The Midlothian Lib Dem taking on a 15-year SNP stronghold JENNY Butler has been involved in politics since 2009, and is set for her second swing at a Scottish Parliament seat this May - but faces a 15-year SNP stronghold. The 37-year-old's opposition in the Midlothian North constituency includes…

Police Scotland recognise contribution of first response officers POLICE Scotland has hailed the contribution of first-response officers, who are first on the scene for violent incidents.  Police Scotland is recognising the lightning quick work carried out by first-response officers this week as…

Bank manager jailed after targeting vulnerable customers A CROOKED bank manager who bribed financially vulnerable customers to pay him more than £270,000 in exchange for preferential financial treatment has been jailed. Stuart Holloway forced two businessmen to transfer the huge amounts of cash…

Borders Book Festival programme announced for 2026 edition THE Borders Book Festival's latest programme has been announced as the Scottish Borders town of Melrose once again prepares to host one of the UK's most popular book festivals. Set across four days from 11-14 June, the event will see…

Glasgow schoolkids design prototypes for major tech brands in new programme IN HOPES of inspiring the next generation of Scottish entrepreneurs, children from Glasgow have been invited to enter the world of product design in a new programme.  Hundreds of pupils have so far ditched the classroom so…

Team Scotland Para swimming team named for Glasgow 2026 TEAM Scotland's Para swimming team has been named ahead of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Seven Team Scotland athletes - four men and three women - will make up the team competing at Tollcross International Swimming Centre this summer.…

Scottish Greens pledge trade union education in schools THE Scottish Greens have pledged to bring trade union education into every secondary school in Scotland as part of their platform for next month's Holyrood election.  Co-leader Gillian Mackay made the commitment ahead of her address to the…

SNP pledges high street hearing tests in bid to increase access THE SNP have pledged to move hearing tests and hearing aid fittings from the clinic to the high street if elected in May. The SNP health secretary, Neil Gray, said the move will bring about more support for hearing loss checks and…

Scottish Lib Dem candidate says “it’s hard for a woman to get ahead in politics” A SCOTTISH Liberal Democrat candidate in Edinburgh has said that "it's hard for a woman to get ahead in politics" following questions over her £25,000 donation to the party. Jane Alliston Pickard, the Scottish Liberal…

Edinburgh record store owner has equipment returned following theft AN EDINBURGH record store owner has had some of his equipment returned after what appeared to be a brazen theft on Saturday which was Record Store Day. Darren Yeats, the owner of VoxBox Music in Stockbridge, was preparing to make…

Ash Regan ploughing her own furrow as an independent candidate TEN years after she was first elected as an SNP MSP, the Independent candidate for Edinburgh and Lothians East region, Ash Regan, has published her "mini manifesto" entitled Making Holyrood Work for Scotland. Asked whether her…

Police Scotland body worn video scheme rolled out to frontline officers Police Scotland has been running a scheme of body worn video cameras, and it is now being rolled out to frontline officers in Renfrewshire & Inverclyde (K Division) and Argyll and West Dunbartonshire (L Division). Around 900…

First Minister’s campaign meeting interrupted by Trump phone call A MEETING between John Swinney and a Shetland SNP candidate was interrupted as the First Minister took a call from US President, Donald Trump. Trump was calling to invite the First Minister to attend a state banquet being held for…

Media medic Dr Zoe Williams becomes an Honorary Fellow of MDDUS Dr Zoe Williams, the resident GP on ITV’s This Morning, has been made an Honorary Fellow of the doctors’ organisation MDDUS. Her fellowship was conferred by the Chief Executive of MDDUS, Chris Kenny, and its Chair, Professor Iain…

Jamie McMurdo hat-trick secures Hibs a place in the final A Jamie McMurdo hat-trick and a Dean Clelland strike booked Hibs place in the CAS Elite U19 League Cup Final on Monday night.  Jack Anderson pulled one back for the hosts late on but Hibs held on for the 4-1 victory over Dundee United…

STUC leader calls summit on replacing “broken” council tax THE LEADER of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has called a summit on replacing the “broken” council tax system.  Roz Foyer accused politicians of “cowardice” and “broken promises” and demanded that politicians take action to…

