National Focus 295: Stories from Scotland

Russian Spy Ship Nears Scottish Waters

During a speech in London on 19 November, UK Defence Secretary John Healey announced that a Russian Spy ship had entered British waters and directed lasers at military pilots. He claimed that the Yatar spy ship was designed for “gathering intelligence and mapping Britain’s undersea cables,” and was currently on the edge of British Waters, north of Scotland. This was the second time the ship had entered UK waters this year. Healey announced that a Royal Air Force Poseidon-8 military plane had been deployed to “track this vessel’s every move,” but that the pilots were targeted by lasers. Healey called the Russian government’s actions “deeply dangerous,” and addressed President Vladimir Putin directly: “We see you, we know what you’re doing, and if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready.”

Scottish Government Seeks Major Changes to Prostitution Bill

Though the Scottish Government “strongly supports” illegalising prostitution, concerns have been raised over a bill being considered at Holyrood. Independent MSP Ash Regan’s proposed bill seeks to “create an offence of paying for sexual acts,” according to the Scottish Parliament’s official website. Regan believes that this bill will help to address the issue of violence against sex workers. However, members of the Scotland for Decrim — a grassroots campaign group fighting for the full decriminalisation of sex work in Scotland — protested outside Holyrood earlier this week, arguing that criminalising the act of buying sex makes it more difficult for sex workers to work safely, without decreasing the demand for such services. Ministers have declared that they would like to see "substantial amendments" to Regan’s legislation, making it unlikely for the bill to pass before parliament breaks for next year's election.

Scotland’s National Book Award Winners Announced

The winners of this year’s Saltires, Scotland’s National Book Awards, were announced on 19 November at a ceremony in Edinburgh. Among the winners were English author Kate Atkinson, presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by fellow writer Sir Ian Rankin. Atkinson, who has published thirteen novels, most recently having released Death at the Sign of the Rook, said: “Receiving the Saltire Lifetime Achievement Award is a tremendous honour, and I am so thankful to the judges for this recognition. It’s a pleasure to be recognised alongside so many gifted writers.” Other winners included Sean Lusk, who won Scotland’s Fiction Book of the Year for his novel A Woman Of Opinion, and Sarah Moss, awarded Scotland’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year for My Good Bright Wolf.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons