David Leask has joined The Herald's columnist line-up with a new weekly column.

Follow along with the latest coronavirus news in Scotland and further afield.

Humza Yousaf has called on both Rangers and Celtic to "step up"

Return to Dunblane with Lorraine Kelly

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that the "modest" easing of restrictions is an important indication in the progress the county is making in supressing the virus

WITH the SNP being besieged with a number of accumulating woes, very senior Unionists are beginning to believe that Scotland may finally, at long last, have reached “peak Nat”.

A PETITION calling on the Scottish Government to amend legislation so that mountain hares can be killed in the practice of Falconry has been lodged to Parliament.

Managers of the Scottish home of Britain's nuclear weapons have been urged to "step back from the brink" as hundreds of workers get set to strike today.

THE thought of people in glass houses, and how they should not throw stones, came to mind upon hearing George Osborne’s criticism of Rishi Sunak’s planned hike in corporation tax.

NEW legislation will be introduced to incorporate four United Nations treaties into Scots law to ensure "human rights are embedded in every aspect of life"in Scotland.

Boris Johnson has insisted the British Government's Turing education programme will benefit students from all income groups - despite claims it is significantly less generous than the EU's Erasmus+ scheme.

I'VE written this column before. Each time the catalyst has changed. But I've written this column before.

A veteran of the oil and gas and mining businesses who grew up in Kirkintilloch has been appointed to become the next head of Royal Dutch Shell.

MORE people are experiencing side-effects with the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine than the Pfizer drug, new real world data shows.

I WOULD like to acknowledge Brian Murphy’s excellent letter regarding poor policing (March 11). However, I don’t think the issue is the fault of current police leaders. The fault lies with the politicians who created the national police force ...

IT is a saga that has gripped the nation: what next for Piers Morgan?

CARE home residents who self fund are being tied into contracts which require them to pay the same level of contributions ‘long after’ savings and capital have been exhausted, charity leaders have warned.

SCHOOLS, colleges and universities across the UK can from today apply for funding to allow students to study and work abroad as part of the post-Brexit replacement for the Erasmus exchange programme.

Lockdown measures are set to be eased across Scotland today as the country progresses in the fight against coronavirus.

By Scott Wright

ENGINEERING giant Rolls-Royce has reported a £4 billion annual loss after the pandemic hammered the global aviation industry.

CAITHNESS-based smart battery specialist AMTE Power will swell the ranks of stock market-listed firms in Scotland today when its shares are listed on the Aim exchange.

By Scott Wright

THE Sussexes interview and Piers Morgan’s subsequent departure was discussed by columnists in the newspapers, with questions raised over impartiality in broadcasting.

Bum deal

Rebecca McQuillan

NICOLA Sturgeon has said she will be haunted for the rest of her life by the way in which the Scottish Government "let down" women who complained about Alex Salmond.

THE BBC has been accused of stacking the Holyrood election "in the SNP's favour" by allowing Nicola Sturgeon to continue to hold televised briefings.

CONTROVERSIAL hate crime legislation has passed its final hurdle in Holyrood despite concerns over freedom of speech.

The family of Sarah Everard have described her as a “shining example to us all” and said she “brought so much joy to our lives” as they appeal for any information that could help the investigation.

RISHI Sunak has expressed confidence that people’s “pent-up desire” to spend, built up during the yearlong pandemic, will be enough to trigger a resurgence in consumer spending on Britain’s high streets.

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed lockdown easing plans are to go ahead as she told the Scottish Parliament the continued fall in coronavirus cases is giving grounds for “cautious optimism”.

Women face the threat of sexual violence in all areas of their lives and are “tired of being afraid” to walk in the street, campaigners have said.

The Metropolitan Police officer suspected of kidnapping and murdering Sarah Everard was taken to hospital for a head injury sustained while in custody.

POST-Brexit border checks on some EU imports to Britain are to be delayed because of disruption caused by coronavirus, Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office Minister, has announced.

GAS workers in Scotland are to being a fresh twelve-day wave of strikes from tomorrow as part of what was described as the "biggest dispute seen in the sector for 40 years".

THE Holyrood inquiry into the Alex Salmond saga has ordered the Crown Office to hand over more information relating to the former first minister.

ELECTIONS on May 6 are a chance to “unite our country,” Sir Keir Starmer has insisted, as he hit out at SNP plans to hold another “divisive” Scottish independence referendum.

Scottish skincare specialists Cutitronics and ishga have joined forces to introduce cutting-edge technology into the world of luxury spas, answering the growing demand for contactless skin care solutions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

THE Commons Speaker has slapped down Boris Johnson after the Prime Minister faced claims of lying to MPs over Labour’s position on NHS funding.

JACOB Rees-Mogg has trashed an official review’s recommendation for MPs and peers to be temporarily relocated in Whitehall during multi-billion-pound restorations to the UK Parliament, saying it was “for the birds”.

CANCER patients are strongly protected against Covid if they are given Pfizer vaccine doses three weeks apart, a new study has found.

Beloved Scottish actor Sam Heughan has said the character he plays in his new movie is a "more authentic" version of 007 - but admits he would “jump” at the chance to play James Bond.

NICOLA Sturgeon has confirmed she has no plans to cut air passenger duty as she faced criticism over plans to expand road capacities amid the climate emergency.

Jason Leitch has warned Scots adults to expect to need a Covid booster jab every winter.

ALMOST 45,000 people are waiting more than the six-week standard for vital tests to diagnose conditions such as cancer, Scottish Labour had warned.

Stirling Council today agreed at its budget-setting meeting to freeze council tax for another year - joining the rest of Scotland's local authorities, bar Glasgow, in doing so.

TORY activists have hit out at party bosses for ignoring concerns about a Holyrood candidate who described party leader Douglas Ross as “out of his mind” and accused politicians and the media of "creating panic and fear" over Covid-19.

Nicola Sturgeon said that the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 recorded yesterday was 591

A teacher who posted a video criticising Ruth Davidson's "fatherless" pregnancy escaped sanction after it was decided there was no clear evidence the content would lead others to conclude he is intolerant or prejudiced.