driving bans and fines should be reduced if the Scottish Government lowers the legal alcohol limit, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has suggested.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has said proposals to cut the limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg will be brought forward this year.

The IAM said the government should take into account the impact a driving ban and other sanctions would have on people’s lives before seeking to punish them for driving after a single glass of wine.

A NEW superbug has struck three patients at flagship hospital of the Highlands – the third outbreak this year.

Routine testing in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness identified the bacterium Pseudonas aeruginosa – a strain of which killed four babies in Belfast and Londonderry last year.

The department had to be closed for three days over the weekend so it could be cleaned.

Patients and staff had to be moved to another part of the building, but the unit reopened yesterday.

A spokeswoman for NHS Highland said: “The clinical condition of the patients was not affected and they have all been discharged from hospital.”

The latest scare follows the closure of two wards in January, when eight patients were diagnosed with the Clostridium difficile bug.

There was a second serious outbreak of C diff in March and one ward was closed.

Last month, three wards at the hospital were closed due to norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug, struck the hospital.

During the latest outbreak the ICU was closed ‘as a precaution’.

The spokesman said: “The Infection Control and Prevention Team advised that the unit needed to be temporarily closed to allow a thorough and rapid cleaning process.

By far the most effective way of cleaning the hospital environment is to use hydrogen peroxide.

However, to use this agent for cleaning, it has to be done without any staff or patients in the area.

Ron Coggins, clinical director for the surgical services division, said: “Patients who were in ICU were transferred to the theatre recovery area. In effect, the care which is provided in ICU ran as normal, but in a different location.

“There was no disruption to surgical services over the weekend.”

Dr Emma Watson, lead doctor in infection control, said: “We are continuing to carry out our investigations which form part of our routine plans for responding to situations likes this.

“So far, we have no evidence that the clinical condition of any patients have been affected.”

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a tough bacterial strain, able to survive in harsh environments, and it is found widely in soil and stagnant water.

It does not usually cause illness in healthy people, but can cause serious infection when normal defences are weakened.

ALISTAIR MUNRO

PRIME Minister David Cameron was under pressure yesterday to explain why he had treated two of his Cabinet ministers differently after he initiated an investigation against Tory party co-chairman Baroness Warsi.

Lady Warsi is facing an inquiry over claims that she breached the ministerial code when she was accompanied by business partner Abid Hussain on an official visit to Pakistan.

Mr Cameron rallied to her defence, but said an investigation “will pick up any loose ends”.

However, Mr Cameron was asked to explain why he had asked for an inquiry into Lady Warsi, but not Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt over his handling of News Corporation’s bid to take over satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

The Prime Minister defended his decision not to order an investigation by Sir Alex Allan, his independent adviser on ministerial interests, into whether Mr Hunt broke the rules too.

Mr Cameron said: “They were two very different cases. In the case of Jeremy Hunt, obviously all of that has been gone through by the Leveson Inquiry. She [Baroness Warsi] has apologised for the mistake she has made but I think it right for Sir Alex Allan just to see if there are any loose ends that need to be picked up.”

SYRIA’S government has barred 17 Western diplomats as president Bashar al Assad defied international pressure to halt his violent campaign to crush the uprising against his rule.

Ambassadors from Britain, the United States, Canada, Turkey and several other European countries were made unwelcome in retaliation for the expulsion of Syrian envoys from Western embassies last week following the massacre of more than 100 civilians by suspected Assad loyalists.

More violence erupted yesterday when Syrian helicopter gunships pounded rebels in the coastal Latakia province.

The heavy clashes took place on the second day of combat since the rebels declared they would no longer abide by an internationally brokered ceasefire, saying that the government had continued the repression in defiance of United Nations peace observers.

Rebel fighters said eight of their comrades were killed, while the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 15 to 20 soldiers were killed. Activists also reported heavy fire by government forces on the city of Homs.

The latest developments emphasised the precarious state of a peace plan brokered by Nobel Peace laureate Kofi Annan, who has shuttled between Damascus and other capitals on behalf of the UN and Arab League.

Foreign governments are still clinging to the plan as the only option for finding a political solution and preventing a wider conflict. But with the failure of the ceasefire and Mr Assad’s intransigence, it is all but in tatters.

Russia and China, Mr Assad’s principle defenders on the diplomatic front, said on Tuesday that Mr Annan’s efforts should not be abandoned.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, meeting in Beijing, urged international support for the plan, despite calls from Arab and Western states for a tougher response to the violence.

Despite more bloodshed, Syria has agreed to allow the UN and international agencies to expand humanitarian operations in the country, where at least one million people need urgent assistance after 15 months of conflict, the UN said yesterday.

The UN is to open field offices in four violence-plagued provinces – Deraa, Deir al-Zor, Homs and Idlib – and Syrian officials have pledged to accelerate the granting of visas for aid workers and customs clearance for relief goods.

At least 500,000 Syrians are internally displaced in their country and many have lost their homes, according to the Syrian Red Crescent. More than 78,000 Syrians have fled to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, the UN refugee agency has said.

The UN hosted the one-day Syrian Humanitarian Forum, the third in a series, in Damascus to try to expand access to hungry, sick or wounded civilians in the country reeling from an uprising against the Assad regime.

THE Ministry of Defence has admitted it has scrapped and offloaded more than £17 billion of equipment since 2008.

However, ministers have refused to say how much money the MoD has recouped by selling off kit to foreign governments.

The value of assets disposed of by the MoD has rocketed from £2.5bn in 2008-9 to £3.2bn in 2009-10, and a massive £11.4bn in 2010-11.

