This year’s project is inspired by the World Premiere of The Outrun, based on Amy Liptrot’s best-selling book
Edinburgh International Festival devised a new exchange programme for young creatives to connect young people from Edinburgh with peers from another national or international location. Each year, the project will be connected to an artist or performance within that year’s programme.
This year’s Festival sees creatives aged between 16 and 18 in Edinburgh (from Lyceum Youth Theatre) and Orkney (Kirkwall Grammar School) exploring themes of home, nature and identity in connection with The Outrun, directed by Vicky Featherstone and written by Stef Smith, based on a book by an Orkney-born author Amy Liptrot. They are supported by local artists and the artists from the production.
The groups have met separately over the last few months and recently came together in Orkney (28-30 June) and are scheduled to meet again in Edinburgh between 9 and 11 August. The project will culminate during the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2024 where the groups will attend a performance of The Outrun and view an installation of their creative work presented in the Church Hill Theatre throughout August as part of the Festival.
Clara, a young participant from Edinburgh said: “I’m really excited to see The Outrun in August on stage. I haven’t read the book, but I think I’m a very visual person, so seeing it on stage might inspire me to read it afterwards.
“Being in Orkney and seeing what all of this has been based on will be really cool. All the themes of home, some of the like scenes of Orkney, and how she feels about it – I’ll be able to picture somewhere and really connect with it.”
Izzy, a young participant from Orkney said: “I haven’t worked with people in like a big group creatively outside of like school class so it’s nice to do it in a more relaxed environment.
“I’ve got to work with people who have different experiences to me which has made me reflect on my own perspectives. And then you listen to them write about their experiences and what I can take from that and put into my own writing.”
A man has been jailed for seven years for violent and sexual offences on two women in the Paisley and Edinburgh areas.
Charles Morrison, 27, was found guilty of the offences spanning four years at the High Court in Paisley on Wednesday, 12 June, 2024. He was sentenced to seven years in prison at the same court today, Thursday, 11 July.
He was also given a 15-year Non-Harassment Order in relation to both victims and has been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Detective Inspector Cheryl Gebbie said: “Morrison has been found to be a danger to women and will now face the consequences of his actions.
“I hope his conviction and sentencing will bring justice to the women involved, who have shown great strength in reporting what happened to them.
“Police Scotland is committed to tackling all forms of violent and sexual offences, regardless of when they happened. I’d urge anyone who has been a victim of such abuse to come forward and report it to us. We will thoroughly investigate any reports and, working with our partner agencies, you will be supported throughout the process.”
With kitten season now in full swing across the UK, I would like to say a huge thank you to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for helping us look after kittens and cats in need.
Last year we saw a 14% increase in unwanted litters coming into our care. This summer and beyond, we anticipate hundreds of kittens needing to be looked after by our expert teams.
We work hard to be there for every cat that needs us. For mother cats and kittens, this includes extra food to keep cats’ energy levels high after giving birth as well as regular veterinary check-ups for mum and her litter. Our teams also hand-feed newborn kittens if the mother isn’t producing enough milk.
This is why we are so grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for raising more than £9.9 million to support the work of Cats Protection since 2018. Together we are making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.
Anyone wishing to adopt a cat or support Cats Protection, or seeking advice on cat welfare, can find out more at cats.org.uk
Morrisons Gyle has announced that it will continue to support its local community by joining the national effort to help prevent holiday hunger this summer.
Morrisons Community Champion Tess at Edinburgh Gyle donated £200 to Community One Stops Shop and Space at The Broomhouse Hub to help towards their free breakfast and free lunch for kids, to support families and children in the community and to tackle holiday hunger this summer.
It was our pleasure to donate £100 to our friends at Community One Stop Shop and £100 to Space at The Broomhouse Hub. Community One Stop Shop are offering free breakfast packs, and Space at The Broomhouse Hub are offering free lunches to children. Tess met with Willie from Community One Stop Shop on Monday to hand over the donations.
