The National (Scotland)
Painting pays homage to city for 2026 Games
AFLAGSHIP expressionist painting by artist Ben Mosley was revealed at Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow yesterday to commemorate the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Mosley was commissioned by Trivandi, the official event delivery partner for Glasgow 2026, as...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Fears for Gaza doctor left ‘unrecognisable’ following torture
AN urgent human rights briefing has been circulated to MPs, MEPs, and members of diplomatic missions accredited to the United Nations, warning of the escalating threat to the life of detained Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya. The briefing lists...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Firm on a growing mission to put Scottish cider on the map
ACIDER company is aiming to prove Scotland can produce some of the best cider in the world as it expands production from orchards near Dundee. Lost Orchards Cider, which operates in partnership with major fruit growers in Scotland, is replanting...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Mela-drama: Celebration of diversity
A SPECIAL edition of Glasgow’s Mela festival took place in Kelvingrove Park yesterday, as a flagship event of the Commonwealth Games festival Glasgow 2026. The Mela is Scotland’s largest South Asian festival, celebrating the vibrant diversity of the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
UK Government axes aid programme to educate young women
THE UK Government has axed an aid programme intended to keep one million girls in education – just two years after it was announced. The scheme, called Strengthening Higher Education for Female Empowerment (SHEFE), was designed to support girls and...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
BBC Scotland sends ‘freeloader’ executive to the World Cup
BBC Scotland sent a “freeloader” executive to the US for the World Cup despite apparently trying to reduce costs amid budget cuts, The National has been told. Questions were raised after Tom Connor, an executive sport editor at BBC Scotland, was...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Streaming platform to launch as ‘home for Scottish stories’
ANEW streaming platform dedicated to showcasing Scottish stories in a “curated home” in a bid to rival the likes of Netflix and Disney+ is set to launch. The new independent streaming platform Scotflix is set to launch in September at the Scottish...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘No confirmed cases’: Patient tests negative for Ebola at Glasgow hospital
APATIENT who was tested for the suspected Ebola virus at a Glasgow hospital tested negative. It is understood the patient was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday. Public Health Scotland (PHS) said it was...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Highest level of hate crime charges in more than 20 years
HATE crime charges reached their highest level in more than two decades in Scotland, according to the latest statistics. Figures released by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) showed an increase in charges reported compared to...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Energy firm is fined £500k for Russia sanctions breaches
ASCOTTISH energy firm was fined more than £500,000 for breaching Russia sanctions regulations. Petrofac Facilities Management Limited (PFML), based in Aberdeen, has paid a £569,157 compound settlement for the breaches, which occurred in 2022 and 2023...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘Worst parliament for living standards’ warning to new PM
ANEW price shock driven by conflict in the Middle East threatens to make this the worst UK parliament on record for living standards, a new report has warned. Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) shows that the poorest households in the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Unionist MSPs fume Over ‘anti-monarchy’ poem
UNIONIST MSPs have fumed over “nationalist nonsense” after an “antimonarchist” poem was read out in front of King Charles at the opening of the Scottish Parliament session. Charles gave a speech yesterday to mark the beginning of Holyrood’s seventh...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Athletics line-up named
TEAM Scotland has announced the 39 members of its athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It said it brings together some of “Scotland’s biggest track and field stars and a host of exciting debutants”. A further 28 athletes have been...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Backing for ‘reclaim our streets’ rally after capital attacks
COMEDIAN Frankie Boyle, writer Paul Laverty, and former first minister Humza Yousaf are among the famous faces calling on Scots to join a “reclaim our streets” rally in Edinburgh in response to allegedly terror-linked anti-Muslim attacks in the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Transparency call over ‘secrecy’ on grants
ECONOMY Secretary Stephen Flynn was urged to intervene amid concerns that a Scottish Government agency may still be funding weapons companies linked to Israel’s violations of international law despite a supposed ban. Amnesty International called for...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Scotland fans on march – to the other ball game
THOUSANDS of Tartan Army members took over a baseball game in Florida, where their celebrations inadvertently held up play after a traffic cone briefly stole the spotlight. Florida’s Miami Marlins hosted Scotland’s supporters at their game against the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Emotional Starmer Goes
KEIR Starmer announced his resignation as the UK’s Prime Minister yesterday morning. He made the announcement after reportedly spending the weekend considering his future following Andy Burnham’s win in the Makerfield by-election. Starmer faced...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Love letters penned to Tartan Army as they leave Boston
SCOTLAND’S Tartan Army captured the hearts of people across Boston, receiving thanks from an award-winning newspaper and baseball team. The Boston Globe penned a heartfelt letter to Scottish football fans visiting Massachusetts for the Fifa World...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
England fans expect to fall short of Scots
