Latest News | The Scotsman

Fri, 18th July 2025

The sheriff described their actions as an "egregious breach of trust"

Doctor and husband jailed for selling stolen PPE during lockdown
The pair were sentenced at Paisley Sheriff Court on Friday.

Brian Leishman, MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, confirmed he has been suspended from the Labour Party. (Pic: Michael Gillen)

Exclusive Suspended Scottish Labour MP 'has not spoken to Anas Sarwar in months'

Nurse Sandie Peggie was cleared of gross misconduct following disciplinary proceedings by the health board on Wednesday.

Issue of trans doctor using female facilities 'previously raised'

Don't Miss

A yellow weather warning has been issued for this weekend.

Warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms across Scotland this weekend

June proved to be a bit of a dreary month for Scotland's retailers.

Scottish high street suffers sales blow as households go holidaying and gigging

Daniel Young tees off on the first hole during day one of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush

Late finish on day one in The Open leaves Scot feeling 'deflated'

The A-Class tall ship Bap Union, from Peru

The best pictures so far as spectacular tall ships arrive in Aberdeen

In a democracy, the more people who are able to vote, the better (Picture: Glyn Kirk)

Labour must act over scandal of 750,000 people robbed of their vote Scotsman comment

Margaret Thatcher and Norman Tebbit waves to the crowds from Conservative Central Office after the Conservatives won the 1987 general election (Picture: Rebecca Naden)

Starmer is sticking to Thatcher's flawed ideology that only helps rich Joyce McMillan

A volunteer collects plastic waste washed up on the shores of Freedom Island in Manila Bay, Philippines (Picture: Ezra Acayan)

Threats against scientists must not derail plastic pollution treaty Alistair Carmichael

The UK Government seems determined to look after the interests of the National Lottery (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell)

How Labour is protecting National Lottery – and hurting good causes John McLellan

Edinburgh Festivals

Edinburgh’s Royal Mile during August: never a dull moment

The Scotsman’s 2025 Edinburgh Festival coverage: everything you need to know
The Scotsman has been proud to cover the Edinburgh festivals since they began in 1947, and as the festivals have grown, ...

The Edinburgh International Book Festival ended its sponsorship with Baillie Gifford last year

Explainer Edinburgh International Book Festival 2025: Tickets, dates and authors

Figures in Extinction

Edinburgh International Festival: Scotsman critics on what to see

AL Kennedy

AL Kennedy: ‘I get fed up with depictions of glamorous sociopaths’

Author Maggie O'Farrell, whose nine novels to date are being republished this year.

Maggie O'Farrell talks manuscripts, motherhood and Paul Mescal

Four comedians bringing work in progress shows to this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Edinburgh Fringe 2025 Comedy Highlights: 18 work in progress shows

Edinburgh International Book Festival 2025: Fiction Highlights

Barry Ferns first performed at the Fringe in 1999.

Veteran comedian on how Fringe drove him to bankruptcy

Four award winners performing in Edinburgh this August.

Edinburgh Fringe 2025 Hot Tickets: 17 returning Perrier winners

Edinburgh International Book Festival: Music, Poetry and Performance Highlights

Arts news

(L-R) Filmhouse programmer director Rod White and executive director Andrew Simpson inside cinema one. Picture: Andy O'Brien/The Scotsman

Exclusive Inside the newly refurbished Edinburgh Filmhouse ahead of reopening

The Edinburgh Filmhouse is due to open to the public on Friday - and here are the first images from ...

Watch: I learned to stage fight at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

This is not my stage fighting partner’s first rodeo, writes Jane Bradley.

Suntory Hall in Tokyo is highly regarded for the quality of its acoustics (Picture: Koichi Kamoshida)

Dunard Centre means Edinburgh will join elite group of global cities

In 2029, Edinburgh will become the first city in the UK to have a concert hall designed by Nagata Acoustics, widely recognised as the world’s leading specialists in concert hall sound, writes Jo Buckley

How TV series changed Val McDermid character after actor's 'recce' Jane Bradley

Jane Bradley

Popular city pub to be recreated on stage for One Day musical

The musical version of the bestselling novel One Day is to be premiered in Edinburgh early next year...

Festival cancels event after Gaza filmmaker unable to leave war zone

Moayed Abu Ammouna has lost contact with the organisers of the Edinburgh festival Art27 Scotland.