The 2010-11 sum, following the Strategic Defence and Security Review in late 2010, was equivalent to 29 per cent of the UK’s total £39.5bn spending on defence that year.

Scrapping of “single-use” military equipment accounted for the biggest hike, rising from £650 million in 2008-9 to £1.6bn in 2009-10 and £7.5bn in 2010-11.

Last year, nine new Nimrod MRA4 spy planes worth £4bn alone were scrapped.

Britain also retired its joint force of 74 Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Harrier jets in 2010, which it then sold to the US Marine Corps for just £110m.

The disposal figures emerged in a parliamentary question from the Scottish National Party’s defence spokesman Angus Robertson.

Mr Robertson said: “We need to look very closely at this disposal because the stated value of the assets does not mean that the MoD has actually recovered that amount of money.

“The scrapped Nimrod programme is the ultimate example. But it is not just assets that we are losing, but operational capabilities as well. Without Nimrod we now have very limited maritime reconnaissance capabilities.”

Marshal of the RAF Lord Craig branded the decision to axe the planes to save money “perverse”.

US Rear Admiral Mark Heinrich, chief of the US Navy’s supply corps, said buying the Harriers made sense because many of the jets had recently undergone a refit.

He said: “We’re taking advantage of all the money the Brits have spent on them. It’s like we’re buying a car with maybe 15,000 miles on it. These are very good platforms. And we’ve already got trained pilots.”

The MoD insisted that the sale of the Harriers was “a good deal for both countries” and that scrapping them would release £900m by 2018.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond last month announced that defence cuts had plugged a yawning £38bn funding gap.

He said the MoD’s budget was back in balance for the “first time in a generation” after “agonising choices” made by MoD bosses and military chiefs.

An OUTBREAK of wildfires in the Highlands led to all available firefighters in the region being called out to tackle the blazes.

More than 100 firefighters were utilised over two days to bring burning moorland in Caithness and Lochaber under control.

The heathfires flared up on Sunday night and continued into the early hours of yesterday, causing havoc to motorists and forcing police to shut roads.

A blaze at Canisbay in Caithness had spread over a two-mile area of peatland, but was brought under control early yesterday.

Winds had fanned the flames and smoke, resulting in the closure of parts of the A99 Wick to John o’ Groats road.

A total of 15 fire engines and 90 firefighters, many retained volunteers, were called to deal with the blaze, which has destroyed acres of heathland.

Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service (HIFRS) called in a helicopter to water-bomb the site late on Monday night. Firefighters continued battling the blaze overnight, finally bringing it under control early yesterday.

Units remained at the scene throughout the day to monitor hotspots, which might erupt into a fresh fire.

Meanwhile, another 20 firefighters were called to fight a second blaze on peatland at nearby Killimster.

Three more crews were called to remote Morar in Lochaber to extinguish another wildfire. They extinguished the blaze at 8:30pm on Monday, but not before it had destroyed 40 acres of moorland.

Again, units were remaining on scene yesterday for the potential of hotspots reigniting.

The fire brigade had to call in engines and firefighters from as far afield as Invergordon and Dingwall to deal with the Caithness outbreaks.

Both fires at Canisbay and Killimster had, at one point, been burning on a front of almost two miles.

Billy Wilson, head of operations for Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service, paid tribute to the “superb professionalism and commitment” of all of firefighters, control room staff and officers.

He added: “Wildfires are particularly arduous incidents, and as has been seen, can go on for many hours.

“Many firefighters had to do their second stint at Canisbay and Killimister, and it is a testament to their commitment to the communities, and to HIFRS, that they are prepared to attend again in such a short space of time.

“They have been ably supported by our officers and also our control staff, who have ensured that the resources needed to tackle these large fires have been provided whilst maintaining fire and rescue cover in other areas of the Highlands and Islands.

“All of our staff have responded tremendously to the needs of our communities. Many of our firefighters have been at these incidents for many hours and a number of them, having returned for some well-earned rest earlier in the day, have responded again to ensure that HIFRS continues to deliver the professional service which our communities have come to expect.”

While dealing with the wildfires, crews were also called to a blaze at a house in Dingwall on Monday night and rescued the female householder.

The ongoing turmoil within the Eurozone is the subject of today’s cartoon

Illustration by Iain Green

Getting away from it all, reader Ron Hill captured this traquil scene with three best friends high up in the hills looking down on Loch Leven, last week.

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• To submit your picture for publication online or in The Scotsman email {mailto:readersgallery@scotsman.com|readersgallery@scotsman.com|readersgallery@scotsman.com}

EUROPEAN stock markets shrugged off a slew of bleak eurozone economic data on Tuesday, although investors are braced for some jitters when London reopens today after the extended Jubilee holiday weekend.

The financial markets’ resilience came in the face of news that Markit’s composite output index for the single currency zone’s services and manufacturing activity sank to a 35-month low of 46 in May.

This compared with a level of 46.7 in April and 49.1 in March. A figure below 50 denotes contraction.

Separately, official data showed that eurozone retail sales slumped 1 per cent month-on-month in April. It was the sharpest fall since December and more than reversed the 0.3 per cent month-on-month gain seen in March.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at forecasting group IHS Global Insight, called it “a dismal day for the eurozone”.

Archer said he doubted whether the European Central Bank (ECB) would cut interest rates at its policy meeting on Wednesday, but added that “we do now think it is highly likely that the ECB will cut interest rates” in the third quarter of 2012.

