken to Instagram to share three snapshots of his twins for a very special reason.MORE: Anton Du Beke's country home with wife Hannah and twins is full of rustic charm – insideThe pictures show George and Henrietta inside the family home and trying on some new items of clothing ahead of a skiing holiday.WATCH: Anton du Beke's twins gatecrash his live workout"Start 'em young!" Strictly star Anton, 55, wrote. "My little ones ready to hit the slopes in their gorgeous Smalls Merino wool base layers.

center of renewed fervor in recent months, and Amy Poehler's new documentary on the pair aims to shine a different kind of light on their legacy.Poehler, who directed the forthcoming doc, spoke with ET's Matt Cohen at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday, and opened up about the difficulties she faced when helming the monumental project.«The challenge of this film, because Lucy and Desi are so known, is to figure out almost how to bring them back to life. Make them people again, rather than icons,» Poehler shared.

Manchester City Council made the sudden announcement earlier this week that the speed limit on one of its busiest roads would be dropping.

David de Gea

Blake Lively and her sister Robyn make a stylish duo as they arrive for the Michael Kors Collection Fall/Winter 2022 Runway Show held at Terminal 5 during New York Fashion Week on Tuesday night (February 15) in New York City.

By Dade Hayes

Stuck-at-home Food Network and Cooking Channel hosts shooting in their own kitchens during the COVID-19 crisis, and using camera equipment supplied by their networks, has given Discovery CEO David Zaslav an idea on how to produce more content with cost savings post-pandemic. "Why are we dragging everyone to a studio? Let's shoot it in a home.

With sports around the world put on ice amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Discovery's lifestyle brands — HGTV, DIY, the Cooking Channel and Food Network — are the new hot properties, CEO David Zaslav argued on the company's Wednesday earnings conference call. "We are the new sports," he said.

By Cynthia Littleton

Discovery Inc. president and CEO David Zaslav's 2019 pay package dropped to $45.8 million.

By Jill Goldsmith

By Cynthia Littleton

By Jill Goldsmith

Discovery CEO David Zaslav is gathering some friends and celebrities this weekend to raise more than $1 million in a virtual charity poker tournament for the Mount Sinai COVID-19 Response Fund. Zaslav is a Mount Sinai board member, and 100 percent of the proceeds of the event will support front-line health care workers.

Fitch Ratings on Tuesday cited Discovery, which is led by CEO David Zaslav, as a market leader positioned well to take advantage of increased U.S. TV viewing by stay-at-home Americans during the COVID-19 crisis.