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☆ Historic Stone of Scone moved to London for King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The Stone of Destiny lies in Edinburgh Castle before onward transportation to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of King Charles III, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/PoolLONDON, April 28 (Reuters) - The historic Stone of Scone, the ancient coronation stone upon which monarchs in Britain have been crowned for centuries, has left Scotland for London under tight security ahead of next week's coronation of King Charles III, officials said on Friday. England's King Edward I seized the stone from the Scots in 1296, and it was incorporated into the Coronation Chair he ordered in 1308 for London's Westminster Abbey. That chair has since been used in the coronation ceremonies of English and British monarchs since Henry IV in 1399. However, it was officially moved to Scotland on a permanent basis in 1996 and will return there after Charles' coronation.

☆ You can own a private island off the coast of Scotland for $190,000 — nearly half the median price of a home in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jordan Hart | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An island off the coast of Scotland is currently on sale for $190,000. The price tag is less than half the median cost to buy a home in the US, per data from the National Association of Realtors. Barlocco Island is located six miles away from the nearest town, and over an hour away from the nearest train station. Barlocco Island, located off the coast of Scotland. While the owner's identity remains private, Galbraith told Insider the island has been in the same family for several generations.

☆ Scotland's SNP appoints Stuart McDonald as new treasurer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - The Scottish National Party said on Saturday it had appointed Stuart McDonald as its national treasurer, after Colin Beattie stepped back from the role earlier this week while police investigate the party's finances. Beattie was arrested and questioned by Police Scotland on Tuesday as part of the investigation into what happened to more than 600,000 pounds ($745,800) raised by Scottish independence campaigners in 2017. He was released without charge pending further investigation but said he would step back from the role. Scotland's governing party said its National Executive Committee had appointed former lawyer McDonald, a member of the Westminster parliament since 2015, as the party's Treasurer until the SNP's next Annual Conference. ($1 = 0.8045 pounds)Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Husband of ex-Scottish leader arrested, British media reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Scotland's former first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, with her husband Peter Murrell in 2019. The husband of former Scottish first minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in a party finance probe, British media reported Wednesday. Police in Scotland did not identify Peter Murrell as the 58-year old man arrested Wednesday "in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party." Sturgeon, 52, announced her resignation in February after eight years as party leader and first minster of Scotland's semi-autonomous government. The Scottish government wants to hold a referendum next October with the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

☆ UK considering new definition of sex in equality laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - Britain is considering plans to create a distinction in equality laws between a person who was born a particular sex and someone who has transitioned to become that sex. Britain's minister for women and equalities, Kemi Badenoch, wrote to the head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the equalities watchdog, to say she wanted her to consider the "benefits or otherwise" of changing the legal definition of sex. "Among these is the consideration about whether the definition of 'sex' is sufficiently clear and strikes the appropriate balance of interests between different protected characteristics," Badenoch wrote. The move comes after Britain's government earlier this year blocked gender reform laws passed by Scotland's devolved parliament. She also said further consideration of human rights implications would be needed.

☆ Teachers in England reject pay offer, announce further strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 3 (Reuters) - Teachers in England have overwhelmingly rejected a pay offer from the British government aimed at ending a series of disruptive strikes, their trade union said on Monday, announcing two further days of walkouts. The National Education Union, Britain's largest education union, said 98% of teachers who voted in the ballot followed its advice to reject the offer of a one-off payment this year of 1,000 pounds and an average pay rise of 4.5% in the next financial year. The union said teachers would take two further days of strike action, on April 27 and May 2. Teachers in Wales have ended their strike action after voting to accept a pay offer comprising an additional 3% pay award for 2022/23 alongside a 1.5% one-off payment, and a government-funded 5% rise for the following year. Scotland's largest teaching union has also accepted a pay deal to end long-running strikes, which it said would amount to a 14.6% increase in pay for most teachers by January 2024.

