British Airways last night brushed off a new public statement by the US Justice Department opposing its long-delayed partnership with American Airlines. ''This is just another step along the regulatory road,'' said a spokeswoman in
LOTS of eye contact, crooked grins and plenty of unashamedly flashy smiles. There is no doubt our Prime Minister is a fabulous flirt, and much of his campaigning was done yesterday before a female audience. And they loved it. Mr Tony Blair could have
NEIL Baxter's article, Field of dreams (May 18), was accurate and informative as far as it related to the rebuilding of Hampden Park. It was however, way off the mark with its references to the custodians of Hampden Park, the Queen's Park Football
THEY may look radiant and rapturous, but some summer brides will be drawing a veil over their dismay as they discover friends and relatives have doubled or even trebled up on popular gifts like answerphones, weighing scales, vacuum cleaners, electric
CRUCIAL new evidence from two of Britain's most distinguished medical experts could provide the key to freedom for one of Scotland's longest serving prisoners. Andrew Smith was jailed for murder 21 years ago after a jury was told that his victim
Exclusive DOUNREAY was last night accused by one of is main oppontents of wasting at least #300,000 of public money a year on an obsession with reprocessing other people's nuclear waste, by hiring 20 extra staff to work on a contract which might
Egil Olsen last night admitted Celtic have made an approach to make him the new Parkhead manager, as exclusively revealed in The Herald on Tuesday. The Norway manager has revealed the Scottish champions have contacted his agent and asked what he plans
THE Princess Royal visited Low Moss prison outside Glasgow yesterday to investigate a radical approach to drug and alcohol addiction among inmates. In the jail's Alba House unit prison officers trained as counsellors run a 12-week programme - much
A REVIEW of the Kirk's position on state-funded denominational schools was ordered yesterday at the assembly. Moves by the Presbytery of Dumbarton, which had called on the Kirk to make representations to the Government and the Scottish Parliament
IT is known in the trade as a spoiler. When you are scooped by your rivals, or if your bid to buy the story falls short of the competition's, then you do your best to rubbish or ruin the exclusive. So it is probably fair to say that many of those
HIGH Street retailer Storehouse announced an expansion package yesterday, along with a 6% increase in annual profits and sales trends above forecast since the beginning of May. The company, owner of clothing and household chain British Home Stores and
THE policing crisis in Grampian and the public dog-fight which ensued has resulted in the creation of a new policy forum. Scottish police chiefs will meet Government Ministers, senior civil servants and local government leaders to hammer out common ground
HOPES that interest rates in the UK have peaked were given a boost yesterday by clear evidence that retail sales growth had slowed down in response to the tightening of monetary policy and the reduction in mortgage interest tax relief. Bank of England
Not everyone in the planet is obsessed by the World Cup. We cite as evidence a report in the Spanish newspaper El Pais. It has a photograph of His Holiness John Paul II meeting Ronaldo, the Brazilian who is the world's best-known player. It was
A HILL farmer who grew cannabis in an outbuilding has been warned that he faces a prison sentence if he continues to be involved in drugs. Sheriff James Smith told Norman McQueen, 33, he was concerned that a respectable man of his age who was running
UNIVERSITY staff do not want to see their sacked Principal get his job back, an industrial tribunal heard yesterday. The tribunal also heard how the University Court was hit by ''a bombshell'' when it discovered a major restructure
AS Ulster goes to the polls today, one man, with a powerful right to do so, calls for a Yes vote for the deal. Laurence Rocke never wanted to be someone special. He wanted to be a normal doctor carrying out routine operations and for six months he was
IT seems a grand night for a public meeting. A late sun shines on the just and unjust alike, and at Belfast's Donegal Pass a sizeable neighbourhood crowd is gathering in a church hall to hear a variant on the Loyalist anthem, No Surrender. Tonight
FOOTBALLING legend Johnny Hubbard, right, was yesterday awarded an honorary MBE in recognition of his services to the game, as well as to the local community and in particular young people. Known as the Penalty King, Hubbard, who played for Rangers for
ST JOHNSTONE have put midfielder Paul Kane on a new two-year deal - as a player with youth coaching duties. Manager Paul Sturrock was delighted the former Hibernian, Oldam, and Aberdeen player's experience would be used to help to nurture teenage
