Scotland trending: Today’s most talked-about stories

TODAY’S top stories on social media from Scotland and beyond, including the death of Chariots of Fire’s Colin Welland and Twitter’s new look

Colin Welland. Picture: PA

Chariots of Fire director dies at 81

British screenwriter and actor Colin Welland has passed away peacefully in his sleep. Welland most famously won an Oscar for his Chariots of Fire screenplay in 1981, some of which was filmed in St Andrews. He also appeared as an actor in Kes and Straw Dogs. Fans and colleagues have taken to Twitter this afternoon to pay their respects to the talented screenwriter, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s several years ago.

Michelin to close Northern Irish factory but invest in Dundee jobs

A shake up in the European operations of tyre giant Michelin will see the French company close its Ballymena factory in Northern Ireland but also invest €69 million in its Dundee tyre plant. More than eight hundred jobs will be lost in Ballymena as a result of the closure, but Michelin has pledged to support its employees during the coming months. The Northern Irish factory looks set to close in 2018 and reportedly Michelin are also considering closing sites in Italy and Germany in the near future. There is a mixture of commiseration and celebration on social media this afternoon as users around the world react to the announcement.

TV adaptation of His Dark Materials in the works

The BBC announced today that they have commissioned a TV adaptation of Philip Pullman’s fantasy novel trilogy His Dark Materials, published between 1995 and 2000. The stories were made into film The Golden Compass in 2007 starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig which was received with some disappointment by fans of the books. The BBC hope that their upcoming TV series will attract both young and old viewers and - with the author serving as an executive producer - do justice to Pullman’s dramatic tales. The cast for the show is still to be confirmed, but filming will take place in Wales.

Starbucks red cups are back for winter

Whether or not you think it’s too early, mammoth coffee chain Starbucks are getting in the Christmas spirit and bringing back their seasonal red cups and festive drinks for winter. The company have designed a red cup Twitter emoji especially for the occasion that shows up when users tweet the hashtag #RedCups. This has prompted the hashtag to trend and divided the internet over their love (or hatred) of the corporation’s winter tradition.

Twitter adjusts ‘Favourites’ function

Twitter has discarded its “favourite” button in favour of a loveheart. The tech giant said the revamp was a less ambiguous way for new users to show support for a tweet. The move edges Twitter closer to a Facebook-esque interface, because Twitter refers to the new function as a “like”. “You might like a lot of things, but not everything can be your favourite,” Twitter said.