☆ Humza Yousaf sworn in as Scotland's leader as bid for unity falters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Newly elected leader of the Scottish National Party, Humza Yousaf (centre), signs the nomination form to become First Minister for Scotland, with his proposer Shona Robison and seconder Neil Gray, at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. MSPs will vote on Mr Yousaf's nomination to be Scotland's sixth First Minister later today. Yousaf had been expected to offer his leadership rival, whom he only defeated by only about 2,000 votes, a more senior role. During his leadership campaign, Yousaf had said he would depart from Sturgeon's "inner circle" style of leadership in favour of a "big tent" approach. Yousaf said on Tuesday that Shona Robison - a close friend of Sturgeon - will serve as his deputy first minister.

☆ Humza Yousaf wins leadership election of Scotland’s ruling party, set to lead the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Newly appointed leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Humza Yousaf, speaks following the SNP Leadership election result announcement at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on March 27, 2023. Humza Yousaf on Monday was elected the new head of the Scottish National Party, promising in a speech to bring the party together, support citizens with the cost-of-living crisis and deliver independence from the United Kingdom. He is slated to assume political leadership in Scotland following his nomination in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday. He told BBC Scotland that his leadership style compared to his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon would be "less inner circle and more big tent." If approved on Tuesday, he will be the country's sixth leader since the establishment of the Scottish parliament in 1999.

☆ Scotland's next leader to be announced with independence movement in crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Scotland's Health Minister Humza Yousaf and Scotland's Finance Minister Kate Forbes, contenders to become the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Scotland's First Minister, attend the SNP leadership hustings, in Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Craig Brough/PoolLONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - The next leader of Scotland will be announced on Monday with the victor facing the challenge of uniting a country divided over its future and revitalising an independence movement that dreams of ending its three-centuries-long union with England. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs Scotland's semi-autonomous government, has been plunged into crisis since Nicola Sturgeon, the country's longest-serving leader, announced last month she was standing down after eight years, saying she had become too divisive to lead the nation to independence. Britain's vote to leave the European Union two years later when a majority of Scots wanted to stay, and Scotland's handling of the coronavirus pandemic brought new support for independence. However, an opinion poll showed the backing for independence dropped to 39% this month after touching a record 58% in 2020.

☆ McTominay fires Scotland to 3-0 win over Cyprus in Euro qualifier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Soccer Football - UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifier - Group A - Scotland v Cyprus - Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - March 25, 2023 Cyprus' Minas Antoniou in action with Scotland's Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong Action Images via Reuters/Ed SykesMarch 25 (Reuters) - Scotland beat Cyprus 3-0 in their first Euro 2024 Group A qualifier on Saturday after second-half substitute Scott McTominay grabbed a double at Hampden Park. The second half was a far less entertaining affair, however, as Scotland failed to build on their advantage. But Steve Clarke's substitutions eventually worked as McTominay doubled the lead in the 87th minute. McTominay then scored again in added time when Cyprus failed to clear a cross into the box, with Robertson laying the ball into the path of the midfielder to score. Scotland next play Spain on Tuesday when Cyprus visit Armenia.

☆ Scottish National Party chief executive quits after membership numbers dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - The chief executive of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), Peter Murrell, said on Saturday that he was resigning with immediate effect after accepting responsibility for a misleading statement about SNP membership numbers. "Responsibility for the SNP's responses to media queries about our membership number lies with me as Chief Executive. While there was no intent to mislead, I accept that this has been the outcome," Murrell said in a statement issued by the SNP. Murrell is the husband of outgoing SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who announced on Feb. 15 that she was stepping down as Scotland's first minister, triggering an SNP leadership contest which is yet to conclude. Murrell said he had intended to stay as SNP chief executive until after the leadership contest was over.

☆ UK govt, teaching unions to start 'intensive' talks to end strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - The British government and teaching unions agreed on Friday to begin "intensive" talks to end strikes by hundreds of thousands of teachers in England who say they are overburdened and underpaid. The government and teaching unions said the National Education Union (NEU) — the largest striking union — would maintain a "period of calm" for two weeks in which no fresh strikes would be announced. "The Education Secretary and all unions will meet (on Friday), beginning intensive talks, which will continue over the weekend," the government and the unions said in a joint statement, adding that they hoped to reach "a successful conclusion". Teachers staged their latest strikes across England this week, coinciding with the government's annual budget. Scotland's largest teaching union has also accepted a pay deal to end long-running strikes, which it said would amount to a 14.6% increase in pay for most teachers by January 2024.