PIN back your lug-holes, as somebody used to say sometime. Le Weekend est arrive and lovers of all sorts of raw sounds will be hastening to Stirling where the groovy arts development team at the council has done it again, assembling a bill for three
THE depressed state of the troubled British livestock industry is highlighted in statistics which show that Scottish auction marts' turnover fell by #69.5m in the last accounting year and threaten to get worse. According to statistics, members of
THE introduction of tuition fees for university students was op-posed by the assembly yesterday. It also backed its board of education's move to endorse the view that higher education at under-graduate level should be free at the point of delivery
EUROPEAN Commission proposals for allowing member states discretion in the delivery of support to agriculture have been condemned by National Farmers' Union of Scotland's hill-farming convener John Scott as ''an admission that they
COT deaths are not caused by a fireproofing chemical found in babies' mattresses, according to a Government report. Research by its Expert Group on Cot Death Theories concludes that there is no evidence that the chemicals, found in PVC mattresses
THE two British nurses pardoned for their roles in the murder of an Australian colleague faced mounting criticism yesterday for selling their stories. They arrived home vowing to clear their names after their ''devastating'' Saudi
ROYAL Bank of Scotland's shares surged 24.5p to 1038p yesterday, after its Angel Train Contracts subsidiary announced it had secured the biggest rolling stock financing deal in the UK rail industry's history. Angel is to lease #375m worth of
INTRODUCING her White Paper, Fairness at Work, Board of Trade President Margaret Beckett said it set out the Government's support for a new culture of co-operation and partnership in the workplace, a culture that was already present in the best
MONSTERS of Grace, the latest collaboration between designer/ director Robert Wilson and minimalist guru-composer Philip Glass, sets itself up for a monster bashing; it really does. It proclaims itself a new-age opera, pushing the boundaries of the form
At the beginning of this week I promised readers a bilious and bruising assembly. It has not turned out entirely that way. The bile has been ducted into recording dissent over lottery passions. The throbbing discontent within the board of communication
Golf Digest THE North Berwick links were littered with big-name casualties yesterday, leaving the Scottish women's amateur championship to enter the quarter-final stage without any of the Curtis Cup training squad players. Out went defending champion
Their career paths may be about to take different directions for the first time in some years, but the man who knows Gregor Townsend's rugby best believes he is ready to establish himself as one of the game's all-time greats. In the wake of
May 22, 1843 n THE Herald reported: ''A few weeks since it was announced that a female named Christian Cochrane or Gilmour had absconded on the suspicion of having murdered by poison her husband, Mr John Gilmour, farmer in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire
THE parents of murdered football protege Lawrence Haggart yesterday carried out their promise to sue Central Scotland Police over the handling of the inquiry into their son's death, writes Ian Smith. A lawyer, acting on behalf of Mr Larry Haggart
THE Government put the most clear red water between itself and preceding Tory governments yesterday as its long awaited White Paper on industrial relations shifted the balance of power from the employers in favour of the workers. The entire thrust of
BRITAIN'S second-largest scheduled airline company is to float with a price tag of around #95m, writes Andrew Wilson. British Regional Airlines Group (BRA) operates under a British Airways' franchise using BA logos and, of strategic importance
Improper use of paper and computer information may cost money, says Francis Shennan. Almost five months to the day from today, employers will face a new law governing how they keep records on their staff. Once fully implemented, employees will be able
HOLIDAY weekenders are being invited to an open day on board the Maid of the Loch at Balloch Pier tomorrow, between 10am and 4pm, to inspect progress on the restoration of the paddle steamer, above, which last sailed in 1981. It coincides with the Maid
I ATTENDED the launch of the 1999 Festival of Architecture and Design at Glasgow's Tramway Theatre on May 20. Design is a wide-ranging activity in human affairs spanning the creation of images to considerations of function. Artists operate at the
OPPONENTS of the Scottish Nationalists rounded on them with glee yesterday, in the wake of The Herald/System Three poll showing that they had yet to make the decisive breakthrough in persuading Scots to opt for independence, writes Robbie Dinwoodie,
