Bits and bytes: units of data measurement. One bit is equivalent to a single binary 1 or 0. A byte is 8 bits. A kilobyte (Kb) is 1,024 bytes. A megabyte (Mb) is over a million bytes. And a gigabyte (Gb) is over a billion bytes. Phew. CD-ROM:
PRESIDENT Bill Clinton declared himself an Irish Protestant yesterday and appealed to undecided voters in the North to back the peace agreement in Friday's referendum or face a return to violence. With just 72 hours left to swing wavering Unionists
THE firms on the tour are sold on change, and the hard sell to workforces now begins. Mr Steve Edwards, managing director of United Closures and Plastics in Bridge of Allan, embraced the oft-repeated message from California that tired managerial structures
Two former England managers, Bobby Robson and Terry Venables have warned current leader Glenn Hoddle he can't afford not to take Paul Gascoigne to the World Cup. In an amazing show of support for the former Rangers player, Robson described him
W THERE are two kinds of debt. One is the huge debt from the Third World to the banks, and at last individuals, churches, and other organisations demand cancelling them by the year 2000 at the latest and learning the lesson that money without sensitive
You can cover the 5kms in any way you like, writes Marian Pallister. You can walk, skip, jump, or, of course, run the distance, and no-one will be caring much about times. The Race for Life is taking place at 50 UK venues this summer, and the Imperial
EXCLUSIVE THEY often stand accused of a life of privilege, but it was revealed yesterday that pupils at Scotland's top fee-paying schools don't have a ball. Independent schools are at war with a promoter organising what he describes as Scotland
Exclusive Norwegian World Cup coach Egil Olsen has become the prime target for Celtic as they attempt to bring in a new man to run the team following last week's departure of the Dutchman Wim Jansen. Olsen, who will take his team into action against
A teenager who collapsed and died while on holiday on Corfu may have been left with surgical material inside her for seven years following an operation, it emerged yesterday. Karen Murray, 19, died on the way to hospital after collapsing with severe
Former high society cat burglar Peter Scott was yesterday jailed for three and a half years for his role in a sophisticated plot to sell a stolen #750,000 Picasso. Scott, 67, who had netted an estimated #30m since the 1950s, was supposed to have &apos
Republic of Ireland Under-21........................3 Scotland Under-21.......................................0 SCOTLAND's Under-21 side slumped to a 3-0 defeat in the opening match of a triangular tournament at Ballybofey, Co Donegal, yesterday
TRAINER Alan Bailey, who landed a touch in the Chester Cup recently, pulled off another gamble at Musselburgh last night. The Tarporley trainer took the Chester feature with Silence in Court, and now it was the turn of Kolby in the Midlothian courses
SLUMPING Asian bourses, a wobbly start on Wall Street as well as worries over the direction of global interest rates and a dispute between the US Government and computer giant Microsoft combined to rattle the City yesterday. ''There are lots
Sir John Hall has spent the best part of #100m trying to bring a trophy back to Newcastle over the past seven years. Yesterday afternoon, just hours after the heartache of losing the FA Cup final, he finally wrapped his hands around some serious silverware
The Unigate food and transport group yesterday confirmed that it had been in talks with Hillsdown and had been prepared to offer shareholders just over #1500m subject to a recommended offer from the conglomerate's board. However, as that was not
Scottish IT employment should receive a boost from a new national plan for technology companies being launched tonight. Its pilot project in Edinburgh has already led to investment in two Scottish software companies and it has now raised nearly #1m to
Actor Jimmy Yuill, sacked in his sick-bed from the Sunday night hit ITV detective thriller Wycliffe, has been overwhelmed with messages of support from his many theatrical colleagues and friends and, most notably, from his home town in Golspie, Sutherland
Ministers are to undergo compulsory training in dealing with child abuse, it was announced yesterday. The assembly supported an investment of #60,000 for ministers to attend an in-service training day on the protection of children and young people in
THE logic behind the tour was simple: the world is changing so rapidly that Scottish companies must react now if they are to compete in a few years' time. It is, of course, more complex than that - the so-called ''knowledge age'&apos
