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TODAY’S INSTALMENT (21 February) of the the CommonSpace daily news roundup includes: NHS England to be decimated in new restructuring, Scottish Parliament to make history by setting independent income tax rate and the Mexican border fake news.
News: NHS England to be decimated in new restructuring
Plans for cuts in two thirds of local NHS services
Two thirds of local NHS organisations plan swingeing cuts in coming years, including the closure of many hospitals and specialist facilities. The plans come after the British Red Cross announced a humanitarian emergency.
Politics: Scottish Parliament to make history by setting independent income tax rate
SNP and Green deal will see basic rate of tax remain the same
The Scottish Parliament will vote today to reduce the threshold for people paying the 40p rate of tax from £45,000 to £43,000 per year, creating a disparity in income tax regimes between Scotland and the rest of the UK for the first time.
Sport: Badminton Scotland pleads for aid after UK Government funding cuts
Anne Smillie warns Olympic prospects for the sport could be squandered
The chief of Badminton Scotland, Anne Smillie, has pleaded for government intervention after government cuts that threaten its prospects in the forthcoming Olympics in Japan.
Culture: Philip Pullman to return to moral and political question in era of Trump
Follow-up to His Dark Materials children’s books series to interrogate nature of totalitarianism
Philip Pullman’s follow-up to his genre redefining children’s fantasy series His Dark Materials will continue to deal in relevant political and philosophical themes. Writing on his website, Pullman, who is an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, has said his new work will focus on the conflict between free expression and “totalitarianism”.
Weather: Warm and wet
Highs of 12 degrees
Weather remains warm and wet across Scotland, with highs of 12 degrees in the South and East of the country and some outbreaks of sun in the East.
And another thing: Mexican border FAKE NEWS
Two Texans gun each other down and blame immigration
Two Texan hunters have been found to have shot each other by accident. The two had originally claimed that they had been shot by Mexican immigrants.
Pictures courtesy of Michal Janček, Hamish Irvine, Brennan Mercado, The Spider Hill, Catherine Singleton, Nathan Cullitan
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