Morrisons stores across the country will support school holiday activity programmes – arranged by local schools, community groups and HAF (the Holiday Activities and Food Programme), by donating £100,000 of food across the UK this summer.
To help those in need, Morrisons already has its in-store Food Bank ‘Pick Up Pack’ scheme which allows customers to purchase a bag filled with a mix of products which are distributed to local food banks and community organisations by the in-store Community Champions.
BBC ALBA follows the record-breaking athletic career of professional swimmer, Kara Hanlon, in a brand-new documentary, airing on the 24 July, ahead of the Olympic swimming schedule.
Produced by Sunset+Vine, Kara Hanlon: Dare to Dream takes viewers on a journey through the life of the Hebridean swimmer, from her childhood growing up in Stornoway to training for the qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The now four-time British champion was inspired to take up the sport from a young age after learning to swim in her local community pool in Stornoway.
Speaking in the documentary, Kara said: “I did a lot of other sports when I was younger like running, but swimming for me was the one that always stuck.
“I was taught to swim by some of the local lifeguards at the old Stornoway pool, and what I remember most was racing for badges that I could put on my swimsuit to show that I’d made it to 50m or to 100m.”
At 14, Kara’s competitive swimming career took a major step forward after a chance meeting with DR Morrison, a prominent Lewis-based swim coach.
Kara said: “I didn’t want to go cross-country one morning and my mum said, okay, if you don’t go to cross country, go swimming instead. So off I went swimming and I bumped into DR and he basically asked me to be part of his group that he was developing for the Island Games.”
Kara goes on to detail the sacrifices her family often had to make for her swimming development in terms of both financial cost and time: “There were a lot of times where my parents would have to take time off work to take me on the ferry over to the mainland, and I think they were just willing to support me through that and that just meant going to more and more competitions going up and up the levels.”
Kara, now 27, has since achieved top swimming accolades in her professional athletic career. Last year she became the fastest female breaststroker in Scottish history for both 50m at the 2023 Glasgow International Swim Meet, and 100m during the North District Open Championships in Aberdeen.
In 2022, Kara achieved her childhood dream by becoming the first ever swimmer from the Western Isles to represent Scotland at a Commonwealth Games when she competed at Birmingham 2022. Reaching the finals of the 50m and 100m Breaststroke events, Kara also swam the final of the 4x100m Women’s Medley Relay, helping her team to a 5th placed finish.
Talking about swimming, Kara says: “I think it kind of chose me. I feel like it was kind of my destined path. Breaking Scottish records is something that I’ll always have, and I’ll always cherish. And I have been the fastest woman in Scotland ever.”
Fiona MacKenzie, commissioning editor at BBC ALBA, said: “From a 12.5m pool to competing in the qualifying rounds of the Olympic Games, Kara has gone from a small pond to a big pool.
“She is one of Scotland’s most decorated athletes, yet maintains a humble demeanour as she candidly opens up about her life growing up on Lewis in this new documentary.
“We can’t wait for BBC ALBA viewers to see what it takes to become a competitive swimmer and hopefully inspire the next generation of talent.”
Kara Hanlon: Dare to Dream will premiere on BBC ALBA on Wednesday 24 July at 9pm and on demand on BBC iPlayer (in Gaelic with English subtitles):
On a visit to Leeds Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall will today (Thursday 11 July) confirm the Government’s commitments to its manifesto Back to Work plan, and say tackling economic inactivity is central to the UK Government’s number one mission of growing the economy.
New Work and Pensions Secretary today sets out how the Government’s back to work plan is critical to growing the economy
On a visit to Leeds with Ministerial team, Liz Kendall identifies tackling economic inactivity as top priority, saying Mayors and local areas will be in the driving seat of change
Visit follows Chancellor’s speech earlier this week setting out immediate action to fix the foundations of the economy, rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off
The visit comes days after the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, unveiled the Government’s first steps to securing sustained economic growth as the only route to improving the prosperity of the country and the living standards of working people.
