Press and Journal, The Aberdeen (UK) back issues from February 2008:
Mitchell's diary
Feb 01, 2008 ... Singer and entertainer Fiona Kennedy has struck a telling blowfor women's liberation. For the first time in nearly 100 years, theCaledonian Club Burns Society in London had a woman speaker. "Thatwoman was me," said Fiona, of Blairs, near Aberdeen. "What's more,they even had female guests ...
From Aberdeen to Africa
Feb 01, 2008 ... An Aberdeen lecturer is swapping the chilly winds of the north-east for the tropical lure of the equator as he aims to take hisvast experience to a developing university in Africa. Dr Douglas Nisbet, a senior lecturer in business and managementat Aberdeen Business School, has taken ...
Presence of mind saved the day
Feb 01, 2008 ... Former eye surgeon Bill Church saved the sight of dozens ofpeople during his distinguished career. Yesterday, he saved his ownlife. Mr Church, an experienced climber who has conquered mountainsall over the world, used all his experience and instincts when afall from Lochnagar ...
Reporting torture allegations
Feb 01, 2008 ... An Astonishing attempt to keep secret very serious allegations oftorture levelled against British soldiers in Iraq was finally thrownout by two High Court judges yesterday. Lord Justice Moses and MrJustice Silber overruled a previous decision that a forthcoming casein which survivors and ...
Massive profitsof oil company
Feb 01, 2008 ... Oil giant Shell makes pounds13.9billion profit. Obscene orsatisfactory? Pick your side. Whenever a British company, more oftenthan not a bank or an oil firm, starts to measure its performance inbillions rather than millions, entrenched views are aired to wishthem well or damn them for ...
Letters page
Feb 01, 2008 ... Sir, - With reference to your story (January 30) headed "City MPsare accused of 'betrayal'", I find it the height of hypocrisy thatLabour MPs Frank Doran and Anne Begg can continue to attack theScottish Government on the provision of a 50-metre pool for Aberdeenwhile voting at ...
Lawyers top the colds table
Feb 01, 2008 ... Lawyers, estate agents and librarians take the most time off workdue to colds and flu, according to a survey by Multibionta ImmuneSupport. Legal eagles have had an average of four days off in the pastyear and estate agents have called in sick due to colds and flu onthree ...
Back to work
Feb 01, 2008 ... Very few people relish the thought of heading back to work in thedark and often rainy mornings after the long festive break. Indeed, for the last few weeks, the majority of the north-eastworkforce has had to, once again, get used to waking up with thealarm clock; heading into the ...
Group targets new members
Feb 01, 2008 ... The North's major marketing group is targeting new members as itcontinues its drive to bring increased business to the Highlands. Highlands Loch Ness Marketing (HLNM) has generated in excess ofpounds4million of new business for its members since being set upseven years ...
Oil-related boost for Shetland harbour
Feb 01, 2008 ... Lerwick harbour bosses reported a "healthy" increase in cargoduring 2007, with shipments up 11.4% from the previous year at878,330 tonnes. Lerwick Port Authority (LPA) said yesterday the main factor wasa significant rise in offshore oil and gas industry traffic. It saidthe ...
Judge lifts gagging order in Iraq troops 'abuse' hearing
Feb 01, 2008 ... The High Court yesterday lifted a gagging order that had stoppedthe press and media from reporting the controversial details of alegal battle concerning allegations of torture and brutality byBritish troops in Iraq. The abuse is said to have occurred after soldiers were ...
DJ moyles closes in on Wogan
Feb 01, 2008 ... Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles has narrowed the ratings gap with Radio 2rival Terry Wogan in the battle of the breakfast shows. Wogan remains the UK's favourite with 7.73million listeners, butMoyles has moved up to 7.31million. Moyles posted the record figures after extending his ...
Poulter is in a desert storm
Feb 01, 2008 ... England's Ian Poulter has reacted angrily to a report whichclaims the Ryder Cup winner believes he is the only player capableof challenging world number one Tiger Woods. Poulter gave a magazine interview three months ago. The featurewill will be published in March, while a ...
