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Tributes paid to Scot cyclists killed by lorry

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Two cyclists killed in a crash with a lorry near the start of a charity ride have been praised for their “selflessness and humanity”.

• Cyclists killed in lorry crash as they embarked on Land’s End to John O’Groats ride praised for “selflessness and humanity”

• Andrew McMenigall, 47, and Toby Wallace, 36, from Aberdeen, were raising money for cancer charity

Andrew McMenigall, 47, and Toby Wallace, 36, were cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats when they died in the collision with a white Renault lorry on the A30 in Newquay, Cornwall, at around 8.30am yesterday.

The pair, who worked for Aberdeen Asset Management (AAM), were attempting to raise money for the Kirsten Scott Memorial Trust, set up in the name of a colleague who died from cancer in 2011.

The 31-year-old lorry driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on bail by Devon and Cornwall Police.

Mr McMenigall, from Edinburgh, was married with two daughters and was a keen triathlete. He had served in the Army before joining the financial company.

Mr Wallace was from Philadelphia in the US where he worked for AAM. He was part of an eight-man team who rowed across the Atlantic last year to raise money for the trust.

AAM chief executive Martin Gilbert paid tribute to his colleagues.

“I knew both Andrew and Toby well. They were dedicated and popular members of our senior team. The fact that they died in such tragic circumstances while trying to help others less fortunate tells you much about their selflessness and humanity.

“This is a terrible time for the company. More importantly our thoughts are with the families of Andrew and Toby. We will be doing everything we can to support them.”

The trust provides grants to people under the age of 26 to help them fulfil ambitions and enhance their personal development.

A statement on the charity’s website read: “Toby and Andrew had both been amazing supporters of the trust and their fundraising efforts have meant so much in helping to establish a trust in Kirsten’s name to support young people under 26.

“We are all devastated to learn of this dreadful accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with Toby and Andrew’s families and friends at this sad time.”

The trust said the pair planned to cycle 960 miles in a week, longer than the typical route, in order to take in more “interesting scenery”.


Scottish independence: Nationalists losing - PM

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PRIME Minister David Cameron gave his most confident assessment yet of the campaign to keep Scotland in the UK, when he boasted that the Nationalists are “losing the battle” and said “bring on the referendum.”

• Nationalists are ‘losing the battle’ to win argument for independence, David Cameron claims

• Prime Minister resopnded to SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson’s call for Better Together campaign to drop “puerile tripe” on roaming and haulage charges

The claim came inc exchanges during Prime Minister’s questions after SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson called on him to drop the “puerile tripe” at the heart of the Better Together campaign.

Mr Robertson quoted criticisms of the government’s latest analysis produced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) which included controversial claims about roaming charges for mobile phones and £1,000 fees for Scottish hauliers to use the road network in the rest of the UK should Scotland become independent.

Mr Robertson said: “The Prime Minister’s deputy party leader in Scotland [Jackson Carlaw] describes the UK Government’s scaremongering about independence as ‘silly’; one of his key donors in Scotland describes it as ‘puerile’; and the country’s leading Conservative commentator says that it is ‘tripe’.

“Given that the Prime Minister is in charge of Project Fear for the UK Government, will he ditch this silly, puerile tripe?”

But a confident Mr Cameron defended the government analysis papers and said the criticism was being made because the SNP is losing the battle of facts.

He said: “The information that has been produced by the Government on what would happen under Scottish independence is impartial, extremely powerful and very sensible.

“The fact is that the Scottish nationalists are losing the arguments on jobs, the economy and the influence that Scotland would have in the world. I say bring on the referendum, because they are losing the battle.”

Mr Cameron was also forced to defend his Chancellor George Osborne after Labour’s former Treasury minister Geoffrey Robinson said that his interventions were costing the taxpayer billions.

Mr Robison asked: “Is the Prime Minister aware of the rather disturbing commitment given yesterday by his Chancellor to continue to interfere and intervene in the affairs of the Royal Bank of Scotland on behalf of the taxpayer?

“Is he also aware that the Chancellor’s last intervention—the completely irresponsible ousting of Stephen Hester—has cost the British taxpayer £4.5 billion so far as a result of the loss in value of their shareholding? Will the Prime Minister, as First Lord of the Treasury, instruct his Chancellor to desist from any such interventions in the future?”

The Prime Minister hit back referrig to a scandal involving Mr Robinson lending money to former Labour business secretary Lord Mandelson.

He said: “What I would say to the honourable gentleman, who I know has great experience of lending money, is that it is important that the Government stand up for the taxpayer and ensure that Royal Bank of Scotland has the right strategy and the right leadership so that we get back the money that was put into the banks by the last Government.”

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UK subsea sector creates 16,000 jobs in 3 years

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A TOTAL of 16,000 new jobs have been created in the last three years in the UK’s booming subsea sector.

• 16,000 new jobs created in UK’s subsea sector as value to national economy nears £9 billion

• Report shows that British-based companies dominate sector worldwide, with 45 per cent of £20 billion global market

And the contribution of the sector to the UK economy is now valued at almost £9 billion – a staggering growth of 50 per cent since 2010, according to a new industry report published today.

The report by industry body, Subsea UK, also shows that British-based companies now dominate the worldwide subsea sector with 45 per cent of the £20 billion global market.

A spokeswoman for Subsea UK said: “The survey of over 750 companies throughout the entire supply chain shows that 16,000 new jobs have been created in the sector since 2010, bringing the total number of jobs supported by the industry to 66,000. This figure takes account of the 53,000 directly employed in the subsea industry as well as the 13,000 in jobs which indirectly support the sector.

“Of the direct subsea workforce, 48 per cent work in services which include engineering, construction and diving. Manufacturing accounts for 19 per cent of the 53,000 jobs.”

She continued: “Almost half the respondents are anticipating growth in excess of 20 per cent in the next three years with 28 per cent predicting to grow by 10 to 20 per cent.”

Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK, said: “These findings are further proof of the success, dynamism and sustained growth potential of subsea. Not only has our sector out-performed any other in the UK, it has improved its global position and now dominates with an impressive 45 per cent of the global market, despite a faltering economic climate.”

He explained: “The increase in activity in the North Sea has played a major factor in this continued growth but exports remain high, accounting for 43 per cent of total revenues. Subsea has become increasingly important to the upstream energy sector, both in terms of developing and stimulating further investment in the UKCS and in growing the UK’s export base.”

Mr Gordon continued: “Extracting the remaining world’s reserves will increasingly fall to the subsea industry – already almost 45 per cent of UKCS production comes from subsea wells with 70 per cent of new developments planned. It is therefore of vital importance to the security of the world’s energy supply.”

According to the report, the export of subsea goods and services is valued at £4.3 billion with engineering and manufacturing companies generating just over 25 per cent and service providers accounting for 26 per cent of the export revenues. Three quarters of the total revenues are generated in the North east of Scotland with exports from the region accounting for 70 per cent of the output.

Michael Fallon, the UK Minister for Energy and Business said: “This report highlights what a Great British success story the subsea sector is. World class expertise and cutting edge technology has created a British industry worth £8.9 billion, that supports 66,000 jobs and leads the global stage.

“The subsea sector has earned the substantial praise it deserves – the figures in this report are truly impressive. Growth of £11 billion in the next three years, exports worth £4.3 billion a year and 80 per cent of revenues generated in the North East of Scotland, with a supply chain that stretches across the UK. The subsea sector has translated incredible feats of engineering and construction into market-beating performance.”