ENGLAND fans in Boston have said Three Lions supporters will struggle to match the atmosphere created by the Tartan Army as thousands descend on the Massachusetts city for their second World Cup game. Scotland fans have been a hit with the locals...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Oldest football off to US in World Cup first
THE world’s oldest football – one of Scotland’s most remarkable historical objects – is heading to the United States for the World Cup match between Brazil and Scotland on Wednesday. It is the first time in its near 500-year history that the ball will...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘Reinforcements incoming’ for the Tartan Army
EDINBURGH Airport has revealed that around 12,000 Scots have passed through its gates travelling to Boston to cheer on Scotland at the World Cup – with more Tartan Army reinforcements on their way. An estimated 50,000 Scots have travelled to Boston to...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Voters hit the polls in three Westminster by-elections which could prove pivotal
VOTERS in constituencies across the UK go to the polls today to decide the outcomes of three Westminster by-elections. In Aberdeen South, the SNP are standing former MP Richard Thomson against the Tories’ Douglas Lumsden, currently an MSP for the North...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
$20k boost for US charities after ‘open arms’ World Cup welcome
THE Tartan Army is set to donate more than $20,000 to charities in the US region of Providence, Rhode Island, after being welcomed with “open arms” after struggling to find accommodation in nearby Boston. Providence is closer to the Boston Stadium...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
PALESTINE ACTION BAN FIGHT ‘WILL GO TO HIGHEST COURT’
EXCLUSIVE Scots activist: ‘Tipping point towards authoritarian British state’
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Now let’s make History!
JOHN Swinney called Scotland’s 1-0 World Cup victory over Haiti early yesterday as “seismic”, adding that he was “ecstatic”. The First Minister was at the game in Boston, where midfielder John McGinn scored the only goal, Swinney said: “This is a...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Thousands of anti-racism protesters drown out the far right
THOUSANDS of antiracism protesters gathered in a show of solidarity against far-right disorder. Organised by Stand Up To Racism (SUTR), the rally was set up to “send a clear message to the racist far-right that they are not welcome in our diverse city”...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Fever pitch
Don’t miss our great World Cup stories: l£1m Tartan Trek reaches Boston lFans go wild over McTominay advert lCouncil changes name in honour of skipper Robertson
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A celebration ... and a clear message
FOR this year’s Refugee Festival Scotland, we have created a front page for The National to launch the festival and mark the beginning of this year’s programme, which runs from today until June 21. We wanted the cover to feel like a celebration, while...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘SHOCKING AND UNACCEPTABLE’
First Minister joins politicians and campaigners to condemn violence Three people attacked for their skin colour, two officers injured, say police Worshippers ‘locked in mosque’ as people attacked Reform UK and Farage ‘fanned flames’ of race riots...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A KALEIDO-SCOT ...
ROSIE Corbett poses in a Scotlandthemed kit inside the giant kaleidoscope at Edinburgh’s Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, for the launch of its World Cup-themed installations
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Knife amnesties ‘will be considered’ after fatal stabbings
SCOTLAND’S Justice Secretary has said he would consider knife amnesties in the wake of two trials which resulted in teenagers found guilty of killing their victims using knives. On Friday, two teenagers were found guilty of murdering a 16-yearold on a...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
ISRAELI TROOPS KILL
ISRAELI troops killed a sevenmonth-old Palestinian baby boy after firing at his parents’ vehicle in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said. Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was killed, and his parents were wounded while driving in the Tel...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Ireland slaps entry ban on far-right Israeli ministers
THE Republic of Ireland yesterday announced it had banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country. Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich have been banned over their “behaviour”...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Pro-Palestine group urges Celtic not to appoint Keane
PRO-Palestine campaigners have urged Celtic to heed fans’ calls and not appoint Robbie Keane, who managed an Israeli side during the genocide in Gaza, after it emerged he is leading an alternative to Martin O’Neill. Celtic have faced backlash from...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Arrests made after violent clashes near site of murder
MINISTERS appealed for calm yesterday after violent clashes between protesters and police near where Henry Nowak was stabbed to death. The unrest came amid an outcry about the policing response to the murder after the student’s killer claimed he had...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Murrell used fake invoices and made misleading entries in accounts
MORE details of Peter Murrell’s crimes emerged yesterday as the former SNP chief executive returned to court eight days after he pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. Murrell arrived in a white prison van, wearing a dark blue...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘AN ATTACK ON THE FREEDOM TO CRITICISE ISRAEL’
UK Government is happy to invite head of apartheid state that has killed at least 73,000 Gazans but bans pro-Palestinian voices from entering
Read Full Story (Page 1)
World Cup bound
STEVE Clarke and the Scotland squad jetted off to the World Cup in North America yesterday morning. The squad flew out to a training base in Florida, two weeks before the Tartan Army will descend on Boston for Scotland’s first group match against Haiti...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
FM: Voters still have ‘strong confidence’ in SNP
JOHN Swinney has insisted voters have “strong confidence” in the SNP following former chief executive Peter Murrell’s admission that he embezzled £400,000 from the party. Murrell pleaded guilty this week to embezzling the sum from the SNP between 2010...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Children’s Festival Lifts off