Ms Kendall said rising levels of economic inactivity are unacceptable and that immediate action must be taken. 9.4 million people are now economically inactive, a record 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness, and 900,000 young people (1 in 8) are not in education, employment, and training.
On her first visit as Secretary of State, with the rest of the Ministerial team, Liz Kendall MP will confirm the three pillars of the UK Government’s Back to Work plan:
A new national jobs and career service to help get more people into work, and on in their work.
New work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, led by Mayors and local areas.
A youth guarantee for all young people aged 18-21.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP, said: “Growth is our number one mission and, as the Chancellor said, our Back to Work Plan is central to achieving our plans.
“Economic inactivity is holding Britain back – it’s bad for people, it’s bad for businesses, and it’s bad for growth.
“It’s not good enough that the UK is the only G7 country with employment not back to pre-pandemic levels.
“It is time for change in every corner of the country.
“We’ll create more good jobs, make work pay, transform skills, and overhaul jobcentres, alongside action to tackle the root causes of worklessness including poor physical and mental health.
“Change delivered by local areas for local people, driving growth and delivering opportunity and prosperity to everyone, wherever they live.”
Earlier this week the Health Secretary set out how cutting NHS waiting lists will get Britain back to health and back to work, and how by taking bold action on public health we can build the healthy society needed for a healthy economy.
Under the DWP’s plan, Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service will be merged to get more people into work and to support those seeking better opportunities with the means to find better paid work.
The Youth Guarantee will mean more opportunities for training, an apprenticeship or help to find work for all young people aged 18-21 years old, to prevent young people becoming excluded from the world of work at a young age.
More disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.
On their visit to Leeds today the DWP’s new ministerial team will visit a jobcentre to see first-hand how they’re supporting people with health conditions, and those aged 18-24 and over 50.
They will then be joined by Tracy Brabin, West Yorkshire Mayor. They will visit Smartworks – a charity who work to build the confidence of clients and help prepare for interviews by providing free clothing ahead of interviews.
The relaunched EIFF runs from Thursday 15 August to Wednesday 21 August
37 new feature films, 18 World Premieres including 10 World Premieres competing for the new Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, 4 special retrospective screenings, 5 short film programmes including the new Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence competition, an In Conversation event with iconic filmmaker Gaspar Noé and a strand of thrilling Midnight Madness screenings make up a seven-day celebration of world-class new cinema which also allows audiences, press and industry to easily engage with the best of Edinburgh’s other arts and cultural Festivals.
This year’s Festival programme features musical odysseys, dystopian worlds, laughter in the face of darkness, vivid portraits of characters from the fringes of society and reimagined inner and outer spaces. It showcases new work from filmmakers from the UK, US, Canada, Mexico, Norway, China, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Iran and beyond.
EIFF is pleased to be working with venue partners. The previously announced Cameo Cinema and Summerhall joins new EIFF spaces embedding the Festival in the heart of the Fringe landscape with screenings taking place at 50 George Square, which will be run in partnership with Assembly Festival; Inspace on Crichton Street which will be run in partnership with Monkey Barrel Comedy Club; and Tollcross Central Hall, in a programme which champions a new generation of UK and international talent, including a strong selection of first and second features.
Complementing the previously announced Opening Night film, Nora Fingscheidt’s THE OUTRUN starring Saoirse Ronan, the Festival presents a selection of compelling new and established voices in cinema including 18 World Premieres with an Out of Competition strand offering additional World and UK premieres.
The Closing Night film is the World Premiere of Carla J. Easton and Blair Young’s powerful new documentary SINCE YESTERDAY: THE UNTOLD STORY OF SCOTLAND’S GIRL BANDS, which sits within a strong presence for Scottish filmmakers and Scottish talent also elsewhere in the programme.
Competing for The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, ten feature-length World Premieres will be presented, with the winning filmmaker being awarded £50,000 to support their future projects. Decided on by an audience vote, the winner will be announced at the end of the Festival and the award is fully funded by The Sean Connery Foundation.
