Good morning, Welcome to your midweek daily newsletter from The Scotsman. Businesses in Scotland are struggling at the moment as the pandemic has forced closures and taken a huge bite out of the economy. Our industry is no different. If you value and enjoy what we do you can support our journalism, gain unlimited access to all our stories, get 70% fewer on-site ads and much more from with a digital subscription. Try us out today, you can cancel anytime and for four more days we're offering 21% off. ‘Beast from the East 2’ Do you remember the blizzard like conditions of the so-called Beast from the East in 2018? Well now Scots are preparing for a fresh round of heavy snow and ice in coming days, as forecasters warn of a second “Beast from the East” storm next week. Ground temperatures across much of the country are expected to hover just above freezing on Wednesday and Thursday, providing the necessary conditions for heavy snowfall. Here's what to expect over the next few days. Royal family member faces prison sentence over violent sex assault at castle The Queen's cousin faces being jailed for up to five years after carrying out a violent sex attack inside his ancestral home at Glamis Castle. The Royal forced his way into a sleeping woman's room and assaulted her during a travel PR weekend he was hosting at the 16,500-acre estate. He then carried out a sustained attack on the 26-year-old woman which lasted more than 20 minutes. The multi-millionaire landowner, who walked behind Prince William in The Queen Mother's funeral cortege, stood with his head bowed as the charge was read to him. Read what happened in court and the statements made here. £6 billion Forth rail tunnel between Kirkcaldy and Leith proposed Plans for a nine-mile “game changer” tunnel under the Forth have been announced by the Scottish Greens as part of a £22 billion scheme to transform the country’s rail network. The Greens said the project, estimated to cost £4-6bn, would cut journey times by 25 minutes to bring Dundee within an hour of Edinburgh. What do you think of the proposals? Read more about the plans here. 'Does Nicola Sturgeon have something to hide?' In today's opinion section Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton asks if Nicola Sturgeon has anything to hide after her refusal to to have her account in the Alex Salmond inquiry tested by investigators. Mr Cole-Hamilton writes: "If I had been falsely accused of lying to parliament and I knew that I was on safe ground, I’d bite your hand off for the opportunity to be officially exonerated in a quasi-judicial process." He adds: "I find the refusal of Nicola Sturgeon to take that opportunity utterly baffling. Without that exoneration, doubts about her account will fester and grow. It will feed the growing civil war within the party of government." Read the full column and have your say here. Thanks for reading, more headlines for you to read can be found below. Stay safe, Sam Shedden |