Archive

GRAMPIAN Holdings's chairman and finance director have received big pay rises following a hefty increase in group profits during the year to January 30. Executive chairman Bill Hughes saw his total remuneration package rise 23% to #296,000. It included

Stirling's historic Top of the Town area has a B-listed two-storey flat for sale at offers over #61,750. The arts and crafts style mock Tudor and red brick building at 1 Bank Street (whose frontage faces Baker Street where the entrance to the ground

GORDON BROWN was under fire from trade unions last night for imposing ''totally unnecessary'' limits on future Government spending. The Chancellor made clear there would be no spending bonanza, as he set out strict new guidelines

They can be dressed up or down to suit any mood or pocket. That's why Jennifer Davis looks upon them as windows of opportunity LOOK at a row of clean, neat shining new homes from the outside, and what strikes you? The fact that they all look pretty

PEOPLE at Lynch Homes have been training their ''sites'' on the bigger homes market this year and at all their developments are offering only large detached properties - the smallest of which are three-bedroom villas or bungalows.

GLASGOW will once again host a giant Hogmanay party this year after the success of last year's event, the city council confirmed yesterday. Council leader Mr Frank McAveety called on local businesses to lend their support to the party's organisers

Insurance broker C&N Black of East Kilbride is set to expand after being taken over by the Sussex-based Warren Hill. Warren Hill operates insurance schemes for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and is to centralise all its FSB client work on

Two prominent Scottish businessmen have joined the University of Aberdeen Court. Leading business lights Andrew Salvesen, chairman and managing director of oil consultants Findrack (UK) Ltd, and Donald Waters, former deputy chairman of Grampian TV, have

PUTTING off going to the dentist could mean that oral cancer goes unnoticed, the British Dental Association warned patients yesterday. Early diagnosis can increase a patient's chance of surviving the disease for another five years from 50% to 80%

SURVIVAL hopes for three endangered Scottish bird species were given a boost yesterday after they were included in a new Government-backed conservation straegy, writes Gavin Madeley. The wryneck, the common scoter, and the red-necked phalarope are among

Historic Scotland was accused of putting money before the monster and a famous ruined castle at a public inquiry yesterday into the conservation body's application for a major #4m tourist development on Loch Ness. The organisation, charged with

n TILCON Scotland which undertakes roadway contracts in new developments, has been granted a licence by the manufacturers of a special new anti-skid surface which could improve safety at junctions, pedestrian crossings and roundabouts. n Fairway Homes

A PENSIONER who preyed on young girls has been put on probation for two years and his name included on the sex offenders' register for five years. Alexander Grubb, 66, of Lady Nina Square, Coaltown of Balgonie, had previously at Kirkcaldy Sheriff

WIND power is the inspiration for two of last night's six winners in the Glasgow Development Agency's Business Start-up of the Year Awards. Each winner received a cheque for #20,000 in the awards ceremony at the Glasgow Hilton, which was sponsored

Don't wait for the break-in. Sort out your home security now, advises Wendy Jack It IS one of the most common crimes and millions of people find their security shattered after their home is burgled. Yet, it's often only once the crime has been

Public-spirited citizens who drop litter in bins in Neath and Port Talbot, South Wales, may pick up #5 notes in return, if, as expected, councillors approve a scheme to reward those who help keep their town tidy. The plan is for officials to patrol with

A good Bett BETT has new developments at Lillyburn, Milton of Campsie; Castle Brae,Cambuslang, and Campsie Rise, at Robroyston Fields. The Castle Brae estate is on an elevated site off Hallside Road with views to the open countryside. The site has

VODAFONE shares powered to an all-time high yesterday as the UK market's leading mobile phone operator reported strong results for the year to March, along with an upbeat statement for the future. Profits rose 21% to #650m and dividends are raised

FACT FILE FINAL19981997 Turnover#383m#307m Pre-tax profit #20.8m #16.2m EPS20.27p15.97p Dividend5.85p5.14p Morrison Construction, which separated itself from the rest of the industry with a heavy emphasis on non-traditional tendering, is now looking

A SURGE in the profits of the National Lottery operator, Camelot, in the past year saw it making more than #1m a week after tax for the first time. The figures, published yesterday showed a 14% rise in pre-tax profits to #80.9m for the year to March,