Lord Cudlipp OBE, journalist; born August 28, 1913, died May 17, 1998 Lord Cudlipp of Aldingbourne, the former chairman of IPC, now Mirror Newspapers, was a fearless, fiery and outspoken newspaperman - probably the most effective and influential journalist
THE parents of ecstasy victim Leah Betts yesterday shared their heartbreak with schoolchildren in West Dunbartonshire and pleaded with the youngsters not to throw away their lives by trying drugs. At the first of a series of anti-drug seminars the couple
A CALL for a ballot for industrial action will be made in Aberdeen next week in a bid to win back the job of social worker Bryan Low, who was supervising convicted paedophile Steven Leisk when he murdered nine-year-old Scott Simpson. Mr Low, 43, was
The finance Ministers of the G8 - the world's seven leading developed countries plus Russia - which met in Birmingham last weekend has established special committees to monitor and report on the impact of electronic commerce. Ministers from the
COMMENT THE only songs which are usually heard at the General Assembly are metrical psalms. This week I cannot help but hum alternatives. ''They sent him homeward, to think again,'' must surely be ringing in the ears of the Mullah
AS research-to-commercialisation support network Connect rolls out nationwide today, director Ian McDonald has set his sights on more than doubling investment into Scotland's small high-technology enterprises over the next three years. The initiative
qA five-year-old boy died of asphyxiation through drowning on the first day of a family holiday in Cyprus, Cypriot state pathologist Eleni Antoniou confirmed yesterday. Max Baker, from Sudbury, Suffolk, died in a crowded Paphos swimming pool on Sunday
SCOTTISH actress Daniela Nardini was named best actress at the Bafta television awards last night for her hard-nosed character in the cult drama This Life, writes Craig Watson. However, actor Robert Carlyle, who was nominated for Hamish Macbeth, was
n THERE'S only one man who could fight a giant crimson blancmange and still come out of the fray looking cool. The 1958 sci-fi farrago The Blob would surely constitute a wobbly vehicle for any aspiring actor, but Steve McQueen not only survived,
MEDIA group Pearson, owner of the Financial Times, Penguin books, Tussauds and Pearson TV, beat off the opposition to clinch a net #2200m deal to buy the bulk of publisher Simon & Schuster from US entertainment group Viacom. The whole transaction, which
Greater Glasgow health Board will be asked today to reconsider its plans to close 30 of the 60 elderly-care beds at Lenzie Hospital. The plea will come from the local health council, which will argue that there is insufficient evidence of any needs assessment
A group of people living in a village on the shores of Loch Ness yesterday became partners in running a woodland set among spectacular scenery. The group from Drumnadrochit officially signed a deal to help the Government's Forest Enterprise manage
THE most pressing question the 200 million people of Indonesia face is whether President Suharto will pack his bags and go after 32 years of autocratic rule or whether he will have to be driven from office. There is no way forward politically, economically
Patrick O'Neill, OBE, JP, provost; born Dumbarton, May 3, 1928, died Dumbarton, May 15, 1998 PROVOST Patrick O'Neill, universally known as Pat, was one of life's gentlemen. His unfailing courtesy and kindness to those whom he served as
A senior food protection officer yesterday urged the E-coli inquiry to consider sweeping changes in food laws in the wake of the epidemic that killed 21 people. Local councils should be exempt from compensation claims if, in good faith, they used their
The future of Justin Rose, regarded by some experts as the finest golfing prospect to emerge from this country in many years, could be settled after the Amateur Championship at Muirfield and Gullane next month. The 17-year-old from Hampshire, who out-scored
Calum MacDonald MP, Minister for built heritage at The Scottish Office, officially launched a database and web site which provides access to the nation's antiquities, maritime data, plans, surveys and an index to corresponding photographs over the
A 90-year-old woman was recovering last night after being wakened by an intruder in her bedroom. The victim, who is not being named, was alone in her home at Caledonia Road, Ardrossan, and wakened about 3am yesterday to find a youth standing at the foot
