4 minutes ago Scottish Premiership Team of the Week: Hearts trio, Celtic hitman, Killie stars and Aberdeen creator

Here is the Scottish Premiership team of the weekend - with players from Hearts, Celtic, Kilmarnock and St Johnstone all included

Events

18 minutes ago Starmer and Streeting invite ‘entire nation’ to contribute to consultation on reforming NHS – UK politics live

Labour invite the public to share their experiences, views and ideas on fixing the NHS in a nation-wide consultationGood morning. When the Labour government came into power, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, declared on his first day in office “the policy of this department is that the NHS is broken”. The government is going to published a 10-year health plan to fix it, and it is due to be published next spring.Streeting has said the plan will involve three main elements: moving from analogue to digital; more focus on primary care, not hospital care; and more focus on prevention. Keir Starmer explained them in a speech on the NHS in September.Members of the public, as well as NHS staff and experts will be invited to share their experiences views and ideas for fixing the NHS via the o...

Politics

39 minutes ago School strikes in John Swinney's constituency start today amid payment dispute

The strikes targeting Perth and Kinross over the next fortnight come after Unison members in non-teaching roles rejected a pay deal#.

Events

91 minutes ago Cop16 at a glance: the big issues that will define talks at Colombia’s UN summit

Delegates from 196 countries are discussing progress in preserving biodiversity. So what are the sticking points?Every two years, leaders from around the world gather to discuss the state of life on Earth, negotiating agreements to preserve biodiversity and stop the destruction of nature. This week, representatives of 196 countries are gathering in Cali, Colombia, for the 16th UN Conference of the Parties summit (Cop16).It is the first biodiversity-focused meeting since 2022, when governments struck a historic deal to halt the destruction of ecosystems. Scientists, Indigenous communities, business representatives and environment ministers from nearly 200 countries will discuss progress towards the targets and negotiate how they will be monitored. Here are the main things to look out for...

Politics

1 hour ago Prisons: 1,100 more inmates to leave jail early in next phase of bid to free up cell space

Around 1,100 more inmates will leave prisons on Tuesday

Events

2 hours ago The billionaire 'Bond villain' dubbed Boa Constrictor who is suffocating democracy in Georgia and orchestrating one of Putin's biggest victories... from his hilltop lair with a tank full of sharks

Meet Bidzina Ivanishvili, the cold, calculating recluse who rules the Black Sea nation from the shadows. Ivanishvili's government finally pushed through a 'foreign agents' law in May.

Politics

2 hours ago As a recent migrant to Germany I say this: the border clampdown is an insult to the values championed here | Bonita Dordel

Even as I am taught about the German credo of tolerance and compassion, the government is betraying it to pander to the far rightI live in a small, quaint old town in north-west Germany, and every day I attend four hours of German and integration lessons. I attend because I am an immigrant: I am South African, and moved to Germany three months ago, along with my German husband and our children. These classes, which will take 700 hours to complete, are a requirement of my staying here for more than a year.The course takes place at the local Volkshochschule (VHS – “the people’s high school”), a network of about 900 public adult education centres that offers a wide range of courses, including languages and vocational training. The schools are deeply rooted in Germany’s commitment to lifelo...

Events

2 hours ago In One Ear by Simon Raymonde review – life with the magical, mysterious Cocteau Twins

The bassist with the singular 80s band reflects on his contribution to their timeless music – and his years as boss of record label Bella Union – in a diplomatic but chatty memoirOf the many bewitching bands to come out of the 1980s, Cocteau Twins were perhaps the most singular. A Scottish-London trio comprising Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde, their enigmatic appeal was heightened by the fact that Fraser appeared to be singing in a language all her own, while the music – often gossamer-light and celestial – sounded like it should be pouring down cathedral walls. Each song’s title was poetry in itself: For Phoebe Still a Baby, The Itchy Glowbo Blow, Sugar Hiccup.In bassist Raymonde’s memoir, he attempts, decades late, to disassemble their mysterious allure by confirmi...

Politics

3 hours ago I love the NHS: it saved my life, but the operation to rescue it must be led by the people and its staff | Wes Streeting

My treatment showed me the brilliance and failings of our health service. But it is in crisis and government can’t tackle that aloneWhen I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, in 2021, the NHS saved my life. I felt this Rolls-Royce machine kick into gear, as I was treated by a world-class surgeon equipped with a robot and looked after by a group of incredibly caring nurses. I saw the best of the NHS. Continue reading...

Events

3 hours ago Labour insists Holyrood set for public spending boost despite £40bn Budget gap

A Scottish Labour minister has insisted Rachel Reeves’ Budget next week will see a boost to public spending for the SNP government.

Economics