The Scotsman back issues from January 2007:
Scottish business leaders start the year in confident mood - with good reason
Jan 01, 2007; ... THE glass is half full rather than half empty in the view ofScotland plc as it looks at prospects for 2007, according to a newsurvey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Despite concernsabout rising business taxation and inflation, the survey suggests ageneral mood of optimism ...
The stereotype of scroungers hurts. Truth is more complex
Jan 01, 2007; ... THE Romanian Revolution was made by Coca-Cola, the respectedpolitics professor told his students. There was a moment of disbeliefamong us after he made the remark - the memory of tanks lining thestreets, ready to shoot demonstrators, heavily-armoured police vansand gunbarrels peeping ...
Warmer welcome north of the border
Jan 01, 2007; ... NEW EU citizens may find a less hostile reception in Scotland thanin other parts of Britain. Bulgarians and Romanians face the samework restrictions, but while the Home Office says people from the newstates face severe penalties if working illegally, the Executive hasopenly called for ...
BT in major apprenticeship drive
Jan 01, 2007; ... THOUSANDS of people have contacted the engineering division of BTafter the telecoms giant announced plans to recruit 400 apprentices. About 2,500 people have pre-registered their interest, even thoughrecruitment does not start until February and the new apprentices arenot taken on ...
'Great service, from moment we knew'
Jan 01, 2007; ... WHEN Christine Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer, she hadcountless questions she wanted answers to. What kind of treatment could she expect, what would happen withwork, how could she break the news to her two young children? But from the outset, she could not have asked ...
Fight backed by big names
Jan 01, 2007; ... THE looped pink ribbon of the international fight against breastcancer is the most commonplace display of support for a charity inBritain today, a cause that raises around GBP 10 million a year inpublic donations. The lapel badge is the most visible aspect of a huge ...
In race to treat cancer, are men sidelined by the NHS?
Jan 01, 2007; ... CANCER treatment in Scotland appears to favour women over men, whoface longer waits and delays in treatment, a leading doctor haswarned. Figures on cancer waiting times show that 88.2 per cent of breast-cancer patients are starting treatment within the two-month targetfrom ...
'Prostate disease is one nobody discusses'
Jan 01, 2007; ... WHEN Jim Steel was diagnosed with prostate cancer it came as a bigshock. The 69-year-old had a biopsy taken after his wife persuadedhim to see his GP for an enlarged prostate in 2002. The tests cameback negative for cancer. Then in January 2003 he had a PSA (prostate specific ...
Holiday flyers insist on going Dutch
Jan 01, 2007; ... AMSTERDAM has emerged as the most popular destination for Scottishtourists, beating the traditional Spanish hotspots. More Scots flew to the Dutch capital last year than anywhere else,partly because of its increasingly popular status as a good place fora city break but also ...
Opinion Focus: Fractured UN awaits the fixer's healing hand
Jan 01, 2007; ... THE New Year opens with all the political baggage bequeathed by2006 still unresolved. Ethiopia has invaded Somalia. The genocidecontinues in Darfur. Iraq is poised on the brink of disintegration,despite the execution of Saddam Hussein. A solution to the Israel-Palestine imbroglio seems ...
LSE to beat Wall Street on value of 2006 share issues
Jan 01, 2007; ... FRENZIED mergers and acquisitions activity is set to push Londonahead of Wall Street as the world's financial capital for the firsttime this decade. New issues of shares on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) raisedalmost GBP 28 billion this year - GBP 10bn more than the New ...
Gilbert earns a cool GBP 4.4 million
Jan 01, 2007; ... MARTIN Gilbert, chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management, thefund management group brought low by the split-caps scandal of 2000-01, earned GBP 4.4 million in the year to September. Gilbert, credited with turning the group around following thescandal in which thousands of ...
After woman aged 67 gives birth to twins, motherhood now beckons for 70-year-olds
Jan 01, 2007; ... THE number of women "cheating nature" to have babies well into oldage will become ever more common - and may herald the era of the 70-year-old mother, a fertility expert said yesterday. Dr Sammy Lee said the revelation a Spanish woman had given birthat the weekend to become, at ...
UK's cautious welcome to EU duo
Jan 01, 2007; ... MINISTERS today welcome Bulgaria and Romania into the EuropeanUnion, even as they try to persuade workers from the new memberstates not to come to Britain seeking work. Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, hailed today's union as a"great achievement for the people of Romania ...
Religious leaders united in opposition to Trident
Jan 01, 2007; ... SCOTLAND'S church leaders issued a joint New Year message for thefirst time yesterday, condemning both sectarianism and thegovernment's plans to replace Trident nuclear missiles. Cardinal Keith O'Brien, for the Catholic Church in Scotland, andthe Rt Rev Alan McDonald, the ...
One day I will help children like me...
Jan 01, 2007; ... Judy Westwater's pledge, made at the age of 12, came true thisyear. Emma Cowing talks to the author of Streetkid about the work shedoes with homeless children, inspired by her own shocking life story ONE Sunday morning in 1958, 12-year-old Judy Westwater packed asmall case with her ...
Tamtrums and trainers: Emma Cowing's fitness diary
Jan 01, 2007; ... WITH absolutely no ado whatsoever, I present to you my fitnessresolutions for the new year. Please, try not to smirk. 1 Learn how to run properly. At the moment I resemble Simon Rattleat the Last Night of the Proms: all arms, hair and enthusiasm, butwith very little actual ...
Scotswomen to watch in 2007
Jan 01, 2007; ... Whose names will be bigger, faces more familiar, come the end ofthis year? The Scotsman nominates female talent in various fields ofendeavour, and at different stages of success in their careers, butall of whom look set to achieve great things in the coming 12 months 1 GAIL PORTER ...
Smoking age to rise for Scotland in 2007
Jan 01, 2007; ... SCOTTISH ministers will raise the legal age for buying tobaccofrom 16 to 18 by the beginning of October this year, The Scotsman canreveal. Regulations will be laid before parliament by the end of Junemaking it an offence for anyone under 18 to buy cigarettes or othertobacco ...
Critics lash 'aggressive' expansion by giants Tesco
Jan 01, 2007; ... OPPONENTS of the relentless march of Tesco yesterday hit out at amassive "land-grab" by the supermarket giant, saying it was furtherevidence its growth has spiralled out of control. Research has found that the group opened half of all the newretail selling-space in Britain in ...
Television Review: Something rather familiar this way comes
Jan 01, 2007; ... Derren Brown: Something Wicked This Way Comes, Channel 4, Friday Haunted Hogmanay, BBC1, Sunday ALAN Titchmarsh aside, there is no more disconcerting a presenceon our TV screens than master manipulator Derren Brown. The fact thathe has a silly name, thinning ginger hair and a ...
Amicus and T&G to ballot for merger
Jan 01, 2007; ... AMICUS, the UK's largest private sector trade union, has announcedplans to merge with the Transport & General Workers' Union. And in a move towards creating an international union, Amicus hassigned agreements with unions in the United States and Germany,bringing together more than ...
Leader: A year to test your resolve
Jan 01, 2007; ... A NEW Year demands resolutions. The year 2007 will see an election for the Scottish Parliament -plus an election for local councils fought for the first time underproportional representation. It would be good if the politicalparties and the electorate resolved to treat this ...
You'll laugh and cry - oh yes you will - as panto lights our lives
Jan 01, 2007; ... CALL me a sentimental fool, but I shed a small tear as the curtaincame down on the pantomime at my local theatre. To the strains ofGive me a happy ending every time, the fake snow fell and all waswell with the world. In my defence, one of the dancers in the panto was my ...
Scotsman sports quiz
Jan 01, 2007; ... FOOTBALL 1 Who captained Italy to victory in the World Cup final? 2 Who was on the receiving end of the headbutt by Zinedine Zidane,right, in the same match? 3 How far did England get in the tournament? 4 Name the only England player to score in each of the ...
Tesco's 'aggressive' expansion criticised
Jan 01, 2007; ... OPPONENTS of the relentless march of Tesco yesterday hit out at amassive "land-grab" by the supermarket giant, saying it was furtherevidence its growth has spiralled out of control. Research has found that the group opened half of all the newretail space in Britain in 2006. The ...
Dictator's final journey, in the back of a pick-up truck
Jan 01, 2007; ... HE WAS buried in the darkness before dawn, his body inside a plainwooden box. Saddam Hussein had been carried on his final journey from Baghdadto Tikrit on board an armoured United States helicopter. The last leg, from Tikrit to an open grave in Aujah, the villageof his ...