The best is yet to come, says woods
Feb 01, 2008 ... Tiger Woods effortlessly claimed his 62nd PGA Tour victory atTorrey Pines last week but ominously insisted he has already steppedup his game to a new level. Woods yesterday carded an opening seven-under-par 65 at the DubaiDesert Classic to establish a two-stroke overnight ...
Husband of missing make-up artist held
Feb 01, 2008 ... The husband of a Bafta-nominated make-up artist who disappearedwas yesterday arrested on suspicion of her murder, sources said. Diane Chenery-Wickens, 48, who has worked on shows including DeadRingers, The League Of Gentlemen and Casualty, has not been seen orheard of since last ...
Forsyth and coltart top Scots in Dubai
Feb 01, 2008 ... Alastair Forsyth and Andrew Coltart, in a group tied for 27th, are the leading Scots after the opening round of the Dubai DesertClassic. They shot three-under-par 69s to trail Tiger Woods by four shots. Stephen Gallacher, tied for 43rd, is just one shot behind hisScottish ...
'Emergency'call is the final straw
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Woman called 999 because she did not have pounds1 for asupermarket trolley, a police force revealed yesterday. South Wales Police said control room staff will now answer 999calls by asking the caller what their emergency is, in an attempt tocut the number of inappropriate calls ....
Craig investing millions more in new vessels for North Sea
Feb 01, 2008 ... Global shipping and energy service firm Craig Group announcedyesterday that it was to invest pounds30million in building afurther four emergency-response and rescue vessels. This brings the number of new ships commissioned by the Aberdeen-based family firm since 2003 to 12 and ...
Scotland pounds60m rugby winner
Feb 01, 2008 ... The Royal Bank of Scotland-sponsored Six Nations RugbyChampionship, which gets under way this weekend, is not only asporting feast but also a honeypot for the Scottish economy, whichis set to benefit economically to the tune of about pounds60million. Research carried out for RBS ...
Now Prime Minister backs calls for greater scrutiny of MPs' expenses
Feb 01, 2008 ... Prime Minister Gordon Brown last night backed calls for greaterpublic scrutiny of parliamentary expenses after disgraced MP DerekConway was suspended from the Commons for 10 days. He said there should be more "transparency" over how and whereMPs spend their allowances after Mr ...
Friends making sweeping job cuts to save pounds60m
Feb 01, 2008 ... Friends Provident said yesterday it would cut about 600 jobs aspart of a sweeping overhaul and warned shareholders apounds440million hit would almost wipe out last year's profits. Following a two-month strategic review, the life and pension provider aims to save nearly ...
Top-level backing for undersea cable
Feb 01, 2008 ... First Minister Alex Salmond has put his support behind a plan fora pounds4.8billion undersea power cable between Shetland and London. Earlier this month the Crown Estate Commissioners issued a reportconfirming the project was economically and technically feasible. A further ...
First minister defends case for merging top institutes
Feb 01, 2008 ... First Minister Alex Salmond has defended the planned merger oftwo important research establishments in Grampian and Tayside. The Scottish Government is "encouraging" the merger of therenowned Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen and the Scottish CropResearch Institute, on the outskirts ...
Q4 profit blow for pgs
Feb 01, 2008 ... Seismic surveyor Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) said yesterday its2007 fourth-quarter results would be below expectations, in part asa result of losses of pounds3million at its MTEM unit. The Edinburgh University spin-off was bought by PGS last yearfor about pounds140million. MTEM ...
Scots beef jerky named best snack food in Britain
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Beef jerky snack produced in Nairn has been named Britain'stastiest by a national magazine. The product, made by local company ScottishJerky.com, beat offcompetition from two other manufacturers to come top in a taste testby experts from Bushcraft and Survival Skills ...
Angus might have to wait until 2022 for A90 flyover
Feb 01, 2008 ... A flyover designed to improve safety at an accident blackspot onthe A90 between Aberdeen and Dundee may not be built for 14 years,it has emerged. Residents close to the danger junction at Laurencekirk reacted tothe timescale with fury yesterday. The setback came to light in ...
