THE contenders for the Scottish Labour leadership have clashed while discussing the UK party’s position on Tory welfare cuts in a TV leadership debate. Kezia Dugdale and Ken Macintosh said they would have voted against the Welfare Bill at Westminster
It was the first major examination of Dundonald’s tournament credentials ... and it passed with flying colours. Last weekend’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open went down as nicely as some of the waistline worrying puddings they dished up
British police officers investigating missing Madeleine McCann have contacted Australian authorities over their discovery of a young girl's remains in a suitcase.The decomposed body of a young, fair-haired girl aged between two and four, who was killed
AS a former Rangers player, a one-time central midfielder of no little ability and a footballers’ representative, Charlie Miller is pretty well placed to offer an opinion on how the ongoing Scott Allan transfer saga will pan out. The speculation surrounding
MARK Warburton last night stressed a photograph of several Rangers players on a night out with Ibrox signing target Scott Allan was not taken following the Petrofac Training Cup win over Hibs on Saturday. A picture of David Templeton, Nicky Clark and
JOHN COLLINS, the Celtic assistant manager, has warned his players the challenge of beating Qarabag FK of Azerbaijan is a significant step-up for them and that only their best will do against such dangerous opposition.The first-team squad have studied
THE theme from the Hovis advert would have been a fitting musical backdrop for John Collins yesterday as he spoke of the days when he was a lad and the difficulties faced by his generation of players when travelling to what was once called the Eastern
Today's Labour politicians could not have created the NHS because they do not have the courage for big ideas, leadership hopeful Andy Burnham will say in a campaign speech.In an address marking the 70th anniversary of the radical Attlee Labour government
The National Living Wage could spell disaster for those who receive state-funded care at home, the industry has warned.The UK Homecare Association said in an open letter to George Osborne that his flagship measure presented a "serious risk of catastrophic
About 200 mourners have attended the funeral of a "devoted" husband and father murdered in last month's mass shooting in Tunisia.Family, friends and colleagues of veteran social worker John Stollery were joined by members of his former army
There is a big danger lurking in Scottish foreign policy. And that big danger is that we don't realise we have such a thing.Scotland, after all, last year became one of the very few places on the planet - along with the likes of Quebec, Bermuda and Montenegro
Mark Warburton has "no idea" whether Rangers will make a third bid for Hibernian midfielder Scott Allan.Two attempts to land the 23-year-old have been rejected by the Easter Road club, with the second Ibrox offer of £225,000 failing to impress.Allan
A MAJOR hospital has closed its accident and emergency department while it investigates two patients with a potentially deadly Sars-like virus.Both patients have been isolated for ongoing clinical treatment and management of their condition after they
MySale, the online fashion firm backed by retail tycoons Mike Ashley and Sir Philip Green, said sales rose five per cent in a trading update for the year to the end of June, compared to a year ago.The firm, which floated on the UK stock exchange last
Alton Towers owner Merlin was one of the heaviest fallers in the top-flight after warning that profits from its theme park unit could be halved after last month's rollercoaster accident.Shares initially plunged by as much as nine per cent - though they
Budget airline Ryanair has boosted profits in the first three months of its year and said it expected fares to fall in the winter as it adds new routes and bases.The Irish no-frills carrier, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, said lower oil prices
Consumer goods maker Reckitt Benckiser has raised annual revenue and profit margin targets after a forecast-beating first-half performance led by consumer health and hygiene in most of its markets around the world.The manufacturer of Durex condoms, Dettol
THE Bank of England has appointed two well known figures from the Scottish financial services industry to sit as independent members on the board of the Prudential Regulation Authority watchdog. Former Clydesdale Bank chief executive David Thorburn and
SCOTLAND'S most southerly whisky distillery has been sold for an undisclosed sum to an Australian businessman.David Prior, backed by non-executive Gavin Hewitt, former chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, has taken over the Bladnoch Distillery
