Legislation to create a scheme for survivors of historical child abuse in care in Scotland to apply for financial redress payments of up to £100,000, as well as access to apology and support, has been passed by Parliament. The Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill will also set up an independent body, Redress Scotland, to assess applications for the scheme.
Up to 20 ports and harbours that have lost income from landing fees due to the disruption caused by Brexit have received a share of a £1.8 million fund. The funding will provide necessary investment at ports and harbours for safety improvements and repair works.
Investors warned of unsolicited approaches by people falsely claiming they can recover lost investments and are acting on behalf of the Insolvency Service. The Insolvency Service is aware that scammers have been contacting investors dishonestly claiming to be working on behalf of the Official Receiver or the Insolvency Service, with the false promise of recovering lost funds for an up-front fee.
UK schools, colleges and universities can now apply for funding for opportunities targeted at disadvantaged students. Schools, colleges and universities can now apply for funding from today (Friday 12 March) to allow students to study and work across the globe as part of the new Turing Scheme.
Back in the days when "skunk" was mainly associated with Pepe Le Pew and hydroponics was a way of improving cucumbers, most of the UK's cannabis supply was imported from places such as Morocco and Lebanon. This changed in the past two or three decades in the UK and many other countries as organised criminal gangs set up growing operations closer to home.
On March 11 2020, the World Health Organization declared that the COVID-19 public health emergency had become a pandemic: 114 countries were affected, there were 121,500 confirmed cases and more than 4,000 people had succumbed to the virus. One year on, we have now seen 115 million confirmed cases globally and more than 2.5 million deaths from COVID-19.
Several reports today about the John Lewis announcement Having announced 8 closures in 2020 they are now poised to announce more in 2021. Read the details on the BBC web site - John Lewis warns of painful store closures In yet another blow John Lewis has reported its first ever annual loss.
Royal Navy frigates led vessels from all three Baltic states in the first operation of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force. Frigates HMS Lancaster and Westminster, tanker RFA Tiderace and vessels from all three Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – have joined forces for a concerted demonstration of Britain's commitment to the security and stability of the region.
591 new cases of COVID-19 reported. 26,761 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results - 2.5% of these were positive.
The number of student nurses, midwives, and paramedics entering Scottish Government funded degree programmes will increase by 5.8% in 2021/22 - the ninth successive increase in a row. Overall this year's increase will mean a recommended intake of 4,449 nursing and midwifery students for the upcoming academic year, up 243 places from 4,206 in 2020/21.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts (March, 10th) sold 371 sheep at their rare & traditional breeds sale. "An excellent trade throughout with rare breeds and breeding sections selling particularly well" Ewe with lamb at foot (10) sold to £700 gross for a Valais Blacknose from Inverlochy Farm, Tomintoul.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has accused the Scottish Government of badly letting down the Shetland community for not helping the funding of the islands' new MRI scanner. Mrs Grant wrote to Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman, asking if she would now consider chipping in some money to support the service following the fundraising target being reached and the tremendous efforts of people on the islands.
Prices have risen on average by 4.5% over the past year in the small works sector, although there is variation between trades. Resource cost increases due to the higher cost of raw materials, and Covid-19 and Brexit related changes to the production process, have resulted in rates rising between 4.19% to 5.52% for contractors working on domestic extensions.
Today the government is a step closer to delivering better mobile coverage in rural areas, as it publishes its transparency notice for the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme and can proceed with a £500 million investment to provide all corners of the UK with better mobile connectivity. Government is to provide more than £500 million of support to extend mobile coverage through the landmark Shared Rural Network.
Geography, background or ability should not be a barrier to getting online. An ambition to achieve "world leading" levels of digital inclusion is at the heart of plans to equip Scotland for the technological transformation of the post-coronavirus (COVID-19) world.
MSP Rhoda Grant has welcomed a boost for Inverness and Nairn after a five-year contract was signed between Capgemini and the Metropolitan Police. The Highlands & Islands Labour MSP said she was delighted for the staff who are going to be part of this project.
More people will be able to socialise outdoors following good progress in suppressing Coronavirus (COVID-19), the First Minister has announced. Up to four adults from two households will be able to meet locally in any outdoor space, including in private gardens, for social and recreational purposes as well as exercise from Friday 12 March.
Analysis of previously published data from across the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the government highlights the different effects on men and women throughout the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in charts. While more men died from COVID-19, women's well-being was more negatively affected than men's during the first year of the pandemic.
Labour MSP Rhoda Grant and the party's Energy, Connectivity and the Islands spokesman John Erskine have called on the Scottish Government to ensure that Greensill administration does not impact on jobs at the Lochaber smelter. Specialist bank Greensill Capital was the main lender to businessman Sanjeev Gupta's sprawling empire, which includes two firms operating out of Lochaber Smelter at Fort William.
An individual who travelled from Rio de Janeiro to Edinburgh via Paris on 19 February has tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19), with initial laboratory findings suggesting the case may be an example of the Variant of Concern first identified in Japan but associated with Manaus, Brazil. This case, which is currently being investigated by further confirmatory genomic sequencing, is separate to the three cases of the same Brazil variant identified in the North East of Scotland in February.