He added: “The Government has been working hard with industry as part of the oil and gas industrial strategy to ensure that the North Sea is a very fertile ground for oil and gas investment. This includes a combined focus on skills, technology, exports and access to finance so that we can look forward to seeing this success last for decades to come.”

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Mark Carney to review lack of women on banknotes

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New Bank of England governor Mark Carney has promised to review the lack of women being represented on banknotes.

• Mark Carney to review lack of women on British banknotes after row over Winston Churchill choice on £5 note

• New Bank of England governor’s predeccesor had revealed Jane Austen to be leading candidate to replace Charles Darwin on £10 note

Mr Carney, who started his role on Monday, said he is discussing with colleagues how best to “celebrate the diversity of great British historical figures” and plans to make an announcement before the end of the month.

His comments follow a row over the choice of Sir Winston Churchill to appear on £5 notes in place of prison reformer Elizabeth Fry - one of only two women selected since historical figures were introduced in 1970.

The decision to use the wartime leader in April led to an online petition and the threat of potential legal action under the Equality Act.

Mr Carney’s predecessor Sir Mervyn King recently revealed that Pride and Prejudice novelist Jane Austen is the leading candidate to replace Charles Darwin on the £10 note, as and when the notes are changed.

Conservative MP Mary Macloed wrote to Mr Carney earlier this week on the subject, complaining that “on the very notes that we earn and spend, we will now see no women at all”.

Ms Macloed, who is chairwoman of the all party parliamentary group Women in Parliament, continued: “This is completely unrepresentative of the role that women have played and continue to play in this country’s history.”

In his response, Mr Carney said he considers Sir Winston to be an “excellent choice” for a banknote, but the Canadian said he recognised that in the absence of any other changes to banknotes, “none of the four characters on our notes would be a woman”.

Mr Carney said “that is not the Bank’s intention” and continued: “I believe that our notes should celebrate the diversity of great British historical figures and their contributions in a wide range of fields.”

Mr Carney said he has already begun discussions with colleagues on how best to ensure notes represent a diverse range of people.

He said: “These will include a discussion at the next meeting of the Court of the Bank on 17 July. I expect to make a public announcement once those deliberations have been completed and no later than the end of July.”

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Hidden microphone found in Ecuador London embassy

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A hidden microphone has been discovered in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been living, the country’s foreign minister has announced.

• Hidden microphone discovered in Ecuadorian embassy in London, nation’s foreign minister reveals

• Julian Assange has been living in the embassy for more than a year in order to avoid extradition to the US via Sweden, where he faces sex crime allegations

• WikiLeaks calls presence of microphone “imperial arrogance” as embassy promises to disclose origin of device later today

Ricardo Patino said the microphone was found inside the office of the Ecuadorean ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ana Alban, at the time of a visit to the embassy by Patino to meet with Assange on June 16. Assange lives and works in a different room within the embassy.

The Foreign Office in London declined to comment immediately on the allegation and Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman

said he did not comment on security issues.

Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than a year to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations by two women of sexual assault and rape, which he denies.

He fears that if sent to Sweden he could be extradited from there to the United States to face potential charges over the release of thousands of confidential US documents on WikiLeaks.

Assange’s group is trying to assist Snowden, who is believed to be stranded at a Moscow airport and is seeking asylum in a variety of countries including Ecuador.

“We regret to inform you that in our embassy in London we have found a hidden microphone,” Patino told a news conference

in Quito on Tuesday.

“I didn’t denounce this at the time because we didn’t want the theme of our visit to London to be confused with this

matter,” said Patino, who met during his time in London with British Foreign Secretary William Hague to discuss Assange.

“Furthermore, we first wanted to ascertain with precision what could be the origin of this interception device in the

office of our ambassador,” he said. “We are sorry to say so, but this is another instance of a loss of ethics at the international level in relations between governments,” he added.

Ecuador’s protection of Assange has strained relations with Britain. The Foreign Office said after the meeting between Hague and Patino on June 17 that no substantive progress had been made to break the legal and diplomatic deadlock.

WikiLeaks used its Twitter account to condemn the hidden microphone.

“Sieging/bugging of Ecuador’s London embassy and the blockading of Morales jet shows that imperial arrogance is the gift that keeps on giving,” the anti-secrecy group said.

SEE ALSO

• {http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/uk/legal-team-to-be-tasked-with-breaking-deadlock-over-assange-1-2969917|Legal team to be tasked with breaking deadlock over Assange|June 18, 2013}

Human ‘mini-livers’ created from stem cells

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Human “mini-livers” have been created from stem cells and observed functioning in the bodies of mice.

Scientists say liver failure patients could be given similar implants in another 10 years.

The livers were built by combining together three different cell types, including one derived from artificially made stem cells.

Placed together, they spontaneously organised themselves into five millimetre-wide “liver buds” in laboratory dishes.

The buds were then transplanted into mice with liver failure where they developed a blood supply and grew into mature organs.

Although many hurdles still need to be crossed before building new livers can be considered for humans, the grafts passed critical function tests.

Not only did they generate specific liver proteins, but they were able to break down and detoxify potentially harmful compounds. Survival of the terminally ill mice was also significantly improved.

Writing in the journal Nature, the Japanese scientists said: “To our knowledge this is the first report demonstrating the generation of a functional human organ from pluripotent stem cells.

“Although efforts must ensue to translate these techniques to treatments for patients, this proof-of-concept demonstration of organ-bud transplantation provides a promising new approach to study regenerative medicine.”

Professor Takanori Takebe, from Yokohama City University, who led the team, predicted the first human transplants in 10 years.

“We are now planning to advance the techniques in the patient,” he said.

“The most important step is how to make a huge amount of liver buds for transplant use because the liver is the largest organ in the body.”

Meanwhile the researchers are already investigating whether the “bud” technique can be extended to other organs such as the pancreas and kidney.

The process mimics what happens during embryonic development, when similar organ buds develop in the womb.

It involved the use of partially differentiated pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, created by tweaking the genes of ordinary skin cells to make them revert to an embryonic state.

Being pluripotent means they behave like embryonic stem cells, having the potential ability to develop into any kind of tissue in the body.

The iPS cell-derived “hepatic progenitors” - liver cell precursors - were combined with connective tissue stem cells and endothelial cells that line blood vessel walls.

“We just simply mixed three cell types, including the human iPS-derived hepatic progenitors, and found that they unexpectedly self-organise to form a three dimensional liver bud,” said Prof Takebe. “This is a rudimentary liver.

“After transplantation of the liver buds, their internal vasculature gets functional and matures in to functional liver tissue. Finally, we proved that liver bud transplantation could offer therapeutic potential against liver failure.”

British experts hailed the research as a major step forward while stressing the many challenges that still had to be overcome.

Stem cell biologist Professor Malcolm Alison, from Queen Mary, University of London, said: “This science opens up the distinct possibility of being able to create mini-livers from the skin cells of a patient dying of liver failure, and when transplanted would not be subjected to immune rejection as happens with conventional transplants today.”

Transplant expert Professor Stuart Forbes, from the Medical Research Council Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, said: “Although exciting, there is still a lot more research needed before this approach could be applied to patients with liver disease.

“The liver buds were small and scaling up to a ‘human relevant size’ may be a challenge, as will creating a true liver structure.

“A further issue is that we are not clear about the long term stability of these stem cell derived cells within a recipient - this would need to be proven before clinical use could be envisaged.”

As well as being developed as replacement organ tissue, the liver buds could also serve as laboratory tools for testing drug toxicity, said the scientists.