Rape charge against DJ found not proven
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Dj accused of raping a young woman in her flat after walkingher home wept yesterday as he walked free from court. It was the second time that a jury had returned a not provenverdict against Craig Ward in a rape trial. Ward, who also worked as a sound and lighting technician, ...
Boy, 14, dies in hospitalof suspected meningitis
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Teenage schoolboy has died of suspected meningitis, healthchiefs said yesterday. The 14-year-old, from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, died onWednesday after being admitted to hospital. Although the cause of death is yet to be confirmed, doctors aretreating it as the ...
Edinburgh voted a top 10 city of the world
Feb 01, 2008 ... Edinburgh has been voted one of the top 10 cities in the world bytravellers, a survey revealed yesterday. The Scottish capital is the first UK city to make it into thepoll by leading travel magazine Wanderlust. Readers voted for Edinburgh ahead of Tokyo and Boston ...
Harman aims to strengthen campaign ties
Feb 01, 2008 ... Commons leader Harriet Harman is in Scotland today for a seriesof meetings with leading equality campaigners. In her capacity as minister for women and equality, she aims tostrengthen ties between those on both sides of the border whocampaign against unfairness and ...
Spending watchdog warns on care cost
Feb 01, 2008 ... A public service watchdog has warned that more money is needed tofund Scotland's flagship policy of free personal care for theelderly. Audit Scotland said the policy was launched without a fullunderstanding of how much it would cost. The care has already cost millions more ...
Owner reunited with flyaway Tess
Feb 01, 2008 ... A spectacular bird of prey whose disappearance sparked anextensive air and ground search involving dozens of Press andJournal readers was reunited with her owner last night. Tess, a 4lb ferruginous buzzard with a 5ft wingspan, broke freeof her leather restraints, called jesses, on ...
Energy ball promises to wow guests as tickets fly
Feb 01, 2008 ... A huge turnout from home and abroad is expected later this yearfor Aberdeen's first Energy Ball. More than 1,000 people representing all sectors of the energyindustry will attend the event at Aberdeen Exhibition and ConferenceCentre on Saturday, August 16. The finest food the ...
Darling makes date for his first budget
Feb 01, 2008 ... Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling will deliver hisfirst Budget on March 12, the Treasury announced yesterday. The 2008 Budget comes amid the gloomiest economic situation formore than a decade, with volatile global stock markets, a creditcrunch and falling house ...
Brutal dad jailed for killing baby Jessica
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Man was jailed for seven years yesterday after being foundguilty of killing his eight-month-old daughter in a fit of temperwhile his wife ate dinner downstairs. Scott Harman, 25, shook or flung Jessica Harman with forcebecause she had probably been crying more loudly and for ...
Suspect'sdna 'found on bodies'
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Man accused of murdering five prostitutes had "prolongedphysical contact" with three of the victims, a court heardyesterday. Forensic scientist Peter Hau said samples of Steve Wright's DNAwere found on the bodies of Paula Clennell, Anneli Alderton andAnnette Nicholls. He ...
Shifting mortgages
Feb 01, 2008 ... The rising levels of mortgage defaults and home repossessions inthe news this week could be just the tip of the iceberg, financialexperts have warned. Thousands of Scots borrowers snapped up fixed-rate mortgage dealstwo or three years ago as the housing market was really taking ...
Scotland's first national Christian outreach centre opens in Perth
Feb 01, 2008 ... Scotland's first National Christian Outreach Centre opened itsdoors in Perth yesterday. The pounds2million centre will be the new operational base forthe Perth-established evangelistic ministry Peo-ple With A MissionMinistries. A meeting of 200 pastors and leaders from ...
Hunt for car linked to serious crime
Feb 01, 2008 ... Detectives in Perthshire are hunting for a car as part of aserious crime inquiry, it was confirmed yesterday. Officers from Tayside Police are trying to locate a blue Peugeot309 car that was bought at Alyth in 2001. The last known owner of the car, which bears the ...
