Such an arse of a woman.

Scottish Daily Express

Maggie Chapman turns shoppers against businesses who back anti-Israel crusade

The controversial Scottish Green MSP wants businesses to boycott Israeli goods - but may have sparked another boycott altogether

But Ms Chapman has been savaged on social media for focusing on the war in Gaza rather than issues in her own North East region. Many users vowed to carry out their own boycott while the prominent anti-nationalist account Graeme From IT said: "Just wondering if she would be able to tell me what she have achieved for her constituents - the actual people in the streets, who work everyday? Not on the international stage, not to do with independence or LGBT, but to do with medical services, potholes." The Brian Spanner account joked: "I guarantee 47 are folk on Etsy selling cards," while one person said: "The irony of naming yourselves as Apartheid Free Zones as you try to cut out Jewish produced goods and services is obviously lost on this gang. I hope all the businesses targeted in this discriminatory manner sue you." businesses in Aberdeen have committed to boycott Israeli goods and services — making our city apartheid free!" An event was held on Saturday to give the initiative a boost. Ms Chapman sparked outrage in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 when she described the murder of over 1,000 Jews as "a consequence of apartheid, of illegal occupation and of imperial aggression by the Israel state". Earlier this month, she was criticised for submitting a motion at Holyrood supporting Palestine Action, a proscribed terrorist group. It has been backed 24 MSPs, including former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf.

BBC News

Afghan asylum seeker jailed for raping teenager in Elgin park

Afghan Rapualla Ahmadze carried out the attack on the 17-year-old in Elgin, Moray, last year.

An Afghan asylum seeker who raped a teenage girl in a park has been jailed for nine years. Rapualla Ahmadze - who claimed he was an escaped prisoner of the Taliban - attacked the 17-year-old in Cooper Park in Elgin, Moray, in August last year. Ahmadze - who is believed to be 21 - had denied rape, claiming that sex was consensual, but was previously found guilty. At the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Thomas Welsh KC said it was a "shocking and violent" attack.

BBC News

Teen rider in safety plea after horse bitten by out-of-control dog

A 14-year-old horse rider is urging the public to control their dogs after being attacked while horse-riding near Lockerbie.

A teenager is urging people to control their dogs while out walking, after her horse was attacked during a ride. Georgia Nairn, 14, was riding alone in a nature reserve near her home in Lockerbie, when a dog on a retractable lead ran up and bit her horse on the shoulder. It caused the horse, William, to rear up but Georgia - an experienced jockey - was able to steer him away from the dog and bring him back under control. William was not badly injured in the attack, which was caught on camera, but Georgia said it could have been so much worse. "If he reared up any higher I probably would have fallen off. There's a main road nearby and he probably would have ran to get away," she said.

Anyone want a job?!

BBC News

New ranger wanted for isolated uninhabited island of Handa

The job comes with a few challenges - including weekly boat trips to mainland for washing and shopping.

A new ranger is being sought for a tiny uninhabited island in the north west Highlands. The six-month role with the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) comes with a few challenges - including weekly trips by boat to the mainland to do laundry and buy supplies. A good knowledge of wildlife is required for the job, while excellent people skills are highly desirable. "Handa is an isolated location and the people you work with will also be the people you socialise with in the evening, so it needs to be someone that's comfortable with communal living," said SWT reserves area manager Rab Potter.

The Critic Magazine

Cultural institutions are erasing Christianity | Adam James Pollock | The Critic Magazine

Those fortunate few individuals whose innocence may not have been tainted by being terminally online are likely, when visiting museums, galleries, ...

To understand the National Trust’s position on Christianity, one only has to look at its internal communications. At the end of 2023, the organisation distributed to its volunteers an “inclusivity and wellbeing” calendar for the year ahead. As is usual with calendars, religious festivals and holidays were listed: Diwali, Eid, Ramadan. Christmas and Easter, however, did not get so much as a mention. So much for inclusivity. Defenders of these institutions argue that these decisions are always taken to ensure that everyone in the modern polycultural British society feels welcome and included. I am not sure how inclusivity can be interpreted to require the suppression of the country’s majority, foundational faith. On the contrary, a genuinely pluralistic society should be honest about its cultural and religious foundations, lest it find itself welcoming newcomers on the back of a historic lie. What makes this trend particularly worrisome is that these institutions play a huge role in shaping public understanding of our nation’s history. Millions of people from both Britain and abroad encounter Britain’s past each year through their exhibitions, tours, and promotional materials, not least to their millions of followers across social media. When Christianity is reframed in this way as little more than an incidental add-on to British history, it distorts the true foundation of the country and, in turn, makes us value our traditions even less. Britain is no longer a uniformly Christian country in terms of belief or practice, for better or for worse, but it remains a Christian country by its formation. To acknowledge this is not to seek to impose Christianity on others, but to tell the truth about who we are and how this once-great country came to be. The Christian faith has shaped Britain’s morality, legal traditions, architecture, politics, education, and language. To downplay the role of Christianity in Britain is to render the past unintelligible.