The liver is one of the body’s most vital organs and essential to survival. It performs a range of functions including detoxification, protein synthesis and the production of biochemicals necessary for digestion, and plays a major role in metabolism.

Each year more than 16,000 people die from liver disease in the UK, and between 600 and 700 liver transplants are performed.

In the past 20 years, the number of people in the UK who could benefit from a liver transplant is believed to have increased by 90%, but the availability of donor organs has remained unchanged.

Fresh pressure on donor law

THE Scottish Government is facing fresh pressure to follow Wales by backing a controversial “opt-out” system of organ donation when it publishes new plans this month.

The British Medical Association in Scotland yesterday said ministers in Edinburgh should follow the lead of the devolved government in Cardiff which yesterday became the first in the UK to support the plan.

It means instead of “opting-in” to become an organ donor, people will have to specifically ask not to be considered. Backers in Scotland say the move would help slash the waiting list of more than 600 people awaiting a transplant.

TA soldiers to get pensions and benefits

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ARMY reservists are to receive improved benefits and pension entitlements as part of a move to boost the number of part-time troops, the Defence Secretary announced yesterday.

Soldiers who have been made redundant in the recent rounds of Ministry of Defence cuts are being offered £5,000 to sign up as reservists.

The measures are part of a £1.8 billion reorganisation of the reserve forces which will see 38 Territorial Army centres shut down, seven of them in Scotland.

The government aims to drive up the number of reservists in the army from 20,000 to 30,000 and has offered the new package of benefits to attract recruits as it restructures the armed forces.

The size of the regular army is being cut from 102,000 to 82,000, with the new Army Reserve – replacing the TA – making up the shortfall with a much enhanced role.

Among the other benefits being offered include privileged access to employment tribunals for anyone who loses their job as a result of being a reservist.

From April 2015, reservists will be able to accrue armed forces pensions while training, as well as when deployed, and will have access to healthcare benefits similar to those given to serving soldiers.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: “We recognise the extraordinary commitment reservists make and, in return, we commit to deliver the reservists a challenging and rewarding experience, combined with an enhanced remuneration and support package and an improved deal for employers.

“The job we are asking our reservists to do is changing. The way we organise and train them will also have to change.”

The head of the army in Scotland, Major General Nick Eeles, yesterday claimed the defence white paper was a “good deal” for Scotland.

Although seven TA bases would be closed, Maj Gen Eeles said they had few staff and some of the closures would be offset by expansion elsewhere.

He pointed out that Scotland’s TA strength currently stood at 2,286 – some way short of the funded places. Therefore, there would need to be better recruitment in order to fill the 3,700 funded places by 2018.

He said: “I would argue [this] represents a good deal for the army in Scotland. Put another way, over 12 per cent of the UK’s Army Reserve and 15 per cent of its Army Reserve centres will be based in Scotland, delivered by 8.3 per cent of the UK’s population,” Maj Gen Eeles said.

“With this greater representation comes responsibility – we must recruit and retain 3,700 Reserve soldiers into the units that are based in Scotland – a significant challenge when compared to the current TA strength here.

“We should not underestimate the scale of the challenge, but with the measures announced in the White Paper today targeting reservists, families and employers, the requisite uplift can be achieved.”

The bases to be closed are in Wick, Dunoon, Keith, Kirkcaldy. In Dunfermline, Glasgow and Edinburgh three smaller sites will close, but these will be balanced by increases in other parts of these towns and cities.

The closures will also be off set by a new base in Kilmarnock for 6 SCOTS.

Conservative MP Colonel Bob Stewart warned: “Over the last year, recruitment to the Territorial Army, and now the Reserves, has not been great and so I am slightly pessimistic.”

Tim Ripley: Philip Hammond struggles towards battle plan of sorts

AMID Philip Hammond’s announcement on the future of the reserve forces yesterday it was possible – just – to discern a strategy of sorts.

The defence secretary is pushing ahead with controversial plans unveiled in the 2010 strategic defence and security review to fill gaps left by reductions in the regular army with “weekend warriors”.

Large parts of the future army will only be able to be sent to war – or even sent on major training exercises – by the calling up of reservists.

Each reserve unit is now to be partnered with a regular counterpart or a regular brigade headquarters, so the whole will not be able function without both reserve and regular components operating together. This is the key to allowing the army to meet its demanding target to save billions of pounds by making 20,000 regulars redundant.

This makes the regular reliant on its reserve component in a way that it has never been before.

Recruitment to the soon-to-be-renamed Territorial Army has stagnated over the past five years, with only some 19,000 members of the 35,000 strong organisation regularly turning up for duty.

Mr Hammond is trying to address this issue by improving what he termed, the “army reserve offering”, including increasing the pay of reservists, providing compensation to employers who let their staff serve with the reserves and improving employment protection legislation. In times of austerity, this will be a challenge as individual reservists and their employers look at the real costs of reserve service.

For Scotland, the changes to the army reserves have hit two main units hard – 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, and 71 Engineer Regiment – which both see the loss of company sized units as part of the net closure of six training centres in Scotland. The need to align these regiments with their “partner” in the regular army and alleged poor recruiting have all driven these cuts.

While the return from Germany of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards to the RAF Leuchars has created a need for a partner armoured corps reserve unit, leading to the relocation of a yeomanry regimental headquarters to Edinburgh. A new medical squadron is also being set up in Stirling. So Scotland seems to have got off lightly in the army top brass’ reshuffle exercise.

How Scotland’s reserve soldiers and their employers react to these changes will be the true test of whether they endure and provide more combat power for the army.

• Tim Ripley is a defence analyst and commentator

Bullet-riddled US Coastguard dinghy sparks mystery

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A BULLET-riddled US Coastguard dinghy was at the centre of a Transatlantic mystery today after being found drifting upturned off the West coast of Scotland.

The small craft was recovered today by the crew of the RNLI lifeboat at Tobermory.

Tobermory’s Severn class all-weather lifeboat, Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey, was launched shortly before 9.30am this morning following the sighting of an upturned dinghy south of Muck in the Small Isles.

Station spokesman Sam Jones said: “On arrival at the scene, the volunteer crew discovered and righted an aluminium 14 foot dinghy with US Coastguard certification markings. The dinghy appeared to have been in the water for some time and also had what appeared to be bullet holes through the transom and sides.

“Stornoway Coastguard was informed of the situation and the lifeboat recovered the dinghy to Tobermory. The Receiver of Wrecks has been notified.”

The crew who recovered the mystery dinghy had been on their third call out since Monday night. They had previously been called out yesterday following a report of a person in the water off the north west coast of Tiree. The person was found safe and well, having already swum ashore.

And on Monday night the lifeboat was launched following a report of a large orange object floating off the Isle of Muck, 14 miles north of Tobermory. The crew was stood down after finding a large semi-inflated orange marker or buoy approximately five miles south of the Isle of Muck.

Said Mr Jones: “Fortunately this turned out to be a false alarm with good intent. We’re not entirely sure what the object is. Theories range from a ocean racing marker to a naval target.”


Hunt for witness driver after rape claim in taxi

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POLICE are desperately trying to trace a taxi driver who may have witnessed a rape in the back of his black cab.

The devastated 23-year-old woman was allegedly attacked by a man in the rear of the Hackney cab after they were picked up together near the Cav nightclub in Tollcross.

Detectives believe the driver may be a key witness in the case as he drove the pair from the city to Ormiston, East Lothian.