McNeil to keep No 1 spot for 'time being'
Jan 01, 2007; ... THERE was no need for heroics or acrobatics. There was norequirement to pull off extraordinary saves. After what has gonebefore him this season, all that was required of Andy McNeil on hisdebut as the Hibernian goalkeeper was competence. And that is what he delivered in the 2-0 ...
Clinical Killen bails out 'below-par' Hibs
Jan 01, 2007; ... Hibernian 2 Dunfermline 0 THERE'S just no pleasing John Collins. Hibernian got back on therails in this match after their dispiriting derby defeat four daysearlier, but the Easter Road manager was less than enthralled by themanner in which they had done so. And so, having ...
Ivanauskas looking to add quality but not quantity to Hearts squad
Jan 01, 2007; ... Kilmarnock 0 Hearts 0 ALTHOUGH negligent in front of goal, there was enough endeavourand enthusiasm evident in this performance from Hearts to add weightto the conviction that better times are around the corner for theTynecastle club in 2007. While the absence of the ...
Riordan off mark but Celtic make heavy weather of title procession
Jan 01, 2007; ... Motherwell 1 Celtic 1 ANY team capable of simultaneously dropping points and increasingtheir lead in the league championship would surely have no troublewith the audition for the Magic Circle. While there is no wizardry about the performances and resultsCeltic have been ...
Rangers knee-deep in the mire of mediocrity
Jan 01, 2007; ... Rangers 1 St Mirren 1 THE car horns that honked in the Ibrox car park as Motherwellgrabbed a last minute equaliser against Celtic signalled a raremoment of delight for Rangers fans on Saturday. Only alarm bellssounded little more than three hours later. Almost from ...
Tom Lappin's Sporting Week: Whitewash prospect a delicious one for Warne and McGrath
Jan 01, 2007; ... AH, IS that the heady scent of another World Cup year rising fromthe ashes of a somewhat underwhelming 2006? Actually it's probablythe ammonic whiff of the capital's wynds after the traditional massHogmanay micturition. If you are not middle-class though, perhaps youneed reminding that ...
Musselburgh hoping for a memorable year
Jan 01, 2007; ... THE year 2007 is still a babe-in-arms but officials at Musselburghare already awaiting 2008 with bated breath. Six years of planning,high hopes, dashed hopes and a few false starts will finally reachthe end of the line this spring when the Scottish Executive announcesits decision on the ...
Irvine gives Borders a year to breathe President says pro teams are union's big priority for 2007
Jan 01, 2007; ... THREE professional teams are vital to the future of Scottish rugbyaccording to Andy Irvine, the SRU President. With the GBP 23million overdraft still hanging around Murrayfieldand the Scottish game like a pungent smell, and the efforts of GordonMcKie, the union chief executive, ...
A slice of life: Getting shirty with devious footballers on the pull
Jan 01, 2007; ... AMID the flurry of sport with which the old year wearily took itsleave of us, certain images tended to linger - some clearer thanothers. Some registered only faintly. It was, for instance, difficultto know whether or not the cricketers of England and Australia hadreally played four Test ...
What a cup of cafe cobblers
Jan 02, 2007; ... EXCELLENT news: the government has admitted defeat in its doomedbid to swap Britain's pub culture for a Continental-style cafesociety. The vast majority of ordinary, working-class people riotedwhen the move was first announced, fearing we'd all be turned intobourgeois plonkers drinking ...
What now for Edinburgh's Hogmanay? After another late call-off, TIM CORNWELL wonders whether the city should steer clear of massive street parties at the height of winter
Jan 02, 2007; ... AT THE stroke of midnight on Sunday, the man who has done morethan almost anyone to make Edinburgh's Hogmanay a world-famous brandwas standing in a deserted Princes Street. High winds and foulweather had shut down the street party for more than 100,000 people,and Pete Irvine was one of ...
Just GBP 43 to fly to Asia - new 'super airline' plans bargain long hauls
Jan 02, 2007; ... AMBITIOUS plans for the first global budget airline networkemerged yesterday with Asia's leading low-cost carrier proposingflights to the Far East for as little as GBP 43. AirAsia is understood to be discussing possible funding fromVirgin Atlantic for the venture, which would ...