Keys to success: TV presenter Viv Lumsden plays a prelude to the fifth Scottish International Piano Competition which will be staged in Glasgow from September 12-19. Fifty-four pianists have been selected for the first stage which will take place at

THE Scottish Conservatives are set to launch a high-powered bid to woo the Scottish business and financial community with the announcement of a raft of business-friendly policies and the setting-up of a new liaison unit, writes Frances Horsburgh, Scottish

The modest discharge of celebratory gunfire following the re-election of Monte-negro's young and reforming Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic would have been drowned out by the cheering from the leaders of Western European nations. Djukanovic is not

Plans to set up a drug detoxification unit in an Aberdeen housing estate have split residents, writes Graeme Smith. More than 100 have signed a petition backing the move by Mission East Trust of Aberdeen to take over a block of flats in the Logie area

EXCLUSIVE LABOUR last night stood accused of the very charge of turning St Andrew's House into a propaganda arm of the Government which they used to level at Michael Forsyth. The Scottish Office Information Directorate was forced to withdraw material

I HAVE a wide circle of friends, and one I met the other day was just back from a visit to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's summer palace at North Queensferry. While there they reminisced about the good times when we were all whooping it up in

Epsom classic contenders Cape Verdi and Bahr are among the 19 acceptors for the Prix de Diane Hermes (French Oaks) at Chantilly on Sunday. Cape Verdi, supplemented for the Derby at a cost of #75,000, and Epsom Oaks favourite Bahr are believed to have

AN investigation into a shortfall in the commercial operations department of East Ayrshire Council is expected to be completed by the end of next week, writes David Steele. Initial estimates - when the problem was uncovered in February and two senior

BANK of Scotland yesterday announced it was hiving off its substantial information technology operations into a joint venture company owned by itself and FI Group, the business technology services provider. The pair ultimately plan to sell systems they

outspoken International Development Secretary Clare Short will today intensify her campaign against the gruesome imagery of famine relief appeals with a pointed counter-attack aimed at the Red Cross. She plans to compare the world's oldest aid agency

ENOUGH enriched uranium to make more than 10 nuclear bombs went missing from Dounreay in just over three years, it was revealed yesterday. The plant's own figures involving contents of the controversial Dounreay shaft show the loss of 170kg. An

n PUPILS at Petersburn Primary in Airdrie have cemented plans to revamp their school playground with help from Taywood Homes. The company, whose Millgait development is in the children's community, was approached by P6 and P7 pupils who needed

BIG plays these: the Freudian nightmare of Oedipus the King (Sophocles), in which our hero realises he's killed his dad and shacked up with his mum; the fraternal squabbling of seven against Thebes (Aeschylus), in which brother sets upon brother

SEVERAL directors of Macfarlane Group (Clansman) sold shares in the Glasgow-based packaging company during the run-up to last week's annual meeting, when the board warned that problems at the plastic mouldings division would damage interim profits

ON recent months, GOAL! has come through all kinds of qualifying rounds to win its place in the public eye. So, now that its first full show has been played out, how does it shape up against possible competition? Actually, it's quite hard to determine

Nobody cheats at golf. The Royal and Ancient game has a code of behaviour which would rival that of the Knights of the Round Table and players regularly call shots against themselves for breaches of the rules which would almost certainly have gone undetected

AN official report into the previous Government's sell-off of the Rosyth and Devonport dockyards reveals the deal actually cost the Government money, and that new facilities at Devonport are costing #156m more than estimated. Between Devonport and

Dorset Printers has its name for a very simple reason. When managing director Hugh Boyd first set up what was a very small general printing business in the mid l970s it was located in Dorset Street, in the heart of Glasgow. The name Dorset Printers was

EVERY now and again chaps and woman-chaps engaged in the dry and dusty business of the law have to get out and about a bit. Away with learned tomes, crumbling parchment, arid piles of festering, migraine-laced, wind-inducing, impenetrably obscure but

MORE than 500 Scottish football fans who paid for package deals with a travel agent that included tickets for next Wednesday's World Cup opening game involving Scotland and Brazil look set to be disappointed after the firm yesterday admitted that

Andrew Lothian explores the murky task of controlling those illegal telephone 'directories' IN central London anyone not possessing a mobile will soon become acquainted with the curious fact that the insides of telephone boxes are plastered

MORE than 200 people attended a rally in Glasgow's George Square yesterday to protest against the closure of two day centres for the disabled, writes Valerie Hannah. The Hillington Day and Resource Centres are to close at the end of September, leaving

AND it's over live to the stadium for an update on the Battle of Blands. ''Yes, and welcome to Ibrox Park where it is very much a game of two halves. Well, three halves if you count the big bit at the end when both sides got together for

n Desmond O'Connor was raised from real East End stock in luverly-jubberly Stepney before moving up to Northampton. He made his tentative steps on the showbizness road at the age of 17. Since then the man has been the subject of at least 36 national

Things not quite blooming? Jennifer Davis advises on where to plant the greenery to best effect AS the summer days lengthen, doors and windows are thrown open to introduce some refreshing breezes. This has the added bonus, especially if you have patio

THE provost and the #90,000-a-year chief executive of beleaguered North Lanarkshire Council will have to stay and face the music over the authority's #4.8m missing public money after their free trip to the World Cup was cancelled yesterday. As the

SCOTTISH Homes yesterday announced details of its three-year plan for Lothian, Borders and Forth Valley. It is spending #105m, and expects to attract the same amount from the private sector, to build or renovate 4500 homes. Much of the money will be

SCARGILLITE Dave Rix has been confirmed as the next general secretary of the train drivers' union Aslef and will succeed the ousted Lew Adams from next January 10, writes Roy Rogers, Industry Correspondent. Ratification by the union executive indicates

I MUST imagine that the statements about Fidel Castro contained in John Macleod's article (May 26) stem from ignorance. Should John Macleod acquaint himself with the history of Cuba and of Fidel Castro he will find that he has grossly maligned a

POLICE in Edinburgh have appealed for information about a man suffering from amnesia who was found walking in Princes Street. Despite inquiries with the National Missing Persons Bureau and other agencies, police have failed to establish his identity.

SCOTTISH electors going to the polls on May 6 next year will be faced with three ballot papers, the Scottish Office confirmed yesterday, writes Murray Ritchie, Scottish Political Editor. Two of the papers will be for the Scottish Parliament elections

I AGREE entirely with Patricia McKeever (May 30), although I would like to put the case a little more bluntly. There is more hope of finding a snowball in Hell than to hear Cardinal Winning publicly state that the Catholic Church is the only means of

SO YOU phoned and phoned. You hung on the line listening to that relentlessly engaged tone. Or maybe you were smarter and just knew there was no chance. France 98. The World Cup. Scotland against the glorious samba stars. History in the making? Ha. Only

Island promise THE Stirling-based family company, Ogilvie Homes, has just opened a show flat at its new Arranview Court development in Irvine, which has unobstructed views over Victoria Park and the River Irvine, and Arran is visible in the distance

THE oil industry yesterday played its latest hand in the ''game of poker'' with the Government in which the stake is the offshore tax regime. At the weekend Chancellor Gordon Brown made it known he was unconvinced by the arguments

MARIE Jo McCrossan and her family reckon that the Lanarkshire-based developer, Wilson Home Builders should start advertising themselves as the company who likes to say ''no problem''. Because when the McCrossans approached Wilson

MEMBERS of Britain's largest union, Unison, yesterday passed a unanimous vote of no confidence in North Lanarkshire Council chief executive Andrew Cowe and three suspended council officials. Leaders of construction service workers, who chaired a

EXCLUSIVE FIVE Brussels-based Scots have emerged as contenders for two plum European Union jobs to be filled in Edinburgh later this year. The five are in the running for the posts of representatives in Scotland of the European Commission and European

Deedee Cuddihy finds out what's going on in new developments Every little helps TAYWOOD Homes are helping to keep Scottish children ''as safe as houses'' by naming Children First as their chosen charity. The company will be helping

Trading places: Seven English New Labour MPs who have firms in their constituencies which rely heavily on the oil industry swopped their Commons places for a visit off shore yesterday to check out the business. They were Ann Keen (Brentwood and Isleworth

