Archive
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Retirement village on the horizon for small Scottish town
GLENROTHES based developers at Easy Living Development have asked Fife Council for planning permission to build 38 semi-detached bungalows for retirees in Balmullo. If Fife Council approves the plans, the former Burnbrae Nursery and garden market
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Media Watch: SNP minister fires warning to party amid press focus on infighting
Good evening and welcome to Media Watch. The story at the centre of Scottish politics over the past week has undoubtedly been the continuing row over the decision of several SNP MPs to put themselves forward as potential candidates for the Holyrood
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There is a credible path forward for Scottish independence, says Kate Forbes
KATE Forbes has said that there is a “credible path” forward for Scottish independence. Speaking at an event in London organised by the Institute for Government, the Deputy First Minister said it was a “battle of vision for Scotland” between pro-independence
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Leading charity calls out UK Government on winter fuel cut as temperatures plunge
A LEADING charity has said it has “serious concerns” about people’s health as the reality of cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment starts being felt across Scotland with temperatures plunging. In September, the new Labour Government voted to scrap the
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Campaigners claim victory after Neo Nazi 'no show' for Scottish gig
ANTI-RACISM campaigners have claimed victory after neo Nazis were said to have backed out of a planned gig in a Scottish town. The National revealed last week that more than 100 white supremacists were planning to gather in Bathgate, West Lothian
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Welsh Government pulls out of UK deposit return scheme
THE Welsh Government will create a deposit return scheme for Wales after pulling out of a UK-wide approach which did not include glass bottles, it has announced. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had been working towards a long-planned
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No 10 defends Rachel Reeves amid growing scrutiny over 'fake CV' claims
DOWNING Street has defended Rachel Reeves’s record of being “straight with the public” amid claims the Chancellor has embellished her CV. Newspapers over the weekend contested Reeves’s claim in an interview with Stylist magazine from 2021 that
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UK to ‘double down’ on support for Ukraine as US backs missile use in Russia
THE UK will “double down” on support for Ukraine, fuelling speculation that British-supplied missiles could be used by Kyiv’s forces to hit targets deep inside Russia. Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to strike sites in
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Glasgow Willy Wonka experience organiser exposed as sex pest
THE man behind the viral Willy Wonka Experience has been exposed as a sex pest who left a woman traumatised. William Coull, 36, hounded his victim at a property in Darnley between March 26 and July 2, 2024. Coull repeatedly sent explicit pictures
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European Movement selects vice president from Scotland for first time
AN SNP MP has been named as a vice president of a pro-European organisation in a first for the movement. The European Movement UK has appointed vice presidents from Scotland and Wales for the first time – naming Stephen Gethins and Plaid Cymru
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Grangemouth owner Petroineos rejects new buyout offer for site
THE owner of Grangemouth oil refinery has turned down an offer to buy out the site ahead of its proposed closure next year. It came after an approach from a consortium to Petroineos and the Scottish Government was deemed "not credible". More
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UK arms exports to Israel could be used to breach international law, court told
THE Government continued sending F-35 fighter jet components to Israel despite knowing there was a “clear risk” that they could be used to “commit or facilitate a serious violation” of international humanitarian law (IHL), the High Court has been told
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Sky News uses missile footage for farmer protests report in live TV blunder
SKY News have egg on their face after a live blunder appeared to suggest farmers would launch full-on military missiles at forthcoming protests. Large demonstrations by farmers are expected in London on Tuesday as they fight to reverse “absolutely
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Legal advice given to Keir Starmer on genocide should be published, say MPs
A GROUP of MPs has asked for any legal advice Keir Starmer has received on the definition of genocide to be published. As the Prime Minister continues to face criticism for denying genocide is being committed by Israel in Gaza, the Independent