Despite the data, and continuing nerves about the latest G7 meeting on the eurozone’s problems, Germany’s Dax index closed down just under nine points at 5,969.40. France’s CAC-40 ended up 32 points, or 1.1 per cent, at 2,986, while Madrid’s Ibex closed 0.5 per cent ahead.

Wall Street was largely unchanged in morning trade, while the Nikkei average index in Japan finished up 1 per cent at 8,382.

WELCOME to scotsman.com’s Scottish Business Briefing. Every morning we bring you a comprehensive round-up of all news affecting business in Scotland today.

TECHNOLOGY

Scots IT sector on the rise as cloud computing firm puts down roots

SCOTLAND’S £4 billion IT industry will receive a boost today when a Swedish “cloud computing” company that lists BAE Systems, the Oslo stock exchange and law firm Pinsent Masons among its clients unveils plans to create 50 jobs ({http://www.scotsman.com/business/technology/scots-it-sector-on-the-rise-as-cloud-computing-firm-puts-down-roots-1-2338993|Scotsman|Scotsman}).

{http://www.scotsman.com/business/technology|Read all today’s technology news from scotsman.com|Read all today’s technology news from scotsman.com}

ENERGY & UTILITIES

Shell chief forecasts weakening in oil prices as tensions ease

OIL prices will weaken further in the second half of this year as demand reacts to a slowing global economy, while international political tensions ease, Shell chief executive Peter Voser yesterday forecast ({http://www.scotsman.com/business/management/shell-chief-forecasts-weakening-in-oil-prices-as-tensions-ease-1-2338997|Scotsman|Scotsman}).

Scots firm buys US rival to boost overseas presence

SCOTTISH company Integrated Environmental Solutions, which provides software and consulting services to help customers deliver low-energy-consuming buildings and communities, has acquired North American sector stablemate BVM Engineering in a £1 million-plus deal ({http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/scots-firm-buys-us-rival-to-boost-overseas-presence.17793485|Herald|Herald}.

{http://www.scotsman.com/business/energy-and-utilities|Read all today’s energy and utilities news from scotsman.com|Read all today’s energy and utilities news from scotsman.com}

FOOD, DRINK & AGRICULTURE

Scotch whisky firm, Diageo, to invest £1bn

The drinks giant Diageo has announced it is to invest £1bn in Scotch whisky production over the next five years. The company said it would build a new distillery in the Speyside area and would draw up plans for a second if the global appetite for Scotch continues ({http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-18336994|BBC|BBC}).

{http://www.scotsman.com/business/food-drink-and-agriculture|Read all today’s food, drink and agriculture news from scotsman.com|Read all today’s food, drink and agriculture news from scotsman.com}

INDUSTRY

Pipeline company wins 10-year Qatargas deal

North-east pipeline engineering company STATS Group has landed its biggest contract to date – a multimillion-pound Middle Eastern deal with Qatargas. The 10-year agreement with the largest liquefied natural gas producer in the world involves providing remote pipeline isolation equipment ({http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2798948|P&J|P&J}).

{http://www.scotsman.com/business/industry|Read all today’s industry news from scotsman.com|Read all today’s industry news from scotsman.com}

RETAIL

Steadying food inflation rate set to help shoppers

FOOD prices stabilised last month as the cost of raw materials and crude oil declined, providing some relief to under-pressure consumers. Today’s latest shop price index shows the UK’s annual food inflation rate holding steady at 4.3 per cent in May, unchanged from April’s figure ({http://www.scotsman.com/business/management/steadying-food-inflation-rate-set-to-help-shoppers-1-2338995|Scotsman|Scotsman}).

{http://www.scotsman.com/business/retail|Read all today’s retail news from scotsman.com|Read all today’s retail news from scotsman.com}

Seven Sony executives, including chairman Sir Howard Stringer and chief executive Kazuo Hirai, are giving up their performance-based bonuses and taking pay cuts because of the group’s continued losses.

The Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment company did not disclose how much money was being returned. Last year, it paid ¥224 million (£1.8m) in performance bonuses to eight executives.

The group, which makes televisions, computers and the PlayStation 3 video game console, has racked up four straight years of losses, while its core television business has suffered eight years in the red. However, it is forecasting a return to profit this year.

Shareholders will be asked to approve payments totalling ¥799m in base salary payments to 21 executives for the financial year that ended on 31 March, according to documents released ahead of its annual meeting on 27 June.

The group plans to axe 10,000 jobs, about 6 per cent of its global workforce, after reporting a record annual loss of ¥457 billion for the year to March 2012.

ONE MAN has died and 16 people are in a critical condition in hospital in the worst single outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Scotland.

A further 15 suspected cases of the illness are being investigated in Edinburgh and some of those people are critically ill in hospital, NHS Lothian confirmed late on Tuesday.

The man who died was in his fifties and had an underlying health condition. He died at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where the other cases are being treated.

Fourteen men and two women aged 33 to 74 are in a critical condition and are being treated in intensive care. One man has recovered and been allowed to go home.

Health officials warned on Tuesday that the outbreak, which began last Thursday and has affected people living or working in south-west Edinburgh, might not be over and more cases could emerge in the coming days.

The symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, which is not contagious, can take up to two weeks to develop. It affects people who have been exposed to droplets of contaminated water.

Symptoms include mild headaches and muscle pain, escalating to a high fever, persistent cough and sometimes vomiting, diarrhoea and confusion.

The disease is commonly found in water sources, included rivers and lakes, and can end up in artificial water supply systems, such as air-conditioning systems, water services and cooling towers. It cannot be contracted through drinking water. Despite a wide-reaching clean-up operation now under way in the affected area of the capital, public health officials have yet to identify the source of the outbreak.