Starmer under pressure amid revelation former aide considered for diplomat role FOREIGN secretary Yvette Cooper has said she is "extremely concerned" over revelations that the Prime Minister considered giving an ambassador role to his then-head of communications implicated with a former Scottish…

Woman sentenced to 300 hours unpaid work for possession of indecent images A woman who downloaded horrific images of child sexual abuse attempted to hide crucial evidence in the toilet when police raided her home. Valentina Della Vecchia was caught trying to conceal a USB stick on which pictures…

John Muir Trust calls on Brits to spend 21 minutes outdoors for John Muir Day THE John Muir Trust, the UK’s charity for wild places, is today inviting people to reconnect with the wilderness by spending 21 minutes in a "wild" place – somewhere nature is allowed to lead the way. From mountains and…

Police Scotland’s national roll out of body-worn video concludes POLICE Scotland’s national roll out of body-worn video to frontline officers concludes today, with officers on duty with the cameras in Renfrewshire and Inverclyde (K Division) and Argyll and West Dunbartonshire (L Division). Around…

Scottish salmon sector urges Holyrood candidates to back jobs and cut red tape SCOTLAND'S salmon sector has written to all Holyrood election candidates, urging the next Scottish Government to cut red tape and support jobs, investment, and export growth. The joint letter, organised by trade body…

New party hopes to make women’s issues the forefront at Holyrood ONE of the UK's newest parties hoping to bring women's issues to the forefront of debate at Holyrood is standing candidates in Edinburgh. Laura Mackintosh, 37, is running on the Edinburgh and Lothians East regional list as part of a…

Stirling-led great ape study reveals new insights on human intelligence evolution A PROJECT led by researchers from the University of Stirling and the Max Planck Institute has offered new insights into the evolutionary origins of human intelligence, by compiling the largest dataset of great ape…

On this day: Predecessor of modern fire service founded in Edinburgh TODAY marks the day that a "Company for the Quenching of Fire" was formed in Edinburgh, the ancestor of the modern fire service. The decision came after public outcry over fires broke out in what is now called the Lawnmarket and…

Team Scotland bowls and Para bowls squads named for Glasgow 2026 THE full line-up of bowls and Para bowls athletes for Team Scotland at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games has been announced. Headlining a strong team is seven-time Commonwealth Games athlete and seven-time medallist, Alex "Tattie"…

Police use Glasgow dispersal powers more than 400 times in first month POLICE officers used new dispersal powers hundreds of times and arrested 43 people in the first month since their introduction in Glasgow city centre. The zones were introduced last month as part of a crackdown on antisocial…

Police appeal following vehicle theft in Livingston POLICE Scotland are appealing for information following the theft of a vehicle in Livingston. The incident happened between 8pm on Friday 17 April and 10am on Saturday 18 April on Pitcaple Gardens, in the Bellsquarry area of the town. A grey…

Greens pledge to tackle mental health crisis as wating lists rise 500% The Scottish Greens have made tackling the mental health crisis facing young people a central pledge in their Holyrood election campaign. This comes as the problems in dealing with mental health matters in Scotland worsens,…

“Positive line of enquiry” in pensioner murder investigation DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a pensioner in Glasgow say they are "following a positive line of enquiry" and have set up a website to send information directly to police. Elizabeth Colligan, 82, was found injured in Cardowan…

Funding for urban tree projects announced THE latest round of funding from the Urban Forestry Challenge Fund will invest £740,000 in 13 projects in Scotland. This is a charity which creates and expands upon organ woodlands to make cities a more resilient place to live. The initiatives supported…

Hidden Door Festival 2026 – programme announced Hidden Door is back at the Paper Factory at Maybury in June and has just announced the full line-up of artists who will transform the site into an arts experience like no other. The warehouses which were once home to Saica the cardboard manufacturer,…

Findlay says election deal speculation “irresponsible and pointless” RUSSELL Findlay said it was "irresponsible and pointless" to speculate on post-election deal-making after Kemi Badenoch refused to rule out a potential deal with Reform UK in Scotland. Findlay's comments came as the Scottish…

New photo of Ellie Crampsie living it up in Thailand A NEW picture of drug mule influencer Ellie Crampsie has emerged - posing in Thailand just days before she attempted to smuggle £150,000 of cannabis through Edinburgh Airport.  Crampsie, 23, is snapped standing on a Bangkok rooftop bar in front…

