READERS are being asked to believe that large amounts of taxpayers’ money, as well as goodness knows how many hours of ministers and civil service personnel’s time have been used during the long running legal battle with the Scotch Whisky Association
ARTHUR Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh’s Picardy Place. Now I see that Edinburgh is to shuffle the handsome statue of Sherlock Holmes out of the way – yet again (Capital asks for help in solving Holmes puzzle, The National, November 16). The statue
ONE in five of those aged 12 to 17 in Scotland is unable to correctly read a bank statement, raising concerns about lack of money skills among young people, a new report has found.The Money Advice Service study also found that 21 per cent of this age
CHINA has reiterated its call for an agreement between North Korea and the US under which the North would gain concessions if it freezes its nuclear weapons programme. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang Geng said China’s position has not changed
LOVE, LIES AND RECORDS, BBC1, 9pm THIS new series from Kay Mellor started off like every other dull family drama: the kitchen is messy, the kids are cranky, there’s no coffee left, the school run has to be done… Then it seemed to get even worse
CAMBODIA’S Supreme Court has ordered the main opposition party to be dissolved, dealing a crushing blow to democratic aspirations in the increasingly oppressive south-east Asian state.The decision clears the way for the nation’s authoritarian leader to
EVERGREEN Skye-based act Peatbog Faeries are to celebrate their 25th anniversary with a special live release, Live@25. One of the most influential traditional acts of the past decades, the Peatbogs have come a long way from their first gig in An
PROPONENTS of a flat tax rate, such as Michael Fry, always try to sell it on the grounds it is simple compared to the labyrinth of the UK tax system (Confessions of a justified tax avoider ... and why a flat tax would stop fiddles, The National, November
A PAINTING of Christ by the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci has sold for a record $450 million at auction, smashing previous records for artworks sold at auction or privately.The painting, called Salvator Mundi, Italian for Savior of the World, is
Dear Angry, I believe it’s about time we had a chat about the BBC – or, as I like to call it, the British Brainwashing Corporation. I think the fact that this state broadcaster displays such blatant and shameless bias in its reporting of numerous
REGARDING the minimum pricing of alcohol: if it becomes more expensive, people will deprive their families, and steal and mug people to get the money to pay the inflated price (Plans for alcohol minimum pricing in Scotland move ahead after court rejects
TUESDAY mornin ah taen the lang, braw drive doun the picturesque Nith Valley tae Dumfries and the Robert Burns Film Theatre fir the Into Film 2017 Festival event there. We wir haudin a Scots Language related film showin o the animated films The Gruffalo
THE quality of Scotland’s food and drink and the drive to ensure produce is correctly labelled as Scottish has seen the value of Scottish brands almost double in the past 10 years.As part of The National’s Save Our Scotland Brand campaign, we asked industry
THE Scottish Football Association is a law unto itself, as this column has shown over many months.Anyone with any doubts about that just needs to look at the latest fiasco over the appointment of a replacement as the manager of the Scotland national men
GABE McVarish is a man on a mission. Not content with life on the road with Daimh, fiddler McVarish has taken some time off touring to do two things: concentrate on his burgeoning brewery business, and to collect and publish more than 200 tunes from the
THE home of Scotland’s first cable wakeboarding park – the UK’s only ropes course constructed over water – has marked its fifth birthday with a double five-star success.Foxlake Adventures in Dunbar, has become East Lothian’s only VisitScotland information
DIVERSIFICATION into the defence sector is paying dividends for Aberdeen-headquartered integrated engineering contractor EnerMech after it was awarded a significant BAE Systems contract on behalf of the Royal Navy. The firm will provide a flexible hose
PEOPLE with Parkinson’s disease who suffer weight loss may be affected by decreased life expectancy, a new study by Aberdeen University has shown.The research also shows for the first time that there is a link between weight loss in the early stage of
SCOTTISH Labour was plunged into chaos yesterday after interim leader Alex Rowley was suspended from the party amid accusations of stalking and bullying an ex-girlfriend.Rowley refuted the allegations and promised to “take all steps” to clear his name
THE Scottish Government is “deeply concerned” about the detention of a Scottish man in India who campaigners say has been tortured by police.Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, was detained in Jalandhar in the state of Punjab on November
OUSTED Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is the first guest on former First Minister Alex Salmond’s new television show when it broadcasts today.Puigdemont’s wide-ranging and deeply personal interview was filmed at a secret location in Belgium, where
ALEX Rowley was accused of “destroying the life” of his former lover. The Fife politician, who has refuted the allegations, was even accused of stealing his ex’s underwear and leaving it in her office for colleagues to find.Speaking to The Sun, the 49
WHATEVER the outcome of the Kennards Hire Rally Australia this weekend, 2017 will go down as a memorable one for Elfyn Evans and British rallying.The serious action in the last WRC event of the year begins tomorrow, Evans having elevated himself to being
AN Edinburgh man has been found guilty of infecting five men with HIV and attempted to infect five others.Daryll Rowe infected five men through unprotected sex and tried to do the same to five others by tampering with condoms.He was described as a man
HAMILTON manager Martin Canning fears he may lose former Hearts and Rangers attacker David Templeton if he gets back to his best form.Templeton is nearing full fitness and has been in fine fettle for Accies of late, scoring against Aberdeen in their last
NICOLA Sturgeon used her landmark address at the UN Climate Change conference in Germany to call on the world’s developed nations to take urgent actions to “turn the ambitions of Paris into reality”. The First Minister was one of the main speakers