Officials said they were awaiting the results from tests carried out on 16 industrial cooling towers in the Gorgie, Dalry and Saughton areas of Edinburgh.

Experts suggested it could take until the middle of next week before results are confirmed, as legionella is a difficult bacterium to identify.

Dr Duncan McCormick, consultant in public health medicine and chair of the incident management team at NHS Lothian, expressed his sympathy to the family of the dead man last night and said every effort was being made to bring the outbreak under control.

“I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family of the patient that died. Investigations into the possible source of this outbreak are on-going,” he said.

“Meanwhile, medical staff have been actively identifying possible cases to allow us to ascertain the full extent of this outbreak. I would like to reassure the public that household water supplies are safe and that Legionnaires’ disease cannot be contracted by drinking water.”

He said older people, particularly men, heavy smokers and those with other health conditions are at most risk of contracting the disease.

Dr McCormick said the cooling towers were suspected as being the source of the outbreak, but other sites had not been ruled out and the situation would be monitored round the clock.

Health officials urged anyone who developed symptoms to contact NHS 24 or their GP.

Bacteria expert Professor Hugh Pennington said last night it might be difficult trace the exact source of the Legionnaires’ outbreak.

He said: “Essentially, it is a preventable disease. Industrial water cooling towers are quite a common source of the bug. The bug lives in warm, fresh water.

“Basically, what should be done is that disinfectant should be put in the water to stop the bug growing.

“Clearly, that hasn’t happened, and the aerosol of water that comes out of these cooling towers contains the bug, people breathe it in and get Legionnaires’ disease, which is essentially a very, very severe pneumonia.

“The aerosol can spread in the wind, and that’s one of the reasons why it can be quite difficult to track down a particular source.”

Prof Pennington advised people not to be “too concerned” about the current outbreak saying the number of cases was “relatively small”.

He said: “This is very concerning for those who are infected, but it’s probably going for a particular vulnerable section of the community – men with lungs already damaged by other diseases, and so on – and it is a fairly straightforward disease to diagnose once you know that it is a possibility.”

The organisations responsible for maintaining the cooling towers have been told to carry out additional chemical treatment to the water in the systems as a precaution.

A wide variety of industries and manufacturing companies use cooling towers as a means of removing unwanted heat from industrial or manufacturing processes.

Environmental health services and the Health and Safety Executive, working alongside staff from Edinburgh city council’s environmental health department, will continue to test the towers over the coming days to ensure control measures are working.

There are strict regulations regarding the maintenance and control of water supply systems, such as either keeping the water cooled below 20C (68F), or heated above 60C (140F), in order to prevent an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

The first case in this latest outbreak was identified last Thursday. NHS Lothian first announced that there were cases of the disease in Edinburgh three days later. The condition is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person.

The biggest legionella outbreak in the UK happened in 2002 in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. A contaminated cooling tower at an arts centre was the source of that outbreak.

A total of 172 people were affected and seven died as a result of the illness.

Barrow Borough Council became the first public body in the UK to be charged with corporate manslaughter, but it was cleared. The council was, however, fined for breaches of health and safety regulations at the art centre.

WOULD you like to know what I had for breakfast? What about where I went for drinks last night? Or what colour my nail polish is today?

Or how I really feel about that thing I overheard my friend say that she did not know I had overheard? You don’t? I see. In that case my life has no meaning. And if you haven’t shared similar details about your life with 5,000 people this morning, neither does yours.

This is according to the likes of Ben Goldsmith, at any rate. Goldsmith (son of James, brother of Jemima and Zak), who has some indiscernible profession that appears to make him pots of money, took to Twitter on Monday in order to have a go at his estranged wife, Kate. Commenting on the fact that she had hired a PR firm to “fix her reputation” (apparently she has absconded with a US rapper), he told his 6,000 followers: “A bit late surely? How about focusing on her devastated children?” How, indeed? I’m sure those devastated children will be delighted to hear their emotional state is being tweeted to the nation.

Meanwhile, Melanie Sykes has been having a rather torrid relationship with a young man she met on Twitter, and tweeting the emotional and physical detail of it all in a manner that is not even remotely suitable to be reprinted in a family newspaper.

Now I am delighted that Sykes, 41, has got herself a strapping young 26-year-old, but really, I need not know more. Truth be told, I would rather stick sewing pins in my eyes and fall face first into a foam mattress than read those tweets again, but I’m sure I’ll get over it.

At some point in the past five years, probably around the time that everyone and their Auntie got themselves a Facebook page, it became pretty much de rigeur to share the most intimate details of one’s life online.

And I get it, really I do, that sometimes we need to share, particularly when it comes to the big stuff. I love seeing pictures of my friends’ children on Facebook (although parents, let me just say that sometimes, one or two pictures will do, rather than all 632 identical snaps that you took of your beloved offspring within the space of three and a half minutes). It’s fun to have a look at the wedding photos of old school friends, and I have been moved to tears at times when pals have posted about the pain of losing a relative.

I post on Facebook, too, of course I do, and I like how the photo albums and the silly status updates (usually about shoes and other such weighty matters) act as a memory-jogger, an instant diary marking out certain points in life.

I post on Twitter, too, but, there again, I tend to keep the personal stuff offline, not least because I’m not so full of myself as to think anyone is even remotely interested.