Officers hope that the “distinctive” fare and the victim’s black and white polka dot dress may jog the driver’s memory and prompt him to come

forward.

A month-long hunt for the driver, which has included contacting cab firms and scouring CCTV, has so far drawn a blank.

The inquiry team said they are following a “positive line of inquiry” in relation to the man reported to have been involved.

However, Detective Inspector Carol Craig said it was essential for their inquiries that they trace the missing cabbie.

She said: “We received a report of a rape on June 6 from a woman after she had been in the Cav nightclub on May 31 in the company of friends and a male.

“It appears she became separated from her friends but remained with the male. They were seen leaving the club at 3.20am on June 1.

“She remembers they flagged down a taxi in the Tollcross area. Despite extensive inquiries, we’ve been unable to establish exactly where that was.

“During the journey, the female has reported that a rape was committed by the male in the back of the taxi. She phoned her friend at 4.15am in a distressed state. That is 50 minutes after she left the club.

“The actual route taken by the taxi from Tollcross to Ormiston has not been established. We’ve done extensive inquiries in contacting taxi companies and linking in with our cab office to try and trace the driver. So far that’s proved negative.

“It would be a significant fare to Ormiston, perhaps costing more than £35, so we hope that is distinctive. The woman was also wearing a distinctive black and white polka dot dress and a grey hoodie.”

The inquiry team is working to trace 62 independent black cab drivers to try and eliminate them as potential witnesses.

DI Craig added: “Until we speak to the driver, it would be speculation what he may have seen. That’s why we need to speak to him.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

In March, a 14-year-old girl was raped by two men on a First bus in Glasgow city centre. The bus company later said the bus driver did not know the attack had taken place.

Dundee University in ‘Team Rat’ project success

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A LEADING Scottish animal conservation expert has successfully led the latest phase in a £7.5 million scheme to wipe out the “countless millions” of rats and mice threatening one of the world’s most important seabird sanctuaries in the Southern Atlantic.

• An animal conservationist at Dundee University has successfully led the latest phase in a project to eradicate rodents from a seabird sanctuary

• South Georgia, a British outpost in the Southern Atlantic, is home to 31 bird species currently threatened by rats and mice

The remote British outpost of South Georgia is a vital breeding ground for 31 bird species ranging from the black browed albatross, a seabird with one of the largest wingspans in the world, to the tiny Wilson’s storm petrel.

But for the last 250 years the island has been overrun by the rodents which first came ashore from whaling ships in the late 18th century.

Professor Tony Martin, head of animal conservation at Dundee University, is leading a four-year project, backed by the South Georgia Heritage Trust, dedicated to removing every single rodent from South Georgia and its outlying islands by the end of 2015.

And today he announced the completion of the second phase of the habitat restoration project by “Team Rat” which began in 2011. Prof Martin headed up a 25-strong international team who thinly spread nearly 200 tonnes of baited pellets from three helicopters across territory infested by the rodent from sea level to mountain-top.

A spokesman for the university explained: “Despite battling the worst weather seen in the rugged, glacial landscape in the sub-Antarctic for a decade, they managed to bait 580 square kilometres over the course of 600 flying hours and more than 1,000 individual flights. This means that 70 per cent of the rat-infested areas of South Georgia are now baited, five times larger than any other rodent eradication area.”

Prof Martin, one of the world’s leading experts in whale and dolphin behaviour, said: “I am delighted that we successfully completed phase two of this internationally important conservation project. We battled against the odds with the weather, our biggest enemy, but through great teamwork and planning we managed to meet our target.

“To clear this magnificent island of rodents accidentally introduced by humans has been an ambition of mine for over a decade and I am thrilled we are well on the way to securing this important seabird habitat for future generations.”

A university spokesman said: “Unwittingly, humans have made South Georgia into a unique ecological experiment, and there is considerable potential for research to measure and model the impact of removing the main introduced stressors of the terrestrial habitat.

“Team Rat team consisted of four pilots, two engineers, three chefs, two doctors and field staff with expertise ranging from GPS and data management, to meteorology, polar logistics and an intimate knowledge of South Georgia and its wildlife. Together, this highly experienced group possessed all the skills and expertise needed to tackle every challenge that the island threw at them.”

He continued: “The final area to be baited – the Northwest Zone – was the largest and most challenging of all. At 1,500 feet, flying without a door so they could clearly see the bait drop below, the pilots endured temperatures of -14C. Conditions were so poor that equipment froze solid, and powdery snow threatened to halt the operation so tantalizingly close to completion.”

The spokesman added: “Monitoring over the last two years has shown no sign of rats in the area baited during Phase 1, which took place in 2011. The trust therefore believes that the trial has been successful in eradicating every rat in the area treated in 2011.

“The SGHT is now fundraising for the final season of work on this ambitious £7.5million project. To date, SGHT and its US counterpart Friends of South Georgia Island (FOSGI) have raised some £5million towards completing the eradication project.

“Over the next 12 months, both organisations will work hard to secure the £2.5million required to complete the project in early 2015, when the remaining 300 rodent-infested square kilometres of South Georgia will be baited. A further £500,000 will be required for monitoring to check that no rats or mice remain on the island.”

Richard Benyon, the UK’s Natural Environment Minister, praised the efforts of the team. He said: “I would like to thank everyone involved in this fantastic project and I am delighted that DEFRA has been able to contribute to its success.

“Eradicating rats on this island will help secure the future of the rare birds that breed here and safeguard populations for future generations.”

Graduations - Edinburgh University, 04/07/13

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FULL list of graduands from Edinburgh University graduation ceremonies on 4 July

11.00 Ceremony

Honorary Degree

Doctor Honoris Causa – Dr Gordon Charles Rintoul

Doctor of Philosophy – Bonsall, Laura; Brown, Lisa; Colthurst, Vince; Dumas, Paula; Duncan, Alison; Ledford, Megan; Lewis, Juan; Ratcliff, Garrett; Settle, Louise Karen; Snyder, James; Spooner, Joseph; Stork, Leigh

Master of Science

Forensic Anthropology – Tiliakou, Anthi

History – Huang, Sheng

Master of Science by Research – Hoole, Maya

Postgraduate Diploma

Archaeology – Zhang, Chen

Forensic Anthropology – Campbell, Louise

Gender History – Baker, Alexandra

Master of Arts with Honours

Ancient and Medieval History – Goldsmith, Daniel; Jarratt, Rhiannon; Keller, Daniel; Leppard, Alexander; Lindeman, Florence; Merrill, Charles; Moscardini, Anna; Shaw, Hannah

Ancient History and Classical Archaeology – Anderson, Fay; Blackwell, Jack; Bouaoun, Francesca; Brabbs, Samuel; Burnside, Anna; Burton, Hannah; Callander, Ludovic; Cree, David; Jones, Ciara; Park, Gemma

Ancient History and Greek – Donisthorpe, Christopher

Ancient History and Latin – Roberts, Brynmor

Ancient History – Anderson, Kate; Angrave, Joshua; Banks, Joanna; Bosley, James; Hicks, Peter; Holloway, Nicholas; Huxter, Katharine; James, David; Jenkins, Richard; King, Andrew; Louis, Thomas; McCole, Hayley; Murdoch, Eric; Myerscough, Ruth; St Clair-Charles, Orlando; Thomson, Anna; Truscott, Geoffrey; Valentine, Liam; Wilson, Ruth; Winford, Margaret; Wood, Emily