Wentworth If Colin Montgomerie thought he had problems with his putting, then he might consider the plight of Ernie Els, the player he aims to depose as the world's No.1 this year. These are traumatic times for the South African who is favourite
Mr Blair described the Government's Fairness at Work reforms as an attempt to give, or restore to, employees rights to fair treatment in the workplace. The White Paper will reinstate safeguards which had been removed by successive Conservative administrations
THE people of Northern Ireland go to the polls today on the Good Friday Agreement, which the Prime Minister said yesterday he was confident would win a resounding Yes vote, reports Alison Hardie. Mr Tony Blair concluded a frantic series of eleventh hour
Ross Finlay applauds the German engineering with flair. In September 1995 Audi stunned observers at the Frankfurt Show with a weirdly styled, partly retro-look TT Coupe. One month later at Tokyo its display included an open two-seater TTS version of
SCOTLAND's political scene seems to hold a new surprise every week. Just a fortnight after the elation the SNP must have experienced in the wake of System Three's historic poll for The Herald which put it ahead of Labour for the first time,
CONTRARY to your report (May 21) the Israel Ambassador, Dr Dror Zeigerman, was not present when the criticisms of Israel were voiced at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland the previous day. As guest of the Lord High Commissioner he witnessed
ALTHOUGH I am sure there are better things we can spend our time doing than speculating on the EU's attitude to an independent Scotland, there are a few basic points in Mary Rolls's letter which should not pass uncorrected (May 18). Anyone
UNDERNEATH the chandeliers, a liveried servant floated through the gold-flecked neo-classical splendour and presented a glass of water on a salver to a man with unkempt hair. The man was a beggar. The flunkie was employed by the City of Edinburgh Council
THE Irish government is confident that the Good Friday peace accord will be endorsed massively today by the electorate in the Republic, with a vote of over 90% in favour being widely predicted. Counting starts tomorrow. Even before publication of the
A #40m plan to improve the quality of life - economically and socially - in run-down areas of Greenock, Gourock and Port Glasgow was given the go-ahead with a three-year agreement between Inverclyde Council and Scottish Homes on major developments. Welcomed
SO the Rev John Young, of Airdrie, is again hearing early cuckoos (May 16). It might indeed be delightful to hear one or two cuckoos at this time of the year and I think John Young was simply expressing the joys of early summer. The Assembly Hall will
A DEFIANT Alex Salmond insisted yesterday the SNP would call a referendum on independence in the first term of the Scottish Parliament despite fresh doubts it could win it. The Herald's latest independence poll by System Three, showed only one in
A ROMAN Catholic priest who has been accused of sexually harassing and unfairly sacking his former housekeeper is to face the complaints on his own when the case comes to an industrial tribunal in the next few weeks. Maria McBride, 29, has taken
AN investigation into radiation experiments carried out on pregnant women in the 1950s and 1960s has revealed there are greater numbers of cases of thyroid cancer in both men and women in Grampian compared to other parts of Scotland. There is no evidence
POLLS have a way of confounding expectations, and the latest Herald/System Three survey on attitudes to our constitutional future is no exception. The SNP had been on a seemingly relentless surge in recent months. On voting intentions for the Scottish
Athletics Welshman Colin Jackson clocked 13.14secs to win an international 110m hurdles race in Chemnitz, Germany, last night - his quickest opening performance since the 1993 season when a 13.11 start proved the fore-runner to a world record of 12.91
THE Free Church yesterday voted to hold a special assembly later this year to negotiate peace between warring factions in the church. The Rev Professor Donald Macleod called for a ''ceasefire'' in an emotional speech to its General
AROUND twenty British holidaymakers were injured early yesterday morning when they were evacuated from their plane after it overshot the runway while landing in Ibiza. The Leisure International A320, with 180 passengers and seven crew on board, took-off
LABOUR Euro-sceptic Lord Shore last night waded into the internal Tory squabble over Europe, attacking former deputy premier Michael Heseltine as a ''fanatic''. In a speech to the cross-party Bruges Group, which is hostile to the