The thing is, there are some things that we don’t need to know about each other, partly because, if we really were close enough, you’d have told me anyway, over a glass of wine or a coffee, or on the phone, or in an e-mail. I don’t want to know the details of Goldsmith’s marriage break-up or Sykes’ sex life because, to be honest, I’m not really interested.

We all like to feel that we matter. But the truth is that the details of my life only really have meaning to a small handful of people, and possibly my cat, but only because I am her only human source of tuna. The same goes for you, too. The brutal honesty is that not that many people care. They are too worried about their own lives – and the people who populate them – to care about you or me.

We used to be fine with this notion, and I’m not entirely sure why we no longer are; why we now feel that unless we’re constantly informing the world what we’re up to, or posting pictures about it, it somehow doesn’t matter, or isn’t real, or important: that you only really had a good time at that party if 14 people have liked the picture of you looking like you were having a good time.

The likes of Sykes and Goldsmith presumably feel as though posting intimate details about their personal lives somehow allows them to feel more in control of the situation, but, in reality, it merely makes them seem sad and desperate, seeking validation and agreement from a wider world that could not care less. Twitter and Facebook are both excellent mediums when used correctly, but we could all probably benefit from a little more online decorum.

So please, keep your breakfast off-line, if only so I won’t lose mine.

Confidence in the construction sector suffered its biggest fall for nearly two years last month, fuelling fears about the strength of the economy.

The Markit/Cips survey, where a reading above 50 represents growth, showed overall activity in the sector fell to 54.4 in May, from 55.8 in the previous month and further down from March’s 21-month high.

But confidence was hit by its biggest monthly drop since June 2010 amid a slowdown in new business growth and opportunities to bid for new work; however, it did remain in positive territory.

Output in the sector was at its weakest for three months, with housebuilders only showing marginal growth, civil engineering projects seeing much slower expansion compared with the previous month, while commercial projects were most resilient.

However, activity in the sector still showed “solid growth”, which will help ease some of the nerves following last week’s shocking contraction in the manufacturing sector, which saw the second steepest fall in the 20-year history of the Markit survey.

Cips chief executive David Noble said: “Reports of the UK’s return to recession appear to have delivered a blow to general confidence in construction, with this month’s PMI (purchasing managers’ index) posing some big questions for the sector in the coming months.”

While the sector continued to take on more staff for the third month in a row, he added that the weakening in new orders to a four-month low meant this trend may not be sustainable.

Howard Archer, chief European and UK economist at IHS Global Insight, said: “This is undoubtedly a disappointing survey that raises concerns about the current health of the construction sector and its near-term prospects at least.”

The weaker construction data will come as a blow to hopes that the UK can pull quickly out of its current double-dip recession.

Official data showed a near-5 per cent contraction in the sector in the first quarter of 2012, which has been at odds with the Markit surveys that have shown the sector to be much more resilient.

But because today’s survey still suggests growth, it may ease some of the pressure on the Bank of England to announce more emergency money printing tomorrow after the shock manufacturing figures.

But the Bank’s decision is expected to hinge on the reading for the powerhouse services sector, which accounts for some three-quarters of the economy, and is released tomorrow.

HEALTH chiefs were today bracing themselves for a fresh wave of legionnaires’ cases after it emerged one man had died from the disease while 15 others were critically ill in hospital.

NHS consultant Dr Duncan McCormick refused to rule out the prospect of more deaths as experts battle to identify the source of what is now Scotland’s worst ever outbreak of the disease.

Investigations have centred on four industrial cooling towers in west Edinburgh, including those at Burton’s Foods off Calder Road, pharmaceutical firm MacFarlan Smith in Gorgie and the North British Distillery.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon was chairing an urgent summit with senior emergency personnel today in a bid to take control of the outbreak.

People showing symptoms of the disease are being asked if they attended Hearts’ Scottish Cup victory parade, any Jubilee street parties or other large gatherings in a bid to discover any links between those with the bug.

But NHS Lothian said the only common factor established so far was that all those affected lived or worked in the Dalry, Gorgie or Saughton area.

City resident Leanne McLaren has told friends on Facebook how her father was struck down with the illness several days ago and had been recovering in the bed next to the man who died.

She wrote: “It couldn’t get any worse, they have found the legionella bug in his body [legionnaires’] so that’s what the pneumonia is. He’s on a ventilator now and the public health board will be investigating to find out where he got it.”

In a later post she said her father was being moved to St John’s Hospital in Livingston as the ERI created room to cope with the influx of new legionnaires’ patients.

But after the illness claimed its first life she said medical staff had reversed that decision.

Patients are being treated at three hospitals – ERI, St John’s and the Western General. Last night the ERI enacted its its emergency plan which involves clearing some wards and using them as intensive care units.

As well as 17 confirmed cases, a further 15 people are suspected to have contracted the illness.

Thirteen men and two women aged between 33 and 74 are in a critical condition and are being treated in intensive care in hospitals in Lothian. One man has recovered and has been discharged.

The patient who died was a man in his 50s with an underlying health condition.

An incident management group, including officials from the Health and Safety Executive and the city council’s environmental health department, met again yesterday afternoon to discuss progress on efforts to establish the source of the outbreak.

Samples have been taken from cooling towers at four industrial sites thought to be the most likely source, but the results will take up to ten days. Even then, it may not be possible to confirm where the disease came from.

In the meantime, the towers have been flushed with a high-chlorine solution to kill the legionella pneumophila bacteria, which cause the disease.

With an incubation period of up to 14 days, it is thought that more people could already be infected and not yet be showing symptoms.