TEMPORARY power supplier Aggreko is investing $40 million in fleet in Indonesia over the next three years.The company is planning to open a new plant in the Jakarta area and said the kit will come from its main manufacturing site in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire.Aggreko
John Collins insists Celtic players and fans are well aware that Qarabag are a real threat to their Champions League hopes.The Hoops play host to the Azerbaijan champions in the third qualifying round of European club football's elite competition with
Human rights campaigners have attacked First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for expanding Scotland's network of controversial Confucius Classrooms.Free Tibet - which lobbies on behalf of the Himalayan nation occupied by China - has long argued that the SNP
HE will be (whisper it) 32 in three weeks’ time. He has just signed a three-year deal for a third tour at Kilmarnock. Kris Boyd, it must be said, is looking leaner and trimmer again after a wasted year at Rangers, when this prolific goalscorer’s form
It’s funny what lands in that overloaded, festering junk pile known as the e-mail inbox these days. ‘Hey Nicholas,’ the message chirped with that teeth-grindingly irritating sense of informal, pally-wally nonchalance. ‘Have you ever tried Mongolian
Iomart has boosted its warchest for acquisitions after agreeing a £60 million funding package with Bank of Scotland. The cloud computing and internet hosting business said the money will allow to continue its buy and build strategy as it seeks
GLASGOW's Tollcross International Swimming Centre will be the venue for next year's British Championships - an event that will double as the trials for Rio Olympic Games. Tollcross hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the IPC World Championships
RANGERS will visit Ayr United in the second round of the Petrofac Training Cup, with the match likely to be played on Wednesday 19 August. The midweek ties can take place on Tuesday 18 or the following day, and the latter is probable as the Ibrox club
As the Tour De France came to an end at the weekend, one teenage cycling fanatic was enduring a mammoth 500-mile charity ride of her own. Grace Stewart-Piercy, 14, of Lanchester, County Durham, cycled from Edinburgh to London in just six days,
A great-grandmother who decided to try skydiving for the first time aged 89 has described the jump as "a chance of a lifetime". Joan Wells, from Dornoch in the Highlands, volunteers for the charity Blythswood Care and put herself forward for the
ROBBIE Muirhead, the Dundee United striker, is in the running for UEFA’s Goal of the Season award for a long-distance strike while playing for Scotland under-19s. Muirhead, who scored his 35-yarder against Norway, is joined on the shortlist by Neymar,
A new scheme allowing people with a gambling problem to exclude themselves from high street betting shops has been launched in Glasgow city centre. People will be able to call a confidential helpline and ask to be refused service from any of the
The introduction of speed cameras on the A9 has failed to cut deaths but the number of injuries has more than halved, an analysis of the first six months of operation has found. Four people died on the A9 in the six months after the cameras were
A total of 41 new licences have been awarded for oil and gas operations in the North Sea. The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) confirmed the new licences today after 134 were announced in November last year. The UK oil and gas regulator said the
Thieves crept into 14 tents while the occupants slept and stole cash and valuables during a weekend music festival, police have said. More than £1,200, four mobile phones, a camera, a Kindle Fire, a jacket and credit and debit cards were taken
MIGUEL Pallardo, a key player in Hearts' Championship triumph last season, is to miss the start of this campaign because of an Achilles problem. Robbie Neilson, the Tynecastle club's manager, expects to be without the Spanish midfielder for a week or
Around £220,000 was stolen from the Fringe, it has been revealed. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said it had "uncovered and resolved a sophisticated case of fraud." The money was stolen by one of its employees using "complex financial
MusicHitchcock's BlackmailCity Halls, GlasgowKeith Brucefive starsThe weather had not deterred the people Glasgow from venturing out to the Merchant City Festival, and for hundreds of them the City Halls were the ultimate destination, after an afternoon
Edinburgh Jazz FestivalRemembering Alex Welsh, Tron KirkAlison Kerrfour starsAnyone who knew Alex Welsh, the Edinburgh-born trumpet star who died in 1982, and who was at Sunday evening’s tribute concert, will have been heartened by how well he is still
Edinburgh Jazz FestivalStefano BollaniFestival Theatre StudioRob AdamsFOUR STARSWhen the Brazilian bandolim master Hamilton de Holanda told the Herald last year that he enjoyed playing duets with Italian pianist Stefano Bollani because, musically, they
