Chart-topping band The Prodigy have revealed they were once forced on stage after being threatened with guns. The hitmakers had been planning to pull out of a poorly organised show in Florida - the stage was balanced on pool tables - when guns were flashed
SCIENTISTS have found a genetic variation which makes some women seven times more vulnerable than others to cervical cancer. Those at risk have a particular version of the anti-tumour gene p53, damage to which is implicated in 50% of cancer cases. The
A sheriff has cleared a hospital of any blame over the death of a young mother who died weeks after giving birth. Instead, Sheriff Sir Stephen Young criticised the ''dogmatic'' evidence of an independent expert who insisted the woman
Clare Henry believes that for eclecticism in art, Glasgow is on top of the world. WHERE in the world can you find such a wide variety of top-calibre art in such a small area as Glasgow? I can't think of anywhere except New York. London's mainstream
RANGERS FC are to be offered a civic reception by Glasgow Lord Provost Pat Lally in recognition of the club's achievement in winning nine league titles in a row. ''Celtic were accorded a civic reception for winning nine championships in
THE launch today of Labour's long-awaited radical White Paper on trade union rights will be marred by deep divisions among trade union leaders over proposed recognition procedures, writes Roy Rogers, Industry Correspondent. Although much in favour
Glasgow 1999: Homes for the Future, The Lighthouse, a new typeface. Tell that to the wumman with three weans at the Partick bus stop. They didn't. More interestingly, before Donald Dewar outlined the grand design for Glasgow as UK City of Architecture
AS WOMEN'S support groups in England and Wales expressed delight yesterday at plans to prevent alleged rapists from personally cross-examining their victims in court, their counterparts in Scotland could only watch with interest and a little envy
Rosemary Long reveals how sharp the Claymores are when it comes to flavoured waters AND with a mighty bound they were saved! Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but last Sunday Scotland's Claymores beat the England Monarchs in the very
WHEN our System Three poll two weeks ago showed the SNP surging five points ahead of Labour for the first time in voting intentions for the Scottish Parliament, others summoned up apocalyptic conclusions. The final, fundamental debate about the political
SAYS Arthur Gilbert: ''In collecting antique silver I apply identical methods that I use in property. I want prime locations and prime tenants!'' See the multi-million pound result in a superb exhibition, Heritage Regained: Silver
Fiction windward heights Maryse Conde Faber, #7.99 MARYSE Conde's take on Wuthering Heights exchanges the Gothic moorlands of Yorkshire for the heat and scrub of Guadaloupe, and in this pacy, rugged translation by Richard Philcox, we have something
A MERE handful of our elected representatives were on hand on Tuesday night to shout ''aye'' and make history when the Scotland Bill cleared its Commons stages after 13 days of selective scrutiny. A foregone conclusion makes bad theatre
JERUSALEM: A 58-year-old Israeli widow has conceived in vitro with a purchased egg and her husband's frozen sperm. Simi Harmon, who tried for decades to become pregnant before her husband of 37 years died in 1995, finally succeeded five months ago
A young mother was yesterday hailed as a heroine after rescuing her three young children from their burning home. Ms Michelle Rennie, 27, fought her way through thick smoke and intense heat to get Ryan, five, Graham, four, and Ceranne, 18 months, out
THE law on imitation and replica firearms is to be reviewed by the Scottish Office. Scottish Home Affairs Minister Henry McLeish, who has indicated a fresh look is to be taken at the issue, has admitted, however, that control of such guns had proved
Many people regard MPVs as big and bulky, and obviously have the suspicion that they are likely to be very heavy on fuel. Some can be, but this is a type of vehicle which in many cases has just the right aerodynamic approach to promote good fuel economy
A MYSTERY punter had bookmakers running for cover at Kelso's final meeting of the season yesterday. The backer, who wished to remain anonymous, produced #20,000 in cash from a plastic bag to place on Jigtime in the Hunter's Chase at odds of
BRITISH Telecommunications is still determined to forge an alliance with one of the American telecom giants. Chairman Sir Iain Vallance, who will be part-time from July, said yesterday that a fresh approach to America was a key pre-occupation, although