THE Edinburgh International Children’s Festival kicks off this weekend with a packed programme of circus, dance, storytelling and theatre for young people, their schools and families. The festival opens today with a free Family Day at the National...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Outlander wrap a ‘dream fit’ for Sleeper train
THE Caledonian Sleeper train has been given a new look in celebration of Outlander, with the makeover hailed as “exciting and surreal” by one of the show’s stars, Sam Heughan. Four coaches have been wrapped in designs showing striking moments from the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
FM to seek Section 30 order for indyref2 in talks with Starmer
FIRST Minister John Swinney will request a Section 30 order from the Prime Minister when they meet in “the next few weeks” following Holyrood calling for powers over an independence referendum to be devolved. Swinney told Bauer Media yesterday that he...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Immediate no from No 10 as MSPs vote to demand indyref powers
SCOTLAND’S newly elected parliament voted yesterday to call for Westminster to devolve the powers which would allow it to hold a second independence referendum. MSPs voted by 72-55 to support First Minister John Swinney’s call for the UK Government...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Murrell sent behind bars after admitting embezzlement
FORMER SNP chief executive Peter Murrell was remanded in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday after pleading guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. Murrell arrived at Edinburgh High Court yesterday for a hearing after...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Banknote
THE Bank of Scotland has unveiled a limited-edition £20 note featuring an image of footballer Scott McTominay’s celebrated overhead kick goal. The design blends traditional banknote elements with imagery inspired by McTominay’s strike against...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Cheaper energy could ‘transform’ Scots economy
CHEAPER energy costs could be “transformational” for Scotland’s economy, John Swinney said yesterday, providing the country with “prosperity and security” in an “ever more uncertain world”. The First Minister told how a “golden combination” of greater...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Ban on trans women in female toilets, changing rooms and sports teams
TRANSGENDER women will be banned from using female toilets, changing facilities and sports teams, following the publication of long-awaited guidance from the UK’s equalities watchdog. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance follows...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Minister denies plan to cap food ‘mimicking SNP’
ATREASURY minister has denied that the UK Government asking supermarkets to cap essential food prices is “mimicking” an SNP election pledge. On Tuesday, the Financial Times reported that the Treasury was set to ask large supermarkets to introduce...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Scottish Government agency panned for plans to attend major defence industry event
ASCOTTISH Government agency was slammed as it prepared to attend a major defence industry event in Glasgow. Scottish Enterprise will join firms like BAE Systems, Thales UK and Leonardo at the Scottish Defence Procurement & Supply Chain Summit in...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Supreme Court hears cases as it sits in Scotland
THE UK Supreme Court will sit in Glasgow for four days this week in the city chambers, with three appeal cases set to be heard. The court, which is the highest court of appeal for civil cases across the UK, began its sitting in the Burgh Hall of the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Senior police chief expresses anger after fan disorder
ASENIOR Police Scotland officer has called on Celtic to be “more accountable”, as he expressed frustration following fan disorder in the wake of the Scottish Premiership decider. There have been 14 arrests in Glasgow so far following Celtic’s Scottish...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Church of Scotland moderator thanks First Minister in first address to new assembly
THE Church of Scotland’s new moderator has delivered a message of thanks to John Swinney and all the newly-elected MSPs at Holyrood. The First Minister attended the church’s General Assembly in Edinburgh, where the Rt Rev Gordon Kennedy addressed him...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Lord Advocate confirms plans to resign from role
SCOTLAND’S Lord Advocate has informed the First Minister that she plans to step down from the role. Dorothy Bain KC was appointed Lord Advocate in June 2021 after she was nominated for the post by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon. The Scottish...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
NAKBA DAY:
l‘15 lCatastrophe of Palestine has a British author lFormer elite IDF soldier on why truth must be voiced
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Starmer rolls back on independence referendum talks with First Minister
THE Prime Minister has rolled back on John Swinney’s claims that the pair will meet to discuss a second referendum on Scottish independence. Scotland’s First Minister said late on Tuesday that the issue of a second referendum on Scottish independence...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
CalMac resumes normal service for several key routes
ANUMBER of key CalMac routes are set to be “restored to normal service” with the return of a major ferry. MV Hebrides will return to service on the Little Minch this afternoon, following repair work to address a leak on her bow visor seal. The return...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
New MSPs Arrive at Holyrood
SCOTLAND’S new and returning MSPs arrived for their first day at Holyrood yesterday, after last week’s election. Some 64 new faces walked the halls of the Edinburgh parliament. But little is expected to change after the SNP continued its domination of...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘Disgraceful’ abuse aimed at transgender MSPs
THE Scottish Greens condemned the transphobic and racist abuse which has been directed at Scotland’s first transgender MSPs since their election was announced on Friday. Dr Q Manivannan and Iris Duane both secured regional list seats for the Greens....
