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Glasgow — The debate around assisted dying in Scotland has ignited not only moral and medical disputes, but a growing backlash from voices who say the country’s liberal political class is waging war on its most vulnerable citizens. In a blistering column published hours after the Scottish Parliament opened its stage-one debate on assisted dying, commentator Kevin McKenna launched a broadside against what he described as Scotland’s “counterfeit liberals” — an elite class he accuses of promoting policies that systematically erode protections for the working class. “The shallowness of Scotland’s counterfeit liberals is never more evident than in their loathing…

Edinburgh — As MSPs prepare for a pivotal vote on legalising assisted dying in Scotland, public sentiment is being shaped not just by ethics and ideology, but by deeply personal experiences of death, suffering, and care. The proposed legislation — tabled by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur — would allow terminally ill adults to seek medical assistance to end their lives, provided they are deemed mentally fit by two doctors. The bill is expected to be one of the most emotionally charged debates in the Scottish Parliament in years. Supporters like Tricia Donoghue, a retired nurse from Glasgow, say the…

Edinburgh — Scotland's education sector is in a state of legal limbo following a landmark UK Supreme Court ruling that redefined "woman" under the Equality Act, as teachers warn they are being forced to navigate single-sex space policies without clear legal guidance. The Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) has called on the Scottish Government to immediately withdraw its 2021 guidance on supporting transgender pupils in schools, arguing that it is now incompatible with UK-wide law. The union says the updated legal definition of sex — as biologically defined — means schools must comply with the Equality Act 2010 immediately, not…

Edinburgh — The Scottish Parliament is preparing for a closely watched and deeply emotive vote on legalising assisted dying, as MSPs consider a landmark bill that would allow terminally ill adults to request medical help to end their lives. The stage one vote, scheduled to follow a debate in the chamber, will mark the third time in Holyrood’s history that legislation on assisted dying has been brought forward. But unlike previous attempts, supporters believe the growing public debate and cross-party backing give the latest proposal its strongest chance yet of success. A Free Vote, But a Split Parliament Tabled by…

Edinburgh — The UK Government’s long-anticipated immigration white paper has sent fresh waves through higher education, with Scotland’s universities caught in the crosscurrents of policy changes, economic pressure, and political divergence. While the decision to preserve the Graduate visa route has been welcomed by university leaders north of the border, deeper concerns linger over potential levies, compliance changes, and the long-term viability of international student recruitment — a financial cornerstone of Scotland’s higher education sector. Graduate Route Survives — Barely The white paper, released on Monday, confirmed that the Graduate route, which allows international students to stay in the UK…

Historic Environment Scotland is pulling the plug on several of its long-running digital services as it shifts focus to its new flagship platform, trove.scot. With Canmore, Scran and ScotlandsPlaces among those facing closure by June, the change marks a major digital overhaul for how the nation explores its past. The new centralised archive, launched in February 2025, is meant to streamline access to over 2 million records and growing. But for many researchers, educators, and heritage buffs, the shift also means saying goodbye to websites that have been part of their work and passion for years. Canmore, Scran and ScotlandsPlaces:…

Scotland’s salmon industry is calling for renewed trade negotiations following the UK’s recently announced trade deal with the United States — a deal that, crucially, does not remove the 10% tariff levied on Scottish salmon exports to the American market. Tavish Scott, chief executive of trade body Salmon Scotland, has urged the UK Government to seek further discussions aimed at eliminating the tariff, warning that the current arrangement falls short of delivering the competitive edge needed by exporters in one of their most important markets. “Today’s US-UK deal should be seen as a staging post – not the destination –…

Scotland is emerging as a frontrunner in the global hydrogen economy, shifting from early hype to tangible, high-impact deployment of green hydrogen technologies. As the net zero clock ticks down, a wave of industrial-scale projects is positioning the country as a model for how hydrogen can decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors—while building a new clean energy economy. From Hype to Hard Reality The global hydrogen conversation surged after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which put energy security and supply chains into sharp focus. Initially hailed as a silver bullet, hydrogen has since taken on a more grounded role: an essential, but targeted,…

Geologists have revealed a groundbreaking discovery that shifts the timeline of a significant meteorite strike in Scotland by 200 million years. This revised understanding promises to reshape the geological history of the region and its early land life. Revising Scotland’s Geological Timeline For years, researchers believed that a massive meteorite struck northwestern Scotland about 1.17 billion years ago, creating the Stac Fada Member rock formation. However, a new study has revealed that this event occurred around 990 million years ago, a full 200 million years later than initially thought. The discovery came after scientists studied ancient zircon crystals found within…