EXCLUSIVE THE SNP has a mountain to climb if it is to translate its current surge in party support into backing for full independence in a referendum. According to a specially-commissioned Herald/System Three poll designed to cross-check recent dramatic
THREE men are expected to appear at Airdrie Sheriff Court today in connection with the seizure of thousands of allegedly counterfeit #1 coins. Up to 4000 coins and manufacturing equipment were found at Orchard Farm, near Bellshill, Lanarkshire, police
Tough immigration rules have created a shortage of chefs in curry houses, it was claimed yesterday. Some restaurants are being prevented from expanding and others may be forced to close because of curbs on bringing in staff, claimed Edinburgh restaurateur
ISRAEL came under fire at the General Assembly as impassioned pleas were made for justice in Palestine. With the proceedings observed by the Israeli Ambassador Dror Zeigerman, one minister donned a Palestinian shawl and said he hoped he was not being
The lush in Paradise Crime Night Passage Robert B Parker John Murray, #16.99 The Last Best Hope Ed McBain Hodder & Stoughton, #16.99 THERE have been two vintage periods for American crime fiction this century. We are, in case you didn't know it
Colin McRae's world championship bid next year could end up in smoke after hints that his Subaru team's long-time sponsor, cigarette company 555, is ready to scale down its rally involvement. The cash will be going to the fledgling British
WALL Street chips closed sharply higher yesterday after a late-session sprint as investors scooped up bargains among consumer-orientated stocks and turned their backs on the technology sector. The Dow jumped 116.83 points, or 1.29%, at 9171.48, helping
A WOMAN has been reunited with a valuable Hornel painting which was stolen by bogus photographers from her home in Glasgow last Wednesday. The 98-year-old had been duped into parting with the painting after two men gained access to her home in St Andrews
IT had the makings of a hit comedy film that would have left The Full Monty looking like a weepy. There was a picturesque Highland setting, a troupe of male strippers, hundreds of ''screaming women'' and church elders acting as bouncers
SCOTS Secretary Donald Dewar yesterday trumpeted Labour's spending on cash-strapped Glasgow and immediately sailed into hot water. Mr Dewar, addressing the Urban World '98 Conference in Glasgow, announced that the Government had spent #1000m
THE merger of two of the world's biggest auditing and accounting firms, Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand, cleared its final hurdle when the European Commission gave them its blessing. In approving the merger yesterday, after an investigation
RANGERS last night insisted they would be unaffected by a new UEFA ruling banning clubs with the same owners meeting each other in European competitions. There had been some concern that the ruling, agreed by UEFA's executive committee which met
n The dame hailed as the wittiest woman in America was a complicated character. The multi- layered Parker was a revolving door of lacerating wit, vulnerable drunk, champion socialite, and self-destructive writer. One facet stuck when Parker died aged
THE DISCOVERY OF THE GRAIL by Andrew Sinclair Century, #16.99 AN ESOTERIC symbol for the past 800 years or so for the attainment of salvation through personal quest has been the Holy Grail - variously described as the receptacle which held the blood
Last year was the most successful in Audi's history. The marque name first seen in 1910 drifted into the Auto Union combine of the Thirties, then disappeared for a couple of decades. It reappeared post-war under Mercedes control, only to be sold
DRIVING in Northern Ireland can be a complicated business at the best of times. The road signs are confusing and the motorways are punctuated by roundabouts. But with only one more full day of campaigning to go before the peace agreement referendum,
THE curious thing about the three major French manufacturers is that they persevere in building right-hand drive versions of their largest executive cars, and yet these models seem to sell in quite modest numbers here. Certainly, the Citroen XM is an
''AND in my name you shall go and take money from the poor to help the rich and to build idols of grandeur.'' That's not quite the gospel message taught by Jesus Christ or the commission given to the Church to help the poor.