The row overshadowed a migration deal struck between British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, with the BBC accused of bowing to political pressure. "Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure," the opposition Labour party said, calling for the BBC to re-think its decision. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "Individual cases are a matter for the BBC." MOTD commentator Steve Wilson later tweeted that the show's commentators had also pulled out from Saturday's broadcast, leaving BBC management reliant on World Feed commentary. But the BBC said it considered his recent social media activity to be a breach of its guidelines.

Sturgeon, in office since 2014, unexpectedly announced last week she was resigning as first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government, saying she had become too divisive. The frontrunner to succeed her and become the next leader of her Scottish National Party (SNP) is Humza Yousaf, a Sturgeon loyalist who faces criticism for his record in government. The campaign so far has been dominated by a debate about views on social issues such as gay marriage, transgender rights and abortion. "The big fundamental question of facing the party... is how it's going to acquire majority support in Scotland for independence: That question has not been addressed." Reporting by Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill and Elizabeth Piper; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Scottish finance minister Kate Forbes to run for country's leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Scottish finance minister Kate Forbes said on Monday she would run in the leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and Scotland's first minister. Forbes, who was elected to the Scottish parliament in 2016 and became finance secretary in 2020, is the third candidate to enter the race since Sturgeon's surprise resignation last week. Forbes, a Christian, was among senior politicians who urged the Scottish government in 2019 not to rush into gender reform legislation. Health minister Humza Yousaf and former minister Ash Regan have said they will run in the contest to replace Sturgeon. Two other possible contenders, 53-year-old culture minister Angus Robertson, a former deputy leader of the party, and John Swinney, the 58-year-old deputy first minister, have ruled themselves out.

☆ Scotland's health minister Humza Yousaf to run for country's leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Scottish Health Minister Humza Yousaf said on Saturday he would run in the leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and first minister. Yousaf becomes the first to publicly announce his intention to stand in the race after Sturgeon's surprise resignation earlier in the week saying she had become too divisive and too tired to carry on. loadingThe SNP has said it will choose a new leader within six weeks through a ballot of its members, which will close on March 27. Sturgeon, 52, said she was not leaving politics and that she would stay on until a successor has been picked. Reporting by Muvija M, additional reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu; Editing by Kylie MacLellan and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ As accomplished, high-profile female leaders step back from their careers, I wonder whether any woman can have it all
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I don't fault them; they're women who achieved much and then, it appears, made the best decision for themselves. Women face bias when they're leaders. McKinsey & Company recently said it found that "compared with men, senior women leaders report higher rates of burnout, chronic stress, and exhaustion." A report last year from LeanIn.org and McKinsey said women leaders were leaving their companies at the highest rate ever; the organizations started tracking the data in 2015. "You're not promoting enough women into the leadership ranks, and now you have more women leaving leadership roles," Thomas told CNBC Make It in October.

Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation as Scottish first minister in a surprise press conference in Edinburgh on Wednesday, saying her departure is not the result of short-term pressures. Sturgeon has been Scotland's longest-serving first minister, acting in the position and as leader of the Scottish National Party since 2014. In November, the U.K.'s highest court ruled that any second Scottish independence vote would have to be approved by the U.K. government. Stewart McDonald, a SNP member of parliament, said on Twitter, "Nicola Sturgeon is the finest public servant of the devolution age. She will be an enormous loss as First Minister and SNP leader."