Ancient Mediterranean Civilisations – Heydari-Fard, Annahita; Huggett, Victoria

Archaeology and Social Anthropology – Lacey, Alice

Archaeology – Anderson, Stephen; Baston, Amy; Brousse, Aurelie; Dinning, Stuart; Droog, Christopher; Elias, Fiona; Fox, Douglas; Grillanda, Andreas; Higgin, Kelly; Horgan, Sophie; McGinlay, Louise; Nicol, Sarah; Portwood, Jack; Roper, Katie; Voon, Juliet; Wallace, Hannah; Williamson, Samantha

Classical Studies – Barnes, Theodore; Currie, Alex; Emara, Sara; Fraser, Juliana; Hadden, Sophie; Jeffreys, Rhiannon; Joshi, Vinay; Kimmelman, Joseph; Macfadyen, Katie; Mannion, Orlagh; McArdle, James; McConville, Violet; Murray, Andrew; Seccombe, Tilly; Somers, Róisín; Webb, Lauren

Classics – Al-Mulla, Rosanna; Beedle, Fern; Clarke, Ruth; Clark, Scarlett; Harman, Henrietta-Isabella; Harris, Ben; Hunter Johnston, Alice; Jones, Harry; Keiller, Rebecca; Kendall, Benjamin; Mobbs, Andrew; Morgan, Rhian; Sharpe, Angus; Worrall, Lily

Economic and Social History – Botting, Henry; Freyne, Theodore; Jackson, Elise; Kelly, James; MacAri, Nico; Speed, Sam; Thorburn, Jack; Timson, Jamie; Wilson, Laurence

Economic History and Business Studies – Spink, Campbell; Wood, Chris

Economic History – Akamune-Miles, Yasmine; Hansford, Elizabeth; Stuve, Ida

History and Archaeology – Barfield Marks, Maya

History and Classics – Coull, Angus; Fullarton, Euan; Jabir, Hamza; Kitto, Elizabeth

History and History of Art – Drewitt, Oscar; Monaghan, Sophie; Perelman, Hailey; Power, Holly; Smith, Harry; Telling, Hannah; Watson, Jennifer

History and Politics – Alexander, Katie; Barber, John; Baumont De Oliveira, Alexandra; Bianchi, Gregory; Dickson, Scott; Dixon, Rachel; Dolfe, Sofia; Iveson, Jennifer; Jerinkic, Aleksandar; Jones, Iona; Kingwill, Steven; Pont, Rachel; Pringle, Rebecca; Scotland, James; Scott, Lorna; Snower, Rebecca; Williams, Meredith

History and Scottish History – Lynch, Callum

History and Sociology – McNeill, Craig; Robinson, Lynsey

History – Abernethy, Sally; Adams, Jessica; Aitchison, Christopher; Allen, Mark; Allighan, Robaidh; Amos, Lucy; Anderson, Michael; Anderson, Oliver; Ash, Madeleine; Baillieu, Edward; Banerji, Deb; Barber, Piers; Barltrop, Mitchell; Bateson, Thomas; Bertram, Tarquin; Bjelis, Luka; Blackburn, Andrew; Blance, Heather; Bond, Jane; Brien, Fraser; Brown, Kate; Brown, Stephanie; Buchanan-Smith, Jessica; Busby, Ishbel; Callin, Natasha; Carr, Hannah; Clark, Alex; Clarke, Jenny; Clark, Vikki; Coghlan, Phoebe; Col-Spector, Audrey; Cordell, Jake; Couttie, James; Crichton, Richard; Daly, Calum; Davidson, Holly; Davis, Jonathan; Dean, Jessica; De Verteuil, Ashleigh; Drennan, Alasdair; Duchateau, Adam; Dudzinski, Adam; Duffy, Peter; Dunmore, Emma; Ellis, Geraint; Ellis, William; Evelegh, James; Fairley, Morven; Farmer, Rachel; Fauchier, David; Fish, Camilla; Foster, Anna; Foubister, Kate; Fraser, Edmund; Fuke, Laura; Gaukroger, Albert; Gibson, Mariella; Gibson, Sean; Ginn, Leigh; Gorman, James; Graham, Francesca; Grant, Alistair; Gray, Christopher; Hall, Katy; Hall, Lewis; Hamill, Louise; Hanly, Dominic; Harris, Robert; Hay, Emily; Helm, Laura; Henry, Craig; Henstock, Harry; Hessel, Victoria; Hill, Alastair; Hobhouse, Anna; Holford, Phoebe; Horwich, Caroline; Huckerby, Michael; Huddart, Ellis; Hutchison, Finlay; Irving, Kirsty; Jess, Rebecca; Johnston, Murray; Jones, Jade; Jumman, Alicia; Kernohan, Marcus; Kingsbury, Brian; Knight, Katharine; Kyte, Hannah; Langley, Catriona; Leonard, Philip; Leon, Naomi; Lidington, Laurence; MacKay, Murray; MacKellar, Alexandra; MacLachlan, Colin; Malcolm, Kyle; Martyn-Hemphill, Richard; Maudslay, Sophia; McCarthy, Peter; McCole, Caitlin; McNish, Rory; Mehrdad, Mana; Melville, Neil; Meredith-Owen, Eloise; Merz, Stella; Mildred, James; Moor, Sarah; Mullarkey, Shauna; Newby, Kate; Newsam, Isabella; Nicholson, Rachel; Nikkhah, Noelle; O’Driscoll, Ciara; O’Morchoe, Frances; Oommen, Joshua; Parr, Amy; Paul, James; Porter, Karen; Pywell, Katrina; Reeves, Alexandra; Reynolds, Sarah; Rigney, Laura; Ring, Samuel; Roper, Lucy; Ross, Alan; Ross, Morven; Ross, William; Sandell, Malin; Saunders, Craig; Scobie, Isabelle; Scott, Helen; Scott, Kayleigh; Shorthouse, Elisabeth; Smith, Alan; Souster, Isobel; Standish-Hayes, Lucy; Standring, Hannah; Steel, John; Strange, John; Thomas, Isabel; Tocher, Benjamin; Trowles, Susannah; Veevers, Sam; Versluys, Thomas; Wachter, Lioba; Walshe, Siobhan; Watts, Grace; Waugh, Christopher; White, Rachael; Whittingham, Emma; Williamson, Jamie; Williams, Rhodri; Wilson, Lorna; Woodward, Christopher

Latin Studies – Lentle, Sophie

Scottish History – Barr, Dougal; Chalmers, Katrina; Clarkson, Finlay; Ford, Ewan; Hisbent, Wendy; Robertson, Mark; Ward, Darren

Social History – Tomi, Georgia; Warren, Anna

Bachelor of Arts (Humanities and Social Science) – Coates, Graham; Edmunds, Michael; Poskitt-Marshall, Calum

Undergraduate Diploma of Higher Education – Borthwick, Tomas; Camp, Scott; McVean, Laura; Pascoe, Natalie

Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education – Coogan, Rebecca; Fraser, Jack; Luini, Mattia; Romano, Francesca; Sherrington, Isla

15.00 Ceremony

Doctor of Philosophy – Ames, Sarah; Aussems, Johannes; Brown, Keith; Court, Andrew; Fraser Fujinaga, Antonia; Hines, Sara; Hoene, Christin; Humayun, Sarah; Leach, Robert; O’Neill, Fionnuala; Shalaby, Mahmoud; Stanford, Amanda; Starkey, Janet; Walton, Samantha; Zapsu Watt, Hande