A 70-YEAR-OLD E-coli food-poisoning victim collapsed and died at her home 11 hours after being seen by her doctor, an inquiry heard yesterday. The case of Mrs Annie Criggie came in evidence from Dr Edward Briggs. He told the fatal accident inquiry into
ABERDEEN manager Alex Miller yesterday started what is expected to be a major summer overhaul of his playing staff by clinching the signing of Middlesbrough midfielder Craig Hignett. The Pittodrie manager met Hignett for talks earlier this week before
THE number of people working at call centres in Scotland will more than double to 37,000 by the year 2000 as more companies set up telephone-based operations North of the Border, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Scottish Enterprise. Call
THERE was visible relief among the members of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee who were paraded before the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee yesterday. The latest retail sales figures provided the clearest indication yet
EDUCATION chiefs are being urged to grasp the nettle of school closures in a report published yesterday by independent auditors, which reveals the problem of spare capacity persisting across Scotland. The study by the Accounts Commission of Scotland
SURREY-based holding company TT Group has issued a vague statement saying its intentions towards Prestwick Holdings remain unchanged, even though it has increased its stake in the operation from around 9% to 22%. TT, which owns a variety of businesses
RUSSELL Banks was feeling fragile. ''Late night,'' he said by way of explanation, raising his eyes towards heaven, mentioning Glasgow writers and a bar by the river. ''You could say it was something of a celebration, being
Parents of small children are first in the queue for civilised, well-cooked, good food served in attractive surroundings - and first in their line-up of attractions is the lack of small, demanding voices. As soon as their first little cutie gets beyond
New generation: it was second time around for Stuart Cowie (second right) as he cut the ground for a new gas-fired power station at Boddam near Peterhead yesterday. He also set off the first explosive charge to clear the site when the present power station
The Queen Mother yesterday made her first public appearance in Scotland since her hip operation. The 97-year-old was in Aberdeen to name the Scotia, a #21m research vessel. Looking cheerful and walking with her stick under her arm, the Queen Mother unveiled
HAMISH Grossart, one of the rising stars in Scotland's management scene, has been appointed chairman of Royal Doulton, the Stoke-on-Trent ceramics group which acquired Caithness Glass two years ago. Grossart, 41, takes up the new appointment on
HIBERNIAN'S boardroom shake-up continued yesterday with the appointment of two new directors, one of whom was the former legal adviser to an individual considering a bid to take over the club, and amid suggestions that other directors at Easter
EXCLUSIVE EDUCATION chiefs in Scotland's truancy capital are urging the Government to consider cutting welfare benefits to children who are persistently absent from school. It is one of a number of suggestions contained in a consultation leaflet
As well as the latest city cars mentioned here last week, a great many new models on a larger scale are either just reaching the showrooms, or have their UK introduction dates already planned. Ford will soon get properly to grips with the coupe market
FICKLE indeed is the power of the military dictator as the twentieth century draws to a close. Re-elected as president in March through Indonesia's strange constitutional processes, General Suharto's subsequent fall from grace has been dramatic
Moira, County Down A CAT, a pig, a business, and a home were lost by Michael Heaney on the night of February 20, but he has held on firmly to his conviction that it has to be a Yes vote in today's referendum in Northern Ireland. It might have been
LAST weekend, under almost tropical skies, we embarked on a brief tour of some of the finest gardens in one corner of Scotland. On Sunday we spent part of the day at a walled garden where the present owner has single-handedly over the past decade planted
auctioneering company John Swan & Sons, which operates in Edinburgh and St Boswells, has become the first in the UK to have an employee qualified as an assessor under the Scottish Livestock Vocational qualification scheme for markets. The honour
ROBIN Cook, the Foreign Secretary, was back in the glare of adverse publicity yesterday as a powerful Commons committee claimed he failed to co-operate fully with its investigation into the arms-to-Africa affair. The Foreign Affairs Select Committee
The Good Friday agreement is not in itself a solution to the sectarian enmities of Northern Ireland. These are so deeply ingrained and go back so far in time that, in moments of despair, they can appear utterly intractable. But we would rather invest