The competition films are Arash Rakhsha’s urgent documentary ALL THE MOUNTAINS GIVE; Jack King’s powerful Yorkshire-set drama THE CEREMONY; Mary Jiménez and Bénédicte Liénard’s richly poetic FUGA; Will Seefried’s haunting queer drama LILIES NOT FOR ME; Daisy-May Hudson’s stirring film LOLLIPOP; Abdolreza Kahani’s subversive comedy drama A SHRINE; Bryan Carberry’s clear-eyed take on artificial intelligence SMILES AND KISSES YOU; Nina Conti’s absurdist road movie SUNLIGHT; Kelsey Taylor’s dark psychological thriller TO KILL A WOLF; and Manuela Irene’s delicately moving XIBALBA MONSTER.
Tales of healing, justice and revolution fuel this year’s Out of Competitionfeature-length films, which showcase a selection of World and UK Premieres.
The Out of Competition films are Sophie Fiennes’s immersive documentary about theatre-makers Cheek by Jowl and The Scottish Play in ACTING; Daniel Reisinger’s bittersweet comedy AND MRS starring Aisling Bea and Colin Hanks; Halfdan Ullmann Tønde’s Camera D’Or Winner ARMAND featuring Renate Reinsve; Nathan Silver’s elegantly observed comedy BETWEEN THE TEMPLES; Guan Hu’s Un Certain Regard Main Prize Winner BLACK DOG; Constance Tsang’s BLUE SUN PALACE about loneliness and human connection; Ben Rivers’ BOGANCLOCH about a hermit living in the Scottish wilderness; Suzanne Smith and Sylvia Solf’s dance-filled South African documentary JOY DANCER; Wei Liang Chiang and You Qiao Yin’s compassionate drama MONGREL; Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s profoundly moving meditation on loneliness MY FAVOURITE CAKE; Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s Sundance Grand Jury prize winning documentary A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS; Ishan Shukla’s unique and timely animated nightmare SCHIRKOA: IN LIES WE TRUST; Greg Kwedar’s transcendent prison drama SING SING; Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s brutal take on classic Western and Samurai films STEPPENWOLF; Mark Cousins’s new documentary on Scottish artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham A SUDDEN GLIMPSE TO DEEPER THINGS; Polly Steele’s starkly honest documentary THE MOUNTAIN WITHIN ME; Euros Lyn’s fresh reimagining of the vampire genre THE RADLEYS starring Damian Lewis and Kelly Macdonald; and Alice Lowe’s uniquely entertaining TIMESTALKER.
Alongside the presentation of the inaugural Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking ExcellenceCompetition Shorts, the legendary Thelma Schoonmaker will attend the Festival and introduce a retrospective screening of Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell’s much loved film I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING! (1945) set on the Isle of Mull.
Retrospective screenings of the work of cult auteur Brian De Palma include a special presentation of THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987), presented by The Connery Foundation, and a 50th anniversary screening of his no-holds-barred rock horror musical PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974).
Master provocateur Gaspar Noé (Irreversible, Climax, Enter The Void) will attend the Festival for a special In Conversation event discussing his career and filmmaking, ahead of presenting a screening of Dario Argento’s horror masterpiece SUSPIRIA (1977).
Lynda Myles Celebrates is a new special screening showcase for a visionary new work of cinema in the pioneering spirit of writer, academic and former EIFF director Lynda Myles. This year’s film is the World Premiere of Argentinian filmmaker Axel Cheb Terrab’s film GALA & KIWI which will be presented to audiences by Lynda.
Bookending the new Midnight Madnessstrand and unleashing the best in genre cinema from around the world is the UK Premiere of Fede Álvarez’s ALIEN: ROMULUS and the UK Premiere of Coralie Fargeat’s celebrated new body horror THE SUBSTANCE. Ahead of select Midnight Madness feature film presentations will be a screening of a new short film, further celebrating new genre filmmaking talent. Feature-length titles in the strand are Jack Clark and Jim Weir’s Australian psychological horror BIRDEATER; Kit Redstone and Arran Shearing’s enigmatic and unexpected KING BABY; Damian Mc Carthy’s dread-inducing haunted house story ODDITY, co-presented by The Evolution of Horror Podcast; and James Clarke and Daniel Shephard’s adrenaline fuelled thriller SUNRAY: FALLEN SOLDIER which stars a cast of former Royal Marine Commandos.