Not so long ago, summer was the season when politicians mouthed a few platitudes before cutting the ribbon and declaring the church fete open, or donned a sun hat for a garden party, where the fruit punch would flow. It was a sign of how profoundly
Online gambling firm GVC Holdings has made a new £1 billion approach for rival Bwin.party Digital Entertainment.AIM-listed GVC, headed by Scottish born chief executive Kenny Alexander, hopes to scupper a recently accepted £900 million offer from 888.Bwin's
A driver and dog were rescued by firefighters after the car they were in crashed into the side of a house. The motorist was taken to hospital following the incident in Dalbeattie, Dumfries and Galloway. Firefighters went to the scene in the
BIN lorry crash driver Harry Clarke asked medics "have I had a heart attack?" as they attended to him minutes after the tragedy. Off duty staff nurse Lauren Mykoliw rushed to the aid of the bin lorry driver after hearing a loud bang. She found
Drugs with an estimated value of more than £600,000 have been found inside a box of bananas by a Tesco worker. The worker was unpacking the fruit shipped from South America when he discovered five bags, each containing white powder and weighing
Former chancellor of the exchequer Ken Clarke today denied molesting a young actor, saying the allegation was "like Martians landing". Ben Fellows, 40, from Birmingham, alleged that the heavyweight politician had plied him with alcohol and carried
Controversial motoring show Top Gear has been cleared of breaching broadcasting rules after it was investigated by Ofcom over the use of the word pikey. A representative of the Traveller Movement complained after a scene in which the show's now
A map highlighting locations from films such as Skyfall, Harry Potter and Braveheart has been launched to attract "set-jetting" movie fans. The Highlands & Skye movie map highlights about 50 filming locations and features everything from Hollywood
Detectives looking for a seven-year-old boy who vanished after playing with friends in a park have found the body of a child on a construction site. South Yorkshire Police believe the body to be that of Conley Thompson, from Barnsley, who was last
THE issue of Scottish independence has been settled for the next 30 years David Cameron has suggested as Nicola Sturgeon said she would make the decision on holding a second referendum “in due course”. After David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary
Michael Jackson's father Joe is in hospital in Brazil after suffering a stroke. The Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paolo issued a statement saying that the patriarch of the musical family was admitted to its intensive care unit on Sunday afternoon
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has refused to rule out a move for Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk.Speaking after watching his side defeat Hearts in yesterday's friendly, Martinez side-stepped the question of whether the highly-rated Dutchman was on
In the Year of Scottish Food and Drink, what better way to celebrate our natural larder than with a summer festival in the heart of the capital? The inaugural Edinburgh Food Festival kicks off on Wednesday at George Square Gardens with a jam-packed
A MOTORIST and a dog were cut free from a car after it crashed into a house.Firefighters used hydraulic rescue equipment to free the driver and the pet after the incident in Dumfries and Galloway.Crews were sent to Southwick Road in Dalbeattie after being
Alton Towers owner Merlin expects annual earnings for its theme parks business to drop by as much as £47 million this year following last month's rollercoaster crash.The group said the crash has had "an adverse impact on trading at the start of the
Joe Rokocoko, the former All Blacks winger, could make an appearance at Scotstoun this season after agreeing a move from Bayonne to Racing 92, the French club who are in the same Champions Cup pool as Glasgow Warriors. The 32-year-old has signed a three-year
Kai Humphries discusses happiness, partying and frog jokes. Tell us about your Fringe show It's a 1 hour bundle of happiness that will lift your spirits, make you laugh and leave you pondering about this crazy life we live. It's a humorous
Will Durst discusses LSD, OMG and hangovers. Tell us about your Fringe show. BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG is a celebration of the maturation of the Boomer Nation. What happens when acid flashbacks meet dementia. Best thing about the Fringe
Aatif Nawaz discusses beards, yoga and tripping over curtains on stage. Tell us about your Fringe show It's a stand-up comedy show called Muslims Do It 5 Times A Day - I know - it's a provocative title. But that's the idea. I want to get people's
Maddy Anholt discusses dating, sandwiches and David Cameron. Tell us about your Fringe show Diary of a Dating Addict is a semi-autobiographical show about a woman approaching thirty who goes online to find the man of her dreams in a whirlwind
