COULD this plague-beset election get any more surreal? At the SNP manifesto launch, Nicola Sturgeon felt it germane to disavow the prospect of an arm-wrestling contest with a fellow advocate of independence.

Here we go

THIS week has been described as a "turning point" in Scotland's lockdown.

It was one of the most harrowing battles ever fought on British soil, with the flower of a generation cut down in the space of a few hours by the relentless guns of their government foes.

Just 30 people will attend the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral today, as coronavirus restrictions forced a change in plans for the day.

BETTER news on the coronavirus front in Scotland brought a quickfire seismic shift for islands tourism firms on Tuesday when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a reopening in line with the mainland.

IT is regarded as one of the most profound social developments in modern day Scotland.

HEALTH boards are preparing to fight legal claims for hospital-acquired cases of Covid-19.

The latest weekly coronavirus figures have been released, highlighting hotspots of Covid-19 per 100,000 of the population and the risk in each neighbourhood.

IN the fog of mendacious sanctimony that cloaked the first two Holyrood leaders’ debates, the most threadbare fictions belonged to the parties of the Union. They appear to have signed up to a pre-election entente that compels each of them to der...

A MANIFESTO, going by the name, ought to be a list of things easily seen, clearly understood, or otherwise obvious. For movements in fine art, film-making or literature, that means general principles, rather than a detailed description of forthcom...

At Home With Monadh

The Herald has launched a new political podcast, fronted by former BBC Scotland political editor Brian Taylor, ahead of the Holyrood election.

There was much talk last weekend about BBC television’s response to the announcement of Prince Philip’s death. But what about radio?

IN his ninth decade David Hockney decided to move to France. To Normandy and a farmhouse where he set up a studio to paint the arrival of spring. “I know I’m 82, but I feel 30 in the studio when I get going,” he tells Martin Gayford in a new...

Rare chairs made for the painter and decorator friend of Charles Rennie Mackintosh are to go under the hammer at auction next week.

THEY started out as 46 plain white vases, blank ceramics, but have now been transformed into stunning designs by some of Scotland’s most high profile contemporary artists and creatives.

THE manifesto pledges from the SNP detailed by the First Minister ("Sturgeon pledges stability with freeze on income tax", The Herald, April 15) once again demonstrate economic illiteracy at the highest level. The shameless “spend, spend, spend�...

With Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh running as a candidate for Alex Salmond’s new Alba Party, former colleagues in the SNP have been reminiscing about her unique contribution to the indy cause.

A touching photograph of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh that gives a glimpse of their lives away from protocol and ceremony has been released on the eve of Philip’s funeral.

Twitter is down for many users across the world, with the service experiencing a number of issues.

ON the eve of the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, an awkward family reunion and the uniform row continued to feature in the newspapers comment sections - plus Colin versus Cuthbert the Caterpillar.

SOLDIERS and students are being warned against using terms such as “lads”, “gents”, “mankind” and “mother” in new inclusivity rules branded “woke” by critics.

The shame game

BORIS Johnson is as slippery as an eel. He shifts his ground repeatedly. Never follow him into battle because he will defect to the other side before you can line up behind him.

Ahead of Earth Day on 22 April, Zero Waste Scotland is reminding Scots that they should recycle batteries separately to other household waste after a new survey revealed a quarter of people dispose of them incorrectly.

NICOLA Sturgeon has admitted the figures in the SNP’s economic blueprint for independence are now “completely out of date” despite demanding a second referendum before updating them.

Andrew Neil's GB News has announced that television presenter, archaeologist, author and journalist Neil Oliver is the latest addition to the team.

VOTERS are being repelled by the "harder, darker edge" to the Scottish Conservatives under Douglas Ross, Willie Rennie has insisted.

FOUR cases of a India's 'double mutant' strain of coronavirus have been detected in Scotland for the first time.

The BBC has said it does not make changes to billed schedules "without careful consideration" in response to complaints over its blanket coverage of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh on multiple platforms.

KEIR Starmer has been accused of “cosying up to the SNP” after suggesting Labour will “assess the situation” after the election before deciding whether to back another independence referendum.

Mysterious public art scupltures are appearing on walls and public buildings in Glasgow,

The actress Helen McCrory, known for starring in Peaky Blinders and the James Bond film Skyfall, has died aged 52, her husband Damian Lewis said on Twitter.

DOES Sir Keir Starmer look like a Prime Minister in waiting?

KEIR Starmer has demanded a recovery plan is drawn up and more government support is provided for the aviation industry during a visit to Edinburgh Airport.

SCOTS are being urged to plan ahead and consider alternative walking routes when out and about this weekend - as Scotland's national parks anticipate heavy traffic to the country's beauty spots.

Modou Diagne will reopen his debut Glasgow restaurant on Wednesday, April 28.

AN outgoing SNP MSP has urged Nicola Sturgeon to work with Alex Salmond’s Alba Party – warning there has been “zero progress in the last five years” in pushing forward the independence cause.

LABOUR has raised “serious questions” after Matt Hancock’s shares in a family company which has NHS contracts were revealed.

THE Scottish Tories have proposed privatising more of the country’s ferry services.

RESIDENTS can now receive rapid coronavirus testing, even if they are showing no symptoms of the virus.

Scottish Government statistics have revealed that 204 positive coronavirus tests have been recorded since Thursday

A Scottish infantry unit is to support the funeral of HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, this Saturday.

SUPPORT for Labour has dropped to the lowest level under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, a new poll has revealed, while the Conservatives have been handed a boost thanks to the vaccine programme.

ON Tuesday, as I frantically peddled away the miles and hopefully the pounds along a cold and frosty towpath of the Union Canal, I decided against my better judgement to tune into the “Daily Doomcast", the regular Covid-19 briefing hosted by our...

HOSPITAL admissions for Covid have nearly doubled among under-45s in Scotland in the space of a week amid warnings that unvaccinated younger adults should be cautious as lockdown restrictions ease.

KEIR Starmer has been accused of being “completely out of touch” with Labour activists after a new study suggested 60% of the party’s supporters across the UK back another Scottish independence referendum “in principle”.

FIRST, there was just the slightest tingle of nerves. SNP loyalists will rarely admit it out loud, but some of them were worried about Alex Salmond’s comeback project, Alba. Before, that is, they saw it in action; before they saw who it had lure...

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