The Scotsman

Dogs Being Left to Die in Their Owners' Cars As Temperatures Soar

DOGS are being left to die in hot cars as temperatures soar across Scotland, according to an animal welfare charity. The Scottish SPCA says two animals were found dead in the same car in Inverness within the past two weeks. A separate incident in the city is also being investigated, after an animal was found in similar circumstances in another car.

Music: Ac/Dc: Black Ice Slips Along Nicely On Hot Night

AC/DC **** HAMPDEN PARK

Arriva Revenue Growth Losing Steam

ARRIVA yesterday became the latest major transport group to warn that the recession was eating into its previously optimistic growth expectations. The company's share price fell by 4 per cent yesterday after it warned that slackening growth on its CrossCountry rail franchise would dent first-half results.

Banks Must Face Future with Lower Returns

BRITAIN'S banks must expect to make lower returns in future as they take on greater responsibility for risk-taking, the Bank of England warned yesterday. Paul Tucker, the Bank's deputy governor, told the British Bankers' Association (BBA) that the premiums paid by banks for the new deposit insurance scheme would be risk-based.

Between the Lines: Coyote-Like Economy Takes Its Plunge Off a Cliff at Last

IN THE old Road Runner cartoons, Coyote was always being tricked into running over the edge of a precipice. For a few moments, Coyote would be suspended in mid air with his feet still running. Then, as understanding dawned, he would plummet down. Of course, being a cartoon character, poor old Coyote somehow always survived. Let's keep our fingers crossed we can say the same about the UK economy. Much like Coyote, the UK economy has already run over the cliff edge. But until yesterday, with th...

Multi-Coloured Bridge Goes Back to Black As Council Stages Swift Retreat

GOING black to the future, council chiefs in Perth have been forced to perform an embarrassing U-turn over their attempts to brighten one of the main bridges over the River Tay. Last month, contractors were brought in by Perth and Kinross Council to start a make-over of the Queen's Bridge in Perth.

Sandy Is Now a Sir, and Standard Life Search for Successor Goes On

ARISE Sir Sandy. The chief executive of Standard Life was yesterday formally made a knight by the Queen at Holyrood Palace. Knighted in the New Year Honours for services to the insurance industry in Scotland, Crombie yesterday received the official insignia of the knights batchelor.

Pressure On Parties to Drop Opposition As Most Scots Back Independence Vote

PRESSURE was mounting last night for the unionist parties in Holyrood to drop their threat to block a referendum on independence after an ICM survey of more than 1,000 Scots revealed that 58 per cent want a poll to go ahead in the next year. But while most people want the chance to have their say on the Union, the survey also showed that a majority of Scots oppose independence.

Drink Kills Eight Scots a Day

Doctor urges MSPs to back moves to outlaw cheap alcohol and raise minimum price ALCOHOL is killing one Scot every three hours, figures showed yesterday as the leader of Scotland's doctors challenged MSPs to support plans to increase the price of cheap drinks.

Lloyds and Rbs Face Fire Sale of Their Assets

BRITAIN'S semi-nationalised banks Lloyds and RBS may be forced to engage in a fire sale of parts of their businesses as the price for their multi-billion-pound government bail-outs, it was claimed last night. The fears emerged on the day that the Lloyds Banking Group - 43 per cent owned by the taxpayer - announced a further 2,100 job cuts across the UK, including more than 350 in Scotland.

Uk Economy Shrinks at Fastest Rate in 61 Years

THE UK economy has contracted at its fastest rate for half a century, casting fresh doubts on Gordon Brown's election strategy. Output fell by 2.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2009, much worse than the 1.9 per cent predicted just a month ago, figures from the Office of National Statistics revealed.

Rules On Holding a by-Election

THE date for a by-election is normally announced within three months of the seat being vacated. But because the rules are governed by parliamentary convention rather than law, they can be bent to party advantage. A writ is moved in the Commons by the chief whip of the party represented by the seat's former MP. The poll is then held about 15 days later.

Tide May Turn for Dairy Sector As Uk Leads Europe in Restructuring

DAIRY farmers have endured a dismal six months with a succession of price cuts and the collapse of the farmer-owned Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFB) into administration, with the membership suffering serious losses. However, the tide may turn over the next few months, according to a report by Kite Consulting, independent market analysts, who have published the findings of their overview of the sector on behalf of Dairy UK, an industry-wide organisation.

Gazetteer

DRESS DOWN SUMMER: Time to let staff strip off, says union IT COULD be a sight for sore eyes. Union bosses are encouraging office workers everywhere to ditch their suits and ties in favour of shorts and vest tops to combat the heatwave currently experienced by most of Scotland.

Hmv Plays Down Impact of 80-Fold Sales Surge in Jackson Cds

MICHAEL Jackson's untimely demise is providing a sales boost for Britain's biggest music retailer, although the surge in demand is unlikely to affect HMV's full-year profit performance, the group yesterday admitted. Chief executive Simon Fox revealed there had been an 80-fold jump in sales of Jackson's material on Friday, the day after news of the singer's death broke.

House Prices Creep Up 'but Many Obstacles in Way of Recovery'

HOUSE prices in Scotland rose by just 0.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2009, flagging behind the UK-wide figure of 1.1 per cent, new data from the Nationwide has revealed. But the increase compares with a fall of 5.2 per cent north of the Border in the first three months of the year. That brings the average Scottish house price to GBP 134,391 - 10.4 per cent down on June 2008.

Labour in Retreat As Id Card Plan Is Axed

THE government was accused of being "in chaos" last night after it all but abandoned its flagship identity card scheme. In the latest in a series of U-turns and climbdowns from the cash-strapped government, Home Secretary Alan Johnson revealed the controversial scheme would never be compulsory for UK citizens. The admission came as he shelved plans for a pilot scheme to make airport workers carry the contentious cards, triggering accusations of a "fudge" from opposition politicians.

Spottiswood Minimises Impact of Downturn

FIT-OUT and construction specialist Morris & Spottiswood has reported a slight drop in both revenues and pre-tax profits in 2008, but said a decision to reduce exposure to recession-hit industries had minimised the impact of the downturn. The privately owned firm reported revenues of GBP 122.5 million in 2008 - down from GBP 125.3m the previous year - and pre tax profits of GBP 3m, compared to GBP 3.4m in 2007.

Hospitals with the Most Superbug Cases Named and Shamed

SCOTLAND's worst-performing hospitals in the battle against one of the most dangerous superbugs have been revealed by ministers - with patients in the North-east potentially at the highest risk. Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has topped the list with 438 cases of Clostrium difficile (C diff) between May 2008 and May 2009, according to a written answer to Labour MSP Jackie Baillie.

Only One in Three Scotrail Passengers Happy with Handling of Delays

JUST one third of ScotRail passengers are happy with how Scotland's main train operator handles delays, an independent survey has shown. The rating was worse than in the most recent polls, indicating that promised improvements to keep travellers better informed during disruption have failed to bear fruit.