TRADING standards officers in Edinburgh yesterday issued a warning after seizing garments which could strangle children. Anoraks and tee-shirt tops taken from two stores in the city have cords which pass completely through the material of the hood. Head
AN independent report has criticised East Dunbartonshire councillors and officials for creating a stressful working environment for staff, writes John MacCalman, Municipal Correspondent. The report by Greater Glasgow Health Board identified a number
CHILDREN born using ICSI - an in-vitro fertilisation technique that allows infertile men to be fathers - may have slower mental development than children conceived naturally, research being published today suggests. The findings, in the Lancet, are based
SCOTTISH Equitable's leading fund manager Russell Hogan yesterday questioned whether rival Scottish Widows Investment Management would be able to make the major acquisition it is seeking at the right price in the current environment. He added that
THE letter in praise of players and spectators at the Junior Scottish Cup final (May 20) encourages me to say that sportsmanship was evident also at the final of the Scottish Cup between Hearts and Rangers. At the close of play and after medals had been
STUDENT leaders have attacked the Scottish National Party for betraying them over tuition fees, writes Catherine MacLeod, Chief Political Correspondent. The row broke out yesterday after it emerged the SNP's education spokesman, Mr Andrew Welsh,
THE policing crisis in Grampian and the public dog-fight which ensued has resulted in the creation of a new policy forum. Scottish police chiefs will meet Ministers, senior civil servants, and local government leaders to hammer out common ground. The
Printer Caledonian International, a former division of publishers Harper Collins, has just completed a deal which will result in employees owning a 20% stake in the business, writes Harry Conroy. All 300 employees of the company - which was taken over
BRIAN Souter and his sister, Ann Gloag, the founders of Stagecoach, are the highest-placed Scots in a list of the UK's 100 top entrepreneurs compiled by Enterprise Magazine. Together they share the number six spot, with Gloag the highest-placed
DR Brian McNeil's letter (May 16) on opencast mining is to be commended. I was particularly interested in the excerpt from an article which says, ''The area surrounding Cumnock in Ayrshire is to become the engine house of the opencast
SALMON farmers are seeking compensation after slaughtering stock when a killer disease was confirmed at fish farms in two areas of the west coast. The young fish which have been struck by infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) are being slaughtered and taken
IF you plan a bucket-and-spade holiday in West Wales with your in-laws, give this play a miss. Otherwise catch it if you can at Dundee Rep or next month at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow (it's a co-production). Sharman MacDonald's bittersweet
THE parents of murdered football protege Lawrence Haggart yesterday carried out their promise to sue Central Scotland Police over the handling of the inquiry into their son's death, writes Ian Smith. A lawyer, acting on behalf of Mr Larry Haggart
Sunday is a day of rest for some. But for the film industry this Sunday marks the end of nearly two weeks of wheeling, dealing, and schmoozing as the Cannes International Film Festival comes to a glittering close. It is award night on the French riviera
IT'S a shameful crime of which we've all been guilty de temps en temp: a wilful refusal to accept that France has contributed anything of note to the rock'n'roll canon. My evidence for this dismissive verdict? Well, just think back
An elderly pedestrian killed when he was hit by a car near the entrance to Ferrygate Farm, East Lothian, at lunchtime on Wednesday, was yesterday named by police as Mr George Melrose, 80, of Glenburn Road, North Berwick. The accident occurred on the
Residents of East Kilbride have been left shocked and angry at the mutilation of one of the town's best known landmarks, above. Neighbours in Mallard Crescent woke to find vandals had chopped the trunks off the ornamental elephants on the road
Victor Riley, of the founding family, is once again lending his support to the Scottish National Riley Rally. Based in Strathaven, the two-day event begins tomorrow morning with a display in the town's George Allan Park. More than 50 Rileys will
TORY councillors in Edinburgh were left disappointed yesterday after the ruling Labour group shelved plans for a by-law to ban aggressive begging. Instead, Edinburgh City Council will put existing legislation to the test over the summer when dozens of
