Here are the stories making the headlines today.
Macduff fish market nets new future
Macduff fish market could see its fortunes revived thanks to the internet.
The Press & Journal reports that plans for an "e-fish" market, with orders placed online, have been discussed in the wake of a feasibility study.
The idea is part of plans for white-fish sales discussed at a meeting of Macduff harbour’s advisory committee.
The town’s fish market dwindled in the 1990s, partly because of quota restrictions and the fisheries office closing.
Growing demand for line-caught fish and squid, and the ubiquity of online auctions have now spurred hopes the Aberdeenshire Council-run harbour may fill a gap in the market.
Sue Gray report ‘so damning Boris Johnson will have to quit’
A Whitehall report into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street is so damning that senior officials believe it could leave Boris Johnson with no choice but to resign as prime minister, The Times reports.
The report by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant, is understood to be highly critical of Johnson both for attending some of the events and the culture in No 10 under his leadership.
The report has been put on hold until Scotland Yard has completed its own investigations, but a senior official familiar with its contents said the findings are “damning” for Johnson.
“Sue’s report is excoriating. It will make things incredibly difficult for the prime minister,” the official said. “There’s an immense amount of pressure on her — her report could be enough to end him. No official has ever been in a position like this before.”
Lawyers boycott domestic abuse cases in legal aid dispute
Defence lawyers across Scotland are to boycott hundreds of cases brought under ground-breaking legislation against domestic abuse.
The move marks an escalation in their long-running dispute with the Scottish government over legal aid fees, according to the BBC.
Campaigners have warned that delays caused by the boycott could be "very dangerous" for victims - but government ministers say they cannot afford the profession's demands for an across-the-board 50% rise in fees.
Legal aid fees were increased by 3% in 2019, 5% in 2021 and 5% on 1 April this year. An offer of an additional 7.5% increase for criminal legal aid and 5% for civil legal aid was rejected last week. The Law Society of Scotland says the increases have been swallowed up by inflation and don't go far enough.
Former minister wants ScotWind funds to protect Scotland form 'green lairds'
A former government minister has called on the SNP to use a recent £700million windfall to buy-up land across Scotland to protect it from the new “green lairds”.
Peter Peacock also wants a Holyrood inquiry amid claims the super-rich are being handed a “licence to print money” through tax breaks and subsidies on offer to cut carbon emissions.
He told the Press & Journal he fears these incentives are supporting a “dark market” of secret land deals at eye-watering prices, as businesses seek to greenwash their operations.
The former Labour education minister said the Scottish Government could ensure communities benefit from their local land by using the £700million windfall raised during the recent ScotWind seabed sell-off to purchase estates across the nation.
Gove poised to approve new coal mine
Britain’s first new deep mine since the 1980s has moved back on to the agenda as the government seeks way of cutting reliance on Russian coal.
Michael Gove, the housing and communities secretary, is believed to be considering plans to open a colliery in Cumbria to mine coking coal for the steel industry.
According to The Sunday Telegraph, Gove’s decision will hinge on recommendations that have ben handed to him by the Planning Inspectorate on a £165million proposal to open a colliery near Whitehaven.