By Alexander Lawrie A PATRIOTIC Scot has been banned from flying the Saltire in his own back garden. James Blair, 54, from New Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, wanted to nail the 7ft flag and pole to his garden fence. But barmy council bosses are demanding cash from the former Royal Navy hero to get planning consent for [...]
By Oliver Farrimond A CHINESE company has hijacked the image of Bond legend Sir Sean Connery to sell sex drugs. Sir Sean unwittingly stars in an advert for Viagra-style drug ‘USA Selikon’ which has been broadcast on TV stations all over China. Crafty advertising execs dubbed Chinese over old interview footage and film clips of [...]
By Karrie Gillett A NEW device for patients to carry out their own health checks and send the information to a doctor has been developed in a bid to cut hospital admissions. The Telehealth system allows sufferers of long-term conditions to have their health monitored daily without needing to visit their GP surgery. Now, health [...]
By Oliver Farrimond EDINBURGH residents got a first look at the controversial new tram development yesterday as a mocked-up carriage opened its doors to the public. Shoppers on busy Princes Street were able to walk inside the carriage and talk to those working on the project. The scheme is currently mired in controversy, and has [...]
By Cara Sulieman FORGETFUL hotel guests have been raising eyebrows as they leave bizarre items in their rooms. Travelodge staff found a cardboard cut out of Lenny Henry, keys to a Porche 911, a pet lizard and a friend. Of the top ten, three were left in Scotland’s hotel rooms including Humphrey the lizard who [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A SCOTS golfer who was famous for bagging over 25 holes-in-one has died at the age of 98. Tom Galloway, from Crossford in Fife, the oldest competitive golfer in the country had hit his 25th ace on the golf course at the age of 92. The former brewery manager only took up [...]
By Alexander Lawrie THE CUTE dog born with no nose has been re-homed with a caring family. Left on the dog home shelf, poor Clay – a collie, English bull terrier cross – was desperate to find a new family to take care of him. She had been at the dog home for weeks as [...]
By Alexander Lawrie AS AMERICANS celebrated the anniversary of George Washington’s birth yesterday (22/02), Scots should have raised a glass or two to the man who is regarded as the ‘Father of American Whisky’. Fifer James Anderson is credited with introducing whisky to the Yanks after he emigrated there in the 1790s. The Scot landed [...]
By Cara Sulieman THE son-in-law of the late Eddie Thompson has left nearly £4 million in his will. Kenneth Mitchell, 38, was killed in a motorbike accident whilst driving behind his wife on the A90 near Dalmeny in October last year. And just three days later the Dundee United owner lost his battle with prostate cancer [...]
By Oliver Farrimond AN ACCLAIMED Scots jazz singer was just minutes away from being embroiled in a vicious air battle over Sri Lanka’s capital city on Friday night. Dundee-born Alison Burns was en route to a charity gig in war-torn Colombo when two Tamil Tiger attack aircraft blitzed the city. Her flight was immediately diverted, [...]
By Oliver Farrimond SCOTLAND’S addiction to booze is killing twice as many men and women as ten years ago, a shocking new study has found. Scientists from Glasgow University working with the Medical Research Council found that almost 1,500 men and women die every year because of alcohol abuse. The findings come following the revelation [...]
By Alexander Lawrie THE NEW-AGE Scot who was famously fired on TV’s The Apprentice has landed a new job at a Scottish university. Lucinda Ledgerwood – the harp-playing, aromatherapy enthusiast – has been signed up by Edinburgh’s Napier University in a bid to boost recruitment. The dippy, beret-wearing semi-finalist impressed tycoon Sir Alan Sugar, but [...]
By Alexander Lawrie AN AUSSIE drinks company has come up with the perfect gift for Scots – a hangover-free whisky. Naked Scot is distilled on the Isle of Mull and its makers claim the blend will have barely any effect on the head in the morning if drunk to excess. Australian firm ASM Liqueur says [...]
By Oliver Farrimond POP Idol guru Simon Cowell has told the Prime Minister that he would like to be frozen after he dies. The acid-tongued judge made the announcement to a shocked group of celebrity guests at a dinner party hosted by Gordon Brown at his Downing Street flat. Cowell informed the PM that he [...]
By Alexander Lawrie AN ASPIRING young male model has been killed in a horror road smash. Matthew De Busk, 17, who recently travelled to London to appear in a professional modeling shoot, lost control of his Volkswagen Polo and careered into a tree near Aberlady, East Lothian. His 17-year-old passenger was rushed to Edinburgh’s Royal [...]
By Alexander Lawrie SCOTS TV presenter Carol Smillie is hoping to cash in on her very own Postcode Challenge. The former Changing Rooms star is renting out her Ayrshire beach house – for a whopping £20 grand a week. The incredible price tag has been put on the home because of its close proximity to [...]
By Alexander Lawrie THE FAMILY of a teenager killed in a horror car crash are planning an emotional graveside ceremony to mark what would have been her 20th birthday. Elaine and George Kempik admit they were left “heartbroken” by the death of their only daughter Deborah two years ago and still visit her grave every [...]
By Alexander Lawrie POLICE are hunting an arsonist after a house was deliberately set on fire in the early hours of Friday morning. The fire broke out around 7am at a block of flats in Coatfield Lane, Leith in Edinburgh after “an accelerant” was used to fuel the flames. Police attended the scene and helped [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A SCOTS teenager has had a lucky escape after falling 15-feet down a snow-covered manhole. Ellis Mitchell, 15, was innocently playing on a grassy area with friends when she plunged into the uncovered access after it had been hidden by heavy snow. The manhole cover is thought to have been stolen by [...]
By Cara Sulieman CELEBRITY spoon-bender Uri Gellar will get free lifts by boat to his new island after scrapping plans to use his helicopter. Geller bought Lamb Island in the Firth of Forth last week, and has since promised that he will do his best to take care of the birds that live there. But [...]