THE number of patients enduring extreme waits in Scotland’s A&E units reached a record high last week, with almost 1,300 waiting more than a half a day to be treated.

Walk across Edinburgh and you can feel, right now, as if you are traversing a giant, sprawling landfill site. Every time I stroll past another rubbish pile, I feel as if something is in my face.

A PUBLIC spending watchdog is being urged to sanction Transport Scotland executives for forging ahead with a £150m upgrade to a Loch Lomond road without conducting legally required impact assessments.

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I'LL tell you what's an odd phenomenon: being constantly asked if your childhood was lonely, barren and has left you an anti-social misfit, living a life of regret.

AS Scots face an 80 per cent increase in average energy bills to £3,549, the SNP Government could improve on its response to the crisis by using funds earmarked for the ‘ill-conceived’ £2 billion bank it founded.

By Scott Wright

IT IS a similar picture across the country with scenes in Scotland’s major cities of overflowing rubbish, mounting piles of packed binbags and the despair of residents with nowhere to store their waste.

THE developers of a controversial tourism proposal on the banks of Loch Lomond have been accused of a crude and cynical attempt to cherry pick the least offensive parts of its bid while being a slap in the face to local residents.

A CONSULTATION giving the public the chance to have their say on the future redesign of Glasgow's George Square closes on Friday.

The Port of Dundee has been chosen as the marshalling site for construction of what will be Scotland's largest offshore wind farm when it is commissioned later this decade.

A new online portal offers a flavour of all the unique culinary offerings in Dumfries and Galloway, writes Erin McDermott

UNLIKE some Herald readers I am not outraged at Nicola Sturgeon's five appearances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as she is merely playing to her skillset.

BACK during the maddest depths of the War on Terror, the writer Norman Mailer described the fragility and hysteria of an all-powerful America as equivalent to mythical Adonis sniffing his own armpits every few minutes to reassure himself that he was ...

SUNDAY morning found me tip-toeing through an apocalyptic scene in Dundee city centre – testimony, shared around Scotland, that the bin strike is doing exactly what one would expect, which is why it should have been averted long before it happened.

There is just over one week left until entries close for this year’s The Herald Top Employer Awards which means that this is the last chance for businesses across the country to submit their applications before entries close on Thursday, September ...

By DCC Will Kerr

Teachable moment

The survey by the David Hume Institute and the Diffley Partnership reveals a “bleak” picture when assessing the country’s economic outlook

What is today's Framed? Some hints to help you guess the movie. Plus the answer for when you've given up!

Hints and answer for today's Wordle.

Have you heard of the musical mindbender Heardle? Here are a few hints to get you started on the brainteaser.

If you have tried and loved Wordle, Quordle should be your next go-to brain teaser.

NICOLA Sturgeon has said she can’t wait until she doesn’t “give a f*** anymore” and is getting closer to that stage every day.

SNP ministers hope to transform Scotland into a global leader in sustainable agriculture despite the sector legging behind in cutting harmful emissions.

THE islanders waiting for the two boats at the heart of the CalMac ferries scandal have been “disregarded”, the country’s spending watchdog has said.

A NEW offer made to end Scotland's councils dispute that has seen bins overflowing in streets in Edinburgh and Glasgow has been rejected by union leaders.

Logistics specialist CCL has flagged an easing in shipping capacity constraints amid increasing economic uncertainty as the Scottish firm looks to acquisitions to continue its growth.

THE disgraced former perjurer Tommy Sheridan has been declared bankrupt.

BORIS Johnson could launch a bid to force his way back into office, a former Tory Cabinet minister has warned.

A NEW offer has been made to try and settle a council pay dispute that threatens to close schools next month and has seen bins overflowing in streets in Edinburgh and Glasgow due to a waste workers strike.

LABOUR has rejected claims that the party is set to change its constitution to permanently rule out acoalition with the SNP.

A CLOSING date has been set for offers for the huge Countesswells development in Aberdeen, amid strong interest from residential players in the site.

Specialist Glasgow pensions firm @SIPP is giving its non-managerial staff £350 per month to help cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

Cynics may say there’s little real point heading to Aberdeen in October for the first in-person SNP conference in three years. There’ll be set-piece speeches, self-congratulatory motions and carefully manicured agendas.

A lasting memory of the TV series Dad’s Army is Lance Corporal Jones running around shouting “Don’t Panic! Don’t Panic!” while doing that very thing.

IN 2014 at Nunraw Abbey, a Cistercian monastery tucked into the folds of the Lammermuir Hills, the monks were eager to talk to me about the Scottish independence referendum not long passed. This little band of brothers – ranging in age from about 5...

If you’re anything like me – some of you will be, some of you won’t – there’s a good chance that, after eight long years, you probably thought you’d heard it all before in the debate about independence. And then something strange happened...

Connect Festival

By Scott Wright

SCOTS are bracing to freeze in their homes this winter amid fresh warnings the energy crisis will lead to the UK facing crippling power blackouts.

A CONSERVATIVE MSP is attempting to create a register of domestic abusers akin to that for sexual offenders.

AN SNP minister has criticised the UK Government’s “degrading functional examinations” as he launched a Scots adult disability payment for 300,000 people.

It might be just over 500 square miles in size, but Fife has a plethora of places to enjoy great food and drink. With long stretches of coastline, acres of fertile fields and plenty of local suppliers, there’s no shortage of excellent natural produ...

ALAN Cumming has been daring his body to fail.

Whether your passion is for glamping in pods or yurts, enjoying award-winning dining in luxury country hotels or even living like royalty in Balmoral estate, there’s a heavenly holiday experience for everyone in our ultimate resort round-up – as ...

It is an A listed Georgian stately home whose walls once echoed to the sound of parties with regular guests including former Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, actors, musicians and a conductor.

A Scottish car company is gearing up to ship its fully electric 4x4s to the United States in what is being touted as the UK's answer to the American Humvee.

Businesses and households across Scotland and the UK face severe hardship this winter, with rising food, fuel, energy costs and rampant inflation continuing to take a heavy toll on the purse strings.

IAIN Macwhirter ("Sorry Greta, SNP will fall back into the arms of its first love – oil", The Herald, August 26) raises the dilemma in the SNP over oil extraction and green issues. He points to oil revenues next year of £13bn, with 20bn barrels re...