MILK producers in Scotland are beginning to recognise the need for greater influence over the processing and marketing side of the dairy industry to secure a fair return for their efforts. Tom Thomson, the convener of the National Farmers' Union
FIRST Glasgow, formerly Strathclyde Buses, yesterday joined forces with Radio Clyde in a partnership in which bus drivers will relay traffic information direct to the radio station to help expand its travel bulletins. The company claimed it was the first
A COURT heard how golfers ran from a course after a farmer armed himself with a gun and made for his wife and two sons who were playing in a tournament. Ian Parker was given 300 hours community service at Stranraer Sheriff Court after admitting breach
FIRST, it might be best to suggest that any Hibernian fan who has meandered on to this column had better stop at this point. The next bits will not be much fun. None the less, those were exciting pictures of Hearts parading through the elegant streets
ROBIN Cook came out fighting in the arms-to-Africa affair yesterday in a bid finally to kill off suspicions that the Foreign Office had turned a blind eye to sanctions-busting. The Foreign Secretary revealed that his officials had specifically warned
the chairman of the Scottish Tourist Board has warned Scots that to alienate the English with the advent of a separate Parliament would amount to economic suicide, writes David Steele. Lord Gordon of Strathblane said he was making no political point
TOBACCO and financial services group BAT Industries is looking for annual savings of at least #247m in the third year of its financial services business BAFS, which includes household names Eagle Star and Allied Dunbar, with Swiss company Zurich Insurance
It is often said that the adverts on television are better than the actual programmes. If this is so, surely the somewhat over-the-top adverts for ''feminine hygiene'' products rank pretty high up on the entertainment scale. You may
An MP yesterday called for a special Government investigation into the ownership of Knoydart estate. Mr David Stewart, Labour MP for Inverness East, Nairn, and Lochaber, said he had asked Lord Sewel if the Land Reform Group could carry out a special
solicitors may soon be employed specifically to give emergency help to the victims of domestic violence - a suggestion greeted warily by women's groups. The proposal, mooted as one of four areas of particular concern, was announced by Home Affairs
THERE is a growing trend towards giving young people their own space when it comes to health. The issues of embarrassment, empathy, and confidentiality are constantly raised when young people talk about the difficulties they face in getting the kind
FEAR is coursing through Kosovo as never before. Down the hill come a group of 16 Albanian women and children, in flight - literally running. Jumping out of the car we wave our arms shouting at them to stop. The women back off, terrified, pulling their
RICHARD Casasola and his wife Leslie Colvin had been taking riding lessons for two or three years from Fiona McQueen, in Berwickshire, when she suggested they might enjoy the Borders Common Ridings. ''So we did the Peebles ride,''
NORMAN Tebbit's career advice in the 80s may not have been as widely off the mark as many of us first thought. Cycle courier Al Pollock is a case in point. ''At school in Ayr I did not have a clue what I wanted to do but I was very interested
HAT do the events in Indonesia, the G8 summit, Lite-on, the Multilateral Agreement on Investment, and New Labour's welfare reforms have in common? The answer is that in their different ways all of them are an indictment of global free-marketeering
A young man, whose body was found in a ditch near Dumfries, may have been a hitch-hiker. Police believe he travelled from Northern Ireland to Stranraer on April 25 and probably thumbed a lift on the A75 Stranraer to Gretna road. His body was discovered
DEFENDING champion Alison Rose is favourite to retain the Scottish women's amateur championship at North Berwick this week. Rose has been reunited with Welsh caddie Ernie Bell. ''The last time Ernie caddied for me, I won the British Open
Thursday is now decision day in the Falkirk takeover. With present owner George Fulston having signed the documents a local business consortium should now get the green light. Manager Alex Totten said: ''The indications are that the issue
THE articles on our universities (May 13 and 14) give much food for thought. The contrast between Der Spiegel's view of Britain's universities as the best in Europe (Top marks for the Tories, by Michael Fry) and the poor examination standards