A GREAT deal has been said recently about the Mary Bell story and whether this child-killer should have been paid for her contribution to the publication on her life, the claim being that anyone convicted of crime should not profit from that crime. Mary
N Ireland Under-21 1 Scotland Under-21 1 Manchester United midfield player Phil Mulryne earned Northern Ireland Under-21s a draw against their Scottish counterparts at McSharry Park last night. St Johnstone's Stuart McCluskey fired the Scots ahead
THE European Union is planning to clamp down on the tax-free income from non-resident savings accounts in other countries. Draft legislation tabled yesterday proposed that either a minimum 20% withholding tax is levied in all 15 member states on the
EDINBURGH Investment Trust (EIT), the #1847m flagship of Edinburgh Fund Managers, yesterday confirmed its return to health with index-beating annual results. The UK-focused trust's turnaround is good news for its manager, which is benefiting from
THREE middle-class teenagers who kicked and stamped a young mechanic to death were each sentenced to four years' detention yesterday. Lord Eassie told Iain Wheldon, Graham Purves and Ross Gravestock that their behaviour had been disgraceful and
THE former principal of a university was yesterday described at an industrial tribunal as a shrewd and skilled manipulator who would stop at nothing to get his own way. Professor Stan Mason, formerly head of Glasgow Caledonian University, was accused
Proceedings in a particularly nasty crime which has had terrible consequences for all of the families involved have come to an end with the sentencing to four years of three teenagers who had admitted the culpable homicide of a fellow teenage resident
TEACHING an old dog new tricks is virtually impossible, so the faint sense of deja vu which hangs over the pick of the Scots films in Cannes, Ken Loach's My Name is Joe, should come as no surprise. Well made, well acted, brilliantly in the case
Bullets and bombs never stopped him from entertaining American troops overseas but a nasty cold managed to keep Bob Hope from his birthday dinner. The legendary entertainer missed his 95th birthday gala at the Library of Congress in Washington last night
A growth in the number of English visitors is expected to more than offset a drop in overseas tourists coming to Scotland this summer, experts said yesterday. The strong pound has hit bookings by foreign visitors, according to the Scottish Tourism Index
Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd was yesterday presented with a fruit cake, bearing an edible replica of the Mace, to celebrate her 25 years as MP for West Bromwich West. Mr Richard Hingston, 28, chief pastry chef at the Commons, said: ''There
A PARLIAMENT far for dull will convene this year at the former Royal High School in Edinburgh, writes Amelia Hill. For three weeks during the Festival, the European Youth Parliament will engage in political debate enlivened by music and theatre. Young
IT had the makings of a hit comedy film that would have left The Full Monty looking like a weepy. There was a picturesque Highland setting, a troupe of male strippers, hundreds of ''screaming women'' and church elders acting as bouncers
FALKIRK Football Club, which went into liquidation with debts of more than #1.5m just two months ago, has been saved. The provisional liquidator appointed to help ensure the club's survival had his appointment recalled at the Court of Session in
What will you be doing in 25 years? Where will you be living and who will you be living with? What will your job be? Who knows? Nobody can predict what they will be doing in quarter of a century, yet businesses are expected to foresee their property
PETER Spinney (May 19) gives the correct wording of the scientific definition of efficiency but the wrong context. Useful work is not defined in the sense of being worthwhile, so whether a car's journey is useful or not doesn't enter into it
The early release of convicted terrorists has been a dominant theme of the campaign. Des Browne, Labour MP for Kilmarnock and Loudon, recently visited the Maze STANDING in my wig and gown in the High Court in Glasgow last April, I would never have
LAST night's National Lottery jackpot will be rolled over to Saturday for the second week running after no one scooped the estimated #4.4m midweek top prize. Ten tickets each scooped #137,372 for matching five numbers and the bonus ball. Some 375
Police search two houses Police investigating the murders of two prostitutes have searched two houses in Plant Crescent, Silkmore, Staffordshire, it was confirmed yesterday. A 33-year-old man who was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the deaths,
SOMETIMES it takes a flip remark to animate a plodding election campaign, and yesterday it fell to Mo Mowlam to inject a note of hilarity into the heavy run-up to tomorrow's referendum. At Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education, the
New Jersey THE Scotland manager, Craig Brown, will gather his players around him at their New Jersey hotel today and spell out the disciplinary facts of life which will be in force during the World Cup finals. Brown is concerned at the new rules which
A MAJOR search continued all day in the hills of Wester Ross yesterday for a retired Scottish civil servant who has been missing for five days. Widower David Williamson, 78, a former Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, was last seen at breakfast time
Motoring correspondent Ross Finlay brings us up to date with developments in the exciting world of prestige cars One of the things which defines an executive car is itself almost indefinable: a matter of image, how the car is perceived, not just by
Poetic justice You forget about the Old Volcano for years, and suddenly there he is - modern Scottish culture's most radioactive deposit, bursting with energy but fiendishly difficult to reprocess. Hugh Mac-Diarmid has two significant entries in
SOME law students at Glasgow Caledonian University will have to resit their third-year exam after a paper with last year's questions was mistakenly handed out. Despite the fact that the students had already seen and worked on last year's questions
IF YOU have to be in a soap opera, try not to get the worst role, pop singer Boy George once said. However, the Boy's warning washed right over Scotsmen's heads, writes Cameron Simpson. According to a new report, the average Scotsman spends
FALKIRK Football Club, which went into liquidation with debts of more than #1.5m just two months ago, has been saved, writes Keith Sinclair. The provisional liquidator who was appointed to help ensure the club's survival had his appointment recalled
DIGITAL Animations, the computer games company which is producing special effects for US television advertisements and targeting the movie industry, broke into the black in its latest six months. The Lanarkshire-based outfit made a pre-tax profit of
Following its major North American rivals, General Motors has just come onto the UK market with a right-hand-drive car in the form of the Cadillac Seville. This is the best-selling luxury sedan in the United States, but the fact that GM's ambitions
A HOSPITAL has treated a Lith-uanian man who was facing life in a wheelchair, writes Aine Harrington. The Bon Secours in Glasgow acted after the case of Martynas Kolodzeiskis, 23, was brought to its attention by a Scottish Carmelite nun, Sister Ann
The two Swedish manufacturers are noted for their high quality engineering, although they approach the business of car manufacture in quite differently detailed ways. An executive car from Sweden is regarded in some quarters as being more of a '
Politics Guilty men: conservative decline and fall 1992-1997 Hywel Williams Aurum, #18.95 Sub-titled ''Conservative Decline and Fall 1992-1997'', the opening words in Guilty Men are: ''This is the story of an incompetent
though it builds vehicles elsewhere in Germany - at Bremen and at Emden in the north-west, close to the Dutch border - as well as having factories in Spain and Alabama, Mercedes is firmly based in Stuttgart. In fact, it can trace its activities there
PUBLISHING is about ideas. Sikh publisher Bahrat Sagar decided to walk the 120 miles from London to Bournemouth to help Shelter and the homeless. He has adorned his turban with advertising logos at #10,000 a slot, raising #50,000 from business sponsors
A cousin of Cromwell Street killer Fred West was beginning a four-year jail term last night after being found guilty of raping one teenage girl and indecently assaulting two others. William John Hill, 45, was convicted by a jury of sexually abusing the
The mother of a missing Moray woman has begun legal moves to ensure her children do not become victims of a tug-of-love battle, writes Graeme Smith. It is now more than three weeks since Mrs Arlene Fraser disappeared from her home in Smith Street, New
SIMON Donnelly last night gave a warning to his Scotland strike-rivals, telling them he is not going to France to be a reserve. The Celtic man is oozing confidence after helping the Parkhead side to clinch their first title in 10 years, and intends to
MEDIA group Carlton Communications saw its shares advance 23p to 517p yesterday on better-than- expected first-half profits. The company was also able to assure the market it was on target for the autumn launch of its digital joint venture with Granada
Belfast VIRGIN tycoon Richard Branson dangled a carrot of future investment and jobs before Northern Ireland yesterday in return for a resounding Yes vote in tomorrow's referendum. During a chaotic walkabout through the commercial heart of Belfast
A former judge who admitted driving while more than three times the drink-drive limit has been banned for 30 months. John Aspinall QC, 50, has resigned as a recorder. He was also fined #1800 by magistrates in Blandford, Dorset, and told to pay #70 prosecution
A revolutionary device which provides sufferers of Parkinson's disease with an on-off switch to control their symptoms has been launched in Britain. The machine consists of a battery-powered transmitter connected to electrodes embedded deep in the
GLASGOW'S combative housing convener has demanded support from local communities to help stamp out vandalism which is costing the city around #2.7m a year, writes John MacCalman, Municipal Correspondent. After the cost was disclosed in a report
Athletics THE Great Scottish Run, the country's largest mass participation sports event, will be televised live by Scottish, on Sunday, August 23. There will be a 90-minute live programme, and a package will also go to more than 100 nations worldwide
THE Prime Minister last night offered a handwritten pledge to the people of Northern Ireland as he urged them to vote Yes tomorrow to give children ''the future that they need''. On his third visit in three weeks to the province,
In brief THE ''injustices and anomalies'' of the land tenure system in Scotland were attacked by the assembly which called for urgent reforms. The assembly backed moves towards community ownership and the setting up of a Scottish
In all the furore about which German manufacturer will end up controlling Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, it is easy to forget that this spring has seen the introduction of the two new models which will take Rolls-Royce and Bentley into the 21st century. Despite