FARMERS in Lanarkshire have joined the ranks of those seeking an in-depth study which will demonstrate the extent to which their economy has been hit by the downturn in farming. Members of the Lanark area executive of the National Farmers' Union

Thousands of Scottish road tax dodgers are set to be targeted as a major clampdown which could lead to their cars being crushed spreads north of the Border. Motorists without a tax disc will have their wheels clamped by a special patrol team, and the

It must have been music to the City's ears when the Chancellor said fiscal discipline was not just for tonight, it was forever. Well, the economic equivalent of forever - admittedly a much shorter time. But it is Mr Gordon Brown's ambition,

FIDDLES & FOLK by G W Lockhart Luath Press, #7.95 A freeborn man of the travelling people was once summoned by the BBC in London to add authenticity to a folk music programme. Faced with a lonely evening in a posh hotel room, he took his melodeon out

EDINBURGH Fund Managers' (Edinburgh's) Dunedin Worldwide Investment Trust, plagued recently by poor performance and hefty discounts, yesterday unveiled reconstruction proposals spelling the end of its colourful 101-year existence. Shareholders

World Cup view Former Scotland manager Andy Roxburgh rates his one-time ''twin striker'' Craig Brown as the finest natural coach his country has ever produced. Roxburgh, now technical director for UEFA, personally selected Brown to

THE CONTRAST between the two men is marked. Council leader Harry McGuigan is regarded as the robust, ambitious politician, while chief executive Andrew Cowe is described as an easy-going official with a low public profile. However, the two leaders now

BIG time stadium rock returned to Scotland last night, when more than 30,000 fans flocked to Ibrox Park, Glasgow, to see Billy Joel and Elton John together in concert, writes Allan Laing. In a superstar version of a ''buy one, get one free&

THE substantial 9.5% setback in the Siebe share price yesterday will probably take some time to claw back as nervousness about short-term prospects may well overcome the merits of what is perhaps the best managed major British engineering company. What

Royal Bank of Scotland and Birmingham Midshires formally tore up their marriage contract yesterday and went their separate ways. The Wolverhampton-based building society, which entered into negotiations with the bank on an exclusive basis last August

Some of the great thinkers have argued that there are seven great stages in the life cycle of humans, stretching from cradle to aged infirmity. But as far as the building industry is concerned, there are only four key stages in the life cycle of the

FIFTEEN child care workers employed by the City of Edinburgh Council have been the subject of complaints over the past two years, writes Chris Holme. Four were dismissed, three were moved to other duties, and two resigned, an inquiry chaired by Professor

CLARE Short is right to imply that images which portray people in developing countries as passive, helpless recipients of aid handouts are unhelpful. They fuel a stereotype of the poor which is as erroneous as it is degrading. It is self-evidently true

SCOTTISH Education Minister Brian Wilson last night warned the chairman of Glasgow's education committee to leave politics out of school closure decisions. The Herald yesterday revealed details of a leaked letter in which Glasgow education convener

ROADS in the north of Scotland are among the most dangerous in Britain, according to new statistics released in Brussels yesterday. The survey of road safety records throughout the European Union revealed that on average more people die in driving accidents

The CLK is such a niche product, says Ross finlay While they have four-headlamp styling similar to that of the E-class, the Mercedes CLK coupe and cabriolet are actually built on the C-class platform. They are among the cars in its range which Mercedes

HER name is Ally McBeal - remember where you heard it last. She is a figment of a Hollywood scriptwriter's imagination but, if you read the Sunday newspapers at the weekend, you could be forgiven for thinking that she is not only for real, but

EMBATTLED North Lanarkshire Council has called for openness to be a key feature of the Scottish Parliament, writes Raymond Duncan. Its submission to the Government - including a reference to ''the proper apparatus of checks and balances&apos

CONSUMERS scaled back their personal borrowing in April giving further ammunition to the doves on the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee, which meets today and tomorrow to decide if interest rates, held at 7.25% since November, should be changed

THE reported response of Paul Gascoigne on learning of his exclusion from the England World Cup squad was to rant and rail, stomp his feet, kick a door and bawl his eyes out. In other words the same kind of reaction one might expect of a particularly

SCOTLAND manager Craig Brown said yesterday that the withdrawal of Brazil striker Romario from the World Cup through injury was as big a blow to them as the loss of Gary McAllister was from his own side. Romario, who broke down in tears as he announced

I WAS saddened, like all of us, to read of the terrible fire tragedy in Renfrew, where once again we hear of the fatal consequences of smoke inhalation, and a smoke detector with no battery. I am sure it's not that the householders can't afford

Robert Dickson reveals how retrospective legislation arose from the Burma conflict THE Criminal Procedure (Intermediate Diets) (Scotland) Act 1998 was passed within four weeks of Lord Cullen's decision that thousands of decisions made at pre-trial

A sailor has finally kept his promise of a dance to a young ATS girl - after 54 years. Jack MacLennan, 72, of Inverness, left, met Maisie Martin, right, fleetingly in 1944 when he carried her kitbag up a hill in the town. He invited her to a dance that

A POLICE surgeon was charged with manslaughter yesterday after the death of a 22-year-old Aberdeen man in a cell. Dr Sharwan Kumar Mehra, 67, of Darras Hall, Ponteland, Northumberland, is charged in connection with the death of Craig Vose. Mr Vose was

A FULL family home of manageable proportions in the West End of Glasgow is a rare commodity, and when one comes on the market, interest is usually keen. This is all the more true when the house is situated in a leafy enclave just off Byres Road, combining

92 Queens Drive. Three bedroom penthouse flat, offers over #87,500, Slater Hogg and Howison, Shawlands. This Balmoral Crescent part of Queens Drive is another B-listed tenement, built in 1885 in the French Renaissance style with a Mansard roof, and

Market Monitor Stewart McIntosh finds new homes are enjoying wider appeal A door has opened wide in the property market. For most buyers, the door between the new-build and the second hand sectors was kept firmly shut. There were those who always bought

NSW Country.........13 Scotland.................34 Quite the most encouraging display of this tour so far was spoiled only by another disappointing finish to a match in which Scotland produced the kind of rugby at Bathurst last night which could give

Building blocks: Scotland's largest brick distributor, GBY Group of Glasgow, has made a significant expansion into the east with the #150,000 acquisition of Edinburgh Brickyard from Joseph Parr Group. The purchase ensures GBY's position as

Scotland coach Jim Telfer was bemused, perhaps even bewildered, but certainly not bothered last night after former Australian internationalist Steve Merrick dubbed his side ''too soft'' following the tourists' 34-13 win over

I DO NOT know Patricia McKeever, but it do know her type: Gerald Warner in a skirt. I do know Cardinal Winning and have done now for some 32 years, since he returned from Rome in 1966 having been appointed Vicar Episcopal of Motherwell and Parish Priest

The Siebe engineering giant is cutting 4000 jobs in Britain, Europe and America as it plans further efficiency gains at a cost of #100m over the next two years. Some 400 will go in the UK which chief executive Allen Yurko said was due to the cost of

A doctor working at Alloa Health Centre told the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, his suspicions were aroused when he examined a 10-month-old boy who was said to have fallen from a couch. Dr Adrian Ward, 31, said when he saw ''finger tip&

The show must go on - even in difficult circumstances, says Deedee Cuddihy UNEXPECTED visitors often cause problems but they have nothing on the show home visitors from hell - a dedicated group who can turn up at any time. There was the elderly couple

PAUL Lambert talked last night of how he wanted Scotland to lay to rest the unwanted tag of glorious losers. The Celtic player said that the national team would be going into the first match against Brazil looking to win the game. ''We have

WILCON Homes sites throughout Scotland will be awash with Boy Scouts on Sunday. Members of the South-east Scotland unit will be on hand to clean car windscreens for visitors to more than a dozen Wilcon developments. The boys are trying to raise money

SOME like it hot, according to the movie. But according to a recent survey by Aqualisa, the ''high performance'' shower company, women like it hotter when it comes to the temperature of their shower. The survey also found that:

ONLY a year has passed since Andrew Hardie was installed in the ancient and powerful office of Lord Advocate, the latest in a distinguished line that can be traced back to 1483. But he already has a pretty good idea of how he would like to be remembered

If life, like football, is a game of two halves, then at the end of the next six weeks a hefty percentage of people might justifiably claim: we was robbed. For contrary to popular belief, not everybody is obsessed with what goes on between the goalposts