Dr McCormick, consultant in public health medicine for NHS Lothian, said he hoped the single fatality so far would be an “isolated case” but could not “guarantee it”. And he added that investigations “frequently do not find the source”.

“The disease frequently affects people who have underlying health issues, particularly men who smoke, drink or have chronic illnesses such as liver disease or bronchitis,” he said.

“The average amount of cases in Edinburgh each year is around five. They usually present themselves one at a time. Given that we now have 17 confirmed cases, that’s a very uncommon event – it’s the largest cluster that I have ever come across. The incubation period is between two and 14 days, the average is five and a half days.

“If we are correct about the source of the outbreak being the cooling towers, we would expected to see people with symptoms present themselves over the next five or six days, followed by a decline in the number of cases. But we would expect an increase in the number of cases before then.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government is working closely with NHS Lothian and other relevant agencies during these ongoing investigations.

“The Health Secretary, who has been kept closely informed of all developments, will chair a meeting of the Scottish Government’s resilience committee today, at which she will be further updated on the situation and on the progress of efforts to identify the source.”

Timeline

Thursday, May 28: The first case of legionnaires’ is identified.

Monday, June 4: The Evening News reports that three men are being treated in intensive care, and another in a high dependency unit, with four other suspected cases. All cases are from the south-west of the city. NHS Lothian’s health and safety executive meet with the council’s environmental health department and Scottish Water to discuss the city’s response.

Tuesday, June 5: Health chiefs warn the outbreak is likely to get worse before it gets better after confirmed cases rises to six. Efforts to track the source focus on industrial cooling towers in Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton.

Later that evening, it is revealed a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions has died at the ERI. Confirmed cases rise to 17 with a further 15 suspected, the majority linked to Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton – 13 men and two women aged between 33 and 74 are in a critical condition. The source continues to be investigated.

Heed the warning signs

The symptoms of legionnaires’ disease are similar to those of flu.

The illness usually begins with mild headaches and muscle pain, followed by the onset of more severe symptoms, including a high fever of 40C or above, more severe muscle pain and chills.

Once the bacteria begins to infect the lungs, patients may also experience a persistent cough, usually dry at first but which may develop into coughing up mucus or blood, shortness of breath and chest pains.

About 30 per cent of people will also experience gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of appetite, and about half will experience changes to their mental state, such as confusion.

Older people, particularly men, heavy smokers and those with other health conditions are at greater risk of contracting the disease.

The disease is contracted by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water.

When doctors are aware that the illness is present in the community, they have a much better chance of diagnosing it earlier.

Misdiagnosis ‘beggars belief’ says patient’s wife

THE wife of a patient fighting for his life with legionnaires’ disease has told how doctors initially sent him home with tablets for an upset tummy.

Chartered surveyor Rick Gibb, 54, from Chesser, was struggling to breathe when he went to Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital. But after a brief consultation he was given imodium and told to go home and rest. The next day he had to be rushed into intensive care at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

His wife Margaret, 61, said: “I thought he was a goner. He was absolutely ashen. I have seen a lot of dead people in my time and he was that same colour.

“I thought I was coming home from the hospital a widow.”

And she is furious his symptoms were not taken more seriously.

She said: “If you can’t breathe there is something wrong with you and it beggars belief that he was sent home with something for diarrhoea. But you take it for granted that doctor knows best. The doctors now say he has legionnaires’ disease, pneumonia and an infection in both lungs.”

NHS Lothian said they could not discuss the case.

TWO teenage boys have been killed and two other teenagers injured in a late night crash in Aberdeen.

The 17 year-old teenagers, who have still to be named, were killed when the red Renault Clio in which they were travelling veered off the city’s West Tullos Road in the Kincorth area of the city and smashed into a tree. The teenagers who escaped with minor injuries in the accident were both rear seat passengers.

West Tullos Road is one of the city’s main arteries, connecting Great Southern Road with the Wellington Road roundabout. and the road was closed overnight for accident investigators to examine the scene.

Grampian Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident, which took place shortly before 11pm on Tuesday night, to contact the force.

A force spokesman said: “The 17 year old male driver of the car and a 17 year old male front seat passenger died at the scene. Two rear seat passengers, both males in their early teens, suffered minor injuries and were taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for treatment.”

Inspector Scott Mann of the force’s Road Policing Department, said: “Two young men have died as a result of this tragic incident tonight. Their immediate families have been advised and my thoughts are with them at this sad and traumatic time for them. Clearly our enquiries are at an early stage and Collision Investigators have carried out a detailed examination of the scene. This necessitated the closure of West Tullos Road for around six hours.

“We would like to speak with anyone who witnessed the collision or its immediate aftermath or indeed anyone who may have seen a red coloured Renault Clio being driven in the Nigg, Torry or Portlethen area during Tuesday evening.”

A FORMER Capital beauty queen has been joined by a former porn star, a plus-size model and a one-time LA gang member in this year’s Big Brother house

Sara McLean, 22, from Newington, a student and model, who triumphed as Miss Edinburgh in 2010, is described by show bosses as an outrageous flirt, who is also argumentative with a short fuse. The former St Margaret’s schoolgirl was joined by 15 other contestants as they headed into their new home after Channel 5 launched yet another series of the show – the fourth within the space of a year.

However, the 5ft 10in beauty, who lost her dad to cancer at the end of last year, does not have high hopes for winning the show.

She said: “It’s a popularity contest and there are a lot of people I don’t get on with.”

After clinching the Edinburgh crown in October 2010, Sara went on to finish runner-up in Miss Great Britain two months later. All the while the former Napier University student concealed the heartbreak of her father Colin’s fight with terminal lung cancer.