Postgraduate Diploma

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies – Rossi Raman, Anna

Literature And Modernity: 1900 to the Present – Gallo, Gabriela

Translation Studies – Hydrick, Christopher

Master of Arts (General) with Honours – White, Kenneth

Master of Arts with Honours

Arabic and Economics – Belin, Matej

Arabic and French – Moody, Fay

Arabic and Persian – Grafen, Tessa; Samulski, Anna

Arabic and Politics – Leach, Stephanie; Muaqat, Bilal; Patey, Thomas; Sliwinska, Paulina

Arabic and Social Anthropology – Hanley-Moyle, Telche

Arabic and Spanish – Green, Amanda; Humphries, Ashleigh; Smeaton-Russell, Katherine

Arabic – Bogg-Hargroves, Clementine; Dobbs, Olivia; Entwistle, Maia; Gray, Kevin; Lehikoinen, Mikko; Milsom, Chelsea; Randle, Lloyd

Celtic and English Literature – Britton, Mhairi

Celtic and German – Brunton, Chrissie

Celtic and Linguistics – Everton, Guy

Celtic – MacKay, Charlotte

Chinese and German – Marshall, Emma

Chinese and History – Creery, Angela; Knowles, Andrew

Chinese and Linguistics – Chestnut, Peter

Chinese and Social Anthropology – Nicholson, Martha

Chinese – Davidson, Poppy; Donaldson, Charles; Ghent, Meghan; Kerkvliet, Saskia; MacPhail, Grace; Martin, Rosie; Obiakpani-Guest, Edijana; Pack, Rachael; Pang, Serrena; Tagima, Holly; Williams, Anitra

English and Scottish Literature – Drummond, Jade; Duncan, Rosemary; Peters, Aaron; Spence, Karen; Stormont, Angela

English Literature and Classics – Cook, Roxana; MacKie, Lynne; MacLeod, Shayna; MacSween, Christina; McDonald, Matthew; McKeon, Allison; Yeomans, Gillian

English Literature and History – Bose, Priyanka; Brand, Anna; Cashmore, Emma; Conway, Megan; Hagan, Jenni; Haji Ismail, Khairunnisa; Hand, Ruth; Hunnisett, Emma; Iversen, Stuart; MacLeod, Siobhan; Mitchell, Francesca; Morrison, Lorna; Mott, Jonathan; Nordtomme, Julie; Orrell, James; Peel, Emma; Smith, Nathanael; Stainsby, Sarah; Toogood, Christine; Wedderburn, Karen; Williams, Lara; Willie, Lydia; Woodall, Connie

English Literature – Anfield, Rosemary; Bechelli, Lorena; Bedford, Emily; Bennett, Charlotte; Bernhard, David; Bloom, Adam; Bremner, Grace; Brown, Heather; Burns, Camille; Burr, Katherine; Campbell, Hannah; Chalkley, Alice; Colquhoun, Neil; Crook, Fergus; Dallyn, Polly; Dammone, Harriet; David, Tessa; Downing, Joe; Duff, Ailis; Ebdale, Elizabeth; Edlund, Sophia; Edwards, Bronwen; Edwards, Emily; Edwards, Ryan; Ellis, Meghan; Fergus, Frederick; Geake, Lucy; Griffiths, Katharine; Hanrahan, Patrick; Hauser, Holt; Hayward, Jennifer; Hazell, Laura; Hoggan, Lucy; Hussain, Farya; Kanabar, Priyal; Kane, Robert; Lawrie, Jamie; Lee, Tsz Kiu; Lister, Kate; Madden, Victoria; Mainland, Ruth; McCaughey, Kevin; McDonald, Caitlin; Meehan, Emma; Melton, Abigail; Middleditch, Henry; Mitchell, Sarah; Nelson-Addy, Lesley; Pemberton, Sophia; Porter, Sam; Procter, Becca; Puolanto Sjostrand, Siiri; Rafferty, Olivia; Randon, Elizabeth; Reid, Martin; Robey, Olivia; Roele, Josephine; Shall, Kate; Shane, Emma; Steedman, Emma; Suswillo, Anna; Tait, Camilla; Tambling, Benjamin; Tan, Yun; Thompson, Alexandra; Tobin, Miriam; Twine, Ellen; Van Der Lingen, Saskia; Vartparonian, Ardash; Wilkins, Emma; Wright, Carmen

French and Classics – Parr, Louise

French and English Language – Cole, Jennifer

French and English Literature – Casson, Louisa; Duncan, Kara; Gavshon Brady, Adam; Howarth, Sarah; Jones, Christopher; Kinsky, Tatiana; Low, Rebecca; Morgan-Griffiths, Yasmin; Morris, Jennifer; Muhwezi, Sandra; Sulmoni, Tanya

French and European Union Studies – Bahlsen, Samuel; Mcguire, Sarah; Milne, Carly; Turowska, Julia; Walters, Nicola

French and German and European Union Studies – Kelly, Stephanie; McGowan, Lucy; Salamone, Anthony

French and German – Ahnelov, Petra; Akehurst, Peter; Brown, Tricia; Liddle, Georgia; Liu, En-Chi; McCabe, Mitch; McGettigan, Kate; Scott, Laura; Shore, Benjamin; Tadhunter, Jessica; Viksne, Ilze

French and History – Beasley, Kimberley; Bishop, Emma; McKenna, James

French and History of Art – Achurch, Gillian; Hall, Rebecca; Jarrett, Miranda; Okolie, Nkiru

French and Italian and European Union Studies – Newsome, Beatrix

French and Italian – Alonzi, Riccardo; Ashcroft, Rachel; MacDonald, Archie; Nicholson, Harriet; Pearce, Sophie; Sian, Sophie

French and Linguistics – Bell, Rachel; Crawford, Rebecca; Foster, Eliza; Goodrick, Samantha; Groves, Isabel; John, Katie

French and Philosophy – Eagle-Hull, Rose

French and Politics – Lewis, Ria; Stoddart, Laura; Tweedie, James

French and Russian Studies – Jones, Holly

French and Scandinavian Studies – Cucuta, Felicia

French and Social Policy – Cochrane, Lyndsay

French and Spanish And European Union Studies – Baxter, Emma; Behringer, Eva; McCartan, Aidan; Montanari, Giulia

French and Spanish – Barnfield, Jessica; Barrington, Laura; Bissett, Sophie; Bladon, Jack; Bowie, Lauren; Calzavara, Lorenzo; Coulson, Sinead; Crawley, Hannah; Currie, Megan; De Pass, Marina; Donnelly, Clare; Fellowes, Camilla; Gardner, Helen; Gascoigne, Sally; Hanks, Charles; Henderson, Rachel; Hillgarth, Olivia; MacFarlane, Kirstie; MacGillivray, Rhian; Marajh, Ryan; Morgan, India; Mundy, Sarah; Nicolson, Joanne; Parsons, Edmund; Phillips, Oliver; Pigott, James; Richards, Katie; Richoux, Paul; Ryan, Charlotte; Smith, Jennifer; Strachan, Tara; Watson, Sarah; Whittingham, Benjamin; Whyte, Kirstie; Windle, Zoe

French – Ames, Francesca; Anderson, Rachel; Behr, Juliette; Finch, Kate; Longley-Cook, Amy; Main, Katie; Peddie, Nathan; Templeton, Sharon; Warby, Isabel

German and English Language – Armstrong, Steffen

German and English Literature – Bunter, Amali; Fedko-Blake, Varvara; Finn, Charlotte; O’Connor, Eva; Rizq, Victoria

