This week saw chaos for travellers as flights were cancelled or delayed across the country due to a problem with the air traffic control system. Ben Wallace also resigned as defence secretary, with Grant Shapps named as his replacement.
Flights chaos
Thousands of UK passengers were left stranded following a major air traffic control failure.
The technical fault led to hundreds of scheduled flights being cancelled or delayed. Travellers in the north-east were among those affected.
National Air Traffic Services had said it was working with airlines to aid passengers and clear the backlog after the fault was fixed late Monday afternoon. There were 1,585 flights cancelled on Monday, while 345 were axed on Tuesday and 64 on Wednesday.
Ferries vow
Scotland’s state-owned ferry operator plans to limit disruption on individual ferry routes to around a week at a time, according to new documents.
CalMac is launching a public consultation on the proposed changes to the strategy used to plan services when a major vessel cannot be used.
The ferry operator has faced criticism – including public protests from islanders – after repairs required for the ageing fleet led to lengthy cancelations for some routes in summer.
Alcohol figures
Alcohol deaths in Scotland last year were at the highest levels since 2008, figures show.
The National Records of Scotland statistics show 1,276 people died due to alcohol in 2022, 31 more than the previous year.
The age standardised mortality rate – which provides a weighted average per 100,000 of population – for those in the least affluent 20% of areas was 41.7, compared with just 9.6 in the richest 20%.
The majority of deaths in 2022 were recorded in men, with 836 deaths logged.
Time cap for Parly questions
Time limits of 45 seconds for questions and one minute for answers are to be put in place at The Scottish Parliament from next week.
In an email to members on Tuesday, Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone said the extension of First Minister’s Questions from 30 to 45 minutes had not allowed more MSPs to question the Government.
Shorter exchanges, she said, could result in as many as 180 more questions being put to the Government every parliamentary year.
Private burial for Wagner chief
A private burial was held for Yevgeny Prigozhin, following a plane crash two months after his brief mutiny that challenged the authority of President Vladimir Putin.
Members of the Russian National Guard stood along the fence at the cemetery, steering visitors away after it closed for the day. Putin had said the armed rebellion in June
as “treason” and “a stab in the back”.
A preliminary US intelligence assessment concluded that an intentional explosion caused the plane to crash.
Pay to party
Revellers in Inverness are to be charged entry for the city’s Hogmanay bash for the first time.
Tickets for the Red Hot Highland Fling event at the Northern Meeting Park have always been provided for free in previous years.
But, Highland Council has now confirmed charges will be introduced for this year in a bid to ensure the sustainability of the event. The council estimates the event needs to generate around £50,000 from ticket fees to be sustainable.
Run aground
Crews from Kyle and Portree RNLI were called out to help with efforts to refloat the 500-tonne vessel that ran aground off the Isle of Skye.
They went to the scene in the Kylerhea and Glenelg area when the alarm was raised at around 6.40pm on Tuesday.
However by the time both crews arrived on the scene shortly before 8pm the tide had receded too far to try and refloat the vessel.
The 40-metre fish carrier, named Settler, was refloated on Wednesday evening after further efforts.
Wallace quits
Ben Wallace resigned as defence secretary with Grant Shapps being appointed to the role by the Prime Minister.
Wallace, who was an MSP for North East Scotland from 1999 to 2003, had won praise during his tenure, particularly over his handling over the Ukraine war.
In his resignation letter to Rishi Sunak, Wallace, spoke of the need to invest in the armed forces saying: “I genuinely believe that over the next decade the world will get more insecure and more unstable. We both share the view that now is the time to invest.”
Plans for ban on cash sales for vapes
Aberdeen could introduce a ban on cash sales of vapes and tobacco on Union Street to stop age-restricted products getting in the hands of city youths.
Trading Standards officers claim action is needed to address the “growing issue” of “proxy purchasing” – when adults buy items such as vapes and cigarettes for those who are legally old enough.
There has been an increase in complaints about underage vaping from retailers and the public ending up with Trading Standards. Councillors will be asked to give the cash ban the go ahead next week.
Business poll
New research has revealed just 9% of companies asked in a recent poll say the Scottish Government understands the business landscape in the country.
The Fraser of Allander Institute spoke to 400 companies for its Scottish Business Monitor.
It found 9% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the Scottish Government understood Scotland’s business landscape. This compared to 64% who disagreed or strongly disagreed.
The results also showed that 8% agreed ministers and officials engage effectively with the business community, while 67% disagreed.