The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence Competition presents the World Premieres of new exciting work from Scotland, the UK and International filmmakers. The shorts in competition are Lisa Clarkson’s starkly realist PATERNAL ADVICE; Jamie Di Spirito’s powerful HOMEWORK; Gavin Reid’s quirky and poignant documentary MY DAD AND THE VOLCANO; Liberty Smith’s experimental documentary MY EXPLODING HOUSE; Max Olson’s bold and haunting NICO; Trevor Neuhoff’s moving spin on classic noir MANNY WOLFE; Inés Villanueva’s beautiful Argentine comedy SHOAL; and Wilma Smith’s JUBILEE which blends live-action with napkin-based stop-motion animation.
These shorts run alongside freshly commissioned documentaries in the Bridging The Gap Documentary Short Filmsprogramme. The Experimental Shorts strand presents UK premieres of new shorts from around the world and a new Animation Shortsprogramme will be screened alongside a programme of Out Of Competition Shorts In Association with Screen Academy Scotland.
This year’s industry programme runs across the first weekend of the Festival with industry delegates experiencing the wealth of the film programme and access to all that is on show in the wider festivals month via new collaborations with partners including Screen Fringe. More details on the EIFF Industry programme will follow in the next few weeks.
This year’s 77th edition of the Festival honours the film festival’s history, showcasing the very best talent in filmmaking in a format rooted in a local Scottish context whilst embracing the international diversity of creative expression. EIFF encourages audiences, film fans and industry professionals to make the trip this summer to Edinburgh.
EIFF Director, Paul Ridd has said: “I am thrilled by what the team, our collaborators and our supporters have put together these past months for all sections of the programme and across our exciting new festival footprint.
“Through a spirit of collaboration, passion and above all teamwork, we have worked to fashion something special out of a shared vision for what we want this historic festival to be going forward, and to offer a platform to an enormous range of film work. Since day one, the audience has always been front and centre in our thinking. And I cannot wait to see these formally exciting, thematically rich and unforgettable films to find their audience with us. Bring it on.”
Isabel Davis, Executive Director of Screen Scotlandsaid: “It’s quite some feat to have landed such an outstanding programme of world premieres, and globally and locally significant work in Year 1 of the rebooted festival.
“It’s a thrill to see Scottish films taking opening and closing night slots: the Orkney set The Outrun and documentary Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands respectively. Scottish work punctuates the programme, and with major new competition strands in the name of Sean Connery and Thelma Schoonmaker, not to mention some stellar special guests, Edinburgh is back on the map in a major way. Congratulations to Paul, his chair Andrew Macdonald, fellow board members and exec team.”
Ben Luxford, Director of UK Audiences at the BFI, said: “It is wonderful Edinburgh is returning this summer with a great programme and seeing it redefine its footprint in the city. We are really pleased our support will help the Festival improve accessibility and engage new audiences.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Edinburgh is one of the best places in the world to experience events and EventScotland is proud to be supporting the 77th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
“Events play an important role in our communities by giving us the chance to connect and share memorable experiences. The exciting and diverse range of films in this year’s programme will provide the perfect stage to entice audiences to come together and explore a variety of cinematic ideas at one of the world’s longest running film festivals.”
Listings went live on the EIFF website from 5pm last night with tickets going on sale midday today (Thursday 11 July) via edfilmfest.org, edfringe.com and via the EdFringe official app. Press and Industry accreditation for EIFF is now open and closes on 2 August.
EIFF 2024 is supported by Screen Scotland and the BFI Audience Projects Fund, awarding National Lottery funding, the Industry Programme is backed by EXPO funding from the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland, and EventScotland part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from Thursday 15 to Wednesday 21 August 2024.
The Prime Minister met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit yesterday
The Prime Minister met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit yesterday.