Disks for the decade The Complete National Geographic 1970s Decade Set Publisher: Mindscape 0171 794 2302 #29.99 For Win 95/3.1 and Mac Interested in it or not, the National Geographic Magazine has touched most of our lives somewhere along the way
MARKET support mechanisms for the sheepmeat sector are encouraging the ''empty ewe'' syndrome and causing the loss of market opportunities at home and abroad, according to meat wholesalers. They claim that with recent market conditions
IF you want to stay abreast of one of Cardiff's hottest young theatre companies, the best place to do it is not South Wales, but Glasgow. The only place to see Theatr Y Byd's Blue Heron in the Womb in 1998 is the Tron Theatre. Ian Rowland&apos
BRIAN Wilson has only himself to blame for the criticism which is being levelled at his Action Group on Standards over target setting in education. The publicity surrounding this issue has been detrimental to serious attempts to use target setting positively
I FIND no surprise in the fact that sitting Labour MPs are being rejected as potential MSPs (May 14). I believe this is simply the latest manifestation of what New Labour strategists refer to as ''The Project'', that is the subversion
A HUGE clean-up was under way in Perthshire yesterday after 55 tonnes of farmed trout were lost in a poisoning attack. Westmill Trout Farm in Rattray, part of the UK's largest hatchery operation, lost rainbow trout worth around #100,000 after a
THE Government has quarantined 72 fish farms in the Highlands in response to an outbreak of what may turn out to be the deadliest salmon disease ever seen in this country. In addition, the bodies of tens of thousands of fish which have been infected
Mark Fisher talks to James Brining, an artistic director who likes to take risks. JAMES Brining does not strike you as a shy character, but his steps towards the full glare of Scotland's cultural limelight look cautious in the extreme. He'
Astounded, sometimes shocked, but Scottish businessmen, fresh from a tour of Silicon Valley, have returned with a mission - the long hard sell of American company ideals and methods. Chief Reporter Iain Wilson reports THE learning tour for Scottish businessmen
A FOOTBALLER who was yesterday convicted of assault for a second time was fined and warned by a sheriff that if it happened again he could go to prison. Darren Henderson, who plays for Ayr United, was fined #400 at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after he
A mother found guilty of killing her severely handicapped daughter by disconnecting her breathing tube yesterday sobbed as the Court of Appeal quashed her manslaughter conviction. Former psychiatric nurse Julie Watts, 32, was cleared of murder by a Manchester
Kirk takes a gamble on lottery U-turn Raymond Duncan and Lynne Robertson report from the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland THE Church of Scotland last night approved a softening of its hard-line opposition to applying for National Lottery funding
ONCE again Iain Macaskill Smith has written a brilliant but ultimately flawed Herald Essay on the dilemmas of crofting and the need for ''land reform'' (May 16). He is right that non-market solutions to low croft incomes can do
Perhaps the rest of the poem does not quite live up to the evocative first line which seems to imply a magic circle of words as well as their resonance. BRIGHT IS THE RING OF WORDS By Robert Louis Stevenson Bright is the ring of words When the right
Historic Scotland, the Phoenix Trust, and #7.5m lottery funding will help Stanley Mills, on the banks of the Tay, to rise from the ruins again. Picture: LOUIS FLOOD A HISTORIC complex of textile mills on the banks of the Tay in Perthshire will
The Golf Pro featuring Gary Player Publisher: Empire Interactive Tel. 0181 343 9143 #39.99 For Win 95 Take a seat by the first tee on any medal day at your local golf course and you will see a hundred or so different ways to hit a golf ball. Some
As the allergy season reaches fever pitch, Alan MacDermid highlights a move to help sufferers live with their affliction IT'S summertime, and the living is . . . pretty dodgy, if you are one of the 24 million people in the UK suffering from some
A MAN in schmutters called the other day to declare that the jacket is now the most self-regarding item in the wardrobe. But really there is nothing new in this as the vintage footage of Sinatra demonstrates. In countless renditions of One For My Baby
