The Scotsman back issues from February 2008:
Incomes outstrip subsidies for first time in a decade
Feb 01, 2008; ... FOR the first time in a decade Scotland's farmers last year sawreal incomes exceed the level of subsidies they received, but onlyjust. Figures published yesterday by the Scottish Government revealthat the "total income from farming", which is the technicalmeasurement of ...
Cairn's Indian oil field on stream in 2009
Feb 01, 2008; ... CAIRN Energy is on track to produce oil from its giant Indianfields in the second half of next year, pushing ahead with plansbefore it has key government approval for a pipeline. The Edinburgh-based company, headed by former rugby internationalSir Bill Gammell, was transformed by ...
Craig splashes out on new ships Family-owned Aberdeen-based energy services group buys four emergency and rescue vessels for GBP 30m
Feb 01, 2008; ... CRAIG Group, the Aberdeen-based global shipping and energyservices company, has commissioned four new ships, taking theinvestment in its fleet since 2003 to more than GBP 130 million. The third-generation family firm, founded in the 1930s by trawlerskipper George Craig, is set to ...
Total ban on Brazil beef as EU's patience runs out
Feb 01, 2008; ... A TOTAL ban on imports of beef from Brazil is set to be imposedby the EU in mid-March, after Brazil tried to push the boundaries ofstrict limits that came into effect last Thursday. Last week's extensive import ban was a result of concerns aboutcontrols on foot-and-mouth disease ...
A tidy scrum: How Six Nations is worth as much as the Fringe
Feb 01, 2008; ... THE Six Nations rugby tournament, which begins tomorrow, isexpected to deliver a GBP 60 million windfall to the Scottisheconomy. The event, which sees Scotland take on France at Murrayfield onthe opening weekend, will inject around GBP 33.3 million into thecapital alone, ...
Friends Provident to cut 600 staff and sell three businesses
Feb 01, 2008; ... FRIENDS Provident is to cut 600 jobs and is likely to sell threeof its major businesses in a bid to maintain its independence. The 176-year-old insurer said it would refocus its UK life andpensions division, cutting at least GBP 60 million of annual costsby the end of 2009, with ...
Business Gazetteer
Feb 01, 2008 ... FINAL HURDLE Why tax can be taxing after all IT IS the most stressful day of the year for the 150,000 peoplein the UK who like to leave things until the last minute. But, with HMRC's tax return deadline looming yesterday, thewebsite went down, leaving hundreds of ...
The Friday Interview: Patrick Harvie: Wielding power to turn Holyrood green
Feb 01, 2008; ... A YEAR ago, Patrick Harvie was the rising star of the ScottishGreen Party which had seven seats in the Scottish Parliament and wasaiming for at least ten at the election. Now he is just one of twoGreen MSPs in the parliament, both of whom are still coping with thefall-out from the ...
Anlaysis: Ability to act 'without fear or favour' is vital
Feb 01, 2008; ... THE Scottish Government has now published its bill "to strengthenjudges' independence and modernise the administration of Scotland'scourts". This has been the subject of consultation since 2006 and was thesource of some real controversy. The concerns related particularlyto ...
Kettle on the boil as sales dip fails to halt rise in profit
Feb 01, 2008; ... FIFE vegetable supplier Kettle Produce has moved further into theblack despite a dip in sales as it continues to recover from apainful restructuirng move. The firm has seen pre-tax profits jump to GBP 1.55 million in theyear to 2 June, 2007, from GBP 117,918 in the previous 12 ...
Edinburgh voted top destination (but not as good as Luang Prabang)
Feb 01, 2008; ... ONE is a charming hideaway renowned for its ancient temples andpalaces, inspiring mountains, caves and waterfalls, and theunhurried pace of life. The other is Scotland's bustling capital, which shiveredyesterday as it was buffeted by snow, wind and rain. Yet Edinburgh and ...
Credit crunch threatens Edinburgh life and pensions jobs
Feb 01, 2008; ... EDINBURGH'S life and pensions sector is likely to bear the bruntof job losses which are predicted to result from the credit crunch,a new report has warned. The annual study of industry by recruitment specialist JoslinRowe, supported by Scottish Enterprise, showed that 9 per cent ...
Cashing in on Qashqai brings 800 new jobs
Feb 01, 2008 ... NISSAN is to create 800 jobs at its car plant in the north-eastof England in response to demand for its Qashqai family hatchbackmodel. A third production shift is to be added at the Japanese firm'splant in Sunderland, which started building cars in 1986 and nowmakes four models ....
