The Scotsman back issues from January 2003:
Secrets of 1972 BAD DREAM EROTIC SHAKESPEARE
Jan 01, 2003 ... BOTTOM, a group of fairies and a series of erotic mimes arousedofficial concern when a celebrated British production of A MidsummerNight's Dream began to tour eastern Europe. It has been revealed how the cast of the Royal Shakespeare Companyleft one British diplomat hot under the ...
Secrets of 1972 The 1972 move to make medal ceremonies an endurance event
Jan 01, 2003 ... SPORT MEDAL ceremonies involving Scottish competitors atinternational sporting events could have been even longer than normalif a directive from the Foreign Office had been rigorously applied,secret government papers released today reveal. According to documents from 1972, the ...
Secrets of 1972 Volunteer drivers asked to break miners' strike
Jan 01, 2003 ... MINERS' STRIKE THE government planned to use a fleet of volunteerdrivers - including firemen - to get coal to power stations to breakthe miners' strike 30 years ago. With a state of emergency declared, a three-day week and extensivepower cuts plunging the country into darkness, ...
Secrets of 1972 Back when the Scottish Office thought devolution 'anarchic'
Jan 01, 2003 ... DEVOLUTION THE possibility of devolution for Scotland caused alarmamong Scottish Office officials who believed that it would lead toanarchy in the battle for Treasury funding, claim 1972 papers. A surge in interest in Scottish nationalism had put the governmenton the back foot and ...
Heath knew policy would kill fish fleet
Jan 01, 2003; ... SECRET papers, released today, have revealed how the Scottishfishing fleet was betrayed by the government 30 years ago to enableBritain to sign up to the controversial Common Fisheries Policy. Prime Minister Edward Heath's officials estimated that up to halfthe fishermen in ...
Secrets of 1972 ENGLAND HERO BRACELET AFFAIR
Jan 01, 2003 ... BOBBY Moore, England's 1966 World Cup winning captain, was gaggedover the Bogot bracelet affair for more than two years after thescandal because British officials feared he may provoke courtproceedings and a diplomatic crisis. Confidential files kept secret under the 30-year-rule ...
Campaigners criticise 50p pint offer by pub chain
Jan 01, 2003; ... HEALTH campaigners yesterday condemned a major pub chain after itannounced a bumper New Year drinks sale. JD Wetherspoon's will be selling pints of beer for as little as50p a pint in a bid to pull in post-Hogmanay customers. But the move has sparked outrage among alcohol ...
Children vote to knight Bart
Jan 01, 2003; ... ARISE Sir Bart? With the great and the good being recognised for their outstandingachievements in the New Year Honours list, the nation's youngsterswant to see their own heroes, including fictional characters, amongtheir ranks according to a survey published yesterday. This ...
Blair puts emphasis on global threats to Britain
Jan 01, 2003; ... TONY Blair uses his New Year message today to acknowledge thedepth of fear and insecurity in Britain over the downturn in theglobal economy and the increasing threat to world peace. In one of the bleakest end of year statements delivered by a PrimeMinister, Mr Blair says he cannot ...
Dismembered bodies of woman and girl found dumped in bins
Jan 01, 2003; ... A DOUBLE murder investigation was launched yesterday after thediscovery of the mutilated remains of a woman and a schoolgirl dumpedin bin bags in a north London street. The find was made on Monday byan elderly homeless man as he foraged for food in the large rubbishbins of the College ...
Fisheries debacle proves EU big government fails communities
Jan 01, 2003; ... COMMENT WE SEEM to be on a treadmill as far as our dealings with the EUare concerned. There is so much about the way European institutionswork that is flawed but nobody is prepared to tackle the problemshead on for fear of being hurt. The current tensions over the Common ...
Politicians striving for the mediocrity of middle-management
Jan 01, 2003; ... THE Devil may have the best tunes, but where are his politicians?In 2003, the arena of Scottish public life needs baddies as well asgoodies. All stories need their moral dimension. Without lightduelling with darkness, all topics are reduced to laundry lists andnobody bothers to vote ....
Cocaine ruins brain's 'pleasure centre' cells
Jan 01, 2003; ... COCAINE damages the brain cells that create the "high" users ofthe drug experience, research has revealed. This first direct evidence of cocaine-induced damage to key cellsin the brain's so-called pleasure centre could help explain manyaspects of cocaine addiction. It may ...