qThe progeny of Dolly, the world's first cloned sheep, has raised fresh ethical questions for the Church of Scotland, a leading churchman claimed yesterday. Presenting the report of the board of national mission, the Rev Sandy Cairns said: &apos
Work has started on a project which could have major implications for every social worker in Scotland. Having just been appointed president of the Association of Directors of Social Work, Mr Peter Cassidy, director of social work for Aberdeen City Council
An accident and emergency doctor dismissed a woman's concern that her brother's face was a terrible grey colour by saying it was due to malnourishment. But less than 36 hours later Robert Sutherland, 33, was dead, a fatal accident inquiry was
SO you're thinking about buying a computer but don't know where to start? I don't blame you. the pace of innovation has created a fear barrier which affects almost everybody who does not work daily with computers. Few of us have the time
GOOD natured Hearts fans were praised yesterday for the cheerful party atmosphere which greeted the team home to Tynecastle on Sunday afternoon. A police spokesman confirmed that, as revealed in The Herald yesterday, 200,000 fans crowded into the city
Japanese car-maker Nissan today threatened to hold back from new investment in the UK because of the strong pound. President of Nissan Europe, Norio Matsumura hinted that the UK economy was making international firms think twice before pumping money
TENSIONS inside the Scottish Labour Party surfaced again yesterday when Mr Michael Connarty, MP for Falkirk East, formally withdrew his bid to become a Member of the Scottish Parliament. Mr Connarty was one of those named by The Herald last week as having
SO THE boys in maroon are the talk of the toun; there is dancing in the streets of Gorgie tonight. Hearts are away with the Scottish Cup. Rangers, at season's end, after a decade of domination, even with bottomless bank accounts and a stable of
HALF-TIME pre-tax profits at Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries were up 8% to a record #20.3m in spite of a poor Easter trading period. The company is looking to boost volume sales by freezing its prices for the rest of the year and hopes to attract new
Despite pressure from all over the globe, including within their own country, the English rugby union went unpunished yesterday for the way they have allowed their clubs to behave. Fran Cotton, the RFU's recently resigned management board vice-chairman
THE share price movements said more about Unigate than Hillsdown yesterday after the dairy group intimated to the market that it thought the conglomerate was worth 207p per share. The drop in Unigate begged the question as to whether investors were wondering
Fraser Cromarty was the surprise leader with a five-under-par 66 at the end of the first round of the Macgregor Scottish assistants championship at Balbirnie Park, Fife yesterday. Scores: 66 - F Cromarty (Inverness). 67 - D Orr (Et Renfrewshire). 69
FEWER than half of 11-year-olds regard themselves as being in good health, according to a new survey carried out in Scottish primary schools. Self-reported illnesses and symptoms at age 11, by both children and parents on their behalf, ran counter to
Mary Brennan welcomes the revival of a dance classic. SSSHH! The moon is just about to rise. Stealing over the rim of the bullring, like a naughty child out to scrump forbidding apples. And yes! After years of waiting, hoping, wishing, a cherished dream
The exclusion of women was ruled offside in the battle of Hawick's Common Riding and the town settled into an uneasy truce - but, as Gerard Seenan discovers, there are still open wounds UNTIL two years ago, Hawick was known for not very much, beyond
POLICE are investigating an incident in which a Glasgow firefighter suffered burns to his face as he opened the door of the stolen car. Police later found two unexploded gas canisters in the back of the vehicle, leading to fears it may have been booby-trapped
THE RAF Chinook helicopter involved in the 1994 Mull of Kintyre crash was not suffering from ''fundamental flaws'' in its design, a committee of MPs said yesterday. The aircraft hit a hillside on the Scottish peninsula in thick fog
EXCLUSIVE LABOUR councillors in Glasgow were last night on collision course with the Roman Catholic and Muslim communities over plans to end the single-sex status of Scotland's only local authority comprehensive school for girls. Members of the
THERE was anger and disappointment in the Highlands and Islands last night at a Government watchdog ruling that motorists in the area ''are not paying over the odds'' despite high fuel costs. The Office of Fair Trading gave petrol
