Swinney: The stage is set and eyes of the world are on Glasgow
The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games provides a huge opportunity to showcase the best of Scotland on the world stage, First Minister John Swinney has said.
The First Minister welcomed heads of visiting delegations from the 73 Commonwealth nations at an event at Team Scotland House, Glasgow, ahead of the Games beginning in the city tomorrow (Thursday 23 July).
Officially opened by Minister for Sport Maree Todd, Scotland House will operate as both a space for the athletes and their families, as a well as a central hub for business engagement, hosting a programme of sporting and business events throughout the Games.
The First Minister wished Team Scotland good luck ahead of the Games and encouraged people across the country to get involved in the ‘Summer of Sport’.
He said: “Since the success of 2014, Glasgow has reinforced its reputation as one of the world’s leading sporting cities. The excitement is gearing up here once again as the city gets ready to welcome the Games and the stage is set for the opening ceremony.
“The world will be watching, and this is a huge opportunity for us to showcase what Scotland has to offer – our passion, our warmth, our enthusiasm, our respect for others and our belief in the power of sport to inspire people and bring communities together.
“The Scottish Government is investing £20 million through the ’Summer of Sport’, to encourage children and young people across the country to be inspired by the Games and get active, stay active, and enjoy the benefits of physical activity. Sport should be accessible to all, and we want to ensure the legacy of the major sporting events taking place this summer to stretch far beyond the next few months.
“To our Team Scotland athletes – the whole country is behind you. On behalf of everyone in Scotland I wish you all the very best as you compete at the highest level. Whether or not you win gold, silver or bronze – I know that you will make us all proud and inspire the future generation of sporting talent.”
Sport Minister Maree Todd said: “As well as providing a place for Team Scotland athletes, families and friends, partners and supporters to come together, Team Scotland House will enable international collaboration and engagement and help the Scottish Government maximise wider opportunities for Scotland and deliver a lasting sporting, social and business legacy.
“The Games are expected to bring more than £150 million of economic benefit, supporting local businesses and jobs.
“By bringing sport, culture and business together we will ensure Glasgow 2026 delivers benefits that extend far beyond the Games.”
RoSPA have partnered with Xylem to address one of the world’s most urgent and preventable public health challenges: drowning.
Ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July, we have worked together to develop a set of free resources than can be used to promote practical advice that can help keep people across the world safe in and around water.
Covering topics like cold water shock, safety at the coast, supervision of children around water and alcohol awareness, the resources can be used by employers, families, community groups and educators to promote lifesaving information and safe behaviours around water.
The resources include leaflets and social media assets, a ready-to-use water safety presentation, and a parent-child workbook designed to help parents and carers discuss water safety with children.
Download the free resources on the RoSPA website and help your family, friends, colleagues and community to enjoy the water safely:
As family meals make a comeback, Scotland’s Cheapest Supermarket invites families to nominate grandparents who never gave up on gathering around the table
As more families choose to cook and eat at home, Aldi is celebrating the generation that has always understood the power of sharing a meal together.
Research from Barclays’ UK Consumer Spending Report for May 2026 found that 42% of consumers are changing their spending habits due to rising costs, and are cutting back on takeaways and meals out.
Over the same four-week period, separate transaction data also recorded a 2.7% fall in spending at restaurants, cafés and bakeries.*
With more meals being enjoyed at home, Aldi believes there’s a renewed opportunity for families to reconnect around the dinner table, and nobody knows the value of that better than Scotland’s grandparents.
Influencer Granny Griggly visits Aldi in Peterhead.
Picture Simon Price /Firstpix Photography
Today (22 July), Aldi launches a nationwide campaign celebrating the grandparents and grandparent figures whose home cooking has brought generations of families together.
Long before recipe apps, air fryers and social media food trends, grandparents were passing down family recipes, cooking from scratch and creating the meals that became the backdrop to family life.
From bowls of homemade broth and freshly baked scones to Sunday roasts that still draw everyone home, they’ve spent decades proving that the best memories are often made around the table.
Now Aldi wants to recognise those everyday family heroes.
Families across Scotland are invited to nominate a grandparent or grandparent figure whose cooking, generosity and love of bringing people together have made a lasting impact on their family. Whether it’s the gran whose soup is famous across three generations or the grandad still teaching grandchildren how to bake, Aldi wants to hear the stories behind Scotland’s favourite family cooks.
As a thank you, Aldi will fund a month’s grocery shop for up to three Scottish grandparent figures.
To nominate, families should email scottishcompetition@aldi.co.uk with a short explanation (200 words) of why their grandparent deserves to be recognised.