☆ Scotland's Sturgeon to quit, will remain until a successor has been found
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday she would resign as Scotland's first minister after eight years in the job. Sturgeon told a news conference in Edinburgh that she would remain leader of Scotland's devolved government until a successor is found. "This decision comes from a deeper and longer term assessment," she said, adding she had been wrestling with the decision for weeks. "Giving absolutely everything of yourself to this job is the only way to do it," Sturgeon said. Reporting by Muvija M and Sachin Ravikumar; editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Scotland's Sturgeon bows out at 'critical moment' for independence fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While Sturgeon said she was "firmly of the view that there is now majority support for independence in Scotland", the polls suggest there is more work to do. In the aftermath of the court ruling, some polls showed a majority support for independence, but that has recently come down back towards 2014 levels. "If that stops being the case, then that really could knock them back, and really could damage the cause of Scottish independence." "The movement has been left with no clear strategy for independence," Salmond, who now leads the Alba party, said. "Voters see no clear successor to (Sturgeon) - it illustrates how dominant a figure she has been for so long," pollster Mark Diffley said.

☆ A Delta flight had to make an emergency landing just 60 miles after takeoff when flames shot out from under its wing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Delta trans-Atlantic flight made an emergency landing near Glasgow on Friday after flames erupted from a wing. One passenger told local news that there was a "banging noise" and then the plane "nose-dived." The flight was "safely diverted to Glasgow Prestwick Airport after a mechanical issue with one of the aircraft's two engines," a Delta spokesperson told Insider. BBC Scotland News reporter Laura Pettigrew, who was on the flight, told the BBC that the plane's engine made loud noises during the flight. Fire trucks and firefighters rushed towards the plane when it landed down at Glasgow Prestwick, she said.

☆ ExodusPoint's 2022 struggles is a lesson for all of Wall Street: Play the hits
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I shudder to compare some of the greatest artists of our generation to a hedge fund, but I can't help but notice some similarities between their disdain for their biggest hits and ExodusPoint's difficult 2022. The hedge fund, which still holds the industry's largest launch in history, ended the year with fewer assets, employees, and PMs than it started with. The world's biggest hedge fund has a new co-CIO. Ken Griffin, the billionaire owner of hedge fund Citadel, is causing quite the stir over his suggestion that a historic home on a property he owns in Miami be relocated. The firm continues to cut back on the size of a venture-capital fund its raising, The Wall Street Journal reports, with a new goal of $5 billion.

☆ Britain vows new law to ban conversion therapy for LGBT people
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Britain will seek to ban conversion therapy targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, cracking down on so-called treatments that claim to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Culture minister Michelle Donelan said on Tuesday the government would publish draft legislation soon, setting out proposals to ban conversion practices in England and Wales. "The Bill will protect everyone, including those targeted on the basis of their sexuality, or being transgender," Donelan said in a statement. A 2017 national LGBT survey people found that 5% of respondents had been offered conversion therapy and 2% had undergone it, with over half of it done by religious groups. Many campaigners have long called for a ban on conversion therapy, but others have argued that any ban should not outlaw conversations with clinicians or therapists helping people with gender issues.

Summary UK uses power to block Scottish bill for the first timeSturgeon: decision is an attack on devolved powersUnclear how issue may impact support for independenceLONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The British government will block a bill passed by the Scottish parliament that makes it easier for people to change their legal gender, its Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said on Monday, the first time it has invoked the power to veto a Scottish law. The move sparked a fresh argument with the devolved Scottish government, which has also been thwarted in its attempts to hold a new independence referendum. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, in charge of the devolved nationalist government, said she would defend the legislation and "stand up for Scotland's parliament." "This is a full-frontal attack on our democratically elected Scottish Parliament and its ability to make its own decisions on devolved matters," Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party's (SNP), said on Twitter. But it is unclear whether the move by Britain to overrule Scotland's gender bill will fuel appetite for independence, as the SNP's own leadership is divided on the issue.

☆ Over 2,000 Ukrainians have spent the past 5 months living on cruise ships off the coast of Scotland: 'It was like a small social experiment'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 2,400 have spent the past five or six months living aboard cruise ships docked in Scotland. One family told the BBC they made a "small community of Ukrainians" on the boat in Glasgow. Andriy and his family are among the nearly 1,200 Ukrainians who have called the cruise ship MS Ambition home since September. There are people who like to sing together, it was like a small social experiment, a small community of Ukrainians," he added. The Scottish government extended the contract for the MS Victoria until June, a decision that was met with some criticism.

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