The Scotsman

600 More Council Jobs Under Threat

CASH-STRAPPED Aberdeen City Council could be forced to axe up to 600 jobs - 5 per cent of its total workforce - in an attempt to balance its budget , it was revealed yesterday. The authority has begun a 90-day consultation with staff and trade unions on reducing the size of its workforce to help balance its books next year.

Afghanistan: Brown Will Send 500 Extra Troops After Criticism

GORDON Brown is set to announce next week that he is ready to send more British troops to Afghanistan. In a statement to Parliament, the Prime Minister is expected to say that UK forces will be boosted by about 500.

Unwanted Hospital Visitors When Wards 'Become Zoos'

A SCOTTISH Health trust has been accused of running a hospital that was "more like a zoo", after pest controllers were called in almost 500 times in less than 12 months. The clean-up team had to be brought in to deal with a bizarre invasion of bats at one of Scotland's largest acute hospitals, run by NHS Tayside.

Cameron Takes On Labour Over Poverty

Tory leader bids to claim moral high ground as election battle lines are drawn DAVID Cameron yesterday tried to lay to rest the pariah status of the Conservative Party, with an attempt to claim the moral high ground from Labour on poverty.

New Cars Now Cheaper Than Used

CAR buyers could save thousands of pounds purchasing some new rather than used models because of the scrappage scheme. The GBP 2,000 discount for trading in older cars and vans, together with cheaper loans for new vehicles, can make buying new a cheaper option, What Car? magazine reports today.

Music Review: The Cult

THE CULT *** PICTURE HOUSE, EDINBURGH

'Longannet the Only Viable Option to Meet Carbon Technology Deadline'

A POWER firm should be removed from a competition to win government funding for carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, it was claimed yesterday. The call from Willie Rennie MP came as E.ON confirmed it was shelving plans for a new coal-fired power station in Kent for up to three years.

Salmond Accused of Tax Dodging by Labour

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has been told to keep his promise and pay council tax on his official residence in Edinburgh. The issue was raised at First Minister's Questions by Labour leader Iain Gray, who pointed out Mr Salmond had attacked his predecessor, Jack McConnell, for failing to do the same thing.

Hyslop 'Fiddled Figures On Building Schools'

EDUCATION secretary Fiona Hyslop was accused of "fiddling" figures on school buildings by the Labour Party. MSPs had been told in the lead-up to a debate yesterday that 200 new schools had been built in Scotland.

Sketch: Playground Tactics From All Sides of the Chamber

AT LEAST she turned up this time. But if education secretary Fiona Hyslop expected a warm welcome on her return to the chamber after her absence a fortnight ago, she was sadly mistaken. On the contrary, ire, like a brewing volcano, had been bubbling since she left schools minister Keith Brown in the hot seat on school staffing levels two weeks previously.

Driver Flown to Hospital After Crash Horror

A MOTORIST had to airlifted to hospital and three other people were injured after a crash involving a bus, a lorry and a car. The A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road, near Forres Enterprise Park, was blocked for several hours after the accident. A spokesman for Grampian Police said: "All of the vehicles involved were travelling west on the A96, with the bus in front, followed by the car and lorry respectively."

Lib Dems Raise Referendum Hopes - but Only After 2011

THE probability of having a referendum on Scottish independence increased yesterday when it emerged that the Liberal Democrats plan to review their policy on the issue in a forthcoming conference. However, Nationalist chances for a referendum next year appear to be slim, with the Lib Dems understood to be preparing their negotiating position for a possible coalition after the 2011 Holyrood election.

Defence Procurement has a Track Record of Costly Delays

THE procurement process used by the Ministry of Defence has a track record of delays and expensive errors. In 2006, the MoD paid GBP 16 million for 16,000 sets of Osprey protective vests, but problems occurred immediately when Royal Marines complained that it was awkward and immobilising. When they were fighting in a prone position, they could not lift their heads without their helmets hitting the armour.

Scots Team Pioneering Research Into New Friendly Bacteria Cure

SCOTTISH scientists are pioneering research using "friendly" bacteria to develop new drugs to treat inflammatory diseases that affect millions of people around the world. The researchers at GT Biologics, a spinout company of Aberdeen University's Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, are working to create a new class of drugs that mimic the actions of good bacteria found in the gut of healthy people.

Testing On Capital's Troubled Tram Network Set to Begin Next Year

FULL testing of Edinburgh's trams will get under way by the end of next year, officials behind the troubled project have said. The capital's 27 tram vehicles are due to arrive in the city in April and test runs will be carried out near Edinburgh airport.

Capital's 20-Mile Emerald Necklace

THE capital could soon boast an "emerald necklace" linking its parks and gardens under a new vision to overhaul its city centre, The Scotsman can reveal. A series of green corridors in Edinburgh, boasting new trees, plants and floral displays, would be created to link the Meadows, Princes Street Gardens, Calton Hill, Queen Street Gardens and Holyrood Park.

Ts Eliot Is Voted Britain's Favourite Poet

STAND aside contemporary poets ... the Glasgow-born Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney were nowhere to be seen in a list of the nation's ten favourites unveiled yesterday. TS Eliot was voted Britain's favourite poet, in a list dominated by dead white English males, in a poll to mark National Poetry Day.

Christmas Post Set to Suffer After Mail Staff Vote to Strike

THOUSANDS of postal workers across Scotland could walk out before the end of the month after voting comprehensively in favour of a national strike. Services across the country are likely to face severe disruption in the coming weeks and in the run-up to Christmas, unless the nationwide stoppage can be averted.

Concerns Raised Over New Sex Education for Pupils Age Four

CHILDREN as young as four will be introduced to sexual health education in all Glasgow schools as part of a plan to replace a previously "shambolic" approach to the topic. It is the first time a comprehensive education scheme covering sex education, across primary and secondary education, has been devised for the city.

First Results Published by Stronachs Show Slide

STRONACHS, a law firm based in the north of Scotland, yesterday reported its first set of annual results in 200 years, showing a slide in turnover and profit per partner. The firm incorporated as a limited liability partnership last March; previously it was not required to publish such figures.