By Amanda MacMillan A MOTHER accused of killing three children made her first court appearance at a special legal hearing convened in a Scots hospital today. Theresa Riggi, 46, originally from California, faces charges of murdering her three children Austin and Luke Riggi, eight, and their five-year-old sister Cecilia Riggi. Their bodies were discovered in [...]
By Christine Lavelle A MAN was stabbed in broad daylight after an alleged brawl took place in front of people heading home from work. Evening commuters were horrified to see 34-year-old Amit Pandya bleeding heavily from his back after the fight in Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge area. The incident happened at around 5.30pm on Monday night on [...]
By Martin Graham A PERVERT who was caught with over two thousand indecent images and videos of children – some as young as a few years old – has been jailed for 16 months. Police raided the home of Eamonn Kurtz, 53, in Edinburgh on February 10 this year and took away computer equipment including [...]
By Martin Graham A THUG who claimed he didn’t realise he had a knife in his pocket has been jailed after being caught with a blade for the SEVENTH time. Jon James Wood, 31, was jailed for 16 months by Sheriff Kenneth Maciver at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today after pleading guilty to the charge. The court [...]
By Christine Lavelle FORMER Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo is locked in legal talks with his old club, after an employment tribunal due to begin today (Tue) was postponed. Mr Laszlo, 46, was to launch a legal battle over unfair dismissal and a breach of contract, which led to the termination of his job earlier this [...]
By Amanda MacMillan A FESTIVAL of meditation and prayer has been organised by an Edinburgh church to encourage people of all faiths to explore their spiritual lives. A programme of music, lectures, workshops and worship will run from 3-26 September at Mayfield Salisbury Church. The festival draws on visiting musicians, preachers and speakers from a [...]
By Amanda MacMillan SCOTLAND’S national poet, Edwin Morgan, will be remembered at a special funeral service at the University of Glasgow. The bard, who passed away last Thursday aged 90, was a former student and a Professor of English at the University from 1975 until his retirement in 1980. The service will take place on [...]
By Cara Sulieman TWO SCOTTISH businesswomen failed to impress the Dragons when they pitched their business idea on national television this week. Sandy Maxwell-Forbes and Sarah McLean run dog-sitting service Citidogs Creche and were hoping the five entrepreneurs on Dragons Den would see the potential in their unique idea. Although they impressed the formidable group [...]
By Cara Sulieman THE ARTISTIC Director of the Edinburgh film festival is standing down after four years in the role. It was announced today that Hannah McGill was moving on from her role with the internationally renowned festival. She joined the festival in 2001 as a programme consultant before she took over as curator in [...]
By Shaun Milne, Martin Graham, Christine Lavelle & Amanda MacMillan HUNDREDS of climate change protesters clashed with police after a tense stand-off at the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in Edinburgh descended into sporadic violence tonight (mon). Dozens of officers dressed in full riot gear formed a human shield around the £335 million complex at [...]
By Cara Sulieman A SCOT who had a gun held against her head by an Israeli soldier during a raid on a aid flotilla that left nine dead is getting ready for another trip to Gaza. Theresa McDermott was on the convoy of six ships taking aid to the war-torn Gaza strip that was stormed [...]
By Cara Sulieman THE STORY of a Scottish soldier who received the George Cross after his death in Afghanistan is to be told on television. Mark Wright was injured in a minefield in 2006 and will feature in a documentary about George Cross Heroes, based on a book by deputy Tory chairman Lord Ashcroft. The [...]
By Shaun Milne, Christine Lavelle, Amanda MacMillan & Martin Graham CLIMATE change activists were accused of being “reckless” after launching a wave of protests against the Royal Bank of Scotland today (mon). Hundreds of protestors from across the UK gathered in Edinburgh to target bank buildings across the city. But the Climate Camp group were [...]
By Oliver Farrimond CITY experts have warned that Scots drink giant Diageo could be “walking through treacle” over the next year. Analysts have warned that mounting unemployment figures could lead to a dramatic drop in bar sales of the group’s flagship products. Diageo, the makers of Smirnoff and Guinness, are planning to raise the prices [...]
By Oliver Farrimond SCOTS cosmetic surgery experts have sounded the alarm over potentially deadly DIY Botox kits. The £115 home therapy kits have needles which contain the deadly poison botulinium, and have already been linked to a several deaths in the United States. And now a chorus of Scottish experts are urging caution over the [...]
By Oliver Farrimond THE NUMBER of undercover break-ins by Scotland’s police forces has increased dramatically over the past year. Covert entries to homes and offices, as well as the planting of listening devices and other surveillance equipment, rose by almost 40% compared with previous years. The figures, for the period April 2009 to April 2010, [...]
By Oliver Farrimond A NEW £21 million museum celebrating the life of Robert Burns is set to open in Alloway on 1 December this year. The flagship display will boast a number of items relating to the Scottish Bard that have been rarely seen by the public. The precious artefacts on exhibition include a pair [...]
By Oliver Farrimond UNDER-SEIGE RBS workers have been ordered to work from home after climate change protestors threatened “direct action”. Some of the 1,000 activists camped outside the RBS headquarters in Gogarburn are reportedly planning more disruptive action after last week’s attempt to storm the building. And now bank bosses have told workers to consider [...]
By Oliver Farrimond A MOTORIST has been killed in Fife after a head-on collision that also left five people needing urgent hospital treatment. Police sealed off roads after a green Ford Focus collided with a blue MG just after 5.30am yesterday morning at Luthrie near Cupar. Police and ambulance services were called to the scene [...]
By Oliver Farrimond EMERGENCY Services battled for four hours on Saturday to rescue a man who fell 200ft down a steep embankment. A rescue force, which included two helicopters, eventually rescued the 43-year-old man, who slipped down a hill at Laggan Park at Crief. He was airlifted to Ninewells Hospital for treatment on a number [...]