Tom Brearey, Regional Managing Director, Aldi Scotland said: “Some of life’s best moments happen around the dinner table.
“As more people choose to cook and eat at home, this is a great opportunity to spend quality time with family, share stories and reconnect with the people around us.
“Grandparents have understood that for generations. They’ve always known that a home-cooked meal is about much more than what’s on the plate – it’s about bringing people together.
“This is our way of celebrating the people who’ve quietly kept those traditions alive for years, and thanking them for everything they do for their families.”
Train stations across Scotland have been highlighted in a major new survey by leading women’s charity Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI), which examined safety standards at stations across the UK.
The survey highlighted concerns at a number of Scottish stations, including Canal Street in Aberdeen, where surveyors raised issues around passenger safety and accessibility, and Markinch, where concerns were noted about access and passenger support. The report also highlighted wider concerns around staffing, access to assistance and passenger reassurance at quieter and more rural stations such as Paisley St James.
While stations such as Inverkeithing and Kirkcaldy demonstrated many of the safety features campaigners are calling for, including visible safety support and stronger passenger facilities, surveyors warned that limited staffing and inconsistent access to assistance can leave women feeling vulnerable, particularly during evening journeys.
SIGBI says these local findings mirror a national pattern of declining staff presence and inconsistent safety measures across the rail network. Across the UK, only 10% of stations are staffed at all times, 30% are permanently unstaffed and fewer than half (44%) display clear information about who is responsible for passenger safety.
Gillie O’Rourke, President of SIGBI, said:“These key measures, which can help women feel more secure, remain inconsistent, patchy and mixed at best. This leaves women increasingly vulnerable when travelling by train.”
SIGBI has been campaigning for safer railways for women and girls for over 30 years. First launched in 1996, ‘The Future of the Railways’ was an investigation into personal safety on the railways, which the charity’s members – known as Soroptimists – used to lobby the Government into taking action to do more to protect women on public transport.
It was launched in response to a Soroptimist being attacked on a train in the London area.
Soroptimists carried out grassroots research into the experiences of female passengers, visiting more than 500 overground stations across Britain. Their work also included consultation with station managers and rail staff to build a comprehensive picture of safety and accessibility on the rail network.
SIGBI published a report making recommendations to the UK Government on how to improve safety in stations, claiming the Government’s approach to passenger safety in railway stations was ineffective.
In 2024, the project was relaunched during the charity’s conference in Edinburgh, to ask the same questions of the UK’s railway stations, to see how much has changed. The results of the new survey are the outcome of 388 surveys undertaken by Soroptimists covering 373 stations and 985 platforms.
The survey’s aims were to assess the visibility of railway staff, emergency help points, and station signage, and to evaluate the clarity and quality of safety information.
The new findings expose a persistent gender safety gap across the rail network, raising urgent questions about accountability, visibility, and the protection of female passengers after dark.
“It is shocking that in almost 30 years so little has changed, the same issues persist, the same voices are going unheard, and progress feels more like a circle than a line,” Gillie added.
In response to the investigation’s findings, SIGBI is calling for the introduction of minimum safety standards for all stations, particularly during the evening. The charity believes urgent action is needed to address the gaps in basic safety provision across the rail network.
This includes reliable emergency help points, monitored CCTV, adequate lighting and clear emergency contact information.
SIGBI is also pressing for greater accountability, with clear signage showing who is responsible for safety, alongside improved accessibility measures and facilities to ensure all passengers – especially women and girls – can travel with confidence.
Lindsay Green, Programme Director at SIGBI, said:“Our goal is to stand up for women and girls, advocating for equal rights, opportunities, and representation The relaunch of our railway safety project has been key in advancing this important issue and bringing it to the forefront of policy makers’ agendas.
“The timing of the survey’s relaunch happened to coincide with the British Transport Police’s last report which stated that violence against women and girls on British railways had risen by more than 50% since 2021. Clearly, more needs to be done, and urgently.
“We’re proud to be playing our part in helping to shape a safer environment for women when travelling.”
In addition to its work with this report, SIGBI is carrying out ‘Bystander Awareness’ training in communities up and down the UK, in a bid to help further identify and prevent violence against women and girls.
Read SIGBI’s Railway Station Safety Survey Report here:
LAST ORDERS AT POPULAR COMELY BANK INDIAN RESTAURANT
After so many wonderful years serving you at Ronaq Restaurant Comely Bank, we are writing with heartfelt gratitude, and a touch of nostalgia, to let you know we’ll be closing our doors.
Your support has meant the world to us. Though we’ll miss hosting you, we’re excited for the future.
