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Transgender inmates with history of violence against women may still be placed in female jails The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has confirmed that transgender prisoners with a history of violence against women, including sexual offences, could still be allowed to serve their sentences in female jails under certain circumstances. This policy has been criticized by some campaigners and politicians as “unacceptable” and “dangerous” for the safety and wellbeing of female inmates. The SPS said that any newly convicted or remanded transgender prisoner will initially be placed in an establishment commensurate with their birth gender, and that any exceptional cases will require…

Heat pumps are devices that use electricity to transfer heat from one place to another, either for heating or cooling purposes. They are considered as a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuel-based heating systems, as they can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. However, not everyone is convinced of their benefits, and some groups are opposing their widespread adoption. In this article, we will explore the arguments for and against heat pumps, and the challenges and opportunities they present for the future of heating and cooling. How do heat pumps work and why are they good for the environment? Heat…

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is set to elect a new president after Michael Russell announced his resignation on 1 December 2023. Russell, who served as the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs from 2020 to 2021, was elected as the president of the SNP in November 2020. He said he decided to step down to focus on his role as the chair of the party’s independence taskforce and to make way for a younger generation of leaders. How does the SNP president election work? The SNP president is one of the four national office-bearers of the…

Israel orders evacuation of northern Gaza Israel has given more than one million Palestinians living in northern Gaza an ultimatum to evacuate their homes within 24 hours, ahead of a possible ground invasion targeting Hamas. The Israeli military said it had dropped leaflets, sent text messages and made phone calls to warn residents of the impending attack, which aims to destroy Hamas’s rocket launchers and tunnels. Israel said it was doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, but Hamas urged people to stay put and resist the occupation. The evacuation order came after a week of intense airstrikes and rocket fire…