
John Swinney must get spending right after funding boost
There is no shortage of options for the Scottish Government when it comes to spending the extra £5.8billion it will receive in funding by the end of the decade.
The recent UK spending review by Rachel Reeves saw a commitment by the UK Government to investment even more in the NHS across England.
That means in turn a cash boost for Holyrood thanks to the Barnett Formula, the long-standing mechanism used to calculate funding for the devolved administrations.
While there is huge pressure on the public finances, it's worth repeating that overall spending is rising and not being cut by the Labour government.
Keir Starmer has endured a difficult first year in power but he cannot be accused of bringing back austerity.
Politicians in Holyrood and Westminster face extremely difficult decisions on where public money should be spent.
SNP ministers have awarded record investment in the NHS but other parts of public life are struggling.
The Record reports today on the grim conditions many police officers currently work in, with some police stations falling apart due to slashed maintenance budgets.
But Scots see the impact of cut-backs to council budgets every time they leave the house. Roads are filled with ever-deepening pot holes, while many pavements are cracked and uncared for.
And £5.8billion is a lot of money but it's not a magic wand. Not everything can be fixed in a flash.
But making sensible spending decisions is something John Swinney and his government must get right.
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Light in darkness
The terrible scenes of death and destruction in Gaza have shocked the world.
From the appalling Hamas-led October 7 massacre to the daily death toll of Palestinians, it has been the darkest time in the decades-long dispute.
In such an intractable conflict, amid a horrific loss of life, with distrust and loathing on both sides, it is hard to have hope at all of any kind of resolution.
If any progress is to be made, however, it is clear it can only be when the killing stops.
A ceasefire is the first step but it can only be achieved if all parties are willing to talk.
It is welcome, therefore, that Israel has finally decided to send a delegation to Qatar to discuss a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
US president Donald Trump is also due to meet Israeli PM Benjamin
Netanyahu today.
Hopefully, these are significant steps on the road to peace.
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The Guardian
32 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Indirect talks over Gaza ceasefire continue as Netanyahu arrives in Washington
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas over a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza continued for a second day on Monday, hours before a meeting in Washington between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. Avi Dichter, an Israeli minister and member of Netanyahu's security cabinet, said he expected Trump's meeting with the Israeli prime minister would go beyond Gaza to include the possibility of normalising ties with Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia – an ambitious project that is central to the US president's policy in the Middle East. 'I think it will first of all be focused on a term we have often used but now has real meaning; a new Middle East,' Dichter told Israel's public broadcaster Kan on Monday. Trump has increased pressure for a deal in Gaza in recent weeks and raised the possibility that a ceasefire could be declared in a matter of hours or days. Before departing for Washington on Sunday evening, Netanyahu said he was confident a deal could be achieved and that Israeli negotiators had been given clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire – but only with conditions that Israel has already agreed. Sources in the prime minister's entourage described the talks in Doha as positive, according to Israel's military radio station and an Israeli official quoted by Reuters. Palestinian officials were more downbeat and said initial meetings on Sunday had ended inconclusively. The current proposal envisages a phased release of about 50 hostages held by Hamas during an initial 60-day ceasefire, as well as the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza, a surge of humanitarian aid and discussions on a definitive end to the 21-monthconflict. In March, a previous ceasefire collapsed when Israel reneged on a promise to engage in negotiations that would have led to a second scheduled phase of the existing truce and possibly a permanent cessation of hostilities. Hamas officials have now demanded strong guarantees that Israel will not launch a new offensive after the 60 days is over. The militant Islamist organisation also wants the UN and other international organisations to control deliveries of humanitarian aid in Gaza, and bar the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive US and Israel-backed private organisation that started distributing aid in Gaza in May and has been mired in controversy. A further point of dispute is Hamas's demand for Israel's military to pull back much further than proposed in negotiations. The Israeli military now hold about two-thirds of Gaza, including key strategic corridors as well as a swath of the southern part of the territory that has been razed flat and which Israel is reluctant to give up. 'Hamas are eager for a ceasefire, there is no doubt at all … but they have their red lines too. Here in Israel, we have had an experiment with the idea that more and more pressure on Hamas means they will [eventually] give up. Well, how much more pressure can you imagine?,' said Michael Milstein, a Hamas expert and the head of the Palestinian studies forum at Tel Aviv University. But Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, is under immense pressure, having suffered significant casualties in the conflict and the loss of much of its authority in the devastated territory. The organisation has also been undermined by the recent military success of Israel against Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militia and political movement that was a key ally, and against Iran, a major supporter overseas, in a short war in June that was brought to an end when the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities and then imposed a ceasefire. 'Hamas know they badly need a pause to regroup and take a breath … but they want to survive in the long run. That's the only real goal … so they are not going to give up everything,' said one source close to Hamas familiar with the current negotiations. This is why Hamas is refusing two key demands of Israel that are not included in the draft ceasefire proposal, giving up its weapons and sending its Gaza-based leadership into exile, the source said. Hamas's losses are contested. Israel has said it has killed more than 20,000 militants in Gaza, but offered no evidence to support the claim. There is little doubt that most of the senior leaders of the group in the territory at the beginning of the war are now dead. Gaza's ministry of health has counted more than 57,000 killed by the Israeli offensive there, mostly civilians. The UN and western governments consider the tally to be reliable. The offensive has plunged Gaza into an acute humanitarian crisis, with much of the 2.3 million population threatened by famine, and reduced much of the territory to rubble. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 12 people on Monday, including six in a clinic housing displaced Palestinians. 'We were surprised by missiles and explosions inside the building,' Salman Qudum, an eyewitness, told AFP. In the south of the territory, Mahmoud Bassal, a civil defence spokesperson, said two people were killed and 20 others injured by Israeli forces' gunfire while waiting for aid near a distribution site run by the GHF. Hundreds have been killed in recent weeks seeking food from the organisation's distribution points, from UN convoys and from looted aid trucks. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reports of casualties. In a separate statement, it said it had struck 'dozens of terrorists, weapons depots, observation posts, military buildings and other terror infrastructures' over the past 24 hours. The war was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October 2023 in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 250. Of the hostages, 50 remain in Gaza, of whom less than half are thought to be alive. Some of Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners oppose any end to the fighting. But, with Israelis having become increasingly weary of the war and the military supporting a ceasefire so that remaining hostages can be returned, his government is expected to back a ceasefire.


