2+ hour, 15+ min ago (355+ words) A MAJOR milestone in Scotland's internet identity has been reached with the launch of a new domain. DotScot, the domain for the worldwide community of Scots, has announced that .co.scot domains are now available for purchase in what bosses behind the firm say is a "turning point" for people worldwide to express their Scottish connection. The firm's .scot domains are used by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, NHS Scotland, and by businesses, organisations, and individuals across the country along with a further 62 countries around the world." DotScot are calling the .co.scot launch the "biggest development" since the launch of .scot in 2014. The new domain has a lower price than many of the traditional domains, including . co.uk , at "4.95 per year, and will help make DotScot more affordable for people in Scotland and Scots worldwide. The new domain…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (404+ words) THE Labour Government has "short-changed" Scotland after handing more than "500 million to the Wales without a penny for an equivalent Scottish fund, the Deputy First Minister has said. Kate Forbes has written to Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander raising concerns about the "missing half-a-billion", accusing Labour of repeating policies of the Tory Party. It comes after the UK Government announced a "547m Local Growth Fund for Wales " which will be paid over three years and allocated by Welsh Labour ministers. Welsh Labour Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans opened a consultation on how to use the money last week, saying that her Government will be "ready to implement this fund from April 2026". However, Forbes has said the lack of an equivalent fund for Scotland raises concerns of a perception that public money is being used for party political purposes. Finance Secretary Shona Robison has…...

8+ mon, 1+ week ago (473+ words) ANAS'Sarwar will lead Scottish Labour to its "biggest defeat" in the devolution era, according to a former party MSP. Neil Findlay, who represented Labour at Holyrood for a decade until 2021, resigned from Scottish Labour after 35 years following the UK Government's cuts to disability benefits. On Tuesday, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said that the Labour Government would cut Personal Independence Payments (PIP) by "5 billion per year by 2030, leading to widespread condemnation from charities. Findlay said in a furious letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he was "betraying Labour's proud history and lay[ing] waste to any claim of moral principle". Now, in an interview with The National, Findlay has also hit out at Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who has so far defended the cuts despite some opposition from his own MSPs. "We were told, when Richard Leonard…...

3+ mon, 2+ week ago (428+ words) THE population of Scotland has reached a record high,figures show. New statistics released by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) show the number of people living in Scotland hit 5.5 million for the first time ever. The population grew by 40,900 (0.7%) as of mid-June 2024, with migration being the biggest growth driver as the number of deaths in all local authority areas bar Midlothian were greater than the number of births. Welcoming the report, Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: "The latest figure demonstrates the continuing appeal of Scotland as an attractive country for people to live, work, study and settle in. "We welcome people from around the world and other parts of the UK who want to build their lives here, and it is notable that more people have again moved to Scotland from the rest of the UK than have moved…...

4+ mon, 2+ week ago (768+ words) SCOTLAND'S leading organisation tasked with promoting and supporting the Scots language is facing closure amid criminal'allegations, board resignations, halted operations, and concerns over the future of public funding. Documents seen by The National reveal a breakdown in governance that has left the charity effectively non-functional, just months before its accounts are due to be filed and its core Scottish Government funding reviewed. The Scots Language Centre was founded by the late councillor John Law and for many years was based at the AK Bell Library in Perth. It is now mainly an online organisation, promoting Scots and providing information about the language to a variety of users and public bodies.' Concerns have been raised with both OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator) and the Scottish Government about potential misappropriation of funds, and the legality of decisions made during an…...

7+ mon, 1+ week ago (611+ words) A minister is due to address MSPs on the Scottish Government's response to the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under equalities law. Scottish Government response to Supreme Court gender ruling " how to watch SCOTLAND's Social Justice Secretary is due to address MSPs on the Scottish Government's response to the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under equalities law. Shirley-Anne Somerville is expected to give a statement on the issue in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday as MSPs return from recess. It comes after the Scottish Government lost a high-profile case at the UK Supreme Court last week to campaign group For Women Scotland. The judges in the case ruled on Wednesday the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 "refer to a biological woman and biological sex". But now, the Scottish Government…...

6+ mon, 2+ week ago (342+ words) A KEY vote will be held on assisted dying legislation in the Scottish Parliament today. A KEY vote will be held on assisted dying legislation in the Scottish Parliament today. MSPs will gather to discuss and vote on the general principles of Liam McArthur's Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill at stage one. The bill would make it legal for terminally ill patients in Scotland to lawfully request, and be provided with assistance to, end their life. If the bill passes at this stage,the legislation will gothrough for further consideration and amendments. Assisted dying legislation has been voted on by MSPs twice before but has fallen on both occasions. However, it is expected today's vote will be tight. If you are looking to follow the debate, you can tune into Scottish Parliament TVfrom 2pm. MSPs are scheduled to…...

8+ mon, 1+ week ago (539+ words) RADICAL independence campaigners have handed papers to the United Nations in the first step of their bid to begin the "decolonisation" of Scotland. Liberation Scotland said they had asked the UN's special committee on decolonisation to be recognised as Scotland's "peaceful liberation movement". They have also given advance notice of a petition which will ask the UN committee to be added to its list of non-self-governing territories. These are the current or former colonies of the US, the UK, France and New Zealand and include places such as Bermuda, Gibraltar, French Polynesia, the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena. To be recognised as a non-self-governing territory, the UN would need to accept Liberation Scotland's arguments that Scots lacked a "full measure of self-government". The campaign group, which claims to have more than 17,000 members or around 0.3% of the population, argue that Scotland…...

2+ hour, 27+ min ago (139+ words) SCOTTISH members of Your Party will meet in the new year to launch the fledgling left-wing party north of the Border, The National can reveal. The party's inaugural conference will be held in Dundee on January 10 and 11, delegates in Liverpool were told. Party member Niall Christie told a Scottish fringe event that there would be no sortition, in contrast to the conference England this weekend. It is understood the Scottish party will use the constitution voted into existence on Sunday as a template for their rules. Delegates at the Dundee event will decide on whether to stand candidates in the Holyrood election and members have told The National they would like to see Your Party compete for list seats. Christie told members that the costs of the event were being met by the central party....

2+ mon, 1+ week ago (505+ words) BRANCHES of the temporarily-named Your Party have responded after an internal rift between Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana broke out on Thursday. The party's official Twitter/X account released a statement on Thursday evening, saying that an unauthorised email sent to supporters had been reported to the Information Commissioner. The statement read: "A false membership system has been unilaterally launched, data collected and payments taken. Yourparty.uk has responsibilities to our supporters and duty under the law. "These developments are a blow for everyone who has put their hope in a real alternative. Following Zarah Sultana 's unilateral announcement of the launch of a new party on July 3, an agreement was reached for the Independent Alliance MPs to kickstart the founding process and deliver an open, democratic conference to found a new party. " Your Party (@thisisyourparty) September 18, 2025 Corbyn said he…...