Ex-minister warns Brown Labour must regain focus
Feb 01, 2008; ... LABOUR risks being exiled into opposition for a decade unless thegovernment regains focus, Charles Clarke, a former Blair Cabinetminister, warned yesterday. He also gave a coded warning to Gordon Brown over his constantreference to his management of the economy. "It will ...
Chef changes course for salmon season
Feb 01, 2008; ... THE celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will today take abreak from championing the cause of free-range chickens to openofficially the new angling season on one of Scotland's most famoussalmon rivers. He will start the fishing season on the Dee by pouring a quaichof ...
Ministers approve Perthshire wind farm
Feb 01, 2008; ... PLANS to build Europe's fourth-largest wind farm in Perthshirewere approved by the Scottish Government yesterday despite stronglocal resistance. The 68-turbine site, near Aberfeldy, will be capable of providingelectricity for 114,000 homes. Protesters had raised concerns ...
School in mourning after pupil dies of suspected meningitis
Feb 01, 2008; ... A 14-YEAR-OLD boy has died of suspected meningitis, it emergedyesterday. Michael Burns died on Wednesday after being admitted to hospital.Although the cause of death is yet to be confirmed, doctors had beentreating it as a meningococcal infection. Pupils who had been in ...
MP in family pay row is expelled from Commons for 10 days
Feb 01, 2008; ... DEREK Conway, the disgraced Tory MP, was yesterday suspended fromthe House of Commons for ten days amid calls for him to face evengreater sanctions. The former Conservative Party whip was also ordered to repay morethan GBP 13,161 improperly paid to his son Freddie. Mr ...
Patients taken off waiting lists
Feb 01, 2008; ... PATIENTS have been removed from hospital waiting lists to ensurethe SNP government meets its political targets, one of Scotland'stop plastic surgeons has claimed. Nicol Stephen, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, yesterdayderided the move as "scandalous". He produced a ...
New law will aim to protect women facing forced marriages
Feb 01, 2008; ... ALTHOUGH the case of Sobia Walis is not definitely connected withforced marriage, it raises the spectre of a practice with whichBritish authorities have struggled to cope. Earlier this month, a coroner in England concluded that 17-year-old Shafilea Ahmed had been unlawfully killed ...
Riddle of why this Scots woman died in Pakistan
Feb 01, 2008; ... IT IS a mystery that spans two continents, at its centre twofamilies feuding over the destiny of a young woman's heart. For years Sobia Wali, a Scottish Muslim from Glasgow, defied thewishes of her parents and brothers to be with Usman Gulzar. Their relationship fuelled bad ...
More cash needed to protect free care for elderly, say experts
Feb 01, 2008; ... SCOTLAND'S flagship free personal care scheme for the elderlysuffered fresh criticism yesterday as experts called for urgentaction to protect the policy. The over-65s have been entitled to free personal and nursing care(FPNC) at home or in care homes since 2002. But the policy has ...
Analysis: Parties playing the numbers game to gain concessions
Feb 01, 2008; ... IF ANYTHING embodies the new world of minority government inScotland, it is the Budget. In previous years, it was a rather tedious process and few paidmuch attention to it. The Scottish Executive decided how much itwould give for each department and that was that. No-one ...
Why the young shouldn't buy into the property game
Feb 01, 2008; ... MY REMARKS to you today will be on the subject of property. Alady at the back has fainted. I know: it is a distressing subject.But it is one up to which we must face, if we are not down theSuwanee to go. Today, a hoose is much more than just a hoose. It's aninvestment, a savings ...
Visual Art: A whole new world of creativity lies just across the Tay Bridge
Feb 01, 2008; ... MEMBERS' SHOW 2008 **** GENERATOR PROJECTS, DUNDEE WE HEAR a lot about the art schools of the Central Belt,Edinburgh currently marking its centenary (the Ten Decades show isnow at the Fleming Collection in London) and Glasgow continuing topump out hot new talent. But for pure and ...
CD Of The Week: Frying tonight...
Feb 01, 2008; ... HOT CHIP: MADE IN THE DARK **** EMI, GBP 10.99 MOST folks probably couldn't pick the members of Hot Chip out ofa line-up of techno geeks in labcoats. Yet they have made aninsidious impression in the last couple of years thanks to theirubiquitous track Over and Over ("like a monkey ...