STV News
36 minutes ago
- STV News
Warning to 'crypto bros' as new measures introduced to crack down on tax evaders
The UK tax collector has announced new measures to crack down on 'crypto bros' involved in tax avoidance. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) says cryptocurrency owners who aren't paying their fair share of tax risk a £300 fine as new measures were outlined. From January, people who own crypto – like Bitcoin, Ethereum or Dogecoin – must give personal details to every crypto service provider they use to make sure they are paying the right tax. Once data is received from service providers, HMRC will be able to identify those who haven't been correctly paying tax on their crypto profits. The Government says this will bring in around £315m by April 2030 and help pay for frontline nurses, police, and teachers. Service providers will begin collecting data on users' activities from January 2026. HMRC could also charge any service provider that fails to report this information or submits inaccurate or incomplete reports a penalty of up to £300 per user. The new rules mean crypto service providers must collect and report: Names, addresses, and dates of birth Tax residence National Insurance number or tax reference A summary of crypto transactions James Murray MP, Exchequer secretary to the Treasury, said: 'We're going further and faster to crack down on tax dodgers as we close the tax gap and deliver on our Plan for Change. 'By ensuring everyone pays their fair share, the new crypto reporting rules will make sure tax dodgers have nowhere to hide, helping raise the revenue needed to fund our nurses, police and other vital public services.' Jonathan Athow, HMRC's director general for customer strategy and tax design, said: 'Importantly, this isn't a new tax – if you make a profit when you sell, swap or transfer your crypto, tax may already be due. 'These new reporting requirements will give us the information to help people get their tax affairs right. 'I urge all cryptoasset users to check the details you will need to give your provider. Taking action now and having this information to hand will help you avoid penalties in the future.' The new rules – known as the Cryptoasset Reporting Framework – will help HMRC identify those who need to pay tax on their crypto transactions. They will also bring the UK into line with the international standard developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), enabling tax authorities to share information across participating countries. Crypto users should already include any crypto gains or income in their self-assessment tax returns. HMRC has introduced new dedicated sections to the capital gain pages to be completed from the 2024 to 2025 tax year. Capital Gains Tax may be due when selling or exchanging crypto, while Income Tax and National Insurance could apply to crypto received from employment, mining, staking or lending activities. Anyone unsure about their tax obligations can check if they need to pay tax when they receive or sell crypto on They can also tell HMRC about unpaid tax on crypto using the cryptoasset disclosure service. 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

Western Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
‘Discussions continue' over US steel tariffs deal ahead of deadline, says No 10
The US president has said he plans to start implementing tariffs on the US's trade partners on July 9. The UK has already managed to negotiate a deal with the US which eliminates the threat of tariffs to British car and aeroplane manufacturers. Our work with the US continues to get this deal implemented as soon as possible No 10 spokesman But a reprieve for the steel industry is yet to be finalised, leaving open the threat that the current 25% tariff rate could rise to 50% after the July 9 deadline. Mr Trump is reportedly stepping up pressure on countries who could soon be subject to the tariffs, urging them to negotiate trade deals with the US. But amid signs of confusion within the US administration, trade secretary Howard Lutnick has suggested America's trade partners will see the levies begin on August 9, after receiving a letter outlining them on July 9. Asked if the Government was confident a deal would be reached on UK steel, a No 10 spokesman said: 'Our work with the US continues to get this deal implemented as soon as possible. We have very close engagement with the US, and the US has been clear that it wants to keep talking to us to get the best deal for businesses and consumers on both sides No 10 spokesman 'That will remove the 25% tariff on UK steel and aluminium, making us the only country in the world to have tariffs removed on these products. 'The US agreed to remove tariffs on these products as part of our agreement on May 8. It reiterated that again at the G7 last month. The discussions continue, and will continue to do so.' Pressed again whether ministers were confident British producers would not be hit by the 50% tariff, the Downing Street spokesman said: 'As I say, discussions continue. 'We have very close engagement with the US, and the US has been clear that it wants to keep talking to us to get the best deal for businesses and consumers on both sides.'