The issues that will be everybody's business this year
Jan 02, 2007; ... A look at the top economic factors, both global and local, thatwill affect firms in Scotland Interest Rates EXPECTATIONS remain strong that interest rates will rise in thefirst quarter of 2007 - probably next month - with a halt oninflation the main aim. Consumer price ...
DRINK PROMPTS RISE IN 999 CALLS
Jan 02, 2007; ... ALCOHOL was blamed for a steep rise in calls for ambulances overHogmanay. Between 7pm on New Year's Eve and 7am on New Year's Day there were1,871 calls - double those on a normal day. The Scottish Ambulance Service said its New Year plans meant itwas ready for the demand ....
7 out of 10 would back new laws to tackle alcohol abuse
Jan 02, 2007; ... NEARLY three-quarters of Scots would welcome the introduction ofnew laws to tackle the nation's problematic relationship withalcohol, according to a poll. An exclusive survey for The Scotsman has found that following thesuccess of the smoking ban, voters are now ready for ...
Tens of thousands struck down by virus
Jan 02, 2007; ... A VIRAL infection affecting tens of thousands of Scots led to amassive increase in calls to the NHS helpline over the New Yearperiod, The Scotsman can reveal. Scotland's out-of-hours service, NHS 24, received more than 14,000calls on 30 December - an increase of 4,000 on the total ...
Now you can scrap old bangers for free to save planet
Jan 02, 2007; ... DRIVERS can now dispose of their old cars free under new Europeanrules which environmental campaigners hope will help cut the scourgeof abandoned vehicles. As of yesterday, car makers have to pay the costs of scrapping"end of life" vehicles to reduce pollution and increase the ...
They Dook leave of their senses
Jan 02, 2007; ... WHILE bad weather may have halted Edinburgh's Hogmanay streetparty, about 400 people - estimated to be the largest turn-out ever -braved the freezing Forth for the annual Loony Dook yesterday. Fancy-dress characters including Superman, Batman, Nessie, SaddamHussein - complete with ...
Why smart money is on emerging markets
Jan 02, 2007; ... FOR years, Russia and China have been better known for hidingtheir economies behind the red wall of Communism. Little was knownabout how they operated and neither country welcomed outsideinvestment. But in recent years, all that has changed. China in particular ismoving forward ...
Wary welcome for latest incomers
Jan 02, 2007; ... THE first Romanian and Bulgarian workers admitted to Britain sincetheir countries joined the European Union started arriving at UKairports yesterday. Even as the new workers touched down on UK soil, the political rowabout their presence boiled on, with starkly contrasting ...
Firefighters in 12-hour battleto save blazing historic house
Jan 02, 2007; ... MORE than 30 firefighters battled through the early hours of theNew Year to control a massive blaze at a semi-derelict, historichouse in Stirlingshire. Fire units from Larbert, Falkirk and Dunblane were deployed toLarbert House, a B-listed mansion in the grounds of the former ...
Old year goes out with a bang - and, in some cases, a whimper
Jan 02, 2007; ... THE NIGHT AFORE FIESTA **** GEORGE STREET, EDINBURGH WHAT TO do about Edinburgh's Night Afore International, now sixyears old and fast becoming a victim of its own success? On one hand,it still represents a fine, differently paced prologue to the bigHogmanay street party, ...
NEXT FIRST TO REPORT
Jan 02, 2007; ... FASHION chain Next will give a snapshot of conditions on the highstreet over Christmas when it delivers a trading update this week. The retailer kicks off the post-Christmas reporting season onThursday, having seen its share price drift 7 per cent lower sincelate November. The ...
Don't be complacent, Blair tells the party (and Brown)
Jan 02, 2007; ... TONY Blair has used his last New Year message as Prime Minister towarn Gordon Brown not to become "complacent" as he approaches thenext general election. Mr Blair is likely to announce his resignation in May, and theChancellor is now the all but certain choice to succeed him ....
SNP election fund tops GBP 760,000
Jan 02, 2007; ... THE SNP has announced that it is three-quarters of the way toreaching its GBP 1 million election fighting-fund target, raising theprospect of the nationalists being able to outspend the cash-strapped Labour Party at May's crucial Holyrood election. Alex Salmond, the SNP leader, ...