New Releases: Pop
Feb 01, 2008; ... COLIN MacINTYRE: THE WATER *** FUTURE GODS, GBP 11.99 THE artist formerly known as Mull Historical Society has come outfrom behind that moniker for his fourth album. Musically, he isstill on top pop form with the headlong melodic charge of Famous forBeing Famous and You're a Star ...
Critics' Choice
Feb 01, 2008 ... KENNETH WALTON ON CLASSICAL MUSIC PIANO LEGENDS: ALFRED BRENDEL CITY HALLS, GLASGOW, 6 FEBRUARY FEW would disagree that pianist Alfred Brendel is a legend in hisown lifetime, so his kick-starting Glasgow's "Piano Legends" seriesat the City Halls next Wednesday seems ...
Faces of the week
Feb 01, 2008; ... CLOVIS CORNILLAC BEGUILING GAUL THE French have a word for it, but as I've precious little FrenchI've no idea what "charisma" is in the Gallic tongue. Whatever itis, Clovis Cornillac has it in spades, even when heavily made-up asFrance's most famous comic character in ...
Folk, Jazz, Etc: Women play jazz, music world in shock!
Feb 01, 2008; ... HANDS across the North Sea time again, as one of Scotland'sleading jazzers, saxophonist Laura MacDonald, joins forces with thedistinguished Swedish drummer Martina Almgren for an impressive newalbum and a trio of Scottish gigs with that rare anomaly, a jazzline-up comprising 50 per cent ...
Theatre: Translating a masterpiece
Feb 01, 2008; ... TRANSLATIONS **** CITIZENS' THEATRE, GLASGOW DR DOLITTLE *** KING'S THEATRE, GLASGOW CLARINDA ** SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE, EDINBURGH THESE are exciting times for Andy Arnold, the veteran director ofthe Arches in the Glasgow. After 17 years in charge of ...
Live Reviews: Music: Laura Veirs
Feb 01, 2008; ... LAURA VEIRS **** CABARET VOLTAIRE, EDINBURGH WITH her bony frame, geeky spectacles and unassuming stagepresence, Laura Veirs is not perhaps an obvious star, but onWednesday night the American singer-songwriter had a sold-outCabaret Voltaire hanging on her every word and ...
Visual Art: Unmasking the past
Feb 01, 2008; ... SOMNAMBULISTS **** SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, EDINBURGH SCIENCE is full of dead-ends. phrenology is one of them and isnow justly long-forgotten, but 200 years ago it was both widelypopular and influential. Now, in the Somnambulists at the PortraitGallery, artist Joanna ...
Classical & Opera: So what's the catch?
Feb 01, 2008; ... FOLLOWERS of the Scottish Ensemble may have noticed a greaterfrequency in its programming over the coming three months. That isparticularly unusual for a group that has been used to providingonly four touring programmes as staple diet for its typical annualseason. The pattern is ...
It's all in the mind - why a good scratch feels so satisfying
Feb 01, 2008; ... EVERYONE knows that scratching usually relieves an itch, but nowscientists have discovered why it is so effective. Using imaging technology, researchers in the United States wereable to pinpoint the areas of the brain activated when someone isscratching. The activity ...
Scots Stocks: Cairn moves ahead as it reveals it is on track for 2009 Indian target
Feb 01, 2008 ... CAIRN Energy was given a boost yesterday after confirming it wason track to produce oil from its giant Rajasthan fields in thesecond half of next year. The company had always targeted 2009 forfirst production however analysts had feared the date could bedelayed due to red tape. Analysts ...
The Scotsman Scrutineer: City so blase over Shell
Feb 01, 2008; ... Shell 1,744p unch AstraZeneca 2,094p -26p ROYAL Dutch Shell may feel hard done by. It produces the biggest-ever profit of a European company and the City just drills holes init. It shouldn't feel that way. Against a backcloth of several yearsof ...
January lives up to its reputation of gloom for Footsie
Feb 01, 2008; ... LONDON FTSE 100 CLOSE 5,879.8 +42.5 DESPITE leading London shares staging an afternoon turnaroundyesterday, the FTSE100 index has suffered one of its worsebeginnings to a year since it was launched 24 years ago. The blue-chip share index has shed more than 577 points since ...
Oil giant's GBP 14bn profits fuel anger
Feb 01, 2008; ... IT IS a multi-billion-pound haul described by the firm's chiefexecutive as "satisfactory", yet denounced by union leaders as"obscene". Shell yesterday posted the highest earnings ever made by aEuropean company, a full-year profit of almost GBP 14 billion. The Anglo-Dutch ...