The Prime Minister offered his deepest condolences for the awful attack on a Ukrainian hospital.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the change in government in the UK meant no change in the UK’s support for Ukraine, as illustrated by the early visit of the Defence Secretary.
President Zelenskyy thanked the Prime Minister for his kind words in relation to the attack of the hospital, and the immediate steps the UK has taken to further support Ukraine.
They discussed further work to strengthen the maritime capability coalition, broader Ukrainian defensive capabilities, and diplomatic efforts to build on the recent Peace Summit in Switzerland.
The Prime Minister said he looked forward to speaking further at the European Political Community meeting in the UK next week.
UK to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, PM to tell NATO
The international community cannot waver in the face of relentless Russian aggression, the Prime Minister will tell NATO today
Prime Minister Keir Starmer recommits to £3 billion a year of military support for Ukraine until 2030/31 and for as long as needed
He will warn Allies that the frontline defence of the Euro-Atlantic region is the Ukrainian trenches
Comes after the UK pledges to accelerate lethal aid support to Kyiv
The international community cannot waver in the face of relentless Russian aggression, the Prime Minister will tell NATO today as he doubles down on the UK’s £3 billion per year package of military funding for as long as needed.
The confirmation of the UK’s multi-year £3 billion military funding package for Ukraine comes after President Putin unleashed a string of sickening attacks this week, including a devastating attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
The Prime Minister will tell NATO leaders that President Putin’s depraved acts will only serve to steel the international community’s resolve to support Ukraine.
As well as ensuring Ukraine has the financial support it needs to plan and fuel its defence against Russian forces, the UK will deliver a new package of artillery and 90 Brimstone missiles in the coming weeks.
The commitment was made by the Defence Secretary after he travelled to Ukraine – at the request of the Prime Minister – on his first full day in the office.
The UK has also confirmed it will contribute £40 million to NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine. The UK is the third largest donor to the Package, ensuring Ukraine can access vital assistance in key areas including counter drone protection, demining of recaptured land and medical rehabilitation of its injured military personnel.
In addition, the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine will place a new order, worth £300 million, for 120,000 rounds of 152mm soviet-era ammunition bolstering Ukraine’s defences against Russia.
Speaking to President Zelenskyy in their first official bilateral, the Prime Minister underscored that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO.
The Prime Minister also met President Biden at the White House last night..
The Prime Minister congratulated President Biden for hosting an excellent NATO summit so far. Both leaders agreed that in its 75th year, NATO is stronger and more united than ever.
They reflected on the importance of the NATO alliance and the special relationship in the context of current geopolitical challenges, including the ongoing war in Ukraine. They agreed we must continue to do whatever it takes to support Ukraine and ensure aggressors like Putin do not win.
Moving on to discuss the situation in Israel and Gaza, they discussed their shared ambition for an immediate ceasefire to get hostages out, get humanitarian aid in and make progress towards a two-state solution.
The President welcomed the Prime Minister’s recent comments on establishing closer relationships with our European counterparts, as well as the UK’s commitment to AUKUS. They reflected that at a time when we face growing challenges across the world, we are at our strongest when we unite and work together.
This morning [Thursday, 11 July], the Prime Minister will tell NATO allies during a special session on Ukraine that the alliance must follow in the footsteps of its founders and stand up for the values the international community holds so dear.
He will also warn that the frontline defence of the Euro-Atlantic region is the Ukrainian trenches.
He will say: “NATO was founded by the generation who defeated fascism. They understood not just the value of our strength, but the strength of our values.
“Those values are under attack once again. Putin needs to hear a clear message ringing out from this summit – a message of unity and determination, that we will support Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes to uphold our shared values and our shared security. “
The UK has delivered almost £12.5bn in military, humanitarian and economic support for Ukraine since Russia’s illegal and miscalculated full scale invasion in February 2022.
This year alone, the UK has committed 200 new air defence missiles, more than £300 million worth of advanced drones and 50 new sanctions to suffocate profit streams fuelling Putin’s war machine.
