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…...

2+ hour, 24+ 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…...

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, 4+ week ago (802+ words) A TOP barrister has said he hopes a legal challenge against the Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is defined by "biological sex" will be more successful in the Scottish courts. A TOP barrister has said he hopes a legal challenge against the Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is defined by "biological sex" will be more successful in the Scottish courts. KC Jolyon Maugham, director of Good Law Project, called on advocates and solicitors north of the Border who were "troubled" by the ruling to help with the case. The legal campaign group has previously said it believes the ruling means that the UK is now not complying with its international law obligations "the Human Rights Act and European Convention of Human Rights. The Supreme Court ruled that under the Equality Act 2010 "woman" is defined by "biological sex", and…...

7+ mon, 2+ week ago (477+ words) A SCOTTISH health board is seeking to bar the public from online viewing of future hearings in an employment tribunal about a transgender doctor" A SCOTTISH health board is seeking to bar the public from online viewing of future hearings in an employment tribunal about a transgender doctor who was allegedly harassed by a nurse. NHS Fife has requested that only media be allowed to watch the livestream of the case brought by nurse Sandie Peggie against the health board when it resumes in July. It said technical issues and "interruptions caused by non-media observers" caused "significant delays" to proceedings at earlier tribunal hearings in Dundee in February. Peggie was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at the hospital where they both worked. Dr Beth Upton (Image: PA) She…...

3+ mon, 3+ day ago (516+ words) PRISONERS'in Scotland risk having their human rights breached over serious failings in the way complaints are handled, a new report has warned. The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) says its investigation found the current system leaves inmates unable to challenge mistreatment, poor conditions, or human rights violations. The watchdog says prisoners fear that even reporting mistreatment would result in retribution and punishment that will make their time behind bars worse. It raised concerns that the prison complaints system does not meet the human rights afforded to prisoners around access to justice. "The SHRC is concerned that there is a real risk that a prisoner in Scotland will experience a situation that may amount to a human rights violation, and it is highly unlikely that a prisoner would be able to easily pursue justice," the SHRC said in its report. The…...

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…...

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…...

7+ mon, 4+ week ago (573+ words) A former sub-postmaster who was wrongly convicted under the Horizon scandal has said the injustice left his life "ruined" as he launched a new support group for Scottish victims ... A FORMER sub-postmaster who was wrongly convicted under the Horizon scandal has said the injustice left his life "ruined" as he launched a new support group for Scottish victims. Rab Thomson said Scotland is lagging behind in access to the redress scheme, often because elderly victims of the scandal may not want to revisit trauma from years ago. On Wednesday, he launched the Scottish Postmasters for Justice and Redress (SPJR) group at the Scottish Parliament, alongside former postmaster Calum Greenhow and ex-MP Marion Fellows. (Image: PA) Last June, a law which exonerated Scots wrongly convicted in the Horizon scandal came into force " though Thomson was able to have his conviction overturned…...

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…...