Vigil veterans Ken Steel, left, and Lewis Livingston with their John Major and Sir Michael Forsyth cut-out WE were both involved in ''The Vigil for a Scottish Parliament'' on Regent Road in Edinburgh which was mounted from the day
Scotland midfielder John Collins gave a strong indication yesterday that his career with Monaco may be nearing its end and he could be ready to return to British football. Collins hinted at the possibility of such a move as the Scotland World Cup squad
THIS is the golden time. There are still traces of snow on the hills, the sky is often blue, the yellow is on the broom, the larches are a dazzling green, the cuckoo is calling in the glens and the midges are mainly dormant. This is Beltane, the old
The owners of the M1 runaway truck said yesterday they had found nothing wrong with it. Driver Michael Rayner, 26, survived a 20-mile ordeal last week after claiming the accelerator pedal of his Scania lorry had jammed and he could not stop. But yesterday
the old school of Diana, Princess of Wales, is to be bought by Mohamed Al Fayed for #2.5m, to create a school for traumatised children, it was announced last night. The Harrods chairman said the new centre at West Heath School would be ''a
Brussels The European Commission yesterday gave its blessing to a fresh rescue of French bank Credit Lyonnais, launching the biggest bailout in corporate history. The decision, which ends years of bitter battles between the European competition watchdog
Juventus................0 Real Madrid................1 Amsterdam THEY are back where so many football lovers throughout the world believe they should be, at the very top of the tree, and no-one can say that Real Madrid do not again deserve their place
Rock musician Tommy Lee was jailed for six months yesterday for kicking his wife, former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, as she held their baby son. The Motley Crue drummer was led away in handcuffs to begin serving his sentence. He had pleaded no contest
HERIOT Watt University golf scholarship students Hilary Monaghan, Lesley Nicholson and Anne Laing - all chasing places in the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup team - have booked the top three seeded spots in the match-play stages of the Scottish women
Rome A trio of masked and armed robbers have made off with three of the most important works from the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome after locking guards in a lavatory. Italian art expert Achille Bonito Oliva estimated the combined value of the
The title of Kirk Jester must surely belong to Mr Ian McGregor, the bilingual elder from Kishorn. Even when he tells the same jokes year after year (''A croft is a piece of land surrounded by legislation'') he still gets a laugh.
THE utter devastation brought about by the needless death of Mark Ayton was summed up by Mr Sandy Bolland QC, defence counsel for one of the youths responsible for the tragedy. ''Nothing can bring Mark Ayton back to life. Nothing can recompense
Cricket: MCC v Scotland A brilliant bowling performance by Craig Wright, described as his ''best moment in cricket,'' set up a five-wicket win for Scotland against MCC at Lord's yesterday. The West of Scotland seamer, who had
A call to take up the cause of two Scots Guardsmen convicted of killing a Catholic in Ulster was rejected yesterday by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The appeal to back the campaign to free Mark Wright and James Fisher came shortly
LAND Securities reported an 18% rise in its net asset value yesterday and an increase in pre-tax profits to #266m for the year to the end of March. But the group's shares fell 6p to 1016p, having earlier hit 1030p, on news of the nav of 924p at
A 300-year-old table built for Queen Mary and used as a Hollywood film prop is to go on sale for more than #500,000, it was revealed yesterday. Buyers from around the world are expected to come to Sotheby's in London to bid for the seventeenth-century
IN spite of a #20,000 funding cut to the Aberdeen International Youth Festival by Aberdeen City Council more than 700 youngsters from 13 countries will travel to the city for the 26th year of the event, writes Graeme Smith. ''After 25 very
The last taboo GETTING them out for the lads is perfectly acceptable just so long as the lads in question are not hungry babes in arms. Or that's how it seems. This, for those of you who hadn't noticed, is National Breast-feeding Awareness
John Linklater in Ardara, south-west Donegal IN the run-up to tomorrow's referendum Mary Brennan has a problem. It is the duty frees. They are saying that a Yes vote will do away with them. She is not particularly happy about all this interference
I KNOW that I am not the only one who is deeply concerned at the attitude and tactics of those who somehow wish the motor car ''uninvented''. They are attempting to foist an unsustainable economic myth on us, in that they believe
Many things these days are labelled unique. Few measure up. In describing New Lanark Mill Hotel, however, the adjective is appropriate. For here is a ''brand new'' hotel, rising phoenix-like from a 200-year old mill, in the heart
I DON'T know whether it's the weather or simply that Ayrshire folk are hardier than most, but while Rob Cooke enjoyed Inverclyde's open-air pool on his own on Monday (your front-page picture, May 19) there were more than 50 bathers at
THE cream of student journalism gathered in Glasgow yesterday for the second annual Herald Student Press awards, the most prestigious prizes of their kind in Scotland. The awards were presented at a ceremony at the Moat House Hotel, attended by The Herald