German and History – Cheatle, Alice; Dawson, Jack; Kelsey, Sarah; MacPherson, William; Pritchard, Andreas; Wermenbol, Grace

German and Italian – Waheed, Tanya

German and Linguistics – Atkinson, Richard

German and Philosophy – Pauley, Lydia

German and Politics – Coates, Veronica; Colton, Velvet

German and Russian Studies – Cranston, Chloe; Long, Heather

German and Scandinavian Studies – Mills, Synamon

German and Spanish and European Union Studies – Albar De Cala, Robin

German and Spanish – O’Hagan, Isabel

German – Banks, Catherine; Cathrae, Gregg; Green, Myles; Johnson, Thomas; Keen, Verity; McWhirter, Rachel; Nimmo, Kirsten; Prest, Edward; Sims, Robert

Italian and Business Studies – McGrath, Roisin

Italian and English Language – Davies, Emma; Gwyther, Frances; Rodén, Christina

Italian and English Literature – Churchill, Anna; Collins, Paul; Drennan, Hannah; MacKenzie, Alasdair; Marx, Sophie

Italian and History – Bromage, Frances; Denvir, Alex

Italian and History of Art – Kociak, Alexandra; Sutton, Clare; Tyson, Emily

Italian and Philosophy – Canneti, Cosima

Italian and Spanish – Doran, Olivia; Dyer, Chris; Grainger, Hanne

Italian – Addison, Caitlin; Rennie, Hannah

Japanese and Linguistics – Kumar, Gautam; Shearer, Alison

Japanese – Brown, Natasha; Copsey, Alexander; Cseke, Imola; Gourlay, Lorraine; Hauken, Kristian; Martin Iglesias, Ruben; McGeoch, Louie; Murata, Hiroki; Page, Yumi; Robertson, Benjamin

Middle Eastern Studies – May, Rachel; Turak, Natasha

Portuguese and English Literature – McDougall, Andrew

Russian Studies and Business Studies – Sniak, Jekaterina

Russian Studies and English Language – Louis, Elizabeth

Russian Studies and English Literature – Forth, Georgia; Oldervoll, Sigrid

Russian Studies and History – Anderson, Alasdair; Watton, Sophie

Russian Studies and Politics – Le Quesne, Vivienne

Russian Studies and Spanish and European Union Studies – Hell, Markus

Russian Studies and Spanish – Buczynska, Emilia; Hammond, Lydia; Morrison, Samantha

Russian Studies – Arkwright, Jack; Kay, Euan; Tazbir, Justyna

Scandinavian Studies and Classics – Clarke, Chanel

Scandinavian Studies and English Literature – Nikolova, Desislava

Scandinavian Studies and History – Klys, Simon; Sjogren, Sanna; Telfer, Rory

Scandinavian Studies and Linguistics – Manahova, Elitsa

Scandinavian Studies and Spanish – Andries, Valentina

Scandinavian Studies – Evans, Golda; Martin, Kristian; Robinson, Helen; Wodzka, Izabella; Zorab, Emily

Scottish Ethnology and English Literature – Hurst, Lewis; McMillan, Catriona

Scottish Literature – Ainsworth, Emma; MacPherson, Katie; Patten, Joe; Wells, Jenna

Scottish Studies – Connarty, Pauline; Orkney, Scott

Spanish and Business Studies – Kassatly, Francis; McGowan, Aine; Porter, Hannah

Spanish and English Literature – Frost, Natasha; Jeyarajah, Angeli; McGrath, Olivia; Sweeney, Rebecca; Tetley, Elizabeth

Spanish and History – Burnet, Katie; Cavell, Helena; Criddle, Stephanie; Kemp, Bryony; O’Shaughnessy, Amber; Pease, Alice; Twiston-Davies, Sophie

Spanish and History of Art – Barbour, Elinor; Carruthers, Emilie; Pronobis, Pawel

Spanish and Linguistics – Elder, Laura

Spanish and Politics – Cobb, Julia; Eccles-Williams, Patrick; Firth, Jessica; Grieve, Hannah; MacKenzie, Myriam; Monteith, Jennifer

Spanish and Portuguese – Eadie, Olivia; Gokay, Ada; Holt, Alexandra; Jackson, Nicola; King, Richie

Spanish and Social Anthropology – Howard, Kate

Spanish – Hewitt, Alice; Hughes, Nicole; Lacey, Thomas; Milligan, Charles; Silva, Catherine; Timaeus, Sacha; Zhang, Yunzi

Bachelor of Arts (Humanities and Social Science) – Dannreuther, Adam; Dunlop, Alexander; Hamilton, Benoni; Hazeel, Jamie; Irving, Samuel; Vallon, Michael

Master of Arts (General) – Thurrott, Julienne

Undergraduate Diploma of Higher Education – Ainuddin, Qaleem; Khan, Jibran; MacLennan, Martin; Marot, Ellaline; Paoli, Michael; Watson, Rebecca

Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education – Coady, Matthew; Deveney, Thomas; Diggory, Olivia; Gilbert, Tom; Grenier, Alys; Hicklin, Archie; Kemp-Griffin, Briony; Pajak, Alasdair; Rathband, Emma; Walker, Jenny; White, Kenneth

Graduations - University of Aberdeen, 04/07/13

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FULL list of graduands from University of Aberdeen graduation ceremonies on 4 July

11.00 Ceremony

Honorary Degree

Degree of Doctor of Music – Ralph Allwood MBE BA Hon FRSCM Hon ARAM, Choral Conductor

Arts & Social Sciences

Higher Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy – Piroska Magdolna Balint; Lesley Elizabeth Dickson; Kenneth James Keir; Esmaeil Momtaz; Stephanie Saint

Master of Letters – Taught Programmes

Creative Writing – Emily Kathryn Utter with Distinction

Ethnology and Folklore – Hazel Anderson Macfarlane with Commendation

Undergraduate Degrees

Master of Arts

Designated Degrees

English – Kayleigh Anne Heather Gordon; Simona Luzanskyte; Shamiso Zvandasara

Film and Visual Culture – Michael John Minion

French Studies – Marion Jane Anderson

Honours Degrees

Celtic Civilisation-History – Marketa Chvalkovska; Luisa Nienhaus

Celtic Civilisation-Language and Linguistics – Roisin McAleavy

Celtic Studies – Phoenix Archer; Sarah Moir

English – Thomas Baker; Maryem Bouzid with First Class Honours; Maxine Bruce; Molly Beth Burlingame; Alexander Burrows with First Class Honours; Nathan Paul Chadwick; Jessica Cregg; Harriet Dew; Marjorie Elizabeth Duncan; Stefan Gabriel Eldridge-Gatti; Ben Thomas Fischer-Deeks; Robert Michael Hannaford; Gavin Hastings; Siobhan Hewison; Lauren Houghton; Fiona Rose Houston with First Class Honours; Laura Jamison; James William Kavanagh; Oscar Richard Kelly; Marsalaidh Kelman; Emma Kempsell; William Connor Lea; John Geoffrey Lewis; Sinead Lyons; Calum McConnachie; Kirsty MacDonald; Mark MacDonald; Rhona MacDonald; Olivia McIntosh; Evelyn Deborah McKay with First Class Honours; James Roderick MacKinnon with First Class Honours; Grace McMurdo; Megan Marshall; Anthony Matthews; Catherine Alice Muir; Charlotte Packer with First Class Honours; Martin Podlucki; Grant Rae; Connor James Rambellas Roche; Alicia Jennifer Caroline Ramsay; Conor Michael Riordan; Eoin Colin Ivor Smith; Philippa Smith with First Class Honours; Amy Bell Spencer; Stewart Steele; Derek Findlay Stewart with First Class Honours; Mark Anthony Swift; Heather Teague; Caitlin Jane Trail; Jed Richard Vanhagen; Linda Margaret Verbiest; Douglass Virdee with First Class Honours; Edward Walker; Katherine Watson; Benjamin Charles Woodhead