Business chief dies in bid to race train
Jan 01, 2003; ... A SUCCESSFUL businessman was being mourned by family and friendslast night, after he was killed in a car crash in the United States. Philip Harrower, from Perth, who was chief executive of theGlasgow-based power supply company Aggreko, was killed instantly whenhis car was hit by a ...
Pound sees gains as greenback struggles
Jan 01, 2003 ... STERLING ended the year with fat gains versus the dollar, reachinga two-and-a-half-year peak, but struggled on the euro as concernsover separate tensions with Iraq and North Korea directed flows outof the greenback. The market was preoccupied with concerns about a possible ...
Diary
Jan 01, 2003; ... Hearts of a Hogmanay horribilis THE Jambos have an extra incentive to pull one over Hibs in theEdinburgh derby tomorrow. Asked about his worst Hogmanay, Eric Milligan, Lord Provost ofEdinburgh, recalls: "It was 1974. I'd met a couple of lads atmidnight at the Tron Kirk and ...
Leading Lib Dem defies party on euro
Jan 01, 2003; ... A PROMINENT Liberal Democrat MP has spoken out against his party'spolicy on the euro, saying he would advise his constituents to vote"no" in a referendum. Alistair Carmichael, who represents Orkney andShetland, wants the Lib Dems to reappraise their whole approach toEurope and become the ...
One year on and euro gets a black mark
Jan 01, 2003; ... THE referendum on membership of the euro will be held on 14September and the political stakes are high. In Sweden, that is. The Swedes will be the first European Union country to give itsverdict on the single currency since notes and coins were introducedelsewhere in January 2002 ....
Scant respite for flooded householders as rain threatens to return
Jan 01, 2003; ... HOMEOWNERS hit by floods in England yesterday faced a gloomy startto the New Year after forecasters predicted yet more rain for today. Monday's downpours eased slightly yesterday, but that broughtlittle relief to property owners, who are being warned heavy raincould return ....
Resolution one: don't write list of resolutions
Jan 01, 2003; ... IT HAS not been easy, but this year - that's 2003, by the way, forthose not quite certain which foot is which this morning - I thinkI've cracked it. Resolutions, that is, ones which can be kept ratherthan abandoned within a day or two as unworkable, impractical orboring ....
100 patients set for private treatment in England as Scots NHS trusts struggle
Jan 01, 2003; ... HOSPITAL managers in Scotland are to send patients for privatetreatment in England in a new bid to cut NHS waiting lists. Officials at South Glasgow Hospitals Trust confirmed that about100 patients were being sent to a private hospital in Manchester foroperations. They said ...
Hobbs chief leads 30m pound MBO team
Jan 01, 2003; ... HOBBS, the upmarket womenswear chain, has been sold to amanagement buyout team in a GBP 30 million deal. Led by managing director Nick Samuel, the new owners plan todouble the number of outlets across the UK to 60 within five yearsand have pencilled in a stock market listing for ...
Party-goers defy Hogmanay terror threat
Jan 01, 2003; ... HOGMANAY revellers shrugged off fears of a terrorist attack tocelebrate at Europe's biggest New Year street party in Edinburgh lastnight. More than 100,000 people crammed on to the streets of the capitalto welcome the bells amid tight security, with hundreds of policeofficers on ...
AROUND THE WORLD TIGHTER SECURITY AT CELEBRATIONS
Jan 01, 2003; ... THE biggest security operation in Sydney since the 2000 Olympicsset the tone for New Year celebrations as parties in most of theworld's major cities were overshadowed by terrorist threats. Streets were closed and cars banned from Sydney's city centre as700,000 revellers counted ...
Consumer report hits weak Wall St
Jan 01, 2003 ... WALL Street limped to a dismal year-end yesterday after asurprisingly soft consumer confidence report fed concerns aboutanaemic economic growth in a market already buffeted by brewinggeopolitical tensions. US investors bade farewell - or for many "good riddance" - to ayear ...
Our top draws
Jan 01, 2003 ... From Bono to John Byrne and from Monet to the X-Men, we present 20things you must catch in the arts world during 2003 As impossible as a new year can be to predict (who saw The BlairWitch Project coming?) there are still a few events one can safelysay will be the big talking points ...
Marmite is same-sex kissing with confidence
Jan 01, 2003; ... AN ADVERTISEMENT featuring what makers claim is the first same-sex kiss in a television commercial was screened on British TV lastnight. A lifeguard is caught mouth-to-mouth with a man he has just giventhe kiss of life to in the promotion for Marmite. The makers of Marmite, ...
Leader Secret papers show the value of openness
Jan 01, 2003 ... THE introduction of the Freedom of Information Act is stillseveral years off, but its arrival cannot come soon enough, if thelatest revelations of cabinet papers under the 30-year disclosurerule are anything to go by. The presumption has long been thatsecrecy in government policy-making ...
Leader Euro's unhappy birthday
Jan 01, 2003 ... TODAY is the first anniversary of the introduction of the new euronotes and coins in the 12 member states of the eurozone. How havethey fared? According to a recent official EU poll, the majority ofGermans - living in the eurozone's biggest economy - want to scrapthe new currency and ...
Leader Reasons to be cheerful
Jan 01, 2003 ... GOODBYE 2002 and welcome 2003. There is much to be gloomy aboutthis Ne'er Day, what with wars and rumours of wars; a wobbly economywhich has seen the stock market fall 25 per cent in 12 months; andthe usual seasonal short, grey days and long, dark nights. On theother hand, since The ...
Feeling lousy today? First step would be to admit it
Jan 01, 2003; ... A SEASONAL family spat, the kind with which most of us are all toofamiliar, broke out as the year reached its end. Uninhibited AuntClare, known for her plain speaking, went that bit further thanusual. Obstreperous Uncle John, always quick to take offence, rushedin to tick her off. As ...
Worst performance since 1974 for FTSE
Jan 01, 2003; ... BRITAIN'S blue-chip shares ended higher on the last day of 2002,but the performance was overshadowed by gloom that the beleagueredFTSE 100 shed about one-quarter of its value during the year. The fall follows double-digit slides in the index in the previoustwo years, with the ...
OPEC supply promise sees crude price retreat
Jan 01, 2003 ... WORLD oil prices backed away from two-year highs yesterday, aspromises of extra OPEC supply drained strength from a rally which hasadded about 50 per cent to the cost of oil in 2002. International ...
Looking to the global economy will be the key to local performance in 2003
Jan 01, 2003; ... Growth in GDP will slow, but continue BEFORE looking forward to the new economic year, it makes sense tocast an eye back to the year that has just ended. Surprisingly, thereis some good news. The UK economy again outperformed most of its peergroup and has now experienced more than ...
Cheriegate 'shows need for code of conduct'
Jan 01, 2003; ... THE "Cheriegate" scandal has highlighted the need for a new codegoverning the conduct of prime ministers' consorts and specialadvisers, a highly respected former sleaze watchdog said yesterday. Sir Gordon Downey, the former parliamentary commissioner forstandards, called for a an ...
Tuition at home makes a return
Jan 01, 2003; ... MANY babies born north of the border in 2003 are expected to betaught at home by parents disillusioned with the education system, toforgo working in traditional trades, and to work abroad, according toa survey out today. The research, by Vauxhall Motors, found 30 per cent of ...
Potts shares dive as troubles revealed
Jan 01, 2003; ... SHARES in printing firm Thomas Potts dived more than 71 per centyesterday after it racked up hefty first half losses, scrapped itsdividend and unveiled plans to delist from the London market. After posting a loss of almost GBP 1 million for the six months tothe end of September, ...
Ones to watch
Jan 01, 2003; ... The events of each year throw up new names to burn into the publicconsciousness. Stanley Kubrick's own year, 2001, unfortunately gaveus the terrible syllables of Osama bin Laden and Mohammed Atta, whilecourage was wrapped in the consonants of Ellen MacArthur. Last yearno-one on the ...
And now the end is near
Jan 01, 2003; ... Trends pass, people die and television shows, once fondly viewed,fade away. And 2003, like every other year, will witness the end ofparticular eras. Some of them will have lasted longer than others,but we wish to alert you to their potential passing so you can cheerthem on their way or ...
Coming soon to a world near you
Jan 01, 2003; ... When the year 2003 was delivered to us on the stroke of midnighttonight, the drink-fuelled jubilation was given an extra kick by thedistant but insistent pulse of another emotion: fear. The fact that 2001 is already history does not diminish thecontinuing futuristic ring of our ...
Secrets of 1972 Canadian authorities thwarted in plot to oust Queen, files reveal
Jan 01, 2003; ... A PLOT by the Canadian government to abolish the monarchy andreplace the Queen with a president was thwarted when she refused toaccept a proposal curtailing her powers. Files released by the Public Record Office reveal how an uncertainpolitical climate in Canada and the Queen's ...
Secrets of 1972 Violence in Northern Ireland prompted plan for forced expulsion of Catholics
Jan 01, 2003 ... ULSTER EDWARD Heath's Tory government drew up secret plans toforcibly expel hundreds of thousands of Catholics from NorthernIreland and redraw the border to create a Protestant-only province. Documents released to the Public Record Office under the 30-yearrule show that up to half ...
Young Scot survives, but Briton killed as avalanches hit ski resorts
Jan 01, 2003; ... A YOUNG Scottish ski enthusiast escaped injury despite beingdragged down a 9,000ft mountainside by an avalanche. Craig Andrew, 23, from Gateside in Ayrshire, was on a skiingholiday with friends in St Anton in Tyrol, Austria, when the accidentoccurred on Monday. Mr Andrew ...
Snapshots
Jan 01, 2003 ... Highlands must keep its treasures A CAMPAIGN is being launched in the Highlands to ensure thatcommunities cash in on the exploitation of the natural resourceswhich surround them. Highland Council wants to guarantee some return to local peoplefrom the unprecedented level of ...
Business Comment Ringing in the new...?
Jan 01, 2003 ... THERE has never been four consecutive years of falling world stockmarkets. Well, New Year is all about breaking with the past and making newresolutions. Who is to say that 2003 will not carve its name inhistory as a bearish trailblazer? We have now had three years of ...
2003 DIARY
Jan 01, 2003 ... 01.01.03 The 30th anniversary of the UK's accession to the EuropeanCommunity. Denmark, Ireland and the UK joined the EuropeanCommunities on 1 January 1973. 13.01.03 Television presenter John Leslie is due to answer police bailafter being released without charge ...
2003 DIARY
Jan 01, 2003 ... 08.03.03 Lennox Lewis, Britain's current world heavyweight boxing champion,below, is scheduled to fight the Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko at theMandalay Bay Hotel Complex in Las Vegas. 20.03.03 The Glasgow International Comedy Festival opens. 24.03.03 ...
2003 DIARY
Jan 01, 2003 ... 21.06.03 The key of the door for Prince William. He celebrates his 21stbirthday. 30.06.03 Zacarias Moussaoui, the first man to be charged with directinvolvement in the planning of the 11 September attacks, goes ontrial before a federal court in Alexandria, ...
2003 DIARY
Jan 01, 2003 ... 01.09.03 David Beckham's autobiography is published by HarperCollins. 10.10.03 The Rugby World Cup kicks off in Australia. 16.10.03 The 25th anniversary of the election of Cardinal Karol JozefWojtyla as Pope. 11.11.03 Panorama ...
Tracker
Jan 01, 2003 ... Leap in Scots business failure rate SCOTLAND'S level of business failures jumped by a staggering 27.8per cent last year, with 855 firms going to the wall, according to anew report. Business information group Experian recorded a total of18,926 insolvencies across the UK - 10 per ...
A new way to live
Jan 01, 2003; ... 1Shared home ownership: Property prices are at record levels, withthe average home in Britain costing GBP 87,000 according to theNationwide Building Society. But the national average salary is GBP22,000, meaning first-time buyers face borrowing four times theirsalary - and often more - ...
Labour chief warns of permanent damage to party's relations with unions
Jan 01, 2003; ... DAVID Triesman, the Labour general secretary, gave warningyesterday that the link between the party and the unions could bepermanently damaged unless both sides started to repair relations. In a stark message, Mr Triesman, Labour's most senior official,said tensions over public ...