n With the revised Felicia hatchback in the showrooms since last month, Skoda has now introduced the estate version, left, which comes with the same minor styling changes. As in the hatchback, engines include Skoda's own 1.3-litre unit and two Volkswagen
IT had to be the story of the week. The inquiry into Asworth Hospital was told that a resident psychologist, who is an expert in anger management, completely lost the heid one day and chased two of his colleagues down the hospital corridor before assaulting
RETURNING to this year's Edinburgh Fringe for a second successive season, the Flux New Music Festival will feature a welcome Scottish presence. Making their first appearance in Auld Reekie for a decade, the Jesus and Mary Chain will head the list
Scotland's World Cup squad began their period of adjustment yesterday to the hard-line refereeing that has been promised for the finals in France when they begin next month. A team talk at their New Jersey hotel from manager Craig Brown spelled
PITTENCRIEFF Resources, the Scottish oil exploration minnow searching for a major acquisition, has slimmed down its portfolio of US interests still further, selling its 50% stake in part of the Corpus Christi gas field in Texas for $3.5m. The proceeds
STIRLING Council is to spend more than #1m linking every school in the district to the Internet. The three-year investment, will also provide new computers for every primary school classroom and pilot the use of lap-top computers in secondary schools
BASS has conceded the title of Britain's biggest brewer, now the accolade of Scottish & Newcastle, but has something else to be proud of. As the world's largest hotelier it is in a strong position to drive forward an internationally expanding
The White Paper, and the sweeping changes it proposes, received a predictably mixed reception yesterday. While measures to give workers new employment and union rights were welcomed by trade unions, concerns about the implications for employers were
Here's a brain-teaser for all you devolution obsessives out there. After Home Rule arrives next year, what will the Scots be banned from having that the English, Welsh, and Northern Irish can happily, legally, go ahead and enjoy? The answer isn&
One of the five warmest winters of the 20th century depressed demand for PowerGen's electricity, the generator confirmed yesterday. Profits before exceptional items were therefore up only slightly on 1996, the generator's annual results showed
A MASSIVE search for a retired top Scottish civil servant missing for six days in Scotland's mountains ended yesterday when his body was found. Widower David Williamson, 78, a former keeper of the Registers of Scotland, had been last seen at breakfast
THE SNP has created a powerful new committee to co-ordinate, cost and defend the policies which the party will carry into the hotly-contested hustings for the Scottish Parliament next spring. The policy priority review group, already attracting the nickname
AS one of the many who love Portencross and would love to own it and restore it to its former glory and life as a home, I find it sad that a ''romantic ruin'' for today has precedence for many over an ongoing existence for the castle
THE remains of a Halifax bomber involved in a fatal crash on a hillside in the Western Isles have begun a final journey to a Canadian air museum. The undercarriage found on Harris is heading for the Royal Canadian Air Force Memorial Museum in Trenton
TWO innovative youth initiatives were launched yesterday to help educate children as young as four about sexual abuse and to teach schoolchildren about their legal rights and encourage them to question the law. Edinburgh's Rape Crisis Centre and
A YES vote in the Northern Ireland referendum today would open the door to a new future for the Province, and a furious election campaign for seats in the Assembly. It would give the go-ahead for a programme which should see Sinn Fein president Gerry
SCOTLAND will field two new caps when they face the mystery men of Fiji in the opening match of their Australasian tour in Suva on Tuesday. The South African-born prop, Matthew Proudfoot, and winger Hugh Gilmour were surprise names in the line-up, revealed
LAST week, the president of Real Madrid, Lorenzo Sanz, seemed to make it clear in public that he would be sacking his team coach, Jupp Heynckes, once the European Champions Cup final was completed. Yesterday morning, Senor Sanz looked in the mirror
JOHN MacLeod (Empty lives, May 19) makes much of Keir Hardie's Free Church background. Does this explain Hardie's advocacy of free love? He had a long affair with Sylvia Pankhurst, one of the most vocal promoters of this recreation. Alan D
A pensioner appeared before the sheriff at Dumfries yesterday accused of assaulting his 74-year-old wife to her severe injury, permanent impairment and to the danger of her life. Mr David Preston, 75, of Greenknowe Avenue, Annan, appeared in private.
