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Scotland is facing a wet and windy week as the Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings for rain, covering most of the western parts of the country. The downpours could cause flooding, travel disruption, and power cuts in some areas. How much rain is expected and where? The first weather warning is in place until 1pm on Wednesday, affecting Glasgow and surrounding areas, as well as much of Ayrshire, Argyll and Bute, and parts of the Highlands as far north as Fort William. The Met Office said that up to 50mm of rain could fall in some areas,…

Scottish Culture Secretary accuses Tory leader of ‘mischief making’ Angus Robertson, the Scottish Culture Secretary, has dismissed the claim by Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, that he had spoken with “a number” of SNP backbenchers who were unhappy with the Scottish Government. Robertson said Ross was trying to “deflect the attention” from the Tory party conference and the “internecine warfare” in the UK Government. He challenged Ross to “put up or shut up” and name the SNP MSPs he had allegedly talked to. Fergus Ewing suspension sparks controversy Robertson also defended the decision by the SNP parliamentary group to…

A 12-year-old boy is fighting for his life after he and a man in his 50s were hit by lightning during a school football tournament in Hertford, England. The incident happened on Monday evening at The Sele School, where staff and first aiders performed CPR on the boy until ambulances arrived. How the lightning strike happened According to the East of England Ambulance service, the boy and the man were struck by lightning at 5.16 pm in Welwyn Road, near the school. The weather was cloudy and windy, but there was no rain or thunderstorm warning at the time. The…

The Scottish Government has said it will consider any recommendations made to improve police vetting procedures, after a review found not all police officers in Scotland have appropriate records. What did the review find? The review was conducted by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) and published on Tuesday. It found that there were significant gaps in the vetting records of police officers and staff, and that some had no vetting record at all. It also found that the vetting process was inconsistent, inefficient and lacked oversight. It said that the risks of having unvetted or poorly vetted officers and staff included corruption, compromise and damage to public confidence. How did the Scottish…

What is the Chain of Freedom event? The Chain of Freedom is a grassroots initiative that aims to show the strength and unity of the Scottish independence movement. On October 16, 2023, thousands of Yes activists will line up along the Forth and Clyde canal, from Bowling to Falkirk, and form a human chain. The event is expected to last for about 20 minutes and will be captured by photographs, drone footage, and media coverage. Who are the organisers and participants? The event is organised by a group of volunteers who have been working on the project for over a…

A proposal to build a tunnel for chickens to cross a busy road has sparked controversy in a rural community in Scotland. The plan, which aims to give more space to a free range egg farm, has been met with skepticism and opposition by some locals. Why does the farm need a chicken underpass? The farm, East Lothian Eggs Limited, is located near Gifford, in East Lothian. It produces free range eggs from a flock of 64,000 chickens, which are housed in two sheds. The farm was granted permission last year to double its flock size by adding a new…

Voxblock is a device that lets children listen to stories without screens1 Voxblock is a new product that aims to promote literacy and imagination among children by allowing them to listen to audiobooks without any screens. Voxblock is a connection-less audio player that works with special cards that contain stories. Children can insert the cards into the device and enjoy listening to stories in different genres and languages. Voxblock was created by Rebecca Lundgren, an Edinburgh mum who was inspired by her daughter’s love for her old cassette tapes. She wanted to create a modern and convenient alternative to cassettes…