English-Film and Visual Culture – Annabelle Braithwaite; Susan Molloy; Laura-Leigh Murray; Rachael Thomson

English-French – Christopher Chambers Morley Anderson; Callum Wilson

English-French (Mode B) – Ntianu Obiora

English-Gaelic Studies – Veronique Carole Gabrielle Heijnsbroek

English-Hispanic Studies – Isobel McKenzie; Laura Jane Ritchie; Erin Webster

English-History – Ashley Adams; Naomi Begg; Chloe Margaret Bruce with First Class Honours; Kirsten Rachel Cameron; Jack Stanley Clement; Matthew James Francis; Tasneem Mahmoud; Kate Louise Smith with First Class Honours; Alexander John Thain

English-History of Art – Sarah Margaret Banks; Rebecca Jane Barratt; Nicholas Lingard Brodie; Nathan Frederick Garden; Fiona Johnston; Corinna Leenen; Liz Louis with First Class Honours; Helen Frances Murray

English-International Relations – Aretha Kay Lue Robertson

English-Language and Linguistics – Adrian Budnik; Stephanie Dobbie; Sarah Jane Drysdale; Sophie Louise Kendall; Richi James Alexander Macrae; Aurore Maria Potalivo

English-Literature in a World Context – Joseph Grainger; Lauren Ceri Picton

English-Philosophy – Daniel Alfred John Absolon with First Class Honours; Ruaridh Crosher; Bethany Rodgers

English-Sociology – Joanna Alison Rachael Inglis

English and Scottish Literature – Patrick Andrew Brusnahan

European Studies – Hannah Gibalowski; Alexandra Maria Hammerl; Jennifer O’Neill; Juliane Schmidt with First Class Honours; Sanna-Mari Tuunanen

Film and Visual Culture – Marcin Dobrowolski with First Class Honours; Tara Louise Fitzpatrick; James Daniel Stokes Mattick; Julie Murphy; Gemma Schofield

Film and Visual Culture –Hispanic Studies – Daniel Simpson; Tomas Vasko

Film and Visual Culture-History of Art – Vivi Marianne Brooke; Aileen Campbell

Film and Visual Culture- Literature in a World Context – Ellinoora Elina Havaste with First Class Honours

Film and Visual Culture-Management Studies – Zuzanna Anna Szczepecka with First Class Honours

Film and Visual Culture-Philosophy – Ilmari Olavi Mikael Suortti

French Studies – Lisanne Alicia Eva Maria Faassen; Elaine Scott with First Class Honours and with Distinction in Spoken French

French-Geography – Amy Alison Dewhurst

French-German – Katriona Louise Armstrong; Erica Marriott; Anna-Hélène Petitt with First Class Honours and with Distinction in Spoken German

French-Hispanic Studies – Katarína Drábiková with Distinction in Spoken Spanish; Laura Jane Helen MacRitchie; Kristie Lyn Miller; Rebekah Elizabeth Woolley with First Class Honours

French-History (Mode B) – Kit Mackenzie Gilchrist

French-International Relations – Julie Anne Geyer; Laura-Yentel Jacobsen; Sarah Emily Owen

French-International Relations (Mode B) – Elizabeth Gloria Nwakego Aniemena; Irene Marchi with First Class Honours

French-Language And Linguistics – Lyn Goldsworthy with Distinction in Spoken French; Polly Victoria Grice

French-Legal Studies – Kathryn Louise Cumming with Distinction in Spoken French

French-Management Studies – Tamara Wright with Distinction in Spoken French

French-Mathematics – Briony Jane Blair with Distinction in Spoken French

Gaelic Studies – Sandra Jean Malley with First Class Honours; Eleanor Margaret Wood

Gaelic Studies-Religious Studies – Rosaidh Helen Phillips with First Class Honours

German-Hispanic Studies – Rachael Work

German-International Relations – Emily Beever

German- Language and Linguistics – Anna Elisabeth Vidtfeldt

German- Language and Linguistics (Mode B) – Sarah Jane Kohn with First Class Honours and with Distinction in Spoken German

German- Literature in a World Context (A) – Jodie Prentice

German- Management Studies – Ewa Gajewska

German- Politics – Agata Sylwia Jaroszewicz

German with Music Studies – Yu Hing Wong

Hispanic Studies (Latin America) – Alice Arnott; Jamie Alistair Wilson

Hispanic Studies (Spain) – Blair Munro Bowman; Samantha Finlayson; Elizabeth Kay; Natalia Zakrzewska

Hispanic Studies (Spain) (Mode B) – Salsabiel Masood

Hispanic Studies-International Relations – Laura Siobhan Leonard with Distinction in Spoken Spanish; Helen Osborn; Adam David Shaw with Distinction in Spoken Spanish

Hispanic Studies-Language and Linguistics – Samantha Campbell; Elizabeth Anne Dunne

Hispanic Studies-Management Studies – Alice Jane Ryan with First Class Honours

Language and Linguistics – Malene Aspesaeter; Alison James-Moore; Fiona Lawson; Eloise Phillipa Cecelia Leeson; Zoe Mignot; Leigh Thornton; David Allister James Warren with First Class Honours; Catriona E A White; Rebecca Williamson; Ben Young

Language and Linguistics-Sociology – Morag Stirling with First Class Honours

Literature in a World Context – David Nicholas Green; Lionel Marc Moreau with First Class Honours; Laura Penny with First Class Honours; Joseph Edward Rankine

3.00 PM Ceremony

Honorary Degree

Degree of Doctor of Laws – Justice Albert Louis Sachs BA LLB PhD LLD

Human Rights Activist and former Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa

College of Arts & Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching – Dr Arnar Arnason, School of Social Science

Arts & Social Sciences

Higher Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy – Nail Farkhatdinov; Magdalena Maria Gilewicz; Laura Graham; Rachel Le Noan; Krisanaphong Poothakool; Anke Roexe; Irene Watt

Master Of Science

Taught Programmes

International Relations – Anetor Samuel Irenen; Elisabeth Stafford with Distinction

Undergraduate Degrees

Master of Arts

Designated Degrees

Anthropology – Donna Helen Slater

Sociology – Cora Ewen; Emma Macewan; Jill Pirie

Honours Degrees

Anthropology – Naomi Medora May Ashby; Gioia Anantha Barnbrook with First Class Honours; Cassandra Mary Telford Fallon with First Class Honours; Hannah Lorne Gray; Federico Guglielmino; Ruth Horlock; Nathan James Scott Jackson; Michaela Marie Johnson; Ashleigh Sarah Jones with First Class Honours; Jadwiga Krzeczek with First Class Honours; Jenny Maria Linder; Cornelius Lingg; Joanna Alexandra Lovatt with First Class Honours; Miriam Hannah McSharry; Della-ria Jay Middleton; Jonathan Martin Murray; Tomasz Muszynski; Anneli Elisabeth Nurminen with First Class Honours; Laura Isabel Piredda; Susan Kathryn Young

Anthropology-Behavioural Studies – Lisa Forsyth

Anthropology-English – Rebecca Win Anderson; