Another six golden eagles moved to the south

SIX golden eagles were moved from the Highlands to a secret location in the Borders over the summer during the latest phase of a reintroduction scheme. The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project now estimates that there are around 40 birds in the area – the most for 300 years. The project is now preparing…

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Scottish Portrait Awards winners named

THE winners of the Scottish Portrait Awards have been unveiled. Sam Dalby from Moffat won the Scottish Portrait Award in Fine Art and £5,000 for his painting “Meeting Daniel”, a posthumous portrait of the artist’s mother, meeting her grandson, Daniel, for the first time. Gordon Mitchell, director of the Scottish Portrait Awards and chair of…

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REVIEW: A taste of the Highlands at The Lovat by Loch Ness

Morag Bootland visits the Station Road restaurant at The Lovat hotel in Fort Augustus. A SHORT break in Sutherland behind us, we decide to cushion the blow of returning home to the daily grind with a rather indulgent stop off at Station Road restaurant at The Lovat hotel in Fort Augustus. The restaurant is currently…

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REVIEW: Bugsy Malone

Kenny Smith reviews classic musical Bugsy Malone at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. THE wonderful thing about musicals is that they can be about pretty much anything – the lives of cats on the street, a battle between two men in revolutionary France, or a battle between gangsters in prohibition New York. The latter was…

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Doric scriever starts residency

DORIC writer Shane Strachan has been named as the next Scots scriever by the National Library of Scotland. The role involves promoting the Scots language by carrying out research at the library and producing original work. Strachan said: “I’m fair trickit tae be this year’s Scots scriever, especially gettin tae promote the Doric o my…

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Next rural medical drones test flights begin

DRONES could soon be delivering medicines, blood, and test results to rural and island communities throughout Scotland as the next phase of a pilot project takes flight. The “Care & Equity Healthcare Logistics Unmanned Aircraft System Scotland” project – or “Caelus” for short – has secured £10.1 million of funding from UK Research & Innovation,…

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‘End is nigh’ again for capercaillie, warn experts

THE capercaillie could become extinct in Scotland for a second time unless its predators are controlled, according to conservationists. This year’s brood survey by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) found only 300 to 400 birds now live in Scotland, with 90% confined to part of Strathspey. That number has fallen from around 2,200…

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Artificial intelligence gets arty for Scotland

TOURISM marketing body VisitScotland has used an artificial intelligence (AI) program to create pictures of Scotland. Photographs and paintings were fed into the NightCafe AI art generator, which then produced images in-keeping with the originals. The agency is using the images to promote the 13 sites on Scotland’s United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation…

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Foraging Fortnight begins on Saturday

SCOTLAND’S Foraging Fortnight begins on Saturday, with events taking place throughout the country. Talks, workshops, and walks have been organised as part of the Orkney International Science Festival, which also begins on Saturday. The Scottish Wild Food Festival is also taking place at Tir na nOg, near Drymen, on 17 and 18 September. The Foraging…

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Young Islanders’ Network launched

CHILDREN and young people from Scotland’s islands will be sharing their views through a new Young Islanders’ Network (YIN), which was launched yesterday. The YIN has been set up as part of the Scottish Government’s national islands plan. The network will help to share young people’s views on how the plan is implemented. Ministers teamed…

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