Profits at new record, but City sees cracks in Shell's figures
Feb 01, 2008; ... THE prospect of lower future production and lacklustre reserves-replacement figures led to disappointment in the City yesterdaydespite Shell unveiling record profit for a European company ofdollars 27.6bn (GBP 13.8bn) in 2007. The oil major's 9 per cent profits rise over the year ...
Customers queuing up to sign on with SSE
Feb 01, 2008; ... SCOTTISH & Southern Energy has consolidated its position asBritain's second-largest utility supplier after adding almost 2,500customers a day in the first ten months of the year. The Perth-based utility, which last year overtook E.On as theUK's No 2 supplier, said it had added ...
Television Review: Let a WAG teach you what normal is
Feb 01, 2008; ... Coleen's Real Women, ITV2 The Art Of Spain, BBC4 BEFORE I'd even watched Coleen's Women, I was already certain ofwhat I was going to write about its host, Coleen McLoughlin, AKA MrsWayne Rooney. For a start, who exactly is this woman, and why is sheon my television? Who cares ...
It's only a metal box for storage ... but it saved a climber's life
Feb 01, 2008; ... TRAPPED alone in the white hell of a blizzard with his leginjured, Bill Church knew he only had one chance of survival. The 61-year-old had been climbing near Braemar when he was sweptfrom close to the top of a gully by an avalanche and left strandedmiles from safety as the worst ...
Slimmed-down Gallardo will leave you a little light-headed, come rain or shine
Feb 01, 2008; ... ONE of the seminal pieces of motoring journalism was written thelate LJK Setright, who stated in CAR magazine how he was aquaplaningdownhill at more than 100mph in the then-new, mid-engined LotusEuropa, yet felt perfectly safe. It sparked a deluge of letters fromacross the motoring ...
Mega-mistakes fuel backlash against mega-banks
Feb 01, 2008; ... FOR those who work for, have business dealings with, or areinvestors in Scotland's top financial companies, these are worryingtimes. This week, shares in Standard Life, held by 129,000investors, tumbled below their 2006 offer price, on poor fourth-quarter business figures and an ...
Leader: Judicial system reforms a bold step for the better
Feb 01, 2008 ... ONE of the least democratic elements of the British constitutionover the last century has been the subordination of the judiciary tothe political executive. The danger in such subordination is thatpoliticians are tempted to interfere in the legal process, either toprotect themselves or ...
Weather brings 8-mile jams as 'last lorry' blocks bridge
Feb 01, 2008; ... STRONG winds caused travel misery for thousands of commutersafter a lorry was blown over on the Forth Road Bridge, closing theroad just before the morning rush-hour. Gales of up to 80mph also battered the west coast, forcingflights and ferries to be cancelled, while snow in the ...
Rangers' dash to Italy proves wild goose chase, as Caracciolo says no Smith's GBP 4m offer rejected, but Celtic get Robson
Feb 01, 2008; ... RANGERS last night failed in a dramatic bid to persuade Italianinternational striker Andrea Caracciolo to join them when the playeropted for second tier football in his homeland ahead of the SPL, butFulham midfielder Steve Davis has arrived at Ibrox on loan for therest of the season ....
GBP 1m Standard Life bonus for Matthews
Feb 01, 2008; ... TREVOR Matthews, the senior executive who abruptly quit Edinburghlife assurer Standard Life this week, will walk away withperformance bonuses totalling more than GBP 1 million, The Scotsmanhas learned. Together with a basic salary believed to be comfortably in excessof GBP ...
Scotland ready for Murrayfield mudbath
Feb 01, 2008; ... AS THE winter snow, sleet and biting cold returned, Jason Whitewarned Scotland supporters to prepare for a tough dogfight to openthe RBS Six Nations Championship at Murrayfield. Both Frank Hadden, the Scotland coach, and his new oppositenumber Marc Lievremont named attacking sides ...
Island finally turns on to green mains Eigg-tricity
Feb 01, 2008; ... AS SWITCH-ONS go it will be rather unglamorous. But when thevillagers of Eigg gather in the island's tea room at noon today itwill herald an energy revolution for the Hebridean isle. With no electricity connection to the mainland, the 83 islanderson Eigg have been reliant on ...
Shake-up to ensure judges not a law unto themselves
Feb 01, 2008; ... SCOTLAND'S judiciary will undergo one of the biggest overhauls inlegal history under new legislation designed to protect judges andsheriffs from ministerial interference. The Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Bill, published yesterday,proposes to make the Lord President, currently ...