Since the launch of Putin’s assault, the Ministry of Defence estimates that more than 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in pursuit of his pointless ambitions.
A package of measures to help ensure refugees and people seeking asylum are supported to make their new communities their home has been unveiled.
The New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy: Delivery Plan 2024-2026 – developed by the Scottish Government, Scottish Refugee Council and COSLA – includes commitments to work with employers to help them recruit refugees, to identify ways to improve English language provision and to ensure services are co-ordinated effectively.
The plan also aims to ensure people understand their rights, responsibilities and entitlements, and to help New Scots and communities to integrate.
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “Scotland has a proud history of welcoming those fleeing war and persecution, and we are dedicated to helping them integrate into communities from the day they arrive.
“It is vital that we support refugees and people seeking asylum to understand their rights and access employment and services to help them to rebuild their lives in Scotland.
“This plan, which was informed by engagement with those with experience of seeking refuge and settling in Scotland, as well as those with expertise in supporting them, lays out the steps we will take to support refugees and people seeking asylum to integrate across different parts of society.
“It also recognises the role communities and employers can actively play in supporting people.”
Chief Executive of Scottish Refugee Council Sabir Zazai said: “Global conflicts and humanitarian crises are forcing record numbers of people to flee their homes in search of safety.
“The commitments set out in this plan will help those seeking protection in Scotland to rebuild their lives here in a meaningful and sustainable way. We welcome the plan and thank everyone whose views and expertise helped shape it.”
COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson Cllr Maureen Chalmers said: “Scotland’s local authorities remain fully committed to welcoming and supporting people who are fleeing war and persecution to find safety and integrate in their new communities.
“The New Scots Delivery Plan sets out actions which local authorities will be working towards to help to improve New Scots’ experiences of living in our communities and accessing local services and, importantly, seeks to ensure that they are able to access their rights. Working in partnership with New Scots themselves, and with our partners, including Scottish Government and Scottish Refugee Council, will be key to the successful delivery of this plan.”
UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through Education, Languages, Arts at the University of Glasgow and the New Scots Core Group Chair Professor Alison Phipps said: “To develop the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan, New Scots and communities across Scotland have reflected deeply on what it means to live together, with and despite differences.
“This plan offers an exciting commitment to action across Scotland and to embedding the rights of all who seek refuge.”
It’s common to fire up the BBQ in sunny weather. But, it’s important to follow food safety advice.
This helps to avoid contaminating your food and food poisoning.
Do
follow all instructions on the packaging – some foods can be cooked from frozen, while others need to be defrosted in advance
defrost meat thoroughly before cooking, ideally in your fridge
cook food in the oven before finishing on the barbeque to ensure it’s cooked all the way through
keep meat and ready to eat foods separate – like salad and bread
turn food regularly to cook it evenly
use separate utensils for raw and cooked meats
heat foods until steaming hot before eating
wash ready to eat salad bags and all foods that can be eaten without peeling
Don’t
do not use a sauce or marinade for cooked food that’s had raw meat in it
do not wash uncooked meat
do not eat hot foods that have been left out in the heat – especially foods like cooked rice, cooked meats, shellfish and dairy products
Avoiding bugs and germs outdoors
The summer months are an opportunity to get out and enjoy outdoor spaces. This can be brilliant for both your physical and mental health. But, be mindful that a small number of people each year are affected by infections caught outdoors.
Do
wear gloves while gardening, especially if you handle compost, as there can be Legionella bacteria
wear a mask if you’re working on anything dusty
wash your hands after doing outdoor activities
wash your hands thoroughly if you’ve been in contact with farm animals or the environment where they’re kept – like a gate, fence or building
be aware of when and where you can be bitten by ticks – ticks in Scotland can carry the germ that causes Lyme disease
take plenty of clean drinking water when you’re outdoors
use chemical treatments or boil water to make untreated water safe to drink
Don’t
do not drink untreated water – germs like E.coli can contaminate lochs, rivers and burns and can be harmful if swallowed