'We'll match your current HSBC rate'
Feb 01, 2008 ... Hsbc yesterday promised customers who are coming to the end of afixed-rate mortgage deal that it will match their current rate whenthey remortgage. The high street bank said from today until at least the end ofApril homeowners coming off one of its fixed-rate loans will be ableto ...
Police aim to track down vandals behind graffiti
Feb 01, 2008 ... Vandals behind graffiti attacks in Dundee are to be the focus ofa police crackdown, officers warned yesterday. Tayside Police released graffiti tags which have appeared onwalls and buildings. They appealed for help from the public inidentifying those responsible. An ...
What type is best for you?
Feb 01, 2008 ... So What kind of mortgage is best for you? The fundamental choice is between an interest-only mortgage and arepayment one. For most people, a repayment mortgage is the safestoption since it guarantees you are paying off some of your debtevery month, rather than relying on an ...
Hunt launched in north-east to investigate decline of red squirrels
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Red squirrel conservation project has been launched todetermine the extent of the native species' decline across the north-east. Grampian Squirrel Group secured four months' funding fromScottish Natural Heritage for the project, which aims to survey theregion's red population ...
Eigg gets switched on to mains power
Feb 01, 2008 ... The tiny island of Eigg will generate its own power from todaywhen one of the greenest schemes in the country is switched on. Residents on the Inner Hebridean island will have uninterruptedpower thanks to a pounds1.6million triple generating station thatharnesses solar, wind and ...
Ex-raf man caught with weapons cache
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Former RAF serviceman was caught with a cache of bannedweaponry and ammunition after a colleague at work overheard aconversation about it and alerted thepolice. Simon MacDonald, who was discharged from the military after beinginjured in a motorbike accident, had previously ...
Future is in the bag for white's former team
Feb 01, 2008 ... Scotland captain Jason Whitereturned to his old club AberdeenWanderers in the six nations build-up to hand over the first batchof kitdonated as part of pounds90,000 nationwide scheme. Wanderers, where White turned out as a teenager, are among thenorth-east clubs to have benefited ...
Brussels hails trailblazing Scots scheme
Feb 01, 2008 ... Initiatives pioneered in Scotland could be the key to reducingfish discards, Euro MPs heard yesterday. The politicians welcomed the recent introduction by the ScottishGovernment - in co-operation with the catching sector - of avoluntary system whereby fishing grounds are closed in ...
Producers faced with rocketing production costs
Feb 01, 2008 ... The soaring production costs faced by farmers are reflected inthe Scottish Government annual statistics. But the headline figures fail to show the impact at farm level. North-east livestock producers said the increase in fertiliserbills alone was staggering, with the cost of ...
Mixed fortunes for sectors as farm incomes rise by 12%
Feb 01, 2008 ... Scotland's farming industry last year returned to the black forthe first time in a decade after an 11.9% rise in incomes, accordingto Scottish Government figures. The annual statistics, however, graphically illustrated thecontrasting fortunes of the different sectors. Cereal ...
Big lift in cereals output to pounds1.9bn
Feb 01, 2008 ... Nationally the figures showed the value of farm output over thelast year increasing 8.4% to pounds15.7billion. Livestock is by far the biggest sector at pounds5.2billion (up2.8%), albeit the value of sheep and lambs fell 7.8% topounds629million. Cattle at pounds1.7billion was up ...
Russian had 'no right' to live in lover's Stirling home
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Russian asylum seeker fighting for a share of her dead lover'spounds500,000 estate had "no right" to move into a home he owned, acourt heard yesterday. Tatiana Chebotareva, 22, claimed she lived with James King at hisStirling property after they met in London six years ago. But ...
Concerns over NHS fraud charges
Feb 01, 2008 ... Only three people were convicted of defrauding the NHS inScotland last year despite the problem costing the health service upto pounds100million annually, MSPs were told yesterday. It is estimated up to 1% of the NHS budget could be lost to fraudeach year. Health Secretary ...
Bill sets out to update Scots law
Feb 01, 2008 ... New legislation which would put Scotland's most senior judge inoverall charge of the judicial system was published yesterday. The Scottish Government has put forward plans to strengthenjudges' independence and modernise the running of the country'scourts. The Judiciary and ...
Northern Isles museums chase pounds100,000 prize
Feb 01, 2008 ... The Northern Isles will be representing Scotland in acompetition between the UK's leading museums for a pounds100,000prize. The new Shetland Museum and Archives in Lerwick and the Pier ArtsCentre at Stromness, Orkney, will compete against eight museums andgalleries for the Art ...
City star boss made last-ditch bid for loan to save airline
Feb 01, 2008 ... A Boss of collapsed City Star Airlines made a last-ditch bid fora pounds200,000 loan from an Aberdeen businessman to save theoperation, it emerged yesterday. Runar Arnason, managing director of the Granite City airline,told Mike Wilson on Tuesday that the operation needed ...
Angry customers learn of firm's failure only after they arrive to catch plane
Feb 01, 2008 ... Dozens of customers of airline City Star were left angry andconfused yesterday after arriving at Aberdeen Airport to check infor flights which no longer existed. They found out the company had folded only when they beganarriving at the airport at 5am and were handed a letter ...
SNP bargaining to win backers for its budget bill
Feb 01, 2008 ... The Scottish Government has made major concessions on its budget -including a promise of an extra 500 police officers for frontlineduties. Finance Secretary John Swinney lodged final amendments to theBudget Bill last night in an attempt to buy over the opposition. Last month, ...
'Forgotten' north community fears police station will close
Feb 01, 2008 ... Fears have been raised that a remote Inverness-shire policestation could close following a major review of NorthernConstabulary operations. It is understood that the Highland force are considering shuttingCannich police station. But officers insist there will beconsultation with ...
Al qaida trainer killed
Feb 01, 2008 ... One of al Qaida's top commanders in Afghanistan, Abu Laith al-Libi, was killed in Pakistan, according to a website used bymilitant groups. Al-Libi was an al Qaida training camp leader who has appeared inmany internet videos and who the US says was probably behind lastFebruary's ...
Combat training 'cut' for Afghanistan troops
Feb 01, 2008 ... Nearly 1,000 new Army recruits could have their combat traininghalved to meet a shortage of troops available to deploy toAfghanistan. Under plans being considered by the Army, some newly-enlistedsoldiers would spend just 14 weeks on a combat infantry courseinstead of the normal ...
Spears taken to hospital to 'get help'
Feb 01, 2008 ... Britney Spears was taken to hospital yesterday amid fears shemight harm herself. The pop singer was escorted in an ambulance by more than a dozenpolice officers in cars, on motorcycles and in helicopters. A police officer said the 26-year-old was being taken to ...
Mob fury erupts as second MP is killed
Feb 01, 2008 ... An Opposition MP was shot dead by a policeman in Kenya's RiftValley yesterday - the second to be killed this week as thecountry's violent slide into chaos continues. David Too was killed in "a crime of passion" for having an affairwith the officer's girlfriend, said national ...
Mum denies murdering her baby in microwave
Feb 01, 2008 ... A 27-year-old mother confessed to cooking her baby in a microwaveoven, a US court was told yesterday. China Arnold even described how the month-old "fit right in" inthe oven. Arnold, of Dayton, Ohio, denies the aggravated murder of herdaughter Paris Talley in August ...
Tory MEP apologises after 'Hitler' comment
Feb 01, 2008 ... Conservative Euro-MP Daniel Hannan last night apologised to theGerman president of the European Parliament after comparing hispowers to those seized by Hitler in 1933. The remarks caused uproar in the European Parliament chamber,followed by threats to expel Mr Hannan from the EPP ...
Willie draws on experience to survive
Feb 01, 2008 ... The injured climber rescued from Lochnagar drew on all hismountaineering experience to survive the extreme weather conditions. Willie Church, 61, has taken part in climbing expeditions acrossthe globe. In 2005 the former eye surgeon travelled to Pakistan to tacklesome of the ...