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Concerns raised over fake politician accounts on Bluesky
CONCERNS have been raised over the ability to impersonate politicians on an emerging social media platform. Robert Jenrick’s team have said they will report an imposter Bluesky account to the site’s administrators after another pretending to be
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Animals evacuated from Fife Pets at Home store following fire
ANIMALS have been evacuated from a Dunfermline store following a fire which caused damage to the building’s air conditioning. The blaze took place on Sunday night behind Pets at Home in Halbeath Retail Park. The cause has not been confirmed
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University of Edinburgh set to lay off staff due to Labour tax hikes
THE University of Edinburgh is opening a redundancy process for staff as a result of Labour tax hikes. In an email sent to staff seen by The National, the university said that the National Insurance hikes in the Budget have created a “multi-million
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Four-year sentence for teenager who fatally assaulted bus driver in Elgin
A TEENAGER who fatally assaulted a bus driver after being refused permission to travel because he was drunk has been sentenced to four years and four months in custody. Keith Rollinson, 58, died of cardiac arrest following the assault in Elgin
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Donor who gave thousands to Russell Findlay campaign appointed Scottish Tory chair
A DONOR who helped to fund Russell Findlay’s successful Scottish Tory leadership campaign was appointed as the party’s chairman just weeks later. Tycoon Alasdair Locke gave the now-leader’s campaign £25,000 before landing the role, the Daily Record
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'Cynical hypocrisy': Keir Starmer called out on Gaza as old clip re-emerges
KEIR Starmer has been called out for his continued denial of a genocide in Gaza after a video of him arguing genocide had taken place in Croatia in 1991 re-emerged. In 2014, Starmer was part of a group of international lawyers who attempted to
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Man, 68, charged after 'attack and sexual assault' of teenage girls
A 68-YEAR-OLD has been charged after "allegedly assaulting and sexually assaulting" two teenage girls in Scotland. Police Scotland said officers had arrested the man after assaults in South Ayrshire on Saturday evening. The attacks took place
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Stagecoach strike action in Highlands and Islands averted with new pay deal
STRIKE action by Stagecoach drivers in the Highlands and Islands has been averted after a new pay deal was secured. Unite the union said it delivered a double digit pay deal for around 200 drivers. In October, the union had revealed that bus
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Energy bills set to 'rise again in January' despite hopes of lower price cap
ENERGY bills will rise again in January, despite hopes that UK households could see lower bills in the new year, according to new predictions. The latest forecast of the Ofgem energy price cap show an increase to bills for people across the country
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Nigel Farage more popular than other UK political leaders, poll suggests
NIGEL Farage is more popular than Keir Starmer and other UK political party leaders, a poll has suggested. According to an Ipsos poll carried out between November 8 and 11, the Reform UK leader had the highest favourability rating (28%) in a survey
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Call for ScotRail to remove first class seating as majority goes unused
FIRST class seats should be removed from ScotRail trains to free up capacity on busy services, the Scottish Greens have said. Investigations by party researchers discovered that in 2023/24 only 2% of first class seats allocated were being used,
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Scottish Bafta winner warns of 'terrifying erosion' of human rights
A BAFTA Scotland winner used her winners speech to warn viewers about the "terrifying winding back" of human rights across the world, highlighting Donald Trump's US abortion ban and the genocide in Gaza. Producer Hannah Currie, who won the award
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New yellow weather warning issued as snow hits Scotland
THE Met Office has issued a new yellow warning for parts of the Highlands as well as Shetland. The yellow warning for snow and ice will come into force from 4pm on Monday, November 18 and will last until 10am on Wednesday, November 20. It covers
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Alan Riach: Open your ears to the music of this Scottish composer
THESE columns have often been graced by the words of my good friend Dr John Purser. He is Scotland’s foremost musicologist, a poet, composer, playwright, researcher at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Gaelic College in Skye, where he lives with his wife
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What are the opening and closing times for the Edinburgh Christmas Market?