Scotsman Video

Scotsman Video

The latest video from The Scotsman

Featured Videos

Parents and children gathered in Victoria Quay this morning to protest against the closure of the building's nursery

Government staff protest to save on-site nursery after 'shock' closure

(L-R) Filmhouse programmer director Rod White and executive director Andrew Simpson inside cinema one. Picture: Andy O'Brien/The Scotsman

Exclusive Inside the newly refurbished Edinburgh Filmhouse

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the Usher Hall Edinburgh

WATCH: SCO Digital Season, Concert 1 - Coleridge-Taylor's Novelletten

Caroline Lamb, chief executive of NHS Scotland and director-general health and social care, and Health Secretary Neil Gray at the launch of The Scotsman Health Awards 2025, which will be held in the O2 Academy in Edinburgh in November.

Nominations open for Scotland's Health Awards 2025

Puzzles

Quick CrosswordTo test and hone your word skills

SudokuThe ultimate logic-based numbers game

WordwheelPit yourself against the clock with our simple anagram game

Sport

Ewan Ashman and Andy Onyeama-Christie celebrate Scotland's 41-12 win over Samoa at Eden Park in Auckland.

Scotland sign off tour on high as Warriors man illuminates Eden Park

Tour ends on positive note but Fiji defeat will rankle

Aasgaard makes Rangers cut as Champions League squad revealed

Norwegian playmaker is in despite injury scare as strike duo also named

Finn Russell will start a Lions Test match at 10 for the first time.

Scotland no longer on Lions outside looking in

Welsh woes laid bare by Farrell’s team selection for first Test

Why Scotland can look forward to some really big sporting events Richard Lochhead

Gilmour 'could play for Man City - but he should stay at Napoli'

Nevin believes Scotland star’s impact on games goes unnoticed

Celtic transfer target breaks silence on exit links amid '£7m bid'

Celtic are reported hold an interest in the athletic Romanian striker.

Readers Gallery

July 2025: A selection of beautiful pictures from Scotland taken by our readers

June 2025: A selection of beautiful pictures from Scotland taken by our readers

May 2025: A selection of beautiful pictures from Scotland taken by our readers

Get The Scotsman app for mobile and tablet

The Scotsman app brings you exclusive, quality news and analysis from The Scotsman, Scotland’s National Newspaper.

Scotsman Sessions

Just a few of the artists who have performed Scotsman Sessions

The Scotsman Sessions: links to numbers 1-400

Kevin Lennon and Molly Innes

The Scotsman Sessions #430: Kevin Lennon and Molly Innes

Constant Vigier

The Scotsman Sessions #429: Constant Vigier

Jennie Lee: Tomorrow is a New Day

The Scotsman Sessions #428: Kit Laveri, George Docherty & Trish Mullin

Business

A file picture showing a typical example of another battery energy storage system (BESS).

50-megawatt battery energy storage farm to be built near West Lothian town

An aerial view of the new 'state-of-the-art' Guala Closures facility at Gartcosh.

Whisky industry supplier invests £52m in new Scottish plant to house 300 workers

Politics

Dates of Donald Trump's visit to Scotland confirmed
The US president will visit both Turnberry and Aberdeen later this month

Nurse Sandie Peggie complained about sharing changing facilities with a transgender doctor

Peggie was not sexually harassed by trans doctor, claims top nurse

Data Centre Apprenticeships

AI to unlock 'billions of pounds of investment and thousands of jobs'

Sir Keir Starmer has said giving the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds is ‘really important’.

16 and 17-year-olds to be able to vote in next general election

Nigel Farage will be delighted by the disarray within Labour's ranks (Picture: Christopher Furlong)

Labour rebels will usher in PM Farage if they keep undermining Starmer Scotsman comment

People show their support for nurse Sandie Peggie as her employment tribunal case against NHS Fife and Dr Beth Upton continues (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

Why NHS Fife chair must apologise and resign over Sandie Peggie case Susan Dalgety

Penguins at Edinburgh Zoo are treated to mounds of ice by keepers to help them cool down in the hot weather last week

Yoghurt and hot air: Let's take some heat out of climate change debate Paul Wilson

Scottish MP among four suspended by Starmer

Opinion

A gull perched atop the statue of Adam Smith in Edinburgh's High Street (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

Readers' Letters: Give Edinburgh's Adam Smith statue the Churchill treatment

Nick Freer - Freer 1 SA : Nick Freer - Freer All images © Stewart Attwood Photography 2023. All other rights are reserved. Use in any other context is expressly prohibited without prior permission. No Syndication Permitted except for PA (Press Association)

The ‘missing middle’ of businesses need more support to thrive

Artificial intelligence, whether in robot form or not, is increasingly becoming part of our lives (Picture: Lintao Zhang)

Why 'AI Growth Zone' offers genuine hope for Scotland's future Scotsman comment

Zoe Betts, Partner and Criminal Regulatory Law specialist at Pinsent Masons

Why local authorities are struggling to police food standards

Heritage and Retro

The TS Shtandart has been banned from Aberdeen Port ahead of the Tall Ships Race due to sanctions against Russia and a ban on Russian vessls in British waters. PIC: Contributed.