Forget the sweaty gym. The road to wellbeing is in the great outdoors, finds Marian Pallister THE common equation drawn over the past decade is that fitness equals three hourly sessions a week in a steamy aerobics studio or panting it out under the
SHOULD you ever find yourself in Charlotte, North Carolina, then can I recommend you pop into the Canine Cafe, details of which are available at Barbara's Canine Catering site, located at http://www.k9treat.com The cafe has a European style outdoor
intoxication: An Anthology Of Stimulant-Based Writing Edited by Toni Davidson Serpent's Tail, #8.99 THE impetus for this anthology is the special relationship that is said to exist between writers and stimulants. This relationship is neither investigated
Celtic general manager Jock Brown told an industrial tribunal yesterday how Wim Jansen intervened to prevent former player David Hay leaving the club after his dispute over wages. Mr Brown said when he told the Dutch manager about the problem he said
A change of name is the least the RUC can expect to face, observes John Linklater The question of taking the Ulster out of the Royal Ulster Constabulary is more than just of nominal concern in the days left before the Northern Ireland referendum on the
Plans have been officially lodged for a new hi-tech factory, which could provide more than 100 electronics jobs in the far north of Scotland. A private company, which is active in the area because of its role at the Dounreay complex, in Caithness, is
May 19, 1969 n THE Herald reported: ''The first automatic petrol-vending machine in the Hebrides, just installed at Stornoway, was locked yesterday after representations from the island branch of the Lord's Day Observance Society. The
SCOTLAND'S only reigning Commonwealth athletics champion, Yvonne Murray, has taken what she described as ''the hardest decision of my life'', in deciding she will not defend her 10,000 metres title in Kuala Lumpur this September
EXCLUSIVE The Scottish Football Association are poised to complete a #20 million television deal with the satellite company Sky for the exclusive rights to all Scotland's international games, as well as the Scottish Cup. The contract will
TRANSPORT Minister Gavin Strang yesterday launched a new Piggyback rail freight service in Glasgow, to get more long-distance lorries off the roads. The trailers of articulated lorries will be loaded on to trains of special railway wagons that will shuttle
A TAKEAWAY shop in Dunblane, Perthshire, has a new line in fast food - the ostrich haggis. Papa's owner Giuseppe De-Robbio, 42, said: ''We think it will outsell the traditional haggis.'' Mr De-Robbio is no stranger to unusual
n After long lonely hours of writing, bins stuffed with redrafts, and rude rejections from brutish publishers, every author will tell you there are magic moments when suddenly they know it was all worth while. Joanne Rowling, Edinburgh-based author of
LAST TUESDAY morning at a number of breakfast tables across Scotland a fresh copy of the Herald was unfolded, smoothed out, and somebody promptly choked on their All Bran. And after some well-I-nevers and have-you-evers, they lifted the phone and gave
FIRST Glasgow, formerly Strathclyde Buses, has joined Radio Clyde in a partnership in which bus drivers will relay information to the radio station to help expand its travel bulletins, in what they claim is the first link-up of its type in the UK.
Iain George Ogg, musician; born July 31, 1971, died April 16, 1998 IT is always a delight to observe and hear the developing skills of a talented and enthusiastic young musician. For the past dozen or so years, the family, friends, and colleagues of
A PIPER from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders welcomed HMS Argyll, a Type-23 frigate, into Rosyth yesterday for a multi-million pound refit. The 3500-tonne warship is the first refit job won by Rosyth Dockyard by competitive tender since privatisation
The Kirk was urged to be more environmentally friendly. The Assembly backed a plea from Dr Donald Bruce. director of the church's science, religion, and technology project, urging presbyteries to audit their use of energy, transport, and paper
THE logic behind the Tesco move into Thailand - which follows a decision earlier this month by Boots - is impeccable. Both retailers are nearing saturation point in the British market and need to spread their wings. Given the poor track record of investment
FORMER world motor racing champion Jackie Stewart has been made a professor by Stirling University. Stewart will be attached to the Department of Entrepreneurship at the university. As an honorary professor, he will advise the department on matters