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘UK MUST CATCH UP TO REALITY’
WESTMINSTER has to “catch up” with the reality of devolved nations being led by pro-independence parties, John Swinney has said. The First Minister told the Sunday National at a press conference in Edinburgh yesterday that he hadn’t yet spoken to Keir...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Five in a row but No majority
THE SNP won a historic fifth election but fell short of an overall majority. Among the 73 constituency seats, the SNP won 57, the Scottish LibDems won seven, the Scottish Conservatives won four, Scottish Labour won three and the Greens won two. The...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Pair evacuated off Virus-hit ship ‘improving’
TWO Britons who were medically evacuated from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship are improving, global health officials said yesterday. A British passenger, understood to be a 69-year-old man, was taken to South Africa on April 27 and is receiving care at a...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Kidnapped Gaza flotilla activists remain in prison after Israel rejects appeal
ISRAEL yesterday rejected an appeal to release two activists who were kidnapped while taking part in a historic aid mission to Gaza – hundreds of miles away from their destination. Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila were...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Anti-monarchy rally at Holyrood day after election count
ANTI-monarchy campaigners are preparing to stage a major rally outside the Scottish Parliament the day after the Holyrood election count. The three-hour event on Saturday will be held as part of the UK-wide Republic Day, with organisers and speakers...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Refugee charity hits out at ‘confused’ Kerr over Reform plans for detention centres
ASCOTTISH refugee charity hit out at Reform UK’s Thomas Kerr over Reform UK’s new migrant detention centre policy. On Sunday, the party’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf announced that a Reform UK Government at Westminster would not build immigration...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
New techniques uncover fresh crannog secrets
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have used innovative techniques to reveal the secrets of an artificial island older than Stonehenge in a Scottish loch, discovering a large timber platform hidden beneath it. The island in Loch Bhorgastail on Lewis appears to be made of...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Jewish academics Call for unity to fight racism
LEADING Jewish academics in Scotland have called for unity to fight against racism on all grounds in the wake of a string of antisemitic attacks in London. The Scottish Universities Jewish Staff Network (SUJSN) said it “strongly and unconditionally”...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘Emotional’ stories of writers in Gaza feature in powerful exhibition
APOWERFUL exhibition of writings by authors from Gaza has gone on display in Scotland. The Zines from Gaza exhibition, at the Palestine Museum Scotland in Edinburgh, aims to show how writing can be both “a refuge and a form of resistance”. The...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Clooney and Geldof visit homelessness village
GEORGE Clooney joined Bob Geldof to tour a homeless charity’s prototype village. The actor is in Scotland for two events to raise money for Social Bite, the Edinburgh-based charity which aims to help homeless people access housing, food and jobs. The...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘Plenty alternatives' to group's Proscription, court hears
THERE were “plenty” of alternatives to target the actions of Palestine Action aside from banning them as a terror group, the Court of Appeal has been told. The Home Office is challenging the High Court’s ruling in February that the decision to ban...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Offord excels at being Out of touch
IN an election campaign period already lacking inspiration, the televised debates have been especially bleak. Would you like to see six men in suits argue with one another for several hours? As a special treat, would you like to see five men argue...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Amnesty hits out at King’s US visit
KING Charles’s state visit to the US to meet with president Donald Trump has been branded an “act of national humiliation” for the UK. Amnesty, the leading human rights charity, said the UK Government had failed to stand up for international law in the...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
History of city’s streets brought to life by exhibition
ANEW exhibition will explore the past and present of the vennels, closes and alleys that have crisscrossed a Scottish city for centuries. Vennels: Perth’s Little Streets will open at Perth Museum next month. It will feature rarely-seen archaeological...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Independence supporters march through Glasgow
INDEPENDENCE activists gathered for a major march in Glasgow city centre yesterday. The rally is the first of the year by All Under One Banner (AUOB) and comes less than two weeks from the Holyrood election, with supporters encouraged to “make some...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Compston warns of Reform threat as he joins Swinney on campaign trail
MARTIN Compston joined First Minister John Swinney on the campaign trail to warn of the “significant threat” from Reform UK. The Line Of Duty star met with Swinney in Greenock yesterday, where Reform’s leader in Scotland Malcolm Offord is from. As...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Schools locked down amid alert caused by ‘suspicious package’
TWO schools were put into lockdown in South Lanarkshire yesterday as police attended an emergency incident. Emergency services swarmed Blantyre after reports of a suspicious package in the grounds of the town’s health centre. The health centre was...
Read Full Story (Page 2)