It is encouraging that a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal could be agreed “very soon”. Some optimistic observers are even hopeful that there will be a peaceful resolution to this bloody conflict within days.
A deal could see a halt to the fighting and Israeli hostages returned to their loved ones. Such an outcome would be a welcome change in direction after 15 months of horror.
The scenes in Gaza since the war began have been deplorable. Tens of thousands of people in Gaza have lost their lives while large areas have been razed to the ground.
Most of the two million people who live in Gaza have been displaced. There have been food, fuel and medicine shortages, with a struggle to get the vital aid in.
And nobody will ever forget the initial attacks by Hamas on October 7 that sparked revulsion around the world. However, any deal will need compromise on both sides if it is to become a lasting peace.
It will take a long time to rebuild Gaza when the current fighting ends. And it could well take years to find a just, lasting peace that finally brings this seemingly endless conflict to a close.
Join theDaily Record’s WhatsApp community hereand get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Hit scalpers hard
The Daily Record’s Stub It Out campaign has long called for a crackdown on greedy ticket touts who fleece music fans.
Now the problem of dynamic pricing has emerged as another way for fans to get ripped off – often through official ticketing sites. So it is welcome that the UK’s culture minister Chris Bryant has signalled that a cap on mark-ups for ticket sales is set to form part of Labour’s new touts crackdown.
Tory governments spent an age on investigations and reports into this problem. But as with much else they did nothing to tackle the issue.
Now SNP veteran Peter Wishart –himself a former performer with Gaelic band Runrig – has pledged his party’s support to Labour’s plans. Keir Starmer’s government must get their feet on the gas and get new legislation onto the statute books as soon as possible.
Too many rogue sellers have been making millions with impunity, aided and abetted by sites like Ticketmaster, which has laughed in the face of weak UK laws in this area. We need to see more scalpers punished in the courts if they continue to fleece ordinary fans.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.