Scotland had third highest excess death rate in Europe during height of pandemic - with England topping the list

baby born five weeks premature has battled for life after developing lung disease at the height of Covid-19 pandemic.Tiny Mason Watters was due to be born last week on August 11, but instead arrived in July, more than a month before his due date, weighing 5lbs 12oz.Mason's parents Shelley Candlish and Paul Watters, became concerned when at eight-months pregnant, Shelley noticed her baby boy had stopped moving so she contacted midwives at Ayrshire Maternity Unit.The 25-year-old, who is a Type-1

Biffy Clyro lead an all-new Top 4 on today’s Official Chart Update, with the Scottish band gunning for their third UK Number 1 album.

Scottish estate have again blasted campers for leaving behind equipment- after tents and rucksacks were abandoned at a scenic loch.Three tents were left behind at Loch Muick yesterday.But a kind-hearted traveller was praised for tidying them up.During the coronavirus crisis, workers at the sprawling royal estate have found litter numerous times- including human waste.Balmoral Castle posted the pictures on Twitter.They then tweeted: "Three abandoned tents at Loch Muick today! Thanks very much to

WCT board member Dominika Torka said: “It is very exciting where we can go as a community with this buyout if we put our minds to it.”There will now be a joint valuation of the land with the Buccleuch Group, ahead of a bid for cash from the Scottish Land Fund to help with the purchase.

Get the stories that interest you straight to your inbox every day with our personalised newsletterA new report released today shows that five deaths last week were linked to coronavirus.The National Records of Scotland figures mean the COVID-19 death toll in Scotland stands at 4213.The five deaths mean it's the lowest recorded weekly total since the first death was recorded in March 2020.Across Ayrshire and Arran no new deaths linked to coronavirus have been registered since July 20 to July

hereResults will be based on teachers’ predictions and statistical modelling.Teachers were asked to predict the grades they thought pupils would have achieved had exams gone ahead, based on coursework, the result of mock exams, and homework.Schools were also requested to rank pupils in each subject.But Northern Ireland’s exams body, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, said students will have a broader scope to appeal their A level and GCSE grades.Student approaches to

Biffy Clyro are set to participate in a listening party for their third album ‘Infinity Land’ in tribute to former NME writer Dan Martin, who died last month.The Scottish trio were already scheduled to take part in Tim Burgess’ Listening Party series on Twitter next week for their forthcoming record ‘A Celebration Of Endings’, which arrives on Friday (August 14).Today (August 11), the band announced that they will be following up the event with a second listening party focusing on “Dan’s

NSPCC show there were 5311 recorded offences in 2019-20 – an average of 15 a day and up 30 per cent in the five years since 2014-15.This include incidents of rape, online grooming and sexual assault.The most recent figures show girls were five times as likely to be victims.A total of 1588 offences were against children under 13, about 45 per cent of crimes where age was recorded.NSPCC Scotland’s Matt Forde said: “Every day,children in Scotland are being sexually abused and having to live with

James Tavernier and his teammates will wear the strip for the first time away to Hamilton on August 29 in the Scottish Premiership. Rangers fans can snap up the kit in limited numbers at the club's newly remodelled and upgraded Rangers Store at Ibrox from this afternoon.

host Rochelle Humes left Scots fans confused after she said Scotland is 'too dark' to host I'm a Celebrity this year.ITV confirmed the reality show is moving from Australia to the UK for the first time ever due to the pandemic.Ant and Dec will present the series live from countryside castle ruins for the 20th edition as celebrities take part in trials to be crowned king or queen.Rochelle, who is currently pregnant with her third child, was hosting This Morning alongside Dermot O'Leary today as

Ruth Davidson is to be made a peer in the House of Lords, it has been confirmed.The former Scottish Tory leader has been named in the Prime Minister’s dissolution honours list which also make’s Theresa May’s husband, Philip, a Knight of the realm.Davidson led the Scottish Conservatives from 2011 to 2019 and  stepped down after Johnson became Tory leader last year, citing political and personal reasons for the move.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up

Port Glasgow, and an Amazon warehouse in Gourock, Inverclyde.Some of the cases visited the following locations when they may have been infectious to others:- The Botany on Maryhill Road in Glasgow- The Queen of the Loch by Marston's Inn, Balloch- Lomond Woods Holiday Park, Alexandria- Sweeney’s Cruises, BallochHealth and local environmental health staff are working closely with the all the businesses to trace any close contacts of the cases.Appropriate advice is being given to the individuals

holiday destinations could be struck off Scotland’s quarantine exemption list as coronavirus infection rates across Europe have skyrocketed in recent days. Holidaymakers were left disappointed earlier this week after the Scottish Government announced that anyone arriving back in the country from Spain will now have to self-isolate for 14 days.

coronavirus pandemic.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorITV has commissioned ITV Studios-owned South Shore to make Don’t Rock The Boat, an ambitious competition series in which 12 celebrities row the entire length of Britain from Cornwall to Scotland.The format will go into production next week and will be hosted by Top Gear presenter Andrew Flintoff and AJ Odudu, who currently fronts ITV’s backstage coverage of The Voice UK.During a grueling physical mission that’s expected to take up to four weeks to complete, the

second wave of infections.Confirmation that the length of time is to increase came in a joint statement from the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers.Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, told reporters the change was being made due to the “low but real possibility of infectiousness” between seven and ten days after the onset of the illness.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood,