By Paul Thornton THE family of a tragic teenager say he was taken from them “unfairly” after he was allegedly beaten with golf clubs just yards from his home. Neighbours tried frantically to save Daniel Hambleton, 19, but he died in hospital following a 2am attack on Saturday morning. But the young man was left [...]
By Oliver Farrimond A TEAM of MPs, MSPs and celebrities took to the field at Ibrox yesterday, battling out a high scoring contest in aid of an employment support programme. The star-studded team, which included Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy MP and disgraced TV presenter Angus Deayton, overcame a team of participants from [...]
By Cara Sulieman A SCOTTISH fire service has brought in a new tool in the fight against hoax calls – technology that “zaps” phones and disables them. Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue have been working with phone companies and have come up with a variety of ways to prevent the dangerous – and costly [...]
EXCLUSIVE By Cara Sulieman THE SCOTTISH Government has spent more £23 MILLION on temporary staff in the last four years. And for the first three months of 2009 alone they paid out £1,472,320 on employing 162 short-term staff. The figures, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, only include agency staff working in the core [...]
By Oliver Farrimond SCOTTISH artists at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival received a massive boost yesterday as the Scottish Government pledged £1 million to showcase their work. The fund, which is spread over the next two years, will help Scots performers develop and showcase their work at the world-famous festival this August. The Edinburgh Festival [...]
By Oliver Farrimond PENGUINS at Edinburgh Zoo have p-p-p-picked up some new arrivals – 30 newly-hatched chicks from a record-setting clutch of 112 eggs. It is the first time the zoo’s famous colony of gentoo penguins have laid more than 100 eggs, a symbolic figure in the centenary year of the Royal Zoological Society of [...]
By ALEXANDER LAWRIE A SCOTS teacher has been struck from the register after ripping up official documentation sent from the industry’s governing body. Anthony Notman, 46, from Stranraer, Wigtownshire, was convicted of a minor assault charge in 2007 and was subsequently contacted by the General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS) for verification of the conviction. But [...]
By Lauren Crooks FALLING Scots property prices have sparked a surge in people looking to bag new homes at bargain prices. While actual prices have fallen 4.3 per cent in recent months sales themselves have risen by around the same at 4.2 per cent. The drop in house price across February, March and April affected [...]
By ALEXANDER LAWRIE NOBEL Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been invited to speak in front of the Church of Scotland’s annual General Assembly meeting. The veteran African churchman is due to attend the last day of the Edinburgh conference as a guest of former-Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament George Reid. Mr Reid [...]
By ALEXANDER LAWRIE TRAFFIC wardens and Blue Meanies are usually the bane of driver’s live. But under new plans the loathed enforcers could be the difference between life and death. Parking attendants are to learn how to treat people in emergency situations with basic first aid techniques such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR. Wardens in [...]
By ALEXANDER LAWRIE A MAN was forced to flee into the freezing North Sea after being mugged by two thugs. The 29-year-old victim was assaulted and robbed before making his escape by jumping into the nearby harbour area, in Broughty Ferry, Dundee. The robbers then made off in the victim’s red-coloured Vauxhall Astra following the [...]
By Scott Shepherd A GROUP of campaigners chained themselves together yesterday to campaign for the release of a top doctor jailed for speaking out about poverty. Doctor Binayak Sen worked with the poorest people in central India for decades but was thrown in jail two years a go for speaking up for his patients. The [...]
By ALEXANDER LAWRIE RESEARCH into how Scots police officers cope with the pressures of the job is to be carried out in a unique project. Boffins at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen are all set to undertake a two year assignment to find out how cops cope with the exceptional demands of their day-to-day jobs. [...]
By ALEXANDER LAWRIE A POLITICAL row has erupted after a Scots councillor demanded his local marine unit be saluted for their bravery. The Royal Marines of Arbroath’s 45 Commando has just returned from a dangerous six-month tour of Afghanistan. A motion was laid before Angus Council by the SNP’s Donald Morrison to honour the brave [...]
By Lauren Crooks AT least five children under the age of ten have been caught carrying knives on Scotland’s streets in the past year. Shocking figures revealed two eight-year-old kids and three nine-year-olds were charged after cops found them with blades in Edinburgh. And two 11-year-old children were also charged after having the weapons in [...]
By Lauren Crooks A NEWLYWED couple got a nice surprise when a celebrity guest gatecrashed their wedding – Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson. The loudmouth presenter turned up at Mark and Angela McCole’s reception in Edinburgh’s plush Balmoral Hotel after filming a race from London for the new series. Clarkson, covered in soot and dressed in [...]
By Cara Sulieman A NEW mum gave birth on the hard shoulder during rush hour traffic after she failed to get to the hospital in time. Kerri McAuley, 31, was five days overdue when she started to get contractions in the early hours of the morning. An hour later they were getting closer together and [...]
By ALEXANDER LAWRIE A SHOCKING 66 people were caught every day last year using a mobile phone while driving on Scotland’s roads. Over 24,000 drivers were handed £60 Fixed Penalty Notices by Scotland’s eight police forces after driving dangerously. Road safety chiefs have slammed the figures, recently released under the Freedom of Information Act, as [...]
By Scott Shepherd ANTI-WAR protesters including veteran actor David Hayman demanded the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan yesterday but were moved on from demonstrating outside the US consulate in Edinburgh. The Scottish Afghan society and Stop the War Coalition staged a protest but were blocked by police and had to stage their press conference [...]
By Cara Sulieman A MING vase with connections to an old biscuit company sold for £1.1 million – shattering the modest quarter of a million estimate. The delicate 500-year-old Chinese creation is from a collection owned by Reginald Palmer, the chairman of the Huntley and Palmer biscuit company. Bought for a mere £55 – the [...]