The 58-year-old was given just three months to live back in April 2010, but undermined the doctor’s grim prognosis with an inspirational fight for life which ended just before Christmas last year.

Sara believes he will be looking down on her in the Big Brother house.

Speaking after the Miss GB competition, she said: “I think I’ve made my dad really proud. He knows now that I will be OK in life – this has been one of the best experiences for me at this time. I realise now how far I’ve come – it’s been a real boost to my confidence.”

Before entering the Big Brother house, Sara also revealed herself to be a Conservative supporter and a staunch fan of Baroness Thatcher, whom she believes “did amazingly for the country”.

Her fellow contestants include a sex-change chef, known as Luke A, who was born a girl but began to have treatment to become a man four years ago. He has since married, although many people he works with have no idea about his past.

Other housemates include martial arts fighter Arron, dancer Lydia and well-spoken history student Scott, who believes the Channel 5 show will help him launch a career as a celebrity historian, as well as breaking the news that he is gay. Ex-gang member Adam was born in Britain and brought up in Los Angeles, where he became a member of the LA Crips gang.

Although viewing figures are down on the Channel 4 days, the programme has proved a boon for its new station.

THE news of more confirmed cases in the Legionnaires’ outbreak is deeply worrying for everyone in Edinburgh, especially those in the communities affected.

A family is today mourning the loss of one of the victims of the disease, while relatives of dozens more confirmed and suspected cases wait anxiously for news.

Today we report warnings that the number of cases is likely to rise before it gets better, and the feeling of uncertainty is deepened by the fact that no source of the outbreak has yet been identified.

The public should be reassured by NHS advice that household water supplies are safe and that Legionnaires’ cannot be contracted by drinking water. The condition is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person.

Those most at risk are older people, particularly men, heavy smokers and those with other health conditions.

Those showing any symptoms should get checked out as soon as possible. See the advice panel on page six for more information.

We are assured everything which can be done is being done as the authorities investigate and hopefully the source will be pinpointed soon.

Of course there must be a full inquiry into the circumstances which led to this outbreak and additional procedures put in place to ensure that it cannot happen again.

But the time for that is later and at the moment all efforts must be focused on bringing the situation swiftly under control.

Thirteen men and two women aged between 33 and 74 are fighting for their lives in hospital today. Our thoughts are with them all.

We’re flicking fans

If only real life was like Subbuteo. Our story today reports how Scotland has made it to the World Cup finals for the first time in a decade.

As we languish down the real world rankings, our perfect cousins in table football are showing the way forward. Wages have been kept at a low level, no late night drinking among the plastic players has been reported and none has refused to play for their country because of a dispute with the manager.

Indeed, so well-engineered are Scotland’s Subbuteo team that even if they wanted to stick two fingers up to the media they wouldn’t be able to do this. Well, not without breaking a plastic arm.

Until Craig Levein’s side show the same qualities as our flick and kick friends perhaps we should transfer our sporting loyalty. There is less scope for disappointment!

WHEN Princess Mako of Akishino arrives in Edinburgh to begin her studies, it is fair to say it may be slightly bigger news in the Far East.

The 20-year-old great-granddaughter of the late Emperor Hirohito will be a virtual unknown to many despite being one of the most famous faces in her home country of Japan.

Which may very well be part of the imperial family’s reason for choosing the Capital.

Another is certainly the pedigree which Edinburgh enjoys, having played host to a number of royal and high-profile names over the decades.

President of Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA), Matt McPherson, believes the diversity of the university’s students is a major draw, as well as the reputation that the university has worked hard to attain over the years.

He said: “When I give an open day talk to new students, I get them to introduce themselves to the person next to them. There are few stages in life where a biology student from Canada could be friends with a sociologist from Bulgaria.

“I find the diversity of our 30,000 students our greatest asset, and it’s no surprise that more people want to come. Edinburgh is a beautiful city with a great reputation for educating people who have gone all around the world to do great things.

“The student experience is one I’m sure any princess would relish. However, we need to work hard to encourage more people from less opportunistic backgrounds to come and be part of our story too.”

The 23-year-old, who lives in the Southside, also believes the opportunity to remain fairly anonymous may appeal to high-profile figures when making their decision.

He said: “While many of our students are already excited about Princess Mako’s arrival, most will not recognise her, and I think her experience at Edinburgh will be peaceful compared to her duties back home.”

More recent well-known alumni include Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, who studied English Literature.

And Princess Mako’s enrolment at the university, as the News reported yesterday, inset above, won’t be the first time that students have rubbed shoulders with Japanese royalty. Princess Tsuguko, the eldest daughter of the late Prince Takamado, began her English course in October 2004.

Edinburgh University rector, Peter McColl, believes Princess Mako’s arrival in the city may well lead to an increase in the number of student applications from the Far East.

“It will be interesting to see what happens,” he said. “Edinburgh University has become very good at attracting people from around the world – not just royalty, all sorts of people.

“It’s worth saying that Julius Nyerere, the first president of an independent Tanzania, was also a student at the university.

“There aren’t many other universities of this quality in cities with the global reputation and the ability to be interesting and exciting in the way that Edinburgh is.”

But what exactly does the enrolment of an array of royal and famous figures mean for the university?

St Andrews University has inevitably received a huge boost from William and Kate, with the royal couple making their first visit to the medieval town since graduating in 2005 to launch the university’s 600th anniversary fundraising appeal last year.