Update Marcus Tregoning, former assistant to Dick Hern, had his first winner as a trainer when Sabhaan won at Brighton yesterday. Tregoning, who was with Hern for 14 seasons, saw the Hamdan Al Maktoum colt lead over a furlong out in the maiden race and

June 3, 1902 n AS NEWS of the end of the Boer War reached Scotland, The Herald reported widespread celebrations. ''One of the most exciting incidents took place at Allan Glen's School, Glasgow. Yesterday happened to be inspection day at

THE political career of Edinburgh's longest-serving councillor was in tatters last night after he was expelled from the Labour group over the allocation of a council house, writes Annette McCann. Mr David Brown, who is accused of helping a friend

AFTER months of speculation it was confirmed yesterday that cash-and-carry giant Booker plc may sell its fish-farming wing Booker McConnell but it will also be willing to consider a partnership, a management buyout, or any other initiative that will

A decision banning schools in Aberdeen from keeping tropical fish has been overturned following a campaign by Councillor Kate Dean, who described the original move as ''ridiculous'' and said children were missing a vital part of their

A #2.8m extension and refurbishment for Aberdeen's landmark theatre, said to be almost a century out of date, has been proposed. However, to make the scheme possible companies and ''rich individuals'' in the Granite City are

It's a tall order for what is usually a smallish bedroom, to take youngsters from baby to toddler, schoolchild to teenager. The room develops from simple nursery through playroom to study-cum-sitting room, as the birthdays roll by. But furniture

With weeks to go before the July 6 deadline for submission of P11D and P9D annual returns, employers' payroll and finance departments will be turning attention to the preparation of these forms. Many companies are unclear about the kind of information

COMPETITION and regulatory pressures may be increasing but Vodafone clearly believes there is still everything to play for in mobile telephony and the stock market appears to agree. Mobiles may appear irritatingly omnipresent but only 16% of the adult

More traffic than usual will be turning into Drumoyne Road, in Govan, Glasgow, tomorrow. Some 200 business customers of Dorset Printers (Glasgow) Ltd have been invited to attend the formal opening of the firm's new purpose-built 20,000 sq ft printing

The mood is upbeat as Michael Tumelty looks forward to a new strategic approach by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra THE unveiling of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's programmes for next season brings the first opportunity to look in

Aberdeen residents who persistently put their rubbish out overnight, or even days before it is due to be collected, could soon face court action. A pilot scheme, under which interim interdicts will be taken out against offenders, is being suggested to

LEADERS of Britain's beef cattle industry won their battle for separate representation under the umbrella of the National Cattle Association (NCA) at an extraordinary meeting yesterday. The spotlight will fall on how far the industry is prepared

British Amateur Craig Watson's dream of becoming the first player in two decades to successfully defend the Amateur Championship was blown away at windswept Gullane yesterday. The East Renfrewshire player had to improve dramatically from his opening

model Caprice at Glasgow Airport yesterday on her way to film her series, Caprice's Travels, in the Highlands for a satellite channel. She will be staying at the Taychreggan Hotel, on the banks of Loch Awe, Argyll, after an invitation to stay at

Councillor Craig Roberton (June 2) does not need to invent a so-called ''card vote'' system to put right the problems with local government elections in Scotland. The Single Transferable Vote (STV) system of proportional representation

Forming part of a development of only three houses in a courtyard setting overlooking Bardowie Castle and Loch, this five bedroom villa was designed and built in 1992 in traditional style to complement its surroundings - hence the stone facing, timber

The master plan ws drawn up eight years ago and the final phase is due for completion at the end of next year. Deedee Cuddihy looks to East Kilbride as an example of good planning IT'S been described as one of the most successful private housing

A HI-TECH fraudster who posed as a lottery winner as he set up a bogus company in a bid to obtain #62,000 in false VAT claims was jailed for three years yesterday. A fake winner's cheque was part of an impressive paper chain Stephen Shannon created

THE Conservatives will today accuse Treasury Minister Helen Liddell of trying to sneak the privatisation of the National Savings Bank through the Commons in order to enhance her own ''right- wing economic credentials'', writes Ken

