Schools, nurseries and community centres across the Capital were closed yesterday as thousands of council workers went out on strike. Eleventh-hour talks between council chiefs and union leaders over plans for swingeing service cuts and possible redundancies broke down.

Glasgow is set to host the first Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film festival, in celebration of World Mental Health Day. With one in four people experiencing a mental health trouble at some point in their life, it’s a ripe area for exploration.

When eight-year-old Nicola King learned her mother had multiple sclerosis, she had to grow up quickly and became one of Scotland’s youngest carers. Mum Agnes’ MS soon left her severely disabled and relying on her daughter for personal care and household chores.

An investigation is under way after a fire devastated an empty B-listed mansion in Bearsden. Around 50 firefighters spent hours fighting the blaze in Roman Road from 9.30pm on Monday night.

The head of Scotland’s crimefighting agency and one of the country’s most influential police officers is to retire later this year.

The conviction of two men over the murder of Robert Gardner comes as Scotland continues its battle with rising rates of alcohol-fuelled violence.

The number of attacks on firefighters in Tayside has more than halved in the past six years. Tayside Fire and Rescue said working with children as young as five had led to the reduction.

A growing number of assault victims in Scotland are failing to claim compensation from the government, with pay-outs dropping by £4 million in recent years.

A man serving a six-and-a-half-year jail term for being a major figure in a cocaine-trafficking scheme was stripped of more than £167,000 yesterday.

Council services across Edinburgh are set to grind to a halt after workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of a one-day strike. The industrial action is set to take place on Thursday, and union leaders said it will affect services “right across the board”.