Front line officers are calling for access to guns in their vehicles as part of an over hall of the force to deal with rising violence

Mon 16 Feb, 6.00 pm

Nicholas Rossi: Fugitive who faked his own death jailed for rape

An appeal has been launched for volunteers to look after therapy dogs helping support stroke patients in their recovery journey.



Charity Dogs For Good is seeking people who can open their homes to a four-legged friend whether it’s on a full or a part-time basis.



Stroke patients at Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock have been rebuilding their lives step by step with the help of the dogs.



The charity visits the site each week in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, helping patients improve their physiotherapy and cognitive responses through guided sessions with specially training dogs.

Journalist

Tara Fitzpatrick

A charity has issued a plea for volunteer boarders as therapy dogs transform stroke recovery.

Therapy dogs helping stroke survivors with recovery

Parents across Scotland want politicians to recognise the challenges facing new mothers and improve access to childcare. 



STV News spoke to families across Scotland to find out more about the sacrifices they are making every day to balance the increasing cost of living with parenting responsibilities.

Westminster Correspondent

Lucy Dunn

Parents can struggle to balance childcare with the cost of living. 

We’re struggling and nobody’s listening’: Families lose hope ahead of election

Rural group warn that plans to change business tax from shooting estates risks jobs and millions of pounds worth of investment. 



The Scottish Government say there will be exemptions, while industry leaders say they weren't consulted about the changes.

Reporter

Haley Bouma

The Scottish Government plans to remove the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

‘Shooting tax’ could cause job losses in rural sector, industry warns

Girls in Scotland of Gambian heritage could face being taken abroad for Female Genital Mutilation if a legal bid to overturn the country’s decade-old ban succeeds, campaigners warn.



The practice, which was outlawed in the West African country in 2015, was nearly repealed after a controversial bill to scrap the ban in 2024.

Rahim Cham

Campaigners fear children could be taken abroad for FGM if the ban is overturned. 

Girls ‘at risk’ of being sent to Gambia to undergo FGM if ban overturned

As rates are set to increase in April, businesses in the North East are already closing their doors.



The hospitality sector is facing mounting challenges with rising energy and VAT bills.



Now, a campaign's been set up to help protect firms.

Reem Satar

Hospitality sector hit by soaring energy and VAT bills ahead of April increases.

North East firms close as costs set to rise

Shetland's fishermen are calling for a moratorium on new salmon farm developments, warning that the full environmental risks aren't yet known.



It follows the decision by Shetland Island's Council to approve what will become Scotland's largest fish farm off Yell.



The Scottish Government say a pause on new developments risks jobs.

Concerns raised over environmental risks after approval of Scotland’s largest fish farm off Yell

Shetland fishermen call for salmon farm moratorium

The family of a mother-of-two who was abused by her partner say they fear for their lives after he was released from prison earlier today. 



Before she died, 23-year-old Demi Hannaway was subjected to abuse and threats by Andrew Brown.



Her death was officially ruled as suicide, but following a campaign from her family, police have reopened the case.

STV News

Demi Hannaway's family say her abuser's release has made them feel like prisoners in their own home

Family of domestic abuse victim in fear after abuser released from prison early

Lloyds Banking Group is to close another 95 branches across the UK.



11 Bank of Scotland sites will shut north of the border as part of the latest announcement.

Oliver Wright

Lloyds Banking Group will shut high street banks across its brands.

Lloyds to close 95 UK branches including 11 in Scotland

With the Commonwealth Games returning to Glasgow, it's not just sport that will get a boost - local charities will too.



The Glasgow 2026 fundraising drive will see half of all Games-related donations staying in the city to support charitable causes. 



2014 gold medallist Charlie Flynn is supporting the drive after life-saving surgery on his son in the Glasgow Children's Hospital.

Charlie Flynn's newborn needed emergency heart surgery after discovering 'simple rash'.

Commonwealth gold medallist thanks ‘superheroes’ who saved baby boy’s life

Housing, public services and policing in Edinburgh are set to get a funding boost after councillors made their final decisions on how to spend money raised through the city's visitor levy.



The tax, charged on overnight stays from July, is expected to raise almost £100m in its first three years.



Councillors described it as a "seismic opportunity and immense responsibility".

Political Reporter

Laura Alderman

Councillors have approved spending plans as overnight tax expected to raise £100m in first three years.

Edinburgh visitor levy to fund housing, services and policing

The Scottish secretary insists the entire Labour Party is united in its determination to make Anas Sarwar Scotland's next First Minister in May's Holyrood election. 



Days after the Scottish leader called on Sir Keir Starmer to quit, Douglas Alexander attempted to downplay divisions.



 Cabinet colleagues rallied around the Prime Minister following the intervention on Monday.

Political Correspondent

Ewan Petrie

Douglas Alexander played down divisions after calls for Sir Keir Starmer to quit.

Scottish secretary insists Labour united behind Sarwar

Scotland's nurses are calling on all the parties standing in the Holyrood election to properly value the profession. 



The Royal College of Nursing says there are around 2,000 unfilled vacancies and that means there are too few staff to ensure safe and effective patient care. 