THE Scottish Football Association has made an official approach for Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, The National understands.O’Neill has emerged as the leading contender to replace Gordon Strachan after guiding his team to the second round of
BRITAIN’S Jamie Murray and Brazilian Bruno Soares pulled progress at the ATP Finals back into their own hands after they cruised to victory over Marcel Granollers and Ivan Dodig.After losing to Bob and Mike Bryan on Monday, Murray and Soares knew defeat
OH, but to be a fly on the wall when Michael O’Neill, sometime in the very near future, sits down opposite the SFA party headed by Stewart Regan.What can be guaranteed is that the most stringent of interviews is going to take place. No stone unturned,
ZANDER Fagerson may be a proud Scot but the Glasgow Warriors prop is delighted to be getting the chance to learn to play like an All Black, writes Kevin Ferrie.Following Edinburgh rival Willem Nel’s departure from the squad after breaking his arm during
SCOTLAND’S Elaine Farquharson-Black will captain Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup for the second time when the biennial encounter against the United States is played in New York in 2018.Farquharson-Black led GB&I to a three-point win at Dun
BEN Toolis is by no means the first player to come from the antipodes to represent Scotland, but the lock forward seems to be looking to find a way of combining all elements of his identity to find what it takes to make history at BT Murrayfield this
MORE than 21 Tory MPs are reportedly set to rebel against Theresa May attempts to have the exact time and date of Brexit made law. The Prime Minister faces almost certain defeat over the effort when the House of Commons votes on the measure next
INVESTING in smart-factory technologies would create 6000 manufacturing jobs in Scotland over the next decade, a new report suggests.The study found that investing in “fourth industrial revolution” (4IR) technologies such as machine learning, sensors
BUTCHERS and bakers have put their best products to the test as judging took place for the 19th annual World Scotch Pie Championships.Hundreds of entries were on display in Dunfermline on Wednesday with 50 expert judges checking the look, smell and taste
SCOTLAND’S employment rate has edged above that of the UK over the past year, the latest figures show. However, the country was also one of the only parts of the UK to record a slight rise in joblessness between July and September. Fresh data
COUNCILS have called for an “adequate and fair” funding settlement ahead of the Scottish Government’s forthcoming Budget.Local authority body Cosla has published a paper setting out the “huge pressures” facing councils across Scotland as a result of recent
A SCOTTISH bakery is celebrating the success of a new launch at Asda.Loch Ness Bakery says its new flavours of Shortbread Bites have been flying off the shelves in the four weeks they have been on sale, and sales are set to smash budget expectations
MORE than 100 animals have been seized at what is thought to be the largest puppy farm in Scotland in a pre-Christmas crackdown on the illegal dog trade. Earlier this month an undercover Scottish SPCA agent told The National how it was working
WELSH First Minister Carwyn Jones has been accused of misleading the Assembly in Cardiff over alleged bullying within his government.It follows the death of Carl Sargeant last week.The former cabinet secretary for communities and children was found dead
SCOTLAND will become the first country in the world to have minimum unit pricing for alcohol after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legislation passed overwhelmingly by the Scottish Parliament in 2012 does not breach European law. The Scotch
MAKE no mistake, this dry-as-dust-sounding minimum alcohol pricing victory is as important and totemic for drink-sozzled Scotland as legalising divorce and same-sex marriage have been for Ireland. As a nation that’s prone to excess, we are about to
FABIO Cardoso is nearing a return from injury after being included in the Rangers development squad travelling to Berwick.The defender has been absent since breaking his nose in the Betfred Cup semi-final defeat to Motherwell in October, but is one of
FRANCE will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup after being selected ahead of South Africa and Ireland, World Rugby president Bill Beaumont announced yesterday.South Africa was expected to be awarded the tournament for a second time after being named as the
ANDY Wightman yesterday revealed that a private school in Edinburgh is not taking the necessary steps to prevent its pupils from being bullied.Using a Holyrood debate the Scottish Green MSP for Lothian said that inspectors have warned that George Watsons
OLIVER McBurnie remains upbeat about Scotland Under-21s’ European Championship qualification prospects despite a double-header disappointment.Scot Gemmill’s side lost 2-0 to their Ukraine counterparts at McDiarmid Park on Tuesday night when a goal on
CHRIS Woakes is confident his preparation for a first Ashes campaign in Australia is bang on course after his six-wicket haul in Townsville.Woakes insisted last week in Adelaide he wanted to face a Cricket Australia XI again here, preferring in his words
SIR Bradley Wiggins has broken his silence on UK Anti-Doping’s investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in cycling, saying it has provoked a “malicious witch hunt” that has been a “living hell” for his family.In a statement posted on his social media
CELTIC chief executive Peter Lawwell has predicted changes to the Europa League which will help Scottish football as a whole.Lawwell sits on the 16-man executive board of the European Club Association, which drives much of the change in European football
THERESA May has given the biggest indication yet that Chancellor Philip Hammond will U-turn on VAT charges for Scotland’s police and fire services. The Tory leader hinted at the move during Prime Minister’s Questions. But the Prime Minister left
HEALTH and social care targets fail to give a true picture of Scottish services and patient outcomes, an expert review has found. Professor Sir Harry Burns, the former chief medical officer, said a new approach to measuring performance is needed
A CHARITY that gives emergency payments to destitute asylum seekers fears for its future after demand hit record levels. The Refugee Survival Trust (RST) issued more than 170 grants worth £14,300 in October in response to a “significant surge”
NEW “scaring techniques” could be used to stop Scotland’s largest bird of prey hunting lambs. With an 8ft wingspan, sea eagles are so large they are nicknamed “flying barn doors”. The species died out in Scotland 100 years ago and has been