A new restaurant will soon open in this location, and we encourage you to welcome them warmly.
Exhibition will run from 18 November 2026 – 11 April 2027
Free Admission
Over 180 artists from Orkney to Dumfries and Galloway and beyond, including some who have never publicly shown their work before, have been shortlisted for the Scottish Portrait Awards 2026.
The selected works will go on display alongside the nation’s magnificent collection of art at National Galleries Scotland: Portrait from 18 November 2026.
A total of 187 works were chosen from nearly 2,500 entries across three categories including Fine Art, Photography and the free to enter, Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Awards. These include nine nominations for the Young Fine Artist Award and nine nominations for the Young Photographer Award.
Judges were wowed by the vibrance and creativity of this year’s submissions, championing the incredible talent of Scottish artists. Now in its ninth year, the Scottish Portrait Awards, Scotland’s largest awards in portraiture will be bigger than ever, as the National Galleries of Scotland partner with the Scottish Arts Trust for the first time.
Robyn Jenkins, an animation student at Edinburgh College of Art, who at 18 is one of the youngest artists to be selected, said, ‘To walk into the Great Hall and know my work is hanging in the National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is an absolute dream.
“After visiting the galleries so many times, it feels surreal to have my work share the space of the incredible art I’ve admired for so long.”
Shortlisted artists captured the imagination and in collaboration with their sitters, have shone a spotlight on diverse stories and experiences in today’s society.
The exhibition at National Galleries Scotland: Portrait will feature dynamic works from vibrant paintings of family members, to moving photographs of athletes, uplifting moments of celebration, unique fashion portraits and LGBTQ+ communities.
Capturing a snapshot of what it means to live in Scotland today, the exhibition will celebrate the artists who capture these moments in time.
Each shortlisted artist will have the opportunity to win the John Clark Motor Group Scottish Portrait Awards in Fine Art or the MPB Scottish Portrait Awards in Photography plus £5,000 and a commission from the National Galleries of Scotland to make a portrait for Scotland’s national collection.
Open to anyone over 16 years, born, living or studying in Scotland, regardless of experience, the Scottish Portrait Awards brings together well-established artists as well as newcomers working in many different styles – not only in painting and sculpture but also, for the first time, animated portraits will feature in the exhibition.
The prize-winners will be announced on the opening week of the exhibition in November during the awards events at the National Galleries Scotland: Portrait before opening to the public from 18 November 2026 – 11 April 2027.
From over 600 works submitted, 64 portraits have been shortlisted by the judging panel for the John Clark Motor Group Scottish Portrait Awards in Fine Art.
The range of fine art media – painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, sculpture, animation and film – and materials used reflect the many approaches to making a portrait. Self-portraits, together with depictions of family, friends and admired figures, capture moments in time.
Visitors to the exhibition will discover works exploring the passing of time, identity, relationships, vulnerability, play, the natural world and human nature.
Judges selected 63 pictures from more than 800 entries submitted for the MPB Scottish Portrait Awards in Photography.
More than just pictures of people, these images exemplify a broad range of approaches to photography and portraiture today. They challenge us, spark joy, create conversation, tell stories and share different points of view.
The portraits demonstrate different photographic methods and techniques, from the documentary to the surreal, and from older analogue processes to digital photography. Indicative of the scope covered by this year’s awards, the subjects represented in the exhibition range in age from a newborn baby to a centenarian.
The awards also encouraged everyone across Scotland, aged over 16 years, to send photos taken on a phone to its free to enter competition. 60 works shortlisted for the Scotland Now! Phone Portrait Awards, will go on display on a screen in the gallery, championing the art of photography at all levels.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors will explore themes of care, kinship and interconnectedness through the eyes of others.
Gordon Mitchell RSW RSA RGI, Director, Scottish Portrait Awards and Fine Art Chair, said: ‘We’re bringing the country’s biggest and most prestigious portrait awards to a world-class national stage.
“Nothing compares to standing in a major gallery and experiencing the breadth and intimacy of the artworks firsthand.”
Simon Murphy, Chair of Photography, said: ‘Showcasing established and emerging artists together in a single exhibition isn’t just about sharing gallery space, it creates a powerful dialogue and democratic opportunity.
“Add a major national collection as a backdrop and you create an electric energy that is rarely experienced.”
Anne Lyden, Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: ‘Portraiture shows us what it is to be human – to connect and foster empathetic relationships. This year’s entries embody this and more, capturing life in Scotland in the most beautiful way.
“It has been inspiring and moving to experience the work of artists who have previously entered and to see how participating has furthered their practice.