FIRST, the good news: the health of Scotland's children will benefit when leaded petrol - blamed for mental and physical harm - is phased out in just over 18 months. The bad news for thousands of Scots motorists is that they may be forced to mothball
Curse of a head-shrinker Fiction Riven Rock T. Coraghessan Boyle Bloomsbury, #16.99 ON the most prosaic level, Riven Rock is the name of the maximum-security gilded cage in California in which almost all of the central characters in this weighty, fact-based
4x4 is not just a gimmick for High Street posers When the motoring talk turns to 4x4s, there is often somebody prepared to have a girn about these vehicles being bought by people who hardly use the off-road capabilities built into them needing the extra
A DRIVER who gave a workmate a lift after a drinking session despite being under a life ban was jailed for four months yesterday. Bricklayer Ernest Russell, 45, of Baker Street, Stirling, was spotted on CCTV getting into a van after staggering out of
SCOTLAND experienced their worst fears on the opening day of the World Cup yesterday at Utrecht in Holland. They were just no match for Australia, the defending champions, crashing to a 5-0 defeat. While there will undoubtedly be much relief in the
INQUIRIES into abuse at four Edinburgh children's homes are nearing their conclusion, it was announced yesterday, writes Amelia Hill. Edinburgh City Council ordered the independent investigation last December after two former care workers, Gordon
REGULATOR IMRO yesterday suspended four former employees of securities house Morgan Grenfell for their part in the August 1996 debacle which resulted in unit trust manager Peter Young being sacked for gross misconduct. It was regarded as the biggest
SCOTLAND'S leading independent printed circuit board (PCB) firm issued a stark profits warning yesterday, while a second PCB manufacturer, based in the Borders, prepared to put its employees on a short-time working week. Prestwick Holdings announced
Former Ryder Cup-winning captain Bernard Gallacher last night backed Englishman Mark James in preference to fellow Scot Sam Torrance to lead the European team against the USA at The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts, next year. Explaining his choice
In 1980 the public stayed away in droves from John Landis's The Blues Brothers, written with Dan Aykroyd, who starred alongside John Belushi. A mixture of car chases and fifties and sixties American rock songs, the film did not, however, disappear
Most open cars which spend at least some of their time on business are four-seat convertible versions of saloons, but it is surprising how many people manage to justify running a two-seater on a company account. Of course, if you have no real need to
Under BMW direction, Rover has been marking time as far as its upper-range saloons and coupes are concerned, but only until the single replacement design for the present 600 and 800-series cars, with a certain amount of retro styling, appears. That was
History Stalingrad Anthony Beevor Viking, #25 ON February 1, 1943, the encircled German Sixth Army surrendered to the Russians at Stalingrad on the Volga, more than 2000 miles from the German frontier. More than 90,000 prisoners were taken, including
INDONESIAN President Suharto finally resigned this morning. It was also reported that 11 Cabinet Ministers, including top economics minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita, had submitted a joint resignation letter. Washington had earlier demanded that Suharto
Catherine MacLeod profiles a bluntly-spoken Government Minister whose star is most definitely waxing Ask Ian McCartney, if he is Old Labour or New Labour and he will tell you simply he is Little Labour. McCartney, the MP for Makerfield and Minister of
spinach leaves, famed for boosting a certain animated sailor's muscle power, could be used to drive ultra-small electronic devices, it was disclosed yesterday. Scientists are hoping to use tiny natural energy ''generators'' found
THE construction of a home for democracy in Scotland is set to become the final building block of the programme for Glasgow's year of City of Architecture and Design. While Scotland's Parliament will be located in Edinburgh, the display of
n A dramatic addition to Glasgow's stock of offices has just been unveiled. Number 9 George Square, above, is a #9m redevelopment of a 1920s building designed by the architect James Miller. The work has been carried out by Co-operative Insurance
DESPITE recent falls in the value of the pound, the sustained strength of sterling over the past 20 months continues to cast a shadow over Scotland's tourism industry. Many holidays to be taken in Scotland this year were booked in 1997, when the
Jim Arnold MBE, has been New Lanark Conservation Trust's director, since its inception in 1974. Few can look back on a lifetime's work which has been so conspicuous a success. The decision of the trust to go it alone and run the hotel, came
FORMER Great Britain Rugby League captain Shaun Edwards, 31, who lives in Wigan and plays for Bradford Bulls, has been charged with assault following an incident outside a pizza restaurant, West Yorkshire Police said yesterday. Team-mate Tahi Reihana
NATIONAL Power yesterday unveiled plans to invest #155m in two power station projects in China. News of the deal came as annual results showed the growing importance of overseas business to the UK's biggest non-nuclear generator. National Power
COLIN Cameron and Gary Naysmith would like Hearts to offer them new deals - a year before their current contracts expire. The pair were key figures in last week's Scottish Cup final victory over Rangers, and now they are hungry for more success.
