Scotland's papers: Hospital funding row and Epstein's prison death
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The ongoing row over the delayed opening of a new hospital for sick children in Edinburgh continues to make headlines in the Scottish papers. Scotland on Sunday brands the way the hospital has been financed a "fiasco". It says some experts have likened it to other private financing models that are "inextricably linked to problems which have plagued Scotland's infrastructure projects in recent years".
The Herald on Sunday also focuses on the sick kids' hospital, with claims that there is no guarantee that the £150m facility will be open by the end of next year. Scotland's Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has said she could not commit to an opening date until she has seen the full results of reviews she ordered into the hospital's problems last month.
The Sunday Express leads with the death of US financier Jeffrey Epstein. who was found dead in his prison cell on Saturday. He had been awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The paper calls him "Prince's pal", referring to Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who socialised with Epstein in the past.
The Scottish Sun on Sunday also focuses on the death of the disgraced billionaire. It says the ex-banker was reportedly found hanged just days after being taken off suicide watch.
The Sunday Mail has a harrowing interview with a former Strathclyde University student who was abused by one of his lecturers. Professor Kevin O'Gorman was convicted of sexual assaults on young male students at Strathclyde and Heriot-Watt universities last week. The man tells the Sunday Mail that he believes his former university failed to save victims by not getting the police involved earlier.
The Sunday Post reports that the iconic Glasgow School of Art has been hit by a staff "exodus" since the building was devastated by a second fire. The paper says 40 staff have quit in the wake of the blaze, while another 30 have been made redundant. Investigations continue into last year's fire, which also affected the nearby the Campus nightclub and O2 ABC music venue.
The Sunday National says momentum behind an indyref2 vote is building, following a poll which suggested 52% of people in Scotland now back independence. The paper claims the Scottish Conservatives and Labour are in crisis and unable to deal with growing divisions within their parties. Last week, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard was forced to insist that his party would not agree to a second independence referendum despite shadow chancellor John McDonnell insisting the decision would rest with the Scottish parliament.
The Scottish Mail on Sunday carries a picture of Prince Andrew with Jeffrey Epstein before he was jailed. But it leads with billionaire shipyard owner Jim McColl insisting the Scottish government has threatened the future of Scotland's last commercial yard. The beleaguered Ferguson shipyard on the Clyde is due to enter administration following a long-running dispute between Mr McColl and the government over a contract to build two ferries.
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