“The judges were enthralled by the range of submissions and captivated by the artists skill, storytelling and personal statements. We are delighted to have the opportunity to share this with our visitors in November and hope everyone can join us in celebrating the incredible artistic talent Scotland has to offer.’
Since its inception, the awards have discovered and recognised almost 500 artists whose work features in the Scottish Portrait Awards online archive.
Many of the artists have continued to advance their careers with exhibitions and commissions. Previous award winners include Helen Wilson, Robin Gillanders and Graeme Wilcox.
Drumbrae Library and Leith Library in Edinburgh have launched a new initiative which will deliver free, impartial advocacy to members of the public through a new partnership between the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) and national charity Advice Direct Scotland.
The Edinburgh libraries will be included in the first phase of the programme, which will see trained advocates from Advocacy.scot – run by Advice Direct Scotland – offer in-person support in select public libraries throughout the country to help people access and deal with Social Security Scotland benefits, ensuring their voice is heard.
The new in‑library service will offer an accessible, face‑to‑face option for those who prefer a more personal interaction or who may face barriers to accessing online services.
The first phase of the programme will also launch in the following libraries:
Aberdeenshire: Fraserburgh Library
Clackmannanshire: Alloa Library
Dundee: Coldside Library, Lochee Library and Wellgate Library
Glasgow: Bridgeton Library, Dennistoun Library, Elder Park Library, Maryhill Library, Mitchell Library, Pollock Library, Pollokshaws Library and Springburn Library
Highlands: Dingwall Library
Inverclyde: South West Library
Moray: Elgin Library
North Ayrshire: Arran Library and Kilwinning Library
North Lanarkshire: Coatbridge Library
South Ayrshire: Ayr Library
South Lanarkshire: Larkhall Library
West Lothian: Almondbank Library, Bathgate Library, Broxburn Library and West Calder Library
By embedding these services within trusted, familiar community spaces, the partnership aims to make it easier for people to access the help they need, while also strengthening engagement with local library services.
Visitors will be encouraged to become library members, connecting more people with books, digital resources, learning opportunities and community activities.
Alison Nolan, chief executive of SLIC, said: “Libraries are trusted public spaces that sit at the heart of communities, offering connection, learning and support to people of all ages. By partnering with Advice Direct Scotland, we can extend that support even further, ensuring that anyone who needs advice can access it easily, locally and without barriers.
“This collaboration strengthens the role of libraries as essential community anchors and helps build a more inclusive and resilient Scotland. Through their participation in the partnership, Edinburgh locals will have easier access to trusted advice, advocacy and guidance whenever they need it.”
Marjorie Gibson, operation director at Advice Direct Scotland, which runs Advocacy.scot, added: “Our mission is to ensure everyone in Scotland can access free, impartial advocacy when they need it most.
“Libraries are welcoming, familiar environments and bringing our advocates into these spaces will help us reach even more people in a way that feels comfortable and accessible.
“We’re proud to work with SLIC to expand our support and connect communities with the right guidance at the right time.”
A man has been charged in connection with the death of 44-year-old Vikki Soloman in Edinburgh.
Around 8.45pm on Monday, 20 July, emergency services were called to a property in Craigievar Square in the city and Vikki was found with serious injuries and pronounced dead at the scene.
The 46-year-old man was arrested a short time later and has now been charged.
He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow – Thursday, 23 July, 2026.
Wedding season is here – and so is a reminder that income from side hustles may be taxable
Anyone earning more than £1,000 may need to register for Self Assessment and declare their income to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
A free online tool can help people earning extra money check if and when they need to report their additional income
The invitations are out, the venues are booked and the flowers are ordered – but for wedding suppliers who have turned their hobby into a side hustle, there is one more item on the to-do list: checking their tax obligations.
As wedding season gets underway, HMRC is reminding anyone earning extra income from activities like selling wedding stationery, filming the first dance or cake-making, that they will need to tell HMRC if they earn more than £1,000.
HMRC’s Help for Hustles campaign is here to help side hustlers get their tax right, quickly and easily – whether that’s wedding suppliers, parents earning from a hobby business or content creators making money from posting about the latest trends online.
Kevin Hubbard, HMRC’s Director of Small Business & Individuals, said:“For many people, a side hustle is a valuable source of extra income. If you’re earning more than £1,000 a year from your side hustle it’s important to understand your tax responsibilities, and HMRC wants to make that as straightforward as possible.
“You can check if you need to do a Self Assessment tax return by using the tool on GOV.UK. It takes minutes to use, tells you exactly what you need to do and means no unexpected tax bills later.”