The Office of Fair Trading has concluded that drivers who live in Scotland's rural and isolated communities are not getting a raw deal, despite having to pay at least 6p a litre more than the UK average for their petrol. But they are paying the
WELCOME the letters (May 15) from Dave Stewart, Dave Holladay, and Mark James, referring to my letter published on May 11. Proper discussion is exactly what the subject of traffic in cities needs: only that way will it be better understood, and it is
Irish premier Bertie Ahern may not have managed to meet the Celtic team during his recent visit to Glasgow, but some useful business was done. Our man in Dublin tells us that, as things stand, if Pope John Paul II should die, Ireland will be without
A FORMER Celtic director has stepped in to save a stage play charting the Scottish Premier League Champions' 110-year history. Glasgow businessman Brian Dempsey made his move after talks between the club and The Celtic Story's producers stalled
I I WAS pleased that Sarah Nelson enjoyed reading about my expedition to the hills, but puzzled by her strictures (May 18). Perhaps her commendable concern for safety led her to rush into print before refecting on what I had actually written. For example
POLICE have arrested 38 people and seized nearly #500,000 worth of drugs and allegedly stolen goods in one of the biggest operations of its kind in Strathclyde. More than 200 officers took part in a series of dawn raids across Glasgow yesterday in the
AS THEY prepare for a tour where the emphasis is on building for the future, Scotland may at last have recruited muscle men capable of setting the foundation for success. That was the clear message being issued last night as a youthful, but powerful
CAST your mind back only a couple of months and you might recall reading about or hearing experts bombarding you with statistics on the chances of a huge comet careering into planet earth in around 30 years' time. For most people it was just another
POLICE yesterday named a woman who was found dead after a fire in her home in Ralston Street, Campbeltown, on Sunday as Katherine Gilchrist, 78. It is understood the blaze was caused by a dropped light and a report will be sent to the procurator-fiscal
THE 110 prison officers at Scotland's most overcrowded jail yesterday refused to work overtime in a bid to highlight staff shortages. Their action came as it was revealed that Craiginches Prison, Aberdeen, was so full that one-man cells were being
Grampian Police Board decided yesterday not to pay a #3000 legal bill which Chief Constable Ian Oliver ran up seeking advice on how to fight moves by the board to force him to retire, writes Graeme Smith. As revealed by The Herald, lawyers representing
HEARTS defender David Weir talked yesterday of how he believes the team's young players will go on to represent Scotland in the coming years. As his team-mates were still winding down following their cup success, Weir was the one man who could not
MAJOR Verney Lovett-Campbell, who has died aged 86, was born on the Isle of Skye on September 6, 1911, and subsequently had an adventurous career in various parts of Africa and Burma, in the latter being awarded an MC for daring operations behind the
TESCO has grasped the nettle and is investing #200m in establishing a long-term venture in Thailand through the purchase of a controlling interest in the Lotus hypermarket group. Britain's largest supermarketeer is taking advantage of the depressed
Brian Redpath carries daughter Amy as wife Gillian joins him and the Scottish rugby squad at Edinburgh Airport. Story - Page 34. Picture: CHRIS CLARK/Newsflash
Sonia the parrot has made a complete recovery after having her beak ripped off - thanks to a spot of superglue. The South American Conya parrot came off second best in an encounter with a Macaw at Glasgow Zoo and zoo staff thought she would die. However
CELTIC have been lined up to play a glamour pre-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur. The Scottish champions will face Christian Gross's team on July 25, just three days after their Champions League preliminary round opener. If Celtic
Vicious attacks on firefighters are on the increase, putting the lives of officers and the public at risk, it was revealed yesterday. In some areas of Glasgow, firefighters are facing three or four malicious attacks a week compared with three or four
Mother's pride: Jemima the lion brings one of her three five-week-old cubs out to enjoy the sun at Glasgow Zoo.
