The Scotsman

Uneven Smile As Number with Nhs Dentist Up but Patchy

THE number of people registered with an NHS dentist has risen 14 per cent in a year - but wide variations persist across Scotland, figures showed yesterday. By the end of March more than 3.3 million people in Scotland had an NHS dentist, up from 2.9 million a year ago.

Compensation Awards Based On Severity of Injury

ARMED forces personnel wounded on duty are awarded compensation according to a "tariff"-based system, which takes into account the severity of the injuries sustained. Under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), they receive a lump-sum payment measured on a 15-point scale, with level one the most severe.

Caught On Film ... The Beast of Helensburgh

THE mysterious big cats of legend are on the prowl once more. A military policeman yesterday spoke of his shock after capturing what appears to be dramatic footage of a big cat prowling close to a Scottish naval base.

Critic's Choice: Paragon

Paragon: The Sprits of Sound at the Teenage Fair CCA, Glasgow, today

Number 10's Sybil Dies

SHE was the sleekest feline to stalk the corridors of power since Carla Bruni posed at the door of Number 10. Downing Street's cat, Sybil, died this week in London after a short illness.

Boy Died After Father's 'Error of Judgment' U-Turn On Dual Carriageway

IT WAS a "momentary error of judgment", but the consequences will last a lifetime. A father yesterday admitted causing the death of his eight-year- old son by doing a U-turn on a darkened dual carriageway and into the path of a car travelling at 70mph.

'Job Cuts Protests Could Harm Economy'

Business chief warns political meddling will scare investors THE First Minister Alex Salmond was yesterday warned by a leading business figure that the campaign to save 900 Diageo jobs could discourage overseas firms from investing in Scotland.

Analysis: The Man Not Scared to Fight His Corner

SECONDS out, Round Ten: CBI Scotland chief Iain McMillan is back in the ring to take on the Rhino of Rhetoric, the Joker with the Choker, First Minister Alex Salmond. McMillan is seen as one of a very few in Scotland prepared to take on the combative First Minister on his own terms. His latest concern is that Salmond's high-profile stance against Diageo - grandstanding in the eyes of some - could deter potential investors from coming here.

Lloyds Axes Another 60 Scottish Jobs As Part of Hbos Merger

TICKET GESTURE THE Bank of Scotland is giving 600 prime tickets for the festival Fireworks Concert on 6 September to the British Heart Foundation charity to sell at GBP 25 apiece, it announced yesterday.

Work Normally or Have Pay Docked, Binmen Told As Dispute Gets Dirty

BINMEN locked in a bitter pay dispute with council chiefs in Edinburgh have been threatened with being sent home and having their wages docked if they continue to work to rule. Council officials have been accused of turning to scare tactics by warning anyone refusing to following instructions from managers or carry out normal duties they will not be paid.

Sax Appeal

Fife-born saxophonist Joe Temperley is back in Scotland to direct a programme of Duke Ellington's music - one of two concerts by the newly formed Edinburgh Jazz Festival Orchestra INTRIGUING, is it not, the way an innocuous handful of notes, informed with a composer's deftness, a player's insight, can take on such potent associations? Take a tune that has become something of a solo showpiece for New York-based, Fife-born saxophonist Joe Temperley, Duke Ellington's Single Petal of a Rose. It's...

Mps Rubber-Stamp Gbp 25-a-Day Claims Without Any Receipts

MPS have rubber-stamped a GBP 25 a day allowance that can be claimed without receipts, defying public fury over the expenses scandal. The quietly introduced move means that MPs can claim the cash for every night they spend away from home on parliamentary business.

Rail Passengers Face Turmoil During Month-Long Industrial Action

PASSENGERS on CrossCountry trains crossing the Border face disruption from Monday with the start of month-long industrial action only days before the Edinburgh Festival. Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will ban overtime and refuse to clean trains as part of the action in a pay and conditions dispute.

Scientists a Step Closer to 'Personalised Breast Cancer Treatments'

SCIENTISTS in Scotland have developed a way of predicting a woman's response to the breast cancer drug Herceptin, it has been revealed. Herceptin is currently given to patients whose cancer cells have high levels of a protein called HER2. However, some patients do not respond to the drug, while others develop a resistance to it.

Police Open Inquiry Into Blaze That Killed Man and Woman

A JOINT police and fire service investigation is under way into a fire in a Perthshire town which claimed the lives of a man and a woman. The bodies of the couple, a 45-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, were found by firefighters from Tayside Fire and Rescue Service, who were called to a blaze in a third-floor flat in Alma Place, Crieff, shortly before 5pm on Monday.

Scotland's First Hybrid Engine Taxis Hailed by Ministers

THE first hybrid engine taxis in Scotland have been welcomed by ministers. Calder Cabs, of East Calder in West Lothian, is the country's first to win licences to operate petrol-electric cars.

Food Agency Asks Firms to Cut Fat, Sugar and the Size of Portions

PLANS to ask food manufacturers to reduce the amount of fat and sugar in their products, along with portion sizes, were put to the industry yesterday. The proposals by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Scotland also advocate the increased availability of smaller, single-portion sizes in a number of key foods, including biscuits, cakes, pastries, buns, chocolate confectionery and soft drinks. Manufacturers and supermarkets will be encouraged to increase the proportion of their marketing budge...

Poll Puts Tories 18 Points Ahead

DAVID Cameron's Conservatives could be on course to win a 150- seat majority, according to a new poll. The ComRes survey puts the Tories on 42 per cent, opening up an 18-point lead over Labour, which is down one on 24 per cent.

Victory in Campaign to Stop Historic Pub Becoming House

PEOPLE in a scattered rural community are celebrating after winning a vital planning battle in their long campaign to buy a historic pub. The campaigners in Midmar, Aberdeenshire, were toasting their success after a Scottish Government planning reporter ruled that the century-old hostelry at the heart of their community cannot be developed as a private home.

Analysis: Significant Sums Need to Be Built Up for Security Later in Life

THAT more people are reducing their pension contributions is no surprise, given the economic climate, but the implications are no less worrying for that. The assumption is that more of us are relying on our savings and the state pension to deliver a comfortable retirement, but the reality is that the average UK worker is not saving enough.