THE Edinburgh Christmas Market is back for another year, seeing thousands of people from across the globe descend on the Scottish capital for their annual dose of festive cheer. Featuring exciting amusements, stalls selling various items and a
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Two women arrested after mid-air emergency on flight bound for Scottish airport
TWO women have been charged after an incident on board a Jet2 plane which was bound for Glasgow. A mid-air emergency was declared with police officers sent to the airport on Saturday, November 16 following a disturbance on a Jet2 flight from Antalya
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Ash Regan: Despite some witty stand-ups at PMQs, Stephen Flynn's scorecard is thin
THE “Greatest Showman” PT Barnum once said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity”, but has the SNP’s ambitious Westminster group leader, Stephen Flynn, misjudged his own capacity for showmanship? Judging by the thorny responses in Holyrood and
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‘Childline saved my life’ – why you should donate this Christmas
A woman who was sexually abused as a child has praised the NSPCC’s Childline service for saving her life. Nicola - not her real name – said speaking to a Childline counsellor is what stopped her from taking her own life when she was a teenager.
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Area of Highlands named coldest in UK as temperatures plunge
AN area of the Highlands was named as the coldest in the UK on Sunday night as temperatures plunged. In a post on Twitter/X, the Met Office pointed out that temperatures dropped as low as -7.8C at Tulloch Bridge on Sunday night. It said: “
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MSPs to vote on banning 'double jobbing' amid Stephen Flynn Holyrood bid
HOLYROOD is set to vote on banning “double jobbing” in the wake of Stephen Flynn’s bid to stand as both an MSP and MP. On Sunday, the SNP’s Westminster leader addressed the “anger” at his plans, saying there’s “always going to be a strong reaction
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Stars show support for Palestine at Scottish Bafta awards
STARS at the Scottish Bafta awards showed their support for Palestine at a ceremony on Sunday night. The awards honouring the excellence and talent across Scotland’s screen sector took place in Glasgow on Sunday evening. David Tennant was among
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See the full list of winners at the 2024 Scottish Bafta awards
THE winners of the Bafta Scotland Awards 2024 were announced at a ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday evening. Hosted by presenter Edith Bowman, the awards honour excellence and talent across Scotland’s screen industries. A total of 15 competitive
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Do workers in Scotland get a bank holiday on St Andrew's Day?
WITH St Andrew's Day just around the corner, people all across Scotland will be gearing up to celebrate the country's patron saint. Andrew became Scotland's saint all the way back in 1320 when the Declaration of Arbroath was signed. Since then
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George Kerevan: Labour ‘think tank’ proves we need more lobbying restrictions
ONE of the seminal moments of the 2014 independence referendum campaign was when then Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy was pelted with an egg while campaigning in Kirkaldy. On the evening of this incident, I was scheduled to do a public debate
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Create new Wales Bill to give country same powers as Scotland, Labour urged
PLAID Cymru are calling for Wales to be given the same powers of control as Scotland. Transport, the Crown Estate, justice and policing, energy, taxation and welfare are among the powers held by Scotland but currently unavailable to Wales.
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Andy Wightman: King’s ownership of Balmoral is a block on real Scottish land reform
The following is an except from Andy Wightman's updated book The Poor Had No Lawyers. WHO does own Scotland, then? This question is a little tricky. If you wish to find out who owns a certain field or a house or a forest or an office block, then
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Alison Phipps: Language rights matter — in New Zealand and here in Scotland
ON Thursday, Hana-Rāwhiti Kareariki Maipi-Clarke, Aotearoa New Zealand’s youngest MP, stood to perform a haka in parliament. Slowly and with a great deal of mana – spirited power – she tore in half a controversial bill seeking to reinterpret the country
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SNP 'must rule out cutting independence spend in Scottish budget', Greens demand
THE SNP must “categorically rule out” cutting spending on independence in the upcoming Scottish budget, the Greens have said. After the UK Government Budget was delivered at the end of October, parties at Holyrood have been holding talks trying
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Tommy Sheppard: The best hope for Scotland's economic future is the EU
THINGS aren’t going well for the new Labour Government. The figures for the first quarter of their tenure of the economy say it is pretty much flatlining – growth of one-tenth of 1%. Not good news for a crew whose only mantra seems to be growth
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'Kenny was always there': An obituary of SNP councillor Kenny McLean
Councillor Kenneth McLean, MA (Hons), Glasgow City Councillor for Partick East/Kelvindale and Secretary of the Eilean Mor MacCormick Trust, January 11, 1960 – September 25, 2024 ‘KENNY was always there” – John Swinney’s words at the funeral of
