The Scotsman

Brown Pledges Apology to Victims of 'Shameful' Child Migrant Scheme

'We've suffered all our lives ... I feel someone has to say sorry' SANDRA Anker was sent to Australia in 1950 aged just six - or "exiled", as she prefers to think of it.

Ancient Egypt Cures Sore Backs in Scotland

A SCOTTISH clinic is the first in the UK to deploy a modern twist on an old therapy to treat patients with chronic back pain, it emerged yesterday. The technique, known as intervertebral differential dynamics (IDD) therapy, is said to employ basic principles of traction that can be traced to ancient Egypt.

Belle de Jour Changes Into Something More Respectable - a Doctor

SHE was the original sex blogger, but her identity was one of UK publishing's biggest mysteries. But now "Belle de Jour" - whose diary about her secret life as a prostitute inspired a television series starring Billie Piper - has revealed who she really is.

Nimmo in Favour of 'Pre-Pack' Insolvencies

ONE of Scotland's most high-profile corporate insolvency practitioners today mounted a defence of "pre-packs", in which a buyer is found for part of a firm before it enters administration. Blair Nimmo, senior partner in accountancy firm KPMG's Edinburgh office, hit back at criticism of pre-packs, which have been accused of leaving suppliers and other creditors in the lurch when a company appears to be reborn after shedding some or all of its debts.

Smes Still Finding It Tough to Get Funding

THE GBP 200 billion injected into the financial system by the Bank of England to boost lending has not filtered through to the UK's small and medium-sized businesses, according to a survey published today. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said 33 per cent of companies reported that accessing finance had been more difficult over the past three months, a deterioration on the 20 per cent reported in June.

Monday Profile: Sir Philip Hampton: Why the City has No Need to Fret About Rbs Chief's Other Job

THE hoo-ha surrounding the appointment of Sir Philip Hampton, the chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland, as a non-executive director of mining giant Anglo American last week just goes to show how tetchy the City continues to be about the banks - and particularly those whose biggest shareholder is the UK government. Last week, Hampton's role at Anglo was announced - a routine City appointment. But there was nothing routine about the response.

Scotland Should Be a Tax-Free Zone for Start-Up Investors, Says Lse Boss

ANGEL investment figures have backed calls for more incentives to invest in innovative companies after the head of the London Stock Exchange floated the idea of tax exemptions on funding. Xavier Rolet, who took over as chief executive of the LSE in the summer, called for Scotland to become a tax-free zone for investors wanting to fund start-up companies.

Warning of Happy Christmas but Grim New Year for Retail Sector

RETAILERS can expect a stronger Christmas as shoppers predict better times ahead, however new year trading will be "ugly", a leading retail monitoring firm is today predicting. BDO, the accountancy firm that monitors sales at 10,000 stores, predicts that the average UK retailer will see sales up 3 per cent on the end of 2008.

Cancer Tests and Diagnosis All in a Day at One-Stop Unit

PATIENTS with suspected cancer are being tested and diagnosed in a single day thanks to an innovative one-stop clinic that also saves the NHS money. The scheme is reducing long waits and anxiety for patients, who are given faster diagnosis and access to treatment which can improve their chances of recovery.

Review: Cd of the Week: Them Crooked Vultures: Bone to Pick with Vultures

THEM CROOKED VULTURES: THEM CROOKED VULTURES *** COLUMBIA, GBP 12.72

Campaigners Warn the World Can't Wait for Climate-Change Pact

CLIMATE campaigners have warned the world cannot afford to wait after leaders supported delaying a legally binding pact to tackle global warming. US president Barack Obama and other world leaders at a summit in Singapore yesterday backed a compromise plan tabled by the Danish prime minister that would dilute the aims of a major conference in Copenhagen next month.

Critic's Choice

Mariachi El Bronx Oran Mor, Glasgow, Wednesday

Bhopal Remembrance Service at Chemicals Plant

A REMEMBRANCE service was held outside a chemicals factory yesterday in memory of the victims of the Bhopal disaster in India. Thousands of people died after gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal on 3 December, 1984.

Housing Market On the Up - Except for Capital and Glasgow

THE housing market in Scotland has shown a first glimmer of recovery - although Edinburgh and Glasgow are lagging behind the rest of the country. The average cost of a home has risen by 0.7 per cent in the last quarter, according to the latest Scottish House Price Monitor from Lloyds TSB Scotland.

Top Firms Upbeat As Legal Awards Deadline Approaches

SCOTLAND'S top law firms have just three weeks to finalise their nominations for the nation's annual celebration of legal talent at the Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards 2010. The judging panel, which will be drawn from the legal, political and business worlds, will gather in December to examine the entries in 14 diverse categories that will reveal the best legal performers in Scotland during the last year.

'Definitive Register' Best Answer to Croft Land Disputes

Keith Graham, the retiring principal of the Scottish Land Court, tells John Ross why he favours reform A DEFINITIVE register of crofts would help resolve future boundary disputes, according to the man who has seen more than his fair share of complex crofting wrangles.

Chilling Words That Triggered the Bloody Massacre of Clan Macdonald at Glencoe to Go On Display As a National 'Treasure'

THEY were the words that launched one of the darkest episodes in Scottish history, remembered and resented to this day. Now the original handwritten order for the massacre at Glencoe "to fall upon the rebels ... and put all to the sword under seventy" goes on show in Edinburgh this week.

Comment: Revealing Secrets of Success for Global Trusts

OVER the past year, investors have been urged to take advantage of the recovery in the Far East by building their holdings in global funds. This advice has been reinforced by the UK economy's sluggish performance compared with other Group of Seven (G7) economies and its failure to date to emerge from recession. Global funds should form the core of any equity portfolio. The natural reaction of investors has been to opt for those trusts showing a greater percentage of their investments in overs...

Bnp's Griffin to Stand for Westminster

BNP leader Nick Griffin will stand at the next UK general election, he confirmed yesterday. Mr Griffin, who already sits in the European Parliament, will stand in the Barking constituency in Essex.

One in Three Children Never See Their Father After Divorce

MORE than one in three children never see their father again after their parents split up - with children being used as "emotional footballs", research into family breakdown shows. Law firm Mishcon de Reya questioned more than 4,000 people about family breakdown to mark the 20th anniversary of the Children Act - brought in to safeguard children after a parental separation.