It's launched a manifesto demanding that's addressed by whoever forms the next government.

Senior Reporter

Gordon Chree

RCN warns 2,000 vacancies risk patient safety as it launches election manifesto.

Scotland’s nurses urge parties to tackle staffing crisis

Four men have been jailed for what a judge has described as “sheer naked gangsterism” after they launched firebomb attacks on associates of a convicted cocaine dealer.



The group, which includes three teenagers, have been told to expect significant prison sentences when they return to court after admitting their roles as foot soldiers in the spate of violence that kicked off last March.

Sharon Frew

Three teenagers among group who targeted associates of convicted cocaine dealer in wave of violence.

Four men jailed after ‘naked gangsterism’ firebomb attacks

Children at a Dundee school have been learning about brain health.



It's part of Alzheimer Scotland's efforts to help people of all ages take action against dementia.



Staff at the city's North East Campus organised their own Brain Health Week to get pupils thinking, moving and talking about how to look after their brains.

Susan Nicholson

School pupils took part in Brain Health Week with Alzheimer Scotland

Dundee school pupils learn about brain health

Aberdeen City Council is to bring in external contractors to take down flags placed on lampposts across the city, after its workers faced abuse.



The flags were hoisted last year, as part of the 'Raise the Colours' social media campaign linked to anti-asylum protests.

It comes after Aberdeen City Council staff faced threats.

Council looking for contractor to ‘take down illegal flags’

Two rare Roman stone altars are being prepared to go on display for the first time 16 years after they were discovered beneath Musselburgh Cricket Club in East Lothian. 



Thought to have been buried around eighteen hundred years ago, the sculptures are the only examples of their kind ever found in Scotland.

Amie Flett

Discovered 16 years ago in Musselburgh, the 1,800-year-old sculptures are the only ones of their kind in the country

Two rare Roman stone altars to go on display in Scotland

A Fife woman says she believes she developed benign brain tumours because of a contraceptive injection. 



It comes as research found those taking the injection for more than a year could increase their risk of developing the tumours by as much as 500%.

Anne Smith

Research suggests prolonged use of jab may raise risk of benign tumours by up to 500%

Fife woman links brain tumours to contraceptive injection

An extra £10m to fund community-based sentences has been announced by the Scottish Government, in an effort to tackle chronic prison overcrowding and reduce re-offending. 



The prison population hit a record high last year, with the head of the prison service warning today that "catastrophic failure" is possible.

Funding aims to ease chronic prison overcrowding as prison chief warns of possible 'catastrophic failure'

Scottish Government announces £10m boost for community sentences

Storm Arwen flattened hundreds of thousands of trees when it swept through the north east back in November 2021.



Haddo House in Aberdeenshire is facing one of its biggest ever restoration projects after much of the surrounding woodland was destroyed by extreme winds.

Thousands of trees were lost when Storm Arwen struck Aberdeenshire in 2021. 

Major woodland restoration under way at Haddo House after Storm Arwen

Many parents will have experienced taking their child to hospital, and not knowing exactly where to go once they arrive. 



Well, in a world first, Edinburgh’s Sick Kids has introduced a personal navigation app to help patients travel straight from their front door directly to the correct ward.

New app guides families from home straight to the correct ward, easing stress during hospital visits.

Edinburgh sick kids launches world-first navigation app for patients

Almost a third of young people say they wouldn't feel safe talking about mental health at school. 



That's the finding from a survey of hundreds of secondary pupils by the charity SAMH. 



They're now calling for specialist mental health link workers to be allocated in schools.

SAMH is urging schools to provide specialist mental health link workers for students.

Nearly a third of pupils ‘don’t feel safe discussing mental health’

Tributes have been paid to Scotland's first ever deputy first minister, Lord Jim Wallace, at his funeral in Orkney.



Lord Wallace was described as a man of integrity, sincerity and humility. He died at the end of January after suffering complications from surgery.

Sharon Donaldson

A funeral service took place at Kirkwall’s St Magnus Cathedral.

Tributes paid to Lord Jim Wallace, Scotland’s first deputy first minister

The Prime Minister insists he will never walk away following a call from his party's Scottish leader to quit. 



Keir Starmer came out fighting on Tuesday in his first public appearance since Anas Sarwar said he should stand down.



Earlier he told his cabinet the whole Labour Party wants Anas Sarwar to become first minister, despite the fallout.

The Prime Minister addressed a packed meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party in Westminster.

Starmer refuses to quit after Sarwar calls for resignation

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called on Sir Keir Starmer to quit as Prime Minister.



Sarwar is the most senior Labour figure to make the call so far. 



He says his first loyalty must be to Scotland and he called for the leadership in Downing Street to change.



But UK Cabinet Ministers have rallied round the Prime Minister, including Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander.

Political Editor

Colin Mackay

Anas Sarwar says the 'distraction needs to end' following the scandal of Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador

Scottish Labour leader calls on Keir Starmer to step down as Prime Minister

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Celebrity interviews and topical studio discussion from a female perspective.

Join the Loose Women team as they interview celebrity guests and discuss topical issues.