Stafford McDowall has been named in Gregor Townsend's 15 for Saturday's game with Italy at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.

Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, Cample Line, Glenkens Community and Arts Trust, The Sove Network and Wigtown Festival Company will receive the funding over the next three years.

Hundreds of properties in southern Scotland are still without power five days after Storm Eowyn battered the region. SP Energy Networks has confirmed that 303 properties in Dumfries and Galloway are without electricity and a handful in the Scottish Borders.

An accident has closed a major Dumfries and Galloway road at rush hour. The Dumfries bypass section of the A75 has been shut by police between the Cuckoo Bridge and Dalscone roundabouts. Traffic is already queuing in the area and motorists are advised to avoid the area, with emergency services on the scene.

The banking giant behind Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland has revealed plans to shut 136 branches by next March. | ITV News Border

SCOTS are bracing for snow and ice as the country is slapped with a fresh weather warning. The latest yellow alert comes days after Storm Eowyn, with hundreds of people left without power for a

Castle Kennedy near Stranraer makes a special map of visitor attractions beholden with legends, myths and dark secrets produced by the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Home Show and Andy The Highlander.

A historic fair in the south of Scotland has been put at the top of a "red list" of endangered events due to fears it will be moved from its traditional location by a flood prevention project. Dumfries hosts two fairs - in March and September each year - in the Whitesands area and has done so for centuries.

Wind speeds topped 100mph as buildings were damaged, trees felled, roads closed, drivers injured and schools and supermarkets closed.

The Met Office issued a red weather warning for Friday as very strong winds are expected to disrupt the country.

Fewer than 2,000 online surveys have been completed so far on plans for a new national park in Scotland, according to the body in charge of

All trains across Scotland will be suspended, hundreds of schools will close and police have warned people not to travel in the areas affected by a rare red “danger to life” high wind weather warning issued for parts of the country on Friday.