10 h. ago Full list of every Santander branch closing across UK this year as 750 jobs under threat

Spanish-owned banking chain Santander will shut 95 branches this year, with the majority of the job losses linked to branch closures, while approximately 12% are from a reduction in working hours

Events

18 h. ago ‘The prison system is insanely broken’: a climate activist on his experience in jail

George Simonson says you learn about society by seeing how it treats its prisoners – and jail has strengthened his belief that change is crucialGeorge Simonson, 24, from London, had recently graduated in mechanical engineering from the University of Edinburgh when he was given a 24-month custodial sentence for climbing a gantry over the M25 in 2022. He was also found guilty of criminal damage and sentenced to a further six-week custodial sentence for spraying paint on a wall of Exeter University in 2023. He sent this letter from prison before he was released in January.I remember the day I was sentenced like it was yesterday. I was filled with anxiety the entire time. It’s a strange situation to be in, not knowing whether or not you’d have your liberty at the end of the day, or for how long it might be taken away. My mind was racing and I had no idea how to operate. Continue reading...

Events

57 h. ago Edinburgh University staff ballot finds 75% of union members ready to strike over £140m jobs threat

Bosses have recently said ‘nothing is off the table’ as part of efforts to repair finances

Events

60 h. ago Three quarters of Edinburgh University staff ready to launch strike action over £140m jobs threat

Bosses have recently said ‘nothing is off the table’ as part of efforts to repair finances

Events

3 d. ago You don't need code to be a programmer. But you do need expertise | John Naughton

AI is so good at writing software that one father asked it to organise his kids’ school lunches. But that doesn’t mean it’s taking overWay back in 2023, Andrej Karpathy, an eminent AI guru, made waves with a striking claim that “the hottest new programming language is English”. This was because the advent of large language models (LLMs) meant that from now on humans would not have to learn arcane programming languages in order to tell computers what to do. Henceforth, they could speak to machines like the Duke of Devonshire spoke to his gardener, and the machines would do their bidding.Ever since LLMs emerged, programmers have been early adopters, using them as unpaid assistants (or “co-pilots”) and finding them useful up to a point – but always with the proviso that, like interns, they make mistakes, and you need to have real programming expertise to spot those. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Stedman Pearson's dramatic life from arrest and death threat before tragic death

Pop star Stedman Pearson lived a very dramatic life after finding fame with group Five Star with his siblings as he was once arrested, faced a death threat and had many different jobs

Events

7 d. ago Over 40 jobs at Scotland's only cement plant under threat in ‘another blow to economy’

“With the widespread use of concrete, this would be another blow to Scotland’s manufacturing base and workforce” – Stephen McGhee, GMB Scotland organiser

Economics

3 w. ago Edinburgh University boss says 'radical' action needed to plug 'severe' £140m budget gap

Principal warns of ‘smaller staff base and lower operating costs’

Economics

3 w. ago Civil servants face disciplinary action in crackdown on Whitehall credit cards

Less than two weeks after Rachel Reeves was facing questions over her own company credit card spending in a previous job, the government has issued a threat across departments over abuse of its cards

Events

3 w. ago Staff at beleaguered Scottish university embark on 3 weeks of strikes from today over jobs threat

Union boss vows to fight ‘brutal cuts’ at cash-strapped institution

Events

4 w. ago Scots study exposes world's glaciers melting at alarming speed

The worrying international research was led by the University of Edinburgh.

Events

4 w. ago Today's rugby news as Wales 'too big a job' for Franco Smith and Ireland pick out Welsh 'threat'

The rugby stories making headlines in Wales and around the world on Wednesday, February 19

Events