Today I want to talk about a classic refreshing soup. A soup that’s bursting full of Spanish goodness and ripe summery flavours. This is, of course, the classic gazpacho. This is a fantastic dish to make at home and a great way to stretch cheap
A new book which will tell the story of Glasgow’s experience as Commonwealth Games host city, across 12 days in July and August 2014, will be released later this year. Commissioned by Glasgow City Council, Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games: Behind the
After last year’s marathon entry we’re going to keep things tight this week because we’re going off on holiday (drop back in next week for an interview with Joe Sacco from the archive). So while we pack a couple of new graphic novels in the suitcase
Those who know me best will know that I jokingly describe myself as a recovering emo kid. Dyed jet black hair, skinny jeans, band t-shirts, checkered Vans, black nail varnish and the occasional black eyeliner (there I said it) but yeah meet the 19-
Scotland's NHS is still not as open as it should be. There have been some recent improvements, such as the creation of a whistleblowers' phoneline and a plan for whistleblowing champions in every Scottish health board, but there remains serious concern
FIREFIGHTERS who failed to rescue a woman from a disused mineshaft cannot be prosecuted due to legal technicalities. The Crown Office said there would be no action against the firefighters involved in the death of 44-year-old Alison Hume seven
WITH Fergusons not only rescued but now, as reported in The Herald, investing in expansion and potentially creating a new major shipyard in a Greenock dry dock (“Billionaire planning major new shipyard on the Clyde”, The Herald, July 22), is the time
ORGANISERS of one of the UK's biggest community festivals are under increasing pressure to scrap a concert headlined by controversial Scots comedian Frankie Boyle.Protests and petitions have been mounted against Boyle's appearance at the West Belfast
The fact that the oil and gas industry in Scotland is in crisis is beyond doubt – the only question now is its scale of the problem. When the oil price first began to fall seriously at the end of last year, there were warnings from industry experts and
THE new boss of Scotland's capital has taken up his post, taking the council's hotseat as the city faces major financial pressures.Andrew Kerr joins Edinburgh City Council as chief executive from Cornwall Council, succeeding Dame Sue Bruce who retired
A HEALTH board at the centre of a row over the way they treat whistleblowers has referred more doctors to the General Medical Council in the last 17 months than the largest health authority in the UK. A third of the investigations conducted by
Colin Montgomerie's hopes of landing his first Senior Open Championship were dashed at Sunningdale as American journeyman Marco Dawson secured the title.Dawson, who claimed the second title of his career earlier this year at a Champions Tour event in
TWO Scottish firms are among a business delegation to South East Asia which will secure trade deals worth £750 million and create 270 new jobs.The four-day tour, which begins in Indonesia today, is being led by Prime Minister David Cameron in a bid to
CLYDESDALE beat the elements and their closest challengers to take another significant step to securing the Western Union title at Titwood on Saturday.While much of Glasgow basked in one of the better days of this cold and wet summer, storm clouds gathered
MORE than 5,500 jobs have been lost in the North Sea energy industry since oil prices plunged with many more set to go in the coming years, industry experts have warned.The estimate comes amid fears that the oil price drop, which began a year ago and
SCOTT Booth declared himself happy with a good week's work after watching his new side Glasgow City beat Celtic 3-0 at the Excelsior Stadium to stay top of the SWPL. The eight-time champions struggled to break down a well-organised Celtic defence
DURING the long referendum campaign it became fashionable to criticise the BBC, mostly for what was called “bias”. Whenever a Nationalist politician or adviser levelled this charge in conversation I would ask if they could provide two or three
Danny Willett held off stiff competition from fellow Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton to win the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre and clinch his third European Tour title. The overnight co-leader carded a bogey-free round of 65
Housing and construction firm Bancon Group has hired a finance director from Stewart Milne Group.Aberdeenshire based Bancon said Sarah Donn would help in its plans to rapidly grow its housing division over the next 12 months.It has also appointed Jamie