Ship banned from Tall Ships Race by Russian sanctions halted at Orkney

The Bernat Klein Studio near Selkirk is to be sold at auction.

Modernist masterpiece 'must be protected' as it hits market at £18,000

The reasons for delays are due to labour shortages and issues with materials.

Castle's transformation into ‘world class’ visitor attraction delayed

Uncover your unique family story with a MyHeritage DNA kit

How Scottish are you? Find out with this £29 DNA test

A record-breaking 78 clubs and more than 2,000 rowers took part in the Skiffie Worlds 2025 over five days of competition on Loch Ryan at Stranraer.

'Historic' coastal rowing world championships swell Scottish loch

Couston Castle is on the market with Knight Frank for offers in excess of £2,650,000.

Inside 'fairytale' Scottish castle on sale for over £2.6 million

Nancy Blaik with her beloved son Daniel

Scotsman Obituaries: Nancy Blaik MBE, charity worker who helped found CHAS

Arts and Culture

Alexander Service and Chris Coxon in The 39 Steps

Theatre reviews: The 39 Steps | The Last Laugh

Liam McIlvanney

The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney: 'a crime novel for grown-ups'

Victoria Crowe, Orkney, 2023

Victoria Crowe at 80: 'art is a way of trying to understand life'

LBT & Immortal Onion, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival review

Theatre Re's The Nature of Forgetting

The Nature of Forgetting: 'a dream-like exploration of the mind'

The Saltire Society has run the prestigious literary awards since 1937

Exclusive Fee row sees publisher pull out of flagship Scottish literary prize

Harvest

Harvest review: 'queasy, Scottish-set folk horror'

Education

Teachers are bearing the brunt of a breakdown in school discipline (File picture)

Violence, swearing and 'broken' schools: Why teacher is moving abroad

While most children are ‘fine’, a minority of badly behaviour pupils are ‘killing education in Scotland’, according to a teacher who plans to move overseas for ...

Cameron Wyllie

Stagecoach Stirling students performing at The Shaftesbury Theatre

Traitor or Faithful? Stagecoach Stirling students shine on the West End Stage

Donald Trump, Elon Musk and his son X Musk in the White House in February before the two men fell out (Picture: Andrew Harnik)

Why Donald Trump can help primary children deal with toxic group chats Karyn McCluskey

Scotland's top-performing primary schools in every council area named Amber Allott

Amber Allott

Hay's Way

Firefighters have been battling blazes across the Highlands and Moray.

Highland and Moray wildfires 'biggest in Scotland's history'

A photo of guga hunters landing on the island during a hunt in previous years

Guga tradition revived as licence granted to hunt 500 gannet chicks

Beth Farmer, a 25-year-old farmer from Kinross

Why a Scottish national curler on cusp of Olympics turned to farm life

Health

A hat and sunglasses should be on your packing checklist

Summer Sight Safety: Top tips to look after your eyes this summer

Measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications or in some cases death.

How to spot a measles rash - as cases continue to rise

Our eyes can provide a 'window' into the health of our hearts (Picture: Randy Montoya/Sandia National Laboratories)

New AI medical breakthrough might just save your life Scotsman comment

Nurse Sandie Peggie and Dr Beth Upton

Explainer NHS Fife: How the row between Sandie Peggie and Beth Upton unfolded

Parents have been urged to get their kids vaccinated against measles mumps and rubella (MMR).

Growing concern over rising measles cases in Scotland

Ambulances outside the accident and emergency department at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Ambulances waited outside hospitals for the equivalent of more than 41 years in 2024, figures show. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Ambulance staff 'beyond breaking point' as 2.7m overtime hours exposed

More medical and care staff are needed to help the growing number of people with neurological conditions like dementia (Picture: Will Oliver)

The urgent need to help million Scots with neurological condition Alice Struthers

Recommended

My Husband tried the On trainers and here's what he thought after running in them for a week

My husband tested the On Trainers this is what he thought

New in at Boots: HABI Skincare affordable skincare that works

Habi skincare has just arrived in Boots

Get up to 50% off Ottoman Hands jewellery collection in the summer sale

Up to 50% off Ottoman Hands jewellery in the summer sale

Your millionaire moment starts here – join the Wowcher Euromillions syndicate and dream big tonight.