WALL Street stocks fell yesterday as investors nervously contemplated turmoil in emerging markets overseas and awaited today's Federal Reserve decision on interest rates. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average fell 45.09 points to 9050.91. The
Patents can be granted to companies or individuals who can claim to have a new product or manufacturing process, or even an improvement to existing ones.The granting of a patent gives the inventor a monopoly to make, use or sell the invention for a fixed
No one would disagree with the fact that making the correct decision at the recruitment stage is both time and money saving, yet very often, the process of sifting through CVs can be the point at which mistakes are made. Apart from the fact that some
The past few years have seen a steady increase in the number of people opting for postgraduate studies. While it is possible that part of that increase has been due to the recession and the fact that until recently there have been fewer jobs for graduates
THE most successful manager in the history of Rangers will now leave the Ibrox club after the one and only season where he has been unable to deliver a major domestic trophy. Walter Smith, though, knew from the time he decided that it was time to quit
Q I have been sent e-mail from Spain with attached files with the extension .bin. The sender said ''The annexed document is a Word document. I think you have to decode the annex first at your side because I presume you have a BINary file as
All by myself: workman Rob Rooke had Scotland's only open air, council swimming pool to himself yesterday, the hottest day of the year. Inverclyde Council said the 89-year-old Gourock Pool used to be open all year but the water proved too cold for
THE Minister for constitutional affairs, Henry McLeish, last night dismissed as a ''storm in a teacup'' speculation about salary levels for Members of the Scottish Parliament and said the cross-party steering group had barely discussed
FOR those of us who care for the future of Scotland's built heritage, Jennifer Cunningham's article on Portencross Castle makes depressing reading (May 18). The emotional black shroud of opposition to any development at Portencross has already
Vicious attacks on firefighters are on the increase, putting the lives of officers and the public at risk, it was revealed yesterday. In some areas of Glasgow, firefighters are facing three or four malicious attacks a week compared with three or four
KINCORTH Academy stands on land which once belonged to the Abbey of Arbroath. A proud description of its history is one of the first pages on offer when you download the school's own website (http://www.rsc.co.uk/kincorth/). The website also has
LEGAL experts in Scotland have given a cautious welcome to suggestions that senior civil servants are working on proposals to make pre-marital contracts legally binding, writes William Tinning. The couples counselling charity, Relate, said the move would
IT was a dawn gamble that paid off with unlikely praise from America's First Golfer. Tony Blair, a man usually more preoccupied with the Third Way rather than the fairway, tried his hand at golf yesterday. Bill Clinton dragged the Prime Minister
EXCLUSIVE ALTHOUGH he has already said that he did not intend taking any more players from his old club, PSV Eindhoven, after the deal that secured the #5m transfer of defender Arthur Numan to Ibrox, Dick Advocaat is prepared to make an exception
PERHAPS one of the biggest success stories this year has been Strathendrick Rugby Club, from Fintry, just to the north of Glasgow, and their march ever onward and upward. At the helm, or pulling the trigger - whichever expression you prefer -
Staff co-operation should carry most weight, says Tino Ferri Teaching unions and management re-enter the negotiating arena on Friday in a bid to thrash out a pay deal acceptable to both sides. The first meeting earlier this month ended in an impasse,
A 30-YEAR-OLD man drowned in the River Clyde at Uddingston yesterday. The man, who has not been named, got into difficulty while swimming with his brothers near Greyfriars horse riding school. They raised the alarm and the Strathclyde Police Helicopter
SCOTTISH Secretary Donald Dewar will today announce an extra #5m for child-care in Scotland, writes Murray Ritchie, Scottish Political Editor. Mr Dewar wants #2m of the money, raised by the windfall tax, spent through local authorities on new child-care
THE sun beat down and the blue sky mirrored the azure waters of the bay as the top directors gathered to accept their awards. The scene was not the Cannes Film Festival but the annual funeral directors award ceremony on the banks of Loch Lomond. The
EXCLUSIVE GORDON Wilson, former leader of the SNP, has launched himself on a political comeback. He confirmed yesterday that he intends to stand for the European Parliament. But he denied that his fundamentalist line against the Nationalists embracing
THE United States and Europe avoided a damaging confrontation over trade sanctions yesterday as they made progress towards breaking the impasse that has left British companies facing American-imposed penalties for dealing with nations that sponsor terrorism
DRUG addicts, prostitutes, and armed robbers proved the most inspirational of all for the Scottish businessmen on the pilot programme to help develop their strategies to meet future challenges. A visit to Delancy Street Foundation in San Franscico underlined
CRAIG Hignett is on the verge of signing for Aberdeen as Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson is unwilling to match the Pittodrie club's wage offer to his player. Hignett, available for free in the post-Bosman era, was at Pittodrie yesterday along
Resident Evil 2 Virgin Interactive #49.99 It's all in a day's work, escaping from a gaggle of zombies and the odd mutated animal in Raccoon City. Where Resident Evil ended so its sequel begins, with another virus spread by the evil Umbrella
SCOTLAND'S international reputation for its commitment to environmental education owes much to the efforts of a small non-governmental organisation. The Scottish Environmental Education Council ensured that the development of Scotland's strategy