Family owned pizza maker Cosmo’s has reported a retained profit of almost £53,000, according to its most recent annual accounts.In the filing at Companies House for Midlothian based Cosmo Products the abbreviated accounts show the business also increased
Family owned Shearer Candles has struck a deal which will see its products sold in South Korea for the first time.The Glasgow company, which was founded in 1897 and still has its headquarters in the Govan area of the city, said the agreement was worth
It has often been argued that further powers over taxes and welfare spending should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament because Scots have a different set of preferences for public services than people in the rest of the UK. This argument is often
WHEN I was a wee girl my daddy used to cajole me and my brother and sisters into finishing our meals by playing a game in which we were to imagine each forkful going to a different part of our bodies. Beef and potato, for instance, would be mashed up
Ticket prices at the Fringe are already the subject of much comment, but Lost Watch Theatre Company are setting the bar pretty high with their asking price of £615 for a single seat for their Pleasance Courtyard show, Goodstock.There is only one NOW seat
Infrastructure boost for Scottish Equity PartnersSCOTTISH Equity Partners (SEP) has expanded its infrastructure team by appointing Adam Delaney as director of finance and Romain Keyen as associate.Mr Delaney, who is based in SEP’s new Edinburgh office
PINSENT Masons has taken majority control of Cerico in a deal which will see experienced Scottish based lawyer Richard Masters become executive chairman at the online compliance business. The law firm launched Cerico as a joint venture with Glasgow
PINSTRIPE I have fond memories of Prestwick Airport. So it is with some sadness that I view its current state. Slightly shabby but endearing - a bit like Largs, taking a dwindling bunch of people to a few obscure places - or at least a couple of
GENERALLY speaking, climbing is something to be avoided. Stairs, walls, mountains: ascending these only leads to trouble. But the worst kind of climbing is the social variety, whereby a citizen ascends from, say, socio-economic class C2 to, say
LAW firm Brodies has recorded an 11.2 per cent rise in turnover from £52.1 million to almost £58m while also booking strong underlying profit growth. It said profits before partner distributions grew 14.2 per cent to £27.1m in the 12 months to
THERE was a moment during the 2014 Commonwealth Games last summer when I joked to Katie Archibald that she probably couldn't remember the last time that she walked through an athlete-press mixed zone and I wasn't standing there thrusting a Dictaphone
LORD Steel will today denounce the UK Government for taking a “piecemeal tinkering” approach to reforming Westminster instead of establishing a constitutional commission to consider widespread reform.Giving a lecture in Armagh, entitled “towards a federal
The Scottish Government company which owns most of CalMac’s ferries and many of its terminals, has been warned the way it levies harbour charges could breach European law. This could leave Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) open to a commercial
ALEX Salmond has been denounced for using “bullyboy tactics” after the former First Minister insisted that, despite the No vote last September, a second independence referendum in Scotland was now inevitable. The MP for Gordon stressed three issues
GLASGOW University has been awarded £3.4 million to create a new research centre with state-of-the-art equipment.The funding has been given by the Medical Research Council in a bid to help find treatments for diseases based on individual patients, rather
As the country ranked 174 out of 187 in the United Nations's Human Development Index, it is no surprise Malawi is also one of the most energy-poor nations in sub-Saharan Africa. Less than one per cent of its rural population is able to access its national
Traditional outdoor activities such as conkers, pooh sticks or making daisy chains could soon become a thing of the past as children in Scotland spend increasing amounts of time staring at a screen indoors.New research reveals that Scottish youngsters
CATRIONA Stewart declares that the ladder in her tights is a political act of rebellion (“Ladder in my tights? A political act”, The Herald, July 24).Not moisturising, exfoliating or tinting is mine. To each his own. But I wouldn't be seen dead in laddered
I ENJOYED Alan Clayton's letter (July 22), and should say that he is both right and wrong. There is a common misconception that "homo" in the word "homosexual" comes from the Latin "homo, hominis" meaning man or mankind whereas
WHILE agreeing with much of Emma Witney’s comments regarding Police Scotland (Letters, July 22) I think it is unrealistic to expect policing to be separate from the politics of the day. Were the police to be more independent and farther outwith governmental