AN election agent for one of the candidates defeated at Govan in the General Election last year has been charged by police in connection with election expenses. Mr Tariq Malik, who acted as election agent for Mr Badar Islam, was charged
I REGRET the necessity of writing this letter, simply because Mr Chris Parton (May 21) has chosen not to refer to my stated source before querying the information I gave in my letter published on May 19. A copy has now been sent to him, and from it he
WHEN Chuck Colson was President Nixon's special counsel during the Watergate crisis he was collected daily at home by the White House limo and driven to work. On the way he would scan the Washington Post and its daily diet of exposes. He wrote later
David Finlay just knows that Mercedes is the only one for him. The second question is the most common you are ever asked, and the hardest to answer. Your reply to the first has established that you are a motoring journalist, whereupon you brace yourself
''IF youse just hate Taigs then tell me. But don't mess about with wee side issues. Just come out and say it.'' That was the blunt challenge that the veteran Progressive Unionist Hughie Smyth delivered to his opponent
A GARDEN is to be moved from London to Scotland today after a local authority won it in a draw at the Chelsea Flower Show. East Lothian Council yesterday became the owner of the Freedom Garden, a specially designed space for people with sensory and physical
LEADING conservation groups are asking Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar to make Scotland's new Parliament building green and clean. Among the features proposed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust - whose patron is the Prince of Wales - and Friends of
The new Act will oblige employers to give individuals certain information when personal data is being collected about them, whether from the individuals themselves or from other sources. They have to be told the identity of the person controlling the
Students of the dram are toasting the discovery of seven crates of The Antiquary whisky, which had lain untouched in a cellar for more than 40 years. The 60 bottles are expected to fetch around #5000 at a sale at Philips in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear,
NATIONAL Museums of Scotland should have its Government subsidy halved given that visitor numbers had dropped by around 45% since the introduction of admission charges earlier this year, a Cosla conference was told yesterday. The radical suggestion came
BASS is still hotfoot after acquisitions despite spending #1770m on the 187-strong Inter-Continental chain earlier this year. Chairman Sir Ian Prosser delivered an upbeat assessment of the group's hotel empire, the largest in the world with 450,000
EXCLUSIVE A LEADING World Cup organiser has admitted that excessive and even drunken antics by Scottish supporters will be tolerated by the authorities. Mr Olivier Dutreil, project manager for the tournament organisers in the Rhone-Alpes region
ONE of only two existing original manuscripts by Johannes Brahms for his famous song Feldeinsamkeit fetched a world-record #52,100 at auction yesterday, more than double the expected price. Signed by the composer, the four page manuscript was bought
MOTHERWELL Bridge has won a #10.5m contract to supply and install equipment for the first new cement plant to be built in the UK for 10 years. The group's Glasgow-based John Young subsidiary will supply part of the machinery for the new #120m Rugby
AN eclectic consortium of high-profile Scots yesterday promised to re-define ''easy listening'' music for radio listeners in Central Scotland, writes Ian Smith. EZ FM launched its bid for the Central Scotland radio licence in Glasgow
I've been out with middle-class men, I've been out with working-class men, and I've been out with men with nae class at all. I've tried all sorts, driven by the maxim, so many interesting specimens, so little time. It's very
A lottery winner had until 11pm last night to claim a #185,698 prize, Camelot said yesterday. The winning ticket, matching five numbers and the bonus ball, was bought in the Lewisham area of South London for the Saturday draw on November 22 last year
SCOTLAND could have its own pavilion at next year's Cannes Film Festival, writes William Russell in Cannes. The British pavilion this year has been a marketing nightmare, too small, and lacking any clear identity with its users - Scottish Screen
BRIAN Friel's 1990 play is a brave choice for the RSAMD, requiring of the cast a tick Oirish brogue. Dancing is a quintessential memory play, narrated by the adult Michael Mundy (Harry Ward), looking back - as the play constantly reminds us - to
Gillian Dorricott YOUR BLUE EYED BOY by Helen Dunmore Viking, #12.99 YOU may imagine Helen Dunmore sitting snuggly between Janice Galloway and Margaret Atwood. Galloway is great at observation and recreating the details of life, but her novels aren&apos
A committee of MPs last night criticised as ''unacceptable'' the range of areas which the Government thinks should be excluded from proposed freedom of information law. Although generally welcoming the Government's proposals