Labour to beat SNP and Greens in key Edinburgh seat, poll finds SCOTTISH Labour could be in for a shock win in Edinburgh Central, after a new Multilevel Regression and Post-stratification (MRP) poll showed the party pulling ahead of the SNP and Scottish Greens. The Scottish Greens have been neck…

Edinburgh road transformation and cycle lane project enters consultation stage THE CITY of Edinburgh Council is planning to transform roads in the Craigmillar, Greendykes, and Niddrie areas.  The council will resurface the roads between Peffermill Playing Fields and Fort Kinnaird, with new cycle…

Edinburgh students set for University Challenge grand final showdown STUDENTS from the University of Edinburgh will appear on the grand final of the BBC’s University Challenge tonight, and will face The University of Manchester. The Edinburgh team, consisting of Parthav Easwar, Johnny Richards,…

Edinburgh firm launches international growth plan with Spanish expansion AN EDINBURGH all-trades insurance reinstatement company has launched its international growth plan with its expansion into Spain. The new division of Insurepair will be called Insurepair Spain and will initially support the…

SNP says Sarwar must “come clean” over fake social media account scandal THE SNP have said that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar must "come clean" over allegations his party is setting up fake Twitter/X accounts purporting to be Labour voters. This follows an account posing as a pub landlord…

Jackie Baillie brands SNP record as “criminal” SCOTTISH Labour's deputy leader has branded the SNP's record "criminal" in a critique of the party's history of various legal matters. Jackie Baillie made the comments in regard to several controversies involving the SNP, accusing John Swinney of…

SNP say “bleak” future in UK underlines need for independence THE SNP have claimed that a "bleak" economic forecast has underscored the need for Scotland to become independent. The EY Item Club, a respected economic forecasting group which uses economic modelling direct from the treasury to…

Conservationists mark 30,000th release of rare invertebrate into Cairngorms National Park  CONSERVATIONISTS at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) have celebrated releasing the 30,000th pine hoverfly into the Cairngorms National Park as part of the breeding programme for the species. …

The South Scotland Libertarian hoping to make Scotland more free THE Scottish Libertarian's Daniel Fraser is no newcomer to politics, having four previous elections under his belt, but recognises the task facing such an outsider party looking to make an impact. The 36-year-old previously stood in…

Greens propose repair voucher scheme for household goods AS PART of their election campaign, the Scottish Greens have pledged to introduce a Repair Voucher Scheme, which would allow Scots to get a discount on repairs for household goods. The scheme would allow people to receive up to 50% off…

Scottish Labour claims Offord “not on side of working people” A SCOTTISH Labour candidate has claimed that Malcom Offord is "not on the side of working people" following the Scottish Reform leader's criticism of the minimum wage increase. Offord had appeared on the BBC Sunday Show over the…

SNP’s Stephen Flynn warns voters: “Don’t let Starmer cling to power” STEPHEN Flynn has said that Scots should "vote SNP to sack Keir Starmer and secure a fresh start with independence" after Downing Street said the Prime Minister won't quit over his role in the Peter Mandelson scandal. The SNP’s…

World Championship Of Public Speaking – Scottish final held in Glasgow IN Glasgow this weekend the Scottish Division Final of the World Championships of Public Speaking took place. The World Championships of Public Speaking has been hosted by the Toastmasters International organisation since 1938.…

Balaklava Company off to London on King’s Guard duty A soldier from Edinburgh, Private Roy Robertson of Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (BKA Coy, 5 SCOTS), is bound for the streets of London as the Company gets ready to return to public duties as The King’s Guard…

Edinburgh Castle illuminated to support Scotland’s women’s footballers EDINBURGH Castle became a giant canvas celebrating Scotland’s women footballers on Saturday night, projecting striking images of players at every stage, from grassroots girls to emerging pros and established stars, lighting up…

NHS therapist sacked for accessing medical records AN NHS Lothian therapist was sacked from her job and arrested by police after she was caught accessing her neighbours and colleagues private medical records. Yee Laam Leung was employed at a drug and alcohol centre in Edinburgh when she began…

Record Store Day draws crowds back to independent shops MUSIC lovers are relishing in the Record Store Day annual event across Glasgow. A well-known independent record store, Monorail Music located in Glasgow, Kings Court, opened its doors on Saturday morning to welcome a surge of music lovers…