While news of Princess Mako’s matriculation may not be on the same royal scale, Universities Scotland –the representative body of Scotland’s 19 universities and higher education colleges – believes it will still provide plenty of benefits.

A spokeswoman said: “Princess Mako’s matriculation into the university is certain to help boost the university’s profile amongst prospective students in Japan. The student body at Scotland’s universities is one of the most international in the world. Princess Mako will be mingling with students of all walks of life during her studies, as the institution is committed to admitting the brightest and the best students, whatever their background.”

Meanwhile, Matt hopes Princess Mako studying at the university will encourage other students from around the world to consider continuing their education at Edinburgh.

“It’s important that she and all students know that Edinburgh is not only one’s place of study, but also one’s home.”

The great and the good

• PRINCESS Margarita of Romania was a student at Edinburgh University in the late 1960s. The princess, who was Queen Victoria’s great-granddaughter, studied sociology and politics. She was apparently Gordon Brown’s first great love.

• Japanese Princess Tsuguko of Takamado is the eldest daughter of the late Prince Takamado. The 26-year-old studied English at Edinburgh University from 2004 to 2008.

• Prince Albert II, the 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis spent his childhood in Regensburg. After his military service, he studied economics and theology at Edinburgh University.

• Princess Raiyah Bint Al-Hussein, 26, is the youngest daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan and Queen Noor. She received her master’s degree in Japanese and International Relations at Edinburgh University.

• Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe studied classics and art history at Edinburgh University from around 2000. The socialite and daughter of banking heiress Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon struck up a close friendship with Prince William in 2004.

• Pippa Middleton, younger sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, studied English Literature at Edinburgh University. She graduated in 2008.

• Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, daughter of assassinated Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto, made her first move into student politics within weeks of beginning her English literature studies at Edinburgh University, being elected as a first year representative to the students’ association.

I’ve hit on the perfect campaign anthem for the side of the referendum contest that dare not speak its name. The people who want you to say “No” to Scottish independence, the SNP and everything, is led by an attractive, if unconvincing, troika of Alistair Darling, Charlie Kennedy and Annabel Goldie. They’ve come together to say something in response to the Yes campaign . . . but what?

Someone has advised them voters might not go for an honest “No” campaign in answer to the “Yes” campaign for sovereign independence and equality for Scotland.

But if the referendum is to be shaped by such superficiality, here’s a helpful hint to the secret “No” campaigners – reprise the words of The Pioneers’ 1971 reggae classic: “let your yeah be yeah, and your no be no”. My suggestion is free . . . more than likely quite different from the utter tosh they’ve been told by someone who knows nothing of the alchemy of politics beyond the contents of Alistair Campbell’s books. Such an under- estimation of the electorate will cost the “No” side dear.

Voters have enough savvy to work out that in the referendum nationalists will ask them to say “Yes” to Scotland becoming an independent, sovereign country, equal in legal status to any other country with its own legislature, judiciary etc. Or instead say “No” to that, because Unionists think it preferable for Scotland to remain a region of the UK, like Merseyside, plus a parliament with limited powers, inferior rather than equal to Westminster.

But why should the leaders of the campaign that will try to persuade people to say “No” to sovereignty for Holyrood find difficulty in using the straightforward way of doing so. Why not just say “No” if they’re as convinced that the “Yes” side have got it as wrong as they make out whenever they’re interviewed?

Don’t they owe it to the people, whose best interests they believe they protect from the inadequacies and flawed analysis of the “Yes” campaign, to provide the matching unambiguous statement of where they stand in the debate?

It’s no great surprise to voters when they observe politicians wanting to have it all ways, ducking and diving to offend as few of the people as possible to win as many votes as possible But unless my own instincts are all awry, Scots have set the bar higher than at general elections – they’re expecting more than the usual spin, evasion, and partisan economics from people of different parties who, in Scotland’s name, claim to have joined forces to defend the Union, and those who campaign for independence.

But the “No” side has difficulty in admitting up-front to this perfectly reasonable proposition. Nor do they want to be called Unionists in the same way as Nationalists are identified.

Alex Salmond and nationalists who might fairly be described as “gradualists” have come under some friendly fire from nationalists who disagree with the notion that the Scots could vote against being independent and exercise clout with Westminster afterwards. Much more likely, according to this line of reasoning, is that if the Scots get to the hurdle and then stall, Westminster would see the Scots as having wimped out, implement the Calmanised Scotland Act, and then ignore us. The exception to this modus operandi might well be the Scottish MPs who would try to forge closer working relationships with their MSPs.

It’s unlikely that this could ever amount to more than a lobbying function, and just as unlikely that it would cut any more butter than at present, when the element of trying to keep relationships as good as possible plays a part in Westminster’s dealings with Holyrood.

If the Scots step out of the blocks at the last moment, they will be judged to be all mouth, no trousers. Though that might be hard to believe for the “devo-max” and “devo-plus” campaigners, the powers that be in Westminster won’t respect them in the morning.

In 1979, when the Scots narrowly voted in favour of having an Assembly, but were cheated out of it by the infamous 40 per cent rule, people here were embarrassed and, yes, a bit ashamed that we hadn’t done more to convince Westminster of our seriousness. Fortunately, coping with the rough edges of Thatcherism, the Falklands War and being sidetracked by two royal tragicomedies took the edge off our rawness and we were able to regroup around campaigns against unemployment and the decline of industry.

This time, unless we settle the question once and for all into the foreseeable future, re-enthusing and re-organising will be done on the internet. This time round it’s been a novelty to literally watch the campaign grow, but for democracy to be compensated for the loss of political organisations worth the name is another matter.