THE Bank of England yesterday said conditions for consolidation in the UK banking sector remain favourable and several large banks that have surplus capital may think about acquisitions this year. The Bank, in its annual report on the banking industry
THE pilot of a helicopter which crashed, killing a Dundee boy, walked free from court yesterday when the case against him collapsed. As the angry family of nine-year-old Garry Malley left the courtroom, they threatened to take out a private prosecution
Why produce food? Yesterday's report from the Consumers' Association on the European Common Agricultural Policy comes up with a surprising answer to that question. The CAP has been an easy target for critics. Economists point out that it is
DOCTORS want the closure of hospital beds in Scotland halted. They say the ''inexorable'' rise in emergency acute admissions threatens both the quality of patient care and the ability of the NHS and its staff to respond to crisis.
SO - we are living in a ''neo-pagan Scotland'' (John Macleod, May 19) where there are ''sad and filthy people'' who follow football teams, watch cookery programmes, read horoscopes, try to win money on the lottery
Hydro-Agri's new tractor-mounted N-sensor, which will be on display at this year's major shows, is being tested in field trials. Last year's single sensor, mounted at the front of a tractor, has been replaced with a front-mounted boom
AN irritated John Prescott yesterday distanced himself from attempts by Labour party managers to fix the forthcoming elections to the Labour party's National Executive Committee, writes Catherine MacLeod, Chief Political Correspondent. During a
A RAPIST who abducted two teenage girls was jailed for 10 years yesterday. Grant McPherson, 22, ran a knife up and down the body of one of his victims before raping her and sexually assaulting her friend. But the High Court in Edinburgh heard that a
Most of the interest in Toyota's mid-range cars is concentrated at the moment on the Avensis which, in saloon, hatchback and estate forms, has survived the mystified early response to its front-end styling. What puts the top-ranked versions of
THE price of televisions, washing machines, and other electrical goods is set to fall after the Government yesterday ordered manufacturers to stop telling stores the price at which they should be sold and banned them from cutting supplies to those which
A wee scoop for you this morning. The International Rugby Board are well down the road setting up a world-wide sevens Grand Prix by the millennium. There were meetings while the Air France sevens were on in Paris at the weekend, with the focus on a motor-racing
The exceptional power wielded by Alastair Campbell, the chief press secretary at No 10, has already been a source of much press and political comment in this country. It is also now causing raised eyebrows abroad. A number of foreign leaders are said
British Euro MPs among 32 politicians from eight countries who took the French World Cup soccer authorities to the Court de Grande Instance, in Paris, yesterday, in a bid to win more tickets for European fans, were told last night they would have to
STEFAN Klos will take the next stage in his battle to join Rangers to the German courts while Scotland are playing Brazil. The Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper has been told he could be frozen out of football for four years in a bitter contract dispute with
Even allowing for the fact that anything to do with executive motoring seems to go against the grain of what stilltranslates from its native language as the ''people's car'', there is no doubt that Volkswagen is aiming onward
IN many senses, Mahler's heartbreaking song cycle, Kindertotenlieder - Songs on the Death of Children - is the complete expression of grief, of loss. Unremittingly poignant, even in its few lighter moments, the five-song settings of Friedrich Ruckert
AS three teenage killers last night began their four-year jail sentences, the father of their victim called for a change in the law where murder can be reduced to the lesser charge of culpable homicide. The three, Ross Gravestock, Graham Purves, and
A German businessman who had grand plans set up his company in a Scottish castle with thousands in grants from public funds, ended up bust working from the bedroom of a Highland cottage and owing his workers thousands of pounds. Now an industrial tribunal
THE professional management introduced in the middle of 1994 has turned Glenmorangie into the most dynamic of the whisky distillers and probably the most market orientated. Faced with the power of Diageo in global markets, the smaller fry have to base
East Renfrewshire's David Orr confirmed his status as one the country's most promising young professionals with a polished victory in the #7000 MacGregor Scottish Assistants Championship at Balbirnie Park yesterday. The 23-year-old, who topped
Ross Finlay In Land Rover's 50th anniversary year, various celebrations and rough-country expeditions are planned And the company has been tracking down the owners of its early products, which have given half a century of service. The original
Despite further calls from national director of rugby Jim Telfer for stronger action against English clubs, one of Scotland's International Board members, Allan Hosie, has advised a more cautious approach. On arrival in Australia, Telfer repeated
