By Alexander Lawrie A HEROIC Scots postman who was severely injured fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan has won an award for outstanding bravery. Iain Macdonald, 38, was on tour with his TA unit in the Helmand province last year when he was hit by flying shrapnel during a rocket-propelled grenade attack. The injured Sergeant brushed [...]
By Paul Thornton FORMER Hibs frontman Dean Shiels has denied running a red light in Edinburgh. It is claimed the 24-year-old ignored a red light in the capital’s London Road last July, before his move to Doncaster Rovers during the January transfer window. The Northern-Ireland striker, who came on as a substitute in his country’s [...]
By Oliver Farrimond TROUBLED Dunfermline Building Society customers spoke about their shock and anger at the news that the bank is to be taken over by Nationwide yesterday. The 140-year-old mutual was acquired yesterday after racking up losses of £26 million amid claims that the UK government had not acted fast enough. Some locals even [...]
By Cara Sulieman AN EDINBURGH student is getting the perfect birthday present – racing at the Grand National this weekend.Rosanagh Robertson celebrated her 23rd birthday yesterday. But the icing on the cake will be when she takes to the stirrups on Saturday. The sports science student at Edinburgh University has always loved horses but has [...]
By Cara Sulieman MEMBERS of the Black Watch bid an emotional farewell as they prepared to be shipped out to Afghanistan yesterday. Around 450 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 Scots) based in Inverness are on their way to Afghanistan to start a six-month operational tour. They will be based [...]
By Cara Sulieman A PLUCKY pooch is back on his feet after almost losing his leg in a horror road accident thanks to a team of skilled surgeons who carried out their longest ever operation to save him. Punch, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, ran out the front door of his owner’s home when their son [...]
By Michael MacLeod ALL you need is… £500 to own a rare piece of John Lennon’s artwork, thanks to the credit crunch. Unseen doodles, sketches and paintings by the Beatles legend will be unveiled on Monday, with organisers anticipating ‘a stampede’ from fans of the Fab Four. They include excerpts from a book of paintings [...]
By Lauren Crooks A FATAL Accident Inquiry into the death of a toddler hanged by a window blind cord was shown a shocking home video of another horror incident. The amateur footage – taken by a mother in the US using a home camcorder – shows the woman’s young child playing in a [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A SCOT who won the accolade of the ‘World’s Fastest Barber’ has died after a short illness. Sandy Dobbie, 47, shot to fame in 1999 when he smashed the record for the world’s fastest haircut at one minute, 20 seconds. The demon barber also held the world title for the most haircuts [...]
By Alexander Lawrie THE TARTAN Army has all but wiped out the availability of the country’s kilts – after kilt hire shops reported a massive upsurge in sales. 15,000 tartan-clad supporters are descending on Amsterdam this weekend as Scotland take on the mighty Dutch in a crucial World Cup qualifying match. And the figures for [...]
By Alexander Lawrie SCOTTISH artists have come together to lend their talents to raise cash to help some of the world’s poorest children. The artists, including the world-renowned Jolomo, have each hand-painted an ostrich egg which will be auctioned off on Easter Monday to help the Mary’s Meals charity. The eggs are displayed on the [...]
By Cara Sulieman SCOTS auctioneers are beating the credit crunch by cashing in on the rising price of gold and silver. Lyon and Turnbull are getting ready for their upcoming silver and jewellery sale in May, and have already accumulated a mountain of gold sovereigns, worth £35,000. The price of silver has increased by 30 [...]
By Michael MacLeod A TWISTED drunk tried to blame his DREAMS for a sexual assault. Desperate to find an excuse for a sick attack on a sleeping woman, Robert McEwan, 44, went to a sleep expert. But they came to the conclusion he was simply “excessively drunk” and yesterday a sheriff put him on the [...]
By Oliver Farrimond Cyclists are gearing up for the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Scotland. The event sees competitors racing down the gruelling terrain in Fort William on June 6 and 7. Mike Jardine of Rare Managment launched the first day of tickets going on sale for the world-famous event. Scottish competitor [...]
By Cara Sulieman TOURISTS staying at a Scots holiday cottage got the shock of their lives after opening a dishwasher – to find a snake lurking inside. The visitors were staying at a house in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, when they went to load dishes in the machine only to find the Californian King snake had curled [...]
By Alexander Lawrie EDINBURGH International Festival organisers have come under fire after unveiling their new programme – which features neds urinating and vomiting on the iconic statue of Greyfriars Bobby. Unruly baseball cap wearing youths drinking lager at the Scottish Parliament building, and filthy street beggars huddled under the sculpture of one of the city’s [...]
By Alexander Lawrie SCOTLAND’S most controversial artist Peter Howson has unveiled his new masterpiece – at a small, unknown East Lothian gallery. Howson’s ‘Nimrod the Hunter’ measures six feet in height and is the most recent in the troubled artist’s biblical series. The stunning oil on canvas is up for sale for an impressive five-figure [...]
By Alexander Lawrie A SCOTS animal farm has come up with a novel way to celebrate next week’s Tartan Week – by unveiling the country’s first ever tartan sheep. The wacky idea has been dreamt up by the East Lothian farm’s owner Grant Bell who hopes the spectacle will entice more visitors to his farm [...]
By Oliver Farrimond An Edinburgh swordmaker has taken on two Italian apprentices. Paul MacDonald, of MacDonald Armouries, has employed Marco Danelli, 30, and Dario Batzella, 20, to keep on the age-old tradition. The two men – both from Rome – hope to rekindle the ancient link between Scottish and Italian sword-making. Mr Macdonald said: “There [...]
By Oliver Farrimond TOP telly presenter Fiona Bruce was in danger of turning the Antiques Roadshow into the Antiques NO-SHOW after getting stuck in traffic. Host Bruce started the day well behind schedule after being caught up in a queue of motors crawling towards famous Hopetoun House in South Queensferry as thousands flocked to see [...]