Protests in vain as huge wind farm agreed
Feb 01, 2008; ... PLANS for Europe's fourth-largest wind farm were approved by theScottish Government yesterday despite strong resistance from peopleliving nearby. The 68-turbine site, near Aberfeldy, Perthshire, will be capableof providing electricity for 114,000 homes. Protesters had ...
Tide turns from fizzy drinks to water as health concerns rise
Feb 01, 2008; ... FIZZY drinks are losing their sparkle as health-conscious Britonsincreasingly turn to juices and water to quench their thirst, areport out today shows. Growing concerns about health will prompt a decline in sales ofsugary carbonated drinks over the next three years, Datamonitor, ...
Commons suspends MP in row over family pay
Feb 01, 2008; ... DEREK Conway, the disgraced Conservative MP, was yesterdaysuspended from the House of Commons for ten days amid calls for evengreater sanctions. The former Tory whip was also ordered to repay more than GBP13,161 improperly paid to his son Freddie. Mr Conway, the MP for Old ...
Mystery of why this young Scots bride died in Pakistan
Feb 01, 2008; ... IT IS a mystery that spans two continents, at its centre twofamilies feuding over the destiny of a young woman's heart. Foryears, Sobia Wali, a Scottish Muslim from Glasgow, defied the wishesof her parents and brothers to be with Usman Gulzar. Their relationship fuelled bad blood ...
Birthplace of Hibs launches GBP 2m appeal
Feb 01, 2008; ... IT IS revered as the birthplace of Hibernian Football Club, hometo several important murals and the resting place for one ofScotland's most famous nuns. Now a GBP 2 million appeal is being mounted to pay for a fullrestoration of St Patrick's Church in Edinburgh, where the ...
500 more police for front line
Feb 01, 2008; ... AN EXTRA 500 police officers are to be recruited across Scotland,after the SNP government agreed to a last-minute change to nextyear's GBP 30 billion Budget Bill. In an attempt to secure Tory support, the administration agreedto change the Budget, diverting GBP 10 million from ...
It's all in the mind - why a good scratch feels so satisfying
Feb 01, 2008; ... EVERYONE knows that scratching usually relieves an itch, but nowscientists have discovered why it is so effective. Using imaging technology, researchers in the United States wereable to pinpoint the areas of the brain activated when someone isscratching. The activity ...
Boss of oil giant reckons record profits are 'satisfactory' - as critics brand them obscene
Feb 01, 2008; ... IT IS a multi-billion-pound haul described by the company's chiefexecutive as "satisfactory", yet denounced by union leaders as"obscene". Shell yesterday posted the highest earnings ever made by aEuropean company, a full-year profit of almost GBP 14 billion. The Anglo-Dutch ...
Worse on the way as high winds sweep in bringing Arctic chill and blizzards
Feb 01, 2008 ... SCOTLAND has been warned to batten down the hatches today aswinds gusting up to 90mph sweep in blizzards from the north. Forecasters said up to 4in of snow could fall in frequent andheavy showers, with twice that depth on higher ground. Roads are likely to be badly affected ...
Ferry swept on to Blackpool beach as 14 plucked to safety
Feb 01, 2008; ... FOURTEEN people were airlifted from a ferry stranded in the IrishSea last night as strong winds battered the UK, bringing travelmisery for thousands of commuters. Helicopters were scrambled to rescue four passengers and ten crewfrom the stricken Riverdance, a roll-on roll-off ...
Injured climber crawls 4 hours to reach safety of storage box
Feb 01, 2008; ... TRAPPED alone in the "white hell" of a blizzard with his leginjured, Bill Church knew he only had one chance of survival. The 61-year-old was climbing near Braemar when he was swept froma gully by an avalanche and left stranded miles from safety as theworst storm of the winter ...
Puddles and muddles of season 2007-2008 How the Scottish football calendar has been decimated
Feb 01, 2008; ... THE wallplanners in the offices of Scottish football managershave become submerged in correction fluid over the past three monthsas a combination of circumstances have contributed to a chaoticperiod of fixture congestion. The late postponement of the already rescheduled ...
Pick of Premiership, but only good enough for Scotland A team In- form Lawson and Strokosch take on Italy A at the weekend
Feb 01, 2008; ... RORY Lawson stars in the Guinness Premiership and the HeinekenCup, winning man-of-the-match awards, and still can't find a placein the Scotland 22. Alasdair Strokosch has been one of Gloucester's best players thisseason, won the Premiership's Player of the Month award ...