Landing in Brisbane may not have been like arriving at a home from home for Scotland lock Stewart Campbell, but it was evident that he was certainly on familiar territory. ''I'm looking forward to meeting up with a lot of old friends,&
THE planned University of the Highlands and Islands has earned top marks in a Scottish Office inspection and been awarded another #2.5m of public money, writes Denis Campbell, Political Correspondent. Scottish education Minister Brian Wilson praised
For many people in the executive car market, the badge to go for is BMW the blue and white roundel which represents a propellor spinning against clouds and sky - and, also shows the colours of the Bavarian flag. BMW was created in 1916 by a merger
GLENMORANGIE'S managing director Peter Darbyshire has decided to become a non-executive so he can devote much more attention to whisky industry affairs. He is being succeeded by Paul Neep, who for the past year has been marketing director. Chairman
THE juxtaposition of exhortations in favour of a referendum on independence, by John McAllion, MP, to Donald Dewar, and by your columnist Michael Fry to the Tory hierarchy in Scotland, is striking. Considering that their respective pleas are already
SCOTTISH Metropolitan Property has completed its disposal of investments in the South of England to concentrate its resources on Scotland and the North. The Glasgow-based property company yesterday announced the sale of three properties on the outskirts
LEADERS of the UK farmers' unions will hold crisis talks in Stratford today as MPs discuss the plight of the industry in the annual Parliamentary debate on agriculture. Before leaving for the meeting, George Lyon, president of the National Farmers
The tranquil scene at Maxwell Square in Glasgow, belies the media-portrayed image of a gang-war torn ghetto. Picture: CHRIS JAMES AT the Maxwell Square playpark in the heart of Glasgow's Pollokshields, young mothers relaxed as they watched
Critics who think there is no point to Multi Purpose Vehicles or ''people carriers'' almost invariably have no requirement for the special attributes these cars possess. But if you need the features which MPVs provide, even on an
In the same way that estate cars have recently been formed into sub-divisions called Tourer, Touring, Aero Deck and so on, convertibles have begun to appear with model names like Cabrio or Cabriolet. The manufacturers who use these terms for four-seater
THE coxswain of Lerwick lifeboat who helped save the lives of the crew of the stricken Green Lily last year is to be presented today with the Royal National Lifeboat Institute's highest award - the gold medal for outstanding gallantry, writes Aine
EDINBURGH Fund Managers' (Edinburgh's) fortunes have changed dramatically in the last 15 months. Confirmation yesterday that its flagship Edinburgh Investment Trust's recovery is being sustained represents another important milestone on
Plans to set-up a motor-racing style international sevens Grand Prix touring the world would be unworkable, according to one of Scotland's greatest champions of the abbreviated game. Furthermore John Jeffrey, part of a hugely successful Kelso sevens
Paul Gascoigne, left, has his critics, but the former Rangers player is a hit with fishermen who have dubbed their latest winning trout fly The Gazza, which received the ultimate endorsement when featured in The Field yesterday. The red lure gets its
n THE Herald reported: ''From letters received in Greenock, we learn that the Wickham, revenue cutter, Captain Beatson, has captured on the Irish coast a fine American smuggling schooner, from Philadelphia, laden with tobacco.''
With Lancia having given up building in right-hand drive, and Fiat offering no suitable cars here, it is left to Alfa Romeo to keep an Italian presence in the UK executive market. The Alfa Romeo 156, European Car of the Year, may lie outside this market
Los Angeles Broadway legend Carol Channing is seeking a divorce claiming her domineering husband brutally beat her, squandered her fortune and had sex with her only twice in 41 years of marriage. The 77-year-old star of such classic musicals as Hello
ANY doubts that Ford was serious in its #1.6bn takeover of Jaguar have long since disappeared, given the company's record production figures, specification enhancements and much more determined quality control, never mind the early announcement
NURSES Lucille McLauchlan and Deborah Parry, wearing black Islamic robes and looking tired, last night emerged into public view for the first time in more than a year and boarded a London-bound plane at Dhahran airport. Parry carried no more than a
JUDGMENT of, and on, our civilisation: ''The main news of the day is the death of Frank Sinatra'' - BBC and Scottish TV. James Inglis, 70 Marlborough Avenue, Glasgow. May 15.
The E-coli inquiry heard yesterday that it was ''nothing short of a minor miracle'' that there had not been a food poisoning outbreak at John Barr's butcher's shop before the epidemic that killed 21 people. Food safety consultant
SO Mr Ure, of the Rail Users' Consultative Committee for Scotland, is ''mildly optimistic'' rather than ecstatic about rail developments in Scotland (May 18). I stand corrected. Ever since I noted the strange near-enthusiasm