If someone has earned more than £1,000 from their side hustle in a tax year, they may need to complete a Self Assessment tax return.
New entrants to Self Assessment should register for the 2025 to 2026 tax year by 5 October 2026.They must file their online tax return and pay any tax due by 31 January 2027.
The £1,000 threshold covers all side hustle income combined – so someone earning £600 from wedding photography and £500 from social media posts would need to register as their total exceeds £1,000.
Not all extra income is taxable. Selling unwanted personal belongings – such as clearing out a wardrobe – does not usually need to be reported to HMRC.
“As soon as the wedding bookings started coming in, I knew I needed to look into my tax”
Lianna Dickson, 30, from Livingston, is currently on maternity leave from her role in influencer marketing and runs a successful wedding content creation business alongside family life as a new mum.
After getting married in 2024, Lianna realised she regretted not hiring a wedding content creator to capture behind-the-scenes moments from her own wedding day. With a background in social media and a long-held dream of running her own business, she saw the opportunity to combine both and launched Captured By Fifteen.
Lianna said: “I fell in love with all things weddings following my own and thought it was the perfect way to combine something I loved with the work experience I had.”
As a wedding content creator, Lianna captures authentic, behind-the-scenes moments as they naturally unfold on her phone, delivering raw footage and professionally edited highlight reels within 24 hours.
“Couples can wake up and relive their full wedding the very next morning in the most authentic way.”
Her business took off quickly and within her first year she had shot almost 50 weddings. As bookings and income grew, she knew she needed to look into her tax obligations.
“As soon as I started booking in a number of weddings I knew this was going to be a decent amount of extra money. I read a lot of information on GOV.UK and HMRC’s website.
“Once I realised my income was over the £1,000 trading allowance, I knew I’d need to complete a Self Assessment tax return.
“Everything online was super easy to understand.”
She found the process more straightforward than expected, keeping a detailed spreadsheet with tabs for invoices, outgoings, subscriptions and mileage to stay on top of her figures throughout the year.
“I had my tax return done within the hour. It was so much easier than I thought it would be.
I thought I would need to input every single transaction and that it would take hours, but it wasn’t the case at all – I had been keeping record of all the numbers, so it was really just a case of filling in information and copying the figures over.”
Her advice to anyone in a similar position is simple.
“Just keep track of everything and speak to someone who understands the process — or look up videos of someone explaining it if you struggle with just reading things.”
Lianna explains how her side hustle started on YouTube.
HMRC is encouraging anyone in a similar position – whether filming weddings, photographing events, baking celebration cakes or selling handmade goods – to use the Tax Help for Hustles guide or the free online HMRC tool to check whether they need to register.
New research by workplace expert Acas shows that changes to sick pay, paternity leave and unfair dismissal will pose the greatest challenges for businesses under new rules.
The YouGov survey, commissioned by Acas, asked employers which changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 will be the hardest to adopt for their organisation.
Nearly 1 in 3 employers (30%) said that paying statutory sick pay from the first day of illness would be the hardest. More than one quarter (27%) said it would be the right to take paternity leave from the first day of employment.
New unfair dismissal protections, reducing the qualifying period from 2 years to 6 months, were also ranked among the top concerns (23%).
The valuable insights gained from the results will help Acas target its support for employers where they need it the most. Acas has already updated its advice on probation periods to reflect the new law changes on unfair dismissals.
Baroness Maggie Jones, Acas Chair, said: “The reforms in the Employment Rights Act are the biggest shake-up to employment law in a generation, and it is vital that employers get up to speed quickly.
“The new day one rights on sick pay and paternity are already in effect and new protections against unfair dismissals are set to come in next year.
“Acas has updated its advice on probations to reflect the new changes on unfair dismissals, which is a significant change in the law. Businesses that get on top of all the changes early can prevent costly disputes from happening.”
From 1 January 2027, protection from unfair dismissal will become a right after 6 months of being in a job. Currently, someone must have worked for their employer for 2 years before claiming unfair dismissal.
The limit on the amount of compensation for unfair dismissal will also be removed.
A probation period is a time at the start of employment to check if someone is suitable for a job.
There is no legal right to have a probation period, but some employers may be thinking about reducing the period to less than 6 months before the law changes on 1 January 2027. However, this does not avoid legal risks.
Employees still have protections during their probation such as:
discrimination
whistleblowing
breach of contract
Probation periods should also be tailored to the job. Probations of 6 months or less might not be appropriate for all roles. For example, technical or specialist roles might need longer for training and assessments.
Dismissing an employee during probation should be a last resort. Employers should consider other steps such as:
extending a probation period
using performance management to help someone improve
