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STV News
an hour ago
- STV News
Exhibition showcases vision behind design of Scottish Parliament building
A new exhibition exploring how Enric Miralles brought to life his vision of a Scottish Parliament 'growing out of the land' is now open to the public at Holyrood. Enric Miralles: Creating the Scottish Parliament and other stories by Benedetta Tagliabue and EMBT opened at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday and will run until October 30. Construction began on the Scottish Parliament in June 1999 on the site of an old brewery. But the hangover from the devolution project lingered for years as costs spiralled and an inquiry found flaws in the management of the whole project. iStock Scottish Parliament. iStock Now a new exhibition inside Holyrood showcases Miralles vision for the building, featuring more than 50 models and some of his early drawings. These include hand-drawn concept images, sketches, collages, site studies, and competition boards from the Fundació Enric Miralles archives. Barcelona-based architecture studio EMBT, founded by Miralles and his partner Benedetta Tagliabue, won the international competition to design the Scottish Parliament in 1998. They collaborated with Edinburgh-based firm RMJM to deliver a building that would reflect Scotland's identity. Their design aimed to create 'a new Parliament that embodied the values of Scotland, a space rooted in its landscape, traditions and people.' The work on display captures the essence of that vision, much of it developed under the leadership of Tagliabue following Miralles' untimely death in 2000. STV News Miralles exhibition. STV News His work was carried on by his wife, who helped curate the free exhibition. Benedetta Tagliabue told STV News: 'Through the archives, opening drawers, looking at the notebooks, reading things, was very emotional. 'But I tried to control the emotion and at the same time I love having all this material now on display to everybody.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Donald Trump may finally have the measure of Putin
Donald Trump turned out to be wrong, although it may not be tactful to point it out, because the world still needs him to support Ukraine, however grudgingly. But we told him that Vladimir Putin had no interest in making peace, and so it has proved. President Trump thought he could persuade the Russian leader to cut a deal over Ukraine. That approach might not have been as misconceived as it sometimes seemed. It might have been possible that a combination of appeasement, flattery and strong-man talk would have worked. But Putin has shown that he is not interested in negotiation. His belief in a Greater Russia, and possibly his need to wage a permanent war in order to maintain his grip on power, means that the bloodshed will continue, and even Mr Trump can see where the blame lies. It was encouraging, therefore, that Mr Trump shortened the deadline for Russia to avoid enhanced sanctions over the Ukraine war to '10 to 12 days' a few days ago. Mr Trump's deadlines are notoriously variable, but the president's meaning was clear. Equally, Mr Trump's war of words with Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's associate and the former president of Russia, confirms that there is little common ground left between Washington and Moscow. The social media spat culminated in Mr Trump sending two United States nuclear submarines to patrol 'near Russia' – after Medvedev warned the US against being drawn into direct conflict with a nuclear power. Mr Trump should never have threatened to withdraw the US's support for the Ukrainian people, but we should be grateful that he failed to follow through on that threat, even if the precise level of current US support for Volodymyr Zelensky's war effort is shrouded in secrecy. Maybe it was worth trying to do a deal with Putin, although it besmirched the reputation of American democracy that Mr Trump should have subjected Mr Zelensky – a brave leader fighting for his people in a noble cause – to that disgraceful theatrical display in the White House in February. Maybe it was worth Mr Trump rudely waking the peoples of Europe to their responsibility to meet a greater share of the cost of defending their continent. But it should never have been at the expense of the defence of the right of a free people to resist aggression. The international community bore, and continues to bear, a moral duty to defend democracy, human rights and the right to self-determination. All democracies should stand by the Ukrainian people in their time of need, however long that time shall be. No one wants the war to continue for a moment longer, but Mr Trump is now as clear as the rest of the world has been that Putin is responsible for prolonging the bloodshed. The war could end today if Putin wanted it to. For all the capriciousness of the US president, and for all the bombast of his social media communications, it seems that Mr Trump understands that Putin, and his proxy Medvedev, must not be appeased. Sending US nuclear submarines to patrol 'near Russia' is a symbolic gesture, but if what it symbolises is an increased willingness on the part of Mr Trump to support Ukraine against Putin's aggression, then it is to be welcomed.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Ukraine uncovers drone procurement corruption scheme
Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies uncovered a major graft scheme in the procurement of military drones and electronic warfare equipment, two days after their independence was restored in a humiliating U-turn for Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president had pushed through a controversial bill that removed the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sapo), placing them under the control of the General Prosecutor's Office, which is led by Zelensky loyalists and mistrusted by many Ukrainians. Thousands of protesters descended onto the streets of Kyiv last week, and there was mounting pressure from top European officials, who warned Ukraine was jeopardising its bid for EU membership. The law was reversed days ago in the Ukrainian parliament and on Saturday, Mr Zelensky announced on Saturday that the agencies had arrested an MP in his ruling party and the head of a local district administration. 'It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law passed on Thursday guarantees them all the tools necessary for a real fight against corruption,' the Ukrainian president said in a statement posted on X, along with pictures of him meeting with the heads of the agencies. '[Nabu] Director Semen Kryvonos and Head of the [Sapo] Oleksandr Klymenko delivered a report,' he wrote. 'A Ukrainian MP, along with heads of district and city administrations and several National Guard service members, were exposed for bribery. I am grateful to the anti-corruption agencies for their work.' 'There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork in uncovering it, and ultimately, a fair sentence.' In a statement published by both agencies, Nabu and Sapo also said they had caught a sitting lawmaker, two local officials and an unspecified number of national guard personnel taking bribes. 'Today, a number of operations were carried out to expose individuals involved in committing a corruption-related crime. The essence of the scheme was to conclude state contracts with supplier companies at deliberately inflated prices,' it said, adding that the offenders had received kickbacks of up to 30 per cent of a contract's cost. Four people had been arrested. A spokesperson for the Nabu agency added that the operation was 'made possible' by the bill which Mr Zelensky signed into law earlier this week, reversing the previous contentious bill. 'This operation is an example of how institutional support and high-level teamwork contribute to real change. We thank the President of Ukraine for supporting the independent anti-corruption infrastructure.' One of the individuals detained was Oleksiy Kuznetsov, an MP from Mr Zelensky's ruling Servant of the People party, the Financial Times reported. Serhiy Haidai, head of the Mukachevo district, was reportedly also arrested. Allies warned Zelensky Mr Zelensky and Andriy Yermak, his powerful chief of staff, had claimed last week that they had rushed through the original bill to counter Russian interference within the corruption agencies. However, critics alleged the step had been designed to protect his political allies from prosecution. Kyiv's western allies, including France, warned the Ukrainian president against following through with the reforms. MPs on Thursday voted 331 to 0 in favour of the new bill in Kyiv's 450-seat legislature to restore their political independence. That was not before two MPs descended into a public brawl in the chamber before others broke up the tussle. Eradicating graft and shoring up the rule of law are key requirements for Kyiv to join the EU, which Ukrainians see as critical to their future as they fend off a Russian invasion. Around 70 MPs from Mr Zelensky's ruling party had expressed doubt over the fresh bill over fears of 'revenge' from the anti-corruption agencies. Zelensky's ruling party had expressed doubt over the fresh bill over fears of 'revenge' from the anti-corruption agencies.