Price hikes for rail passengers
Jan 02, 2007; ... PASSENGERS will today be hit with above-inflation rail-fareincreases for the fourth successive year on many lines, promptingclaims that the hikes are aimed at combating overcrowding. Price-capped fares, such as season tickets, increase by an averageof 4.3 per cent, but the 60 per ...
RBS selling 47 Marriott hotels in GBP 1bn deal
Jan 02, 2007; ... ROYAL Bank of Scotland is understood to be putting the finaltouches to a GBP 1 billion deal to sell 47 upmarket Marriott hotelsacross the UK in a rapid turnaround of its investment since buyingthem last spring. RBS is selling the portfolio to a consortium spearheaded by ...
HEALTH MINISTER JOINS HUNDREDS FOR RUN DOWN ROYAL MILE
Jan 02, 2007; ... ANDY Kerr, the health minister, joined hundreds of people whobraved heavy rain for the One O'Clock Run down Edinburgh's Royal Mileyesterday. The annual event is designed to encourage Scots to get the NewYear off on a healthy footing. Mr Kerr said: "If I can do it, anyone ...
Scrutineer: The Scotsman picks hit the FTSE for six in 2006
Jan 02, 2007; ... OK, OK, you can all now surely stop sending the begging letters.For readers who followed The Scotsman "Scrutineer Six for 2006" moneyshould not be quite the problem it was. Indeed, they will have had atruly prosperous year. The six share selections rose on average by 22 per cent - ...
Trollies fill with low-fat food (but pizza still up by 4,000 per cent)
Jan 02, 2007; ... BRITONS are increasingly opting for healthier goods in theirshopping baskets, with sales of lower-fat crisps, low-alcohol beerand low-calorie soft drinks on the rise. However, the annual product survey from industry magazine TheGrocer suggests consumers still have a strong ...
Last Night's Review
Jan 02, 2007; ... Arch villains in a confusing mess of a story Dead Clever, STV Kenneth Branagh Films The Magic Flute, Five "THE plot is ingenious, the suspense breathless, the endshattering!" If only that were a description of the latest ITV drama**Dead Clever, instead of the blurb ...
Why the skies might soon be filled with Very Light Jets
Jan 02, 2007; ... CORPORATE excess may not be what it used to be, but the skiesabove the world's major financial districts may soon be buzzing witha new breed of private jets, albeit on a smaller scale than in the1980s, when a Learjet was a must-have. Two companies, Cessna and Eclipse, have already ...
Leader: Care needed on alcohol curbs
Jan 02, 2007; ... FROM 8 January, a new bylaw will come into force in Edinburghprohibiting people from the drinking of alcoholic beverages in publicif so requested by the police. Edinburgh follows more than 20 otherScottish local authorities in introducing special laws to regulatethe purchase and ...
Captain and manager unable to paper over cracks in strained relationship
Jan 02, 2007; ... THEY say that the start of the year, with its representation of anew beginning, is a particularly popular time for relationships todisintegrate. Nevertheless, Paul Le Guen's decision to strip Barry Ferguson ofthe Rangers captaincy was a startling piece of news when it ...
Misfiring strikers a concern for Strachan
Jan 02, 2007; ... AMONG hard-pressed football managers, high anxiety is a conditionas common as a winter cold, but is rarely found in one whose teamenjoy a seemingly insurmountable 16-point lead in the leaguechampionship. Gordon Strachan is the one-in-a-thousand case, troubled by aCeltic side who ...
Driver says feelgood factor has returned to Tynecastle
Jan 02, 2007; ... HEARTS head for East End Park in search of three points today witha measure of self-confidence restored, believing they can applypressure to Rangers and Aberdeen in the chase for second place in theSPL. Beset by problems on and off the field during October andNovember, Hearts ...
Collins makes second spot Hibs' goal
Jan 02, 2007; ... THE race for second place in the SPL is coming to resemble acharity auction that no-one wants to win. Given the runners-up willget a Champions League qualifying slot as a prize, you would thinkcompetition for second spot would be fierce, but instead, no soonerhas a team taken an ...
Jefferies labels Pressley one of his 'best ever' recruits as a manager
Jan 02, 2007; ... JIM Jefferies, the Kilmarnock manager who signed Steven Pressleyfrom Dundee United when he was in charge at Tynecastle, yesterdaydescribed Hearts' loss as Celtic's gain and predicted the centre-back's footballing brain and leadership qualities would soon make hima first choice at ...