SOMETHING old, nothing new was my thought on the contents of the letters from Mr Alan Sneddon (May 30 and June 2) regarding last week's A80 traffic jams. Please allow me to quote North Lanarkshire Council's report, M80/M73 Extension, Stepps

Kenneth Williams was a nasty little man. I've never felt it neccessary to record this opinion, for his capacity to do real harm was limited by a personality that evoked only transient belly laughs. In recent weeks, however, there have been television

Eduardo de Filippo's Saturday, Sunday, Monday was one of the revelatory joys of Olivier's National Theatre. It is remembered as much for its aroma of steaming ragu wafting over the Old Vic footlights as Joan Plowright in full sail as the family

Compassion fatigue may or may not result from seeing too many photographs of starving refugees but the constant drip of information about the errant nuclear plant at Dounreay breeds, not fatigue, but outrage. The latest revelation informs us that Dounreay

GIVEN that the new homes market is a fiercely competitive one, it's interesting to note the spirit of co-operation that can often exist amongst rival developers on the same site. Recently, this has been particularly evident at Robroyston on Glasgow

HORRIFIC evidence about the damage done to babies when their mothers smoke during pregnancy is revealed today. It shows that even apparently healthy babies born at normal weight may already be destined for a life of slow learning and disruptive behaviour

A PENSIONER appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday charged with the attempted murder of his wife. Alexander William Keith, 81, appeared in private before Sheriff Richard Scott charged with attempting to murder his wife, Jean, also aged 81, at

THE Scottish Prison Service yesterday denied overcrowding was to blame for an increase in violence at Aberdeen's Craiginches jail - despite three incidents in one week. One inmate was taken to hospital last week and two others were treated in the

NATIONAL Grid Group, owner of Britain's electricity transmission network, became the latest UK company to enter the American utility fray by declaring yesterday that it was looking for a US acquisition likely to be worth more than #1000m. The US

As Ann Widdecombe, right, makes her debut on the front bench Ken Smith judges her first bout with Health Secretary Frank Dobson to be an honourable draw ANN Widdecombe yesterday achieved what the sexists in the Commons thought she could never aspire

Hang the extravagance. There's never been a better time to delight in thoroughly modern millinery, reckons John Davidson HAS millinery become an anachronism? You might have thought there would be no place for hats in these fast-paced and ever-changing

YOU enter the theatre at 7.30 and leave just after nine, having seen three plays in a row. That sounds like very good value for money, but it may be just an irritant - depending on the plays, and the way they're done. Many one-act plays were written

YOUR report today on Aberdeen City Council's equal opportunities form contained a touching description from the Commission for Racial Equality on why they advised the council to differentiate between ''white'' people in general

RANGERS chairman David Murray last night dismissed suggestions that the club had made a bid for Newcastle striker, Alan Shearer. Murray denied that England's World Cup captain had been taken to Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire in one of the Rangers

THE article by Patricia McKeever (Challenge to the separate schools system, May 30) was rather confusing. I have not worked as a teacher but in the course of my last job I have visited some 20 different Roman Catholic secondary schools and have found

Messing about on the river. Minty Donald urges theatre-lovers not to miss a very special boat FOR a city so welded to her maritime heritage, the lack of any significant nautical presence on the Clyde seems like a glaring, and sorry, omission. It&apos

A SCOTTISH hitman was yesterday jailed for 29 years in Tenerife for his part in the murder of a bar owner in the Canary Islands resort nearly three years ago. Stan Stewart, of Clackmannan, and Gary Holmes, both 31, of Littlehampton, Sussex, were each

HAVING read Patricia McKeever's article on the separate schools system, I was left pondering one rather confusing fact. How did she come to hold the post of Head of RE in three different schools? Perhaps it was due to school closures? Or was her

SCOTTISH Television's top-rated network drama, McCallum, is set to continue - despite the loss of actor John Hannah, writes Allan Laing, Entertainment Writer. The East Kilbride-born star has pulled out of the crime series because he wants to concentrate

SHARP-EYED readers will no doubt have noticed that The Letting Company has gone. The familiar blue circle is no longer on view in the city centre. But since the name has changed to Slater Hogg & Howison, it's really more of a branding exercise than