A WOMAN was yesterday accused of murdering her husband in their home on the banks of Loch Lomond.

Austrian-born Maria McDonald, 43, of Dighloan, Tarbet, Dunbartonshire, was charged at Dumbarton Sheriff Court with stabbing Mr Paul McDonald, 49, early on Monday.

Burns blaze

POLICE were last night investigating the cause of a fire which caused considerable damage to a Burns museum in Irvine, Ayrshire. A third of the thatched roof of the historic building, in the town's Glasgow Vennel, was destroyed by the blaze, which also left a number of rafters badly charred, while its interior was affected by smoke and water damage. Fire crews took more than an hour to control the blaze.

Shooting inquiry

A MAN was injured last night during a shooting incident in Castlemilk, Glasgow. The man, who has not been identified, was taken to the Victoria Infirmary after the incident in Tormusk Road, but was not thought to be seriously hurt. A Strathclyde Police spokesman confirmed detectives were investigating the shooting.

Roof dispute

BORDERS General Hospital is facing a bill of more than #100,000 for leaking roof problems and is negotiating with the builders and architects to recover a proportion of the cost. The hospital is also applying for planning changes that will stop the leaks.

Power line prang

TWO men were thrown clear uninjured when their hot air balloon ran into 66,000-volt power lines. Mr David Such and Mr Carl Lucas, both in their 30s and from Birmingham, were trying to land near Droitwich, Worcestershire, on Monday night.

Murder remand

21-YEAR-OLD David Frost, of Yate, near Bristol, was remanded at Avon North magistrates court yesterday charged with raping and murdering Louise Smith, 18, who was last seen alive early on Christmas morning in 1995 as she left a disco at the Spirals nightclub, Yate.

Care damages

FORMER stable lad Christopher Scott, 27, who has been in a permanent vegetative state since a 1989 road accident in Newmarket, was yesterday awarded #200,000 agreed High Court damages. He is cared for in a nursing home.

Death charge

A 23-YEAR-OLD man appeared at Linlithgow Sheriff Court on a murder charge yesterday. Mr Damien Thompson was remanded accused of killing Mr George Chambers, 39, of Livingston, in Broxburn on Monday.