25 h. ago Scotland's civil service grows by hundreds despite SNP pledge to cut it

Between June 2024 and June 2025, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) civil servants rose by 430

Politics

4 d. ago There were two paths for America and Lilith Fair was one of them. Sadly it chose the other | Emma Brockes

The all-female tour was a counterpoint to the era’s misogyny. We could do with some of that promise todayThere’s an argument to be made that the first person in the US to spot the oncoming freight train of the Maga movement – fully 17 years before the first election of Trump – wasn’t a political forecaster or a bearded contrarian but the rock star Sheryl Crow. In 1999, Crow appeared at a press conference backstage at Lilith Fair, the all-women music festival, during which she was asked about a disastrous appearance she had recently made at Woodstock ‘99. This was the Woodstock reboot in upstate New York marred by violence, sexual assault and an angry male crowd that heckled the few female artists present with, “show us your tits.” Crowe, smiling bleakly, said, “I’m hoping it doesn’t represent our future as a nation or the youth of America.”Well, as they say: ha. Crow’s comments feature in Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, a new documentary by Ally Pankiw on Disney+ and a mind-blowing...

Politics

7 d. ago Major banks including Halifax and NatWest to shut 97 branches in October starting in DAYS – is your local going?

FOUR high street banks are to shut 97 branches next month in another blow to Britain's high streets. The closures from Natwest, Halifax, Lloyds Bank, and Bank of Scotland follow the cull of hundreds of branches nationwide already this year. Starting at the beginning of next month, 27 Halifax branches, 23 NatWest branches, and 32...

Politics

1 week ago ‘The idea we should be in the kitchen serving our men is enraging’: singer

She withstood bomb threats when making her all-female Lilith Fair festival in the 90s – and this week stood up to Disney over Jimmy Kimmel. The alt-pop star explains why she’s still so fired upIt’s 11 years since Sarah McLachlan last released an album of original songs. The break had worried her. “What do I have to say at this point in my life?” she says. “I’m a 57-year-old white woman of privilege. Does anybody want to hear from me?”Looking tanned and relaxed on an early morning video call from Vancouver Island, the Nova Scotia native admits she had “stayed busy”: she released a Christmas album (2016’s Wonderland) and worked as the principal fundraiser and founding board chair for her three namesake music schools, which provide lessons and education to at-risk youth. At the same time, she was a self-proclaimed dance mom raising two daughters; the second recently went off to college. But there was still “trepidation around being out of the game for so long”. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago EXPOS3D: Artist Trevor Jones unveils radical immersive art experience in Edinburgh 12–18 October 2025 | Custom House, Edinburgh

Acclaimed artist Trevor Jones announced the launch of EXPOS3D, a daring new immersive art exhibition that confronts the shifting balance between humans, machines, and control. Opening to the public on 12 October at Custom House, Edinburgh – a free but ticketed event that will transform Edinburgh’s historic Custom House gallery into a living artwork – this groundbreaking fusion of painting, sculpture, stained glass, tech, AI and AR invites audiences to step inside a multi-sensory world where faith, tradition, and technology collide.

Politics

2 w. ago 'Magical' Scottish village visitors say is 'like stepping back in time'

The UK is home to hundreds of charming villages, but one little-known spot in Scotland has been called "magical" by visitors - and some say it's home to the prettiest harbour in the whole country

Politics

2 w. ago Scotland's Best Buildings: 13 of the most beautiful buildings in Scotland

What is the most beautiful building in Scotland? There are hundreds across the country - but we’ve put together a list of 13.

Politics

3 w. ago Patterns of life: Edinburgh gallery announces first major exhibition from Jenny Martin RSW

An Edinburgh art gallery has announced details of a new exhibition of work from Scottish artist Jenny Martin RSW, an Edinburgh-based painter and printmaker. Patterns of Life opens in Morningside Gallery on Saturday 20th September, and includes 27 new paintings from the artist. Jenny finds poetry in the patterns that surround us, weaving together discoveries from her travels, her Portobello garden studio, and her collection of ceramics by favourite artists.

Politics

3 w. ago 'Workforce crisis' as hundreds of thousands of NHS shifts understaffed in Scotland

SNP ministers have been told to address the “workforce crisis”.

Events

3 w. ago Racist behind Saltires campaign in Glasgow called for asylum seekers to be 'gassed'

Kieran Logan, 27, co-runs the Tartan Team campaign which has seen hundreds of Scotland flags raised on lamp posts across the city.

Events

3 w. ago ‘It was a fair shot’: Anna Wintour belatedly gives her verdict on The Devil Wears Prada

The formidable Vogue boss said Meryl Streep’s subtle performance as a fictional fashion editor ‘had a lot of wit’ – adding that she attended the premiere wearing Prada without knowing its themeAnna Wintour, the outgoing editor-in-chief of Vogue, has addressed Meryl Streep’s performance as a formidable glossy fashion-mag editor widely perceived to be based on her in the 2006 comedy The Devil Wears Prada.Based on the novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, who previously worked as Wintour’s assistant, the film starred Anne Hathaway as an aspiring reporter who secures a post as a lackey to the ice-cold editor of fictional publication Runway. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago Edinburgh Art Fair 2025: 'hundreds of works you can’t see anywhere else in Scotland'

Two decades on from its first edition, the Edinburgh Art Fair remains true to its original ‘Art For Everyone’ motto, writes Susan Mansfield

Politics