WITH the price of oil having dropped substantially, why are we still paying more than £1.20 per litre? I can remember, some years ago, when it reached this sum the haulage industry blocked the refineries.Have we become complacent to being ripped off?Even
LAST month you publishd an editorial on the proposed restructuring of middle and senior management posts in the five secondary schools in West Dunbartonshire authority (“School cuts could damage the life chances of pupils”, The Herald, June 29). First
I AGREE wholeheartedly with Jennifer Wilson (letters, July 22) that family life should be the major component in the development of a child, a viewpoint I recently expressed when I suggested that parents should be paid to raise their own children rather
Monday: Aukett Swanke Group PLC 0.11p; Aurora Investment Trust PLC 3.85p; Compass Group PLC (New Co.) 9.80p; Fuller, Smith & Turner, PLC 10.20p; INVESCO Income Growth Trust PLC 3.75p; Lombard Risk Management PLC 0.045p; Montanaro European Smaller Companies
The half-year bank results season gets into full swing with figures from Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, while the owner of Alton Towers will lay bare the impact of last month's rollercoaster crash that left five people seriously
As the Brazilians are to football, the Kiwis are to rugby and the Scots used to be to curling, so are the Norwegians and the Swedes to a little celebrated sport whose world championships arrive in Scotland this week for only their third visit to British
KEN Sutherland dispenses with initial caps and full stops in this engaging description of the view from the Stirling-Glasgow train. His poem was shortlisted in the first annual McCash Scots Poetry Competition, run jointly by The Herald and Glasgow University
There is a lot of gloom and doom in the dairy industry as a result of depressed prices for milk due to global overproduction. Global production is showing little sign of decreasing in the near future, despite milk prices being at critically low levels
The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into allegations of drug use by Lord Sewel and executed a warrant on an address in central London. In a statement, the Met said no arrests have been made at this stage but confirmed a criminal
SCOTTISH Nationalists have infiltrated the Labour leadership campaign, it has been claimed, as calls were made for acting leader Harriet Harman to halt the contest until checks on bogus supporters could be made. A senior Labour insider said: “There
THERE is a lot of gloom and doom in the dairy industry as a result of depressed prices for milk due to global overproduction. Global production is showing little sign of decreasing in the near future, despite milk prices being at critically low
A SCOT convicted of the murder of an 11-year-old boy in Bulgaria has revealed he plans to appeal against his conviction after being found guilty of the crime for the second time.David Bell Bryson, described as a paedophile in Bulgarian press reports,
THE Wickerman music festival was on at Dumfries and Galloway at the weekend. The local police used social media to declare: "Lovely morning at Wickerman Festival. We are pleased to report that there were very few innocents overnight." Some might
A cottage is to be simultaneously the oldest and newest building in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.The building was originally the central reception of the first such garden in the Scottish capital but as it faced demolition, it was moved to a new
FARMERS have issued a holiday warning over the growing threat of attacks by dogs against livestock.It comes as the summer season brings families with pets from towns and cities across the UK seeking open fields to roam in rural Scotland.The National Farmers
Books of murder and mystery have become the signature works of Scotland's literary world. The genre, dubbed Tartan Noir by US crime writer James Ellroy, is booming with many such novels regularly topping the best sellers lists. Now six books
PROBLEM gamblers can exclude themselves from dozens of high street betting shops as part of a pioneering scheme launched in Glasgow.For the first time in Scotland, people will be able to call a confidential helpline to request to be refused service at
THE multi-million pound estate of a late Scottish businessman is under investigation amid claims of misconduct at the charity which benefited from his fortune.Alfred Stewart changed his will just days before his death in 2008, cutting his children out
A FOOTBALL fans group has urged an SNP minister to correct the official Holyrood record after wrongly suggesting the campaigners backed changes to a controversial law. Community Safety Minister Paul Wheelhouse last month announced moves to soften
A PHILANTHROPIST and entrepreneur is turning his back on a high-flying career in the world of business to dedicate his time to a project which works to transform the lives of vulnerable young people. Iain MacRitchie has pledged to dedicate the