Safety first
Jan 01, 2003 ... GOLD gave up some ground in the final session of 2002 as profit-taking set in, but still stood a thumping 25 per cent up on where itbegan the year. Analysts said yesterday that the safe-haven metal had benefitedfrom yet another year of falling equities markets and the ...
Lacklustre FTSE scrapes into the black
Jan 01, 2003; ... THE British stock market saw 2002 go out with a whimper ratherthan a bang yesterday, with many stocks virtually marking time inthin trading on the last day of the year. The FTSE 100 index finally closed up 39.8 points, or 1 per cent,at 3940.4 as many institutions stayed sidelined, ...
Waverley paddle steamer to have 7m pound refit
Jan 01, 2003; ... THE world's last remaining paddle steamer, the Waverley, is toundergo a GBP 7 million makeover, 28 years after being bought for GBP1. The ship, which takes pleasure seekers on tours "doon the watter"and around Britain from its moorings on the Clyde, has gone into drydock into ...
Vanished in Moscow's dirty war on terror CHECHNYA
Jan 01, 2003; ... IT WAS 11pm when they came for Akhmed. Ten soldiers in masks burst into his parents' house in the Chechenvillage of Urus Martan. Akhmed, 24, was suspected of being a rebelveteran of battles with Russian troops. His family - who do not want to be identified - have no clue ...
HARD TIMES SCHRDER WARNS OF A TOUGH YEAR GERMANY
Jan 01, 2003; ... GERMANY'S chancellor, Gerhard Schrder, has told his people whatthey already know - that 2003 will be one of the toughest post-waryears they will ever face. The embattled leader, who risks losing power after vital regionalelections in February, is under siege for raising taxes and ...
Baghdad refuses to surrender hope IRAQ
Jan 01, 2003; ... THE Iraqi diplomat, neat in a dark-blue blazer and button-downshirt, leaned forward in his armchair. "You know, if you sniff theair here you scent the smell of war," he said. He paused. "It'sillogical but I believe that such a war will not take place." Iraq foiled the US by ...
The violent business of peace-keeping AFGHANISTAN
Jan 01, 2003; ... IT WAS late afternoon just before Christmas. I was standing on theroof of the British barracks at the edge of Kabul with Captain AlanRoan, Major Gordon Mackenzie and Sergeant-Major Angus Steele - allserving in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and among the 53Scots serving with the ...
CANCER RISK WORRIES OVER LACK OF ROYAL HEIRS JAPAN
Jan 01, 2003; ... NEWS that the Japanese Emperor Akihito has prostate cancer issending nervous tremors through a nation that adores its imperialfamily but is rapidly running out of heirs. Japan's imperial household agency announced this weekend that"cancer cells have been discovered" in the ...
Threatened journalists anxiously wait for a last act - licensing ZIMBABWE
Jan 01, 2003; ... NEWSROOMS across Zimbabwe are awaiting telephone calls from thegovernment this week telling them which reporters can work and whichmay not. Soon after his disputed win in the polls last March, PresidentRobert Mugabe signed laws that mean journalists must be licensed bythe ...
Harrison title fight faces schedule blow
Jan 01, 2003; ... IT now seems highly unlikely that WBO featherweight champion ScottHarrison's world title defence against Wayne McCullough will go aheadon 1 March, as originally planned. A problem has arisen with regard to Harrison's first defence ofthe championship he secured against Argentine ...
Warne is wrapped up in cotton wool
Jan 01, 2003; ... TEST captain Steve Waugh has been left out of the Australian teamfor next month's limited-overs World Cup while injured leg-spinnerShane Warne has been told he can miss the first half of thetournament to save himself for the final matches. Waugh, who led Australia to victory in ...
Wenger shows faith in squad
Jan 01, 2003; ... ARSENE Wenger, the Arsenal manager, admitted yesterday that hecould not believe the number of top-level internationals he has beenoffered in the run-up to the opening of the transfer window today. Ahead of today's first versus second Premiership clash againstChelsea at Highbury, ...
Paterson shows trio exit door
Jan 01, 2003; ... STEVE Paterson revealed his ruthless streak yesterday when he toldRoberto Bisconti, Peter Kjaer and Leon Mike their services were nolonger required at Aberdeen. The new Pittodrie manager is now hoping the trio will not hangaround like unwanted guests at a party as he needs them to ...