EuroMillions £96m: boost your odds with 500 lines for just £9 tonight

Why play for nothing? UK slot players are using their spins to earn real travel rewards.

UK slot players earn cruises and hotel stays from free spins

Your family tree could be bigger than you ever imagined — and DNA testing can help you trace its many branches.

How many living relatives do you really have? DNA tests reveal more

Shop sustainable items with Buy Now UK including men's and women's' fashion, kitchen, dining and travel

Buy Me Once UK: Timeless fashion buys that are built to last

Sport Opinion

Bob MacIntyre roars with delight after holing the winning putt in last year’s Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club

Scots can still have six appeal in home Open plus fore furore
Wider perspective is required when analysing the home Scottish Open field
Martin Dempster

Two-time major winner Martin Kaymer, who now plays on the LIV Golf League, talks with fellow German Marcel Siem on day two of the BMW International Open at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried

An amicable future for golf? BMW International Open offers a glimpse

Going for a regular jog or walk can have a significant effect on both our health and happiness (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell)

Childhood obesity crisis shows need to make Scotland a sporting nation Scotsman comment

Ann Budge revealed on Monday that she will vacate her position as chair come the end of the year.

Why Hearts fans should raise glass to their Queen despite grumblings Mark Atkinson

Obituaries

Lesley Storm was 'fun company, caustic, critical, gentle as well as understanding'

Scotsman Obituaries: Lesley Storm, talented poet and performer

His instinct for tactics helped Dennis Hay transition from player to coach

Scotsman Obituaries: Dennis Hay, Scottish hockey international and coach

Rugby Union

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend during the Test Match between Samoa and Scotland at Eden Park.

'Not going to answer that' - Townsend coy on his Scotland future

Scotland's Kyle Steyn on the attack in the tour match against Fiji in Suva. The winger will start against Samoa.

What channel is Samoa v Scotland on? TV and free-to-air live stream

Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu will start for the Lions against Australia in the first Test.

Lions team named: Scotland trio to supply the creativity in first Test

Eden Park in Auckland is one of rugby's great venues but doesn't hold many happy memories for Scotland.

Samoa v Scotland preview: return to a rugby citadel and a debut at 10

Scotland's Kyle Steyn, left, and Fergus Burke try to stop Fiji's Josua Tuisova during the 29-14 defeat in Suva.

Two key areas where Scotland must improve in tour finale

Scotland will play Samoa in Auckland in their final tour match on Friday.

Gregor Townsend rings the changes for Scotland's tour finale v Samoa

Fergus Burke made his full Scotland debut against Fiji.

'It's a weird one': Scotland's latest cap ready to head home

Boan Venter has been in good form since moving to Edinburgh Rugby.

Venter-Scotland hopes dashed as Springboks name prop in starting XV

Edinburgh Rugby close off their Investec Champions Cup pool-phase fixtures away at Finn Russell and Bath.

Edinburgh and Glasgow discover Investec Champions Cup fixtures

Cars

You have a better chance of passing your driving test in some areas than others - according to statistics.

Easiest places to pass your driving test? UK's 10 highest pass rates

Kia EV3

EV car grant returns with savings of up to £3750 on ’affordable’ models

Julian Boote couldn't believe he had won such a big prize

Retired lorry driver wins £132k Mercedes in 24p prize draw

A use on single-use vapes is now in force in the UK. Picture: NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images.

'Serious' vape mistake that could land you a £5,000 bill this summer

Mazda CX-5

Mazda reveals new CX-5 family SUV with more space

The GV70 is a handsome thing, so a light facelift is no issue

Facelifted Genesis GV70 Electrified adds new trims and luxury tech

Must Read

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Ad Feature Breakfast charter launched as 8 in 10 parents fear poor school meals

The appointment comes as Vivid Dx aims to detect pathogens and bacteria causing the disease in just 30 minutes

Ad Feature UK diagnostics firm appoints new CEO to lead push against superbugs

Carplus celebrates 10 years of success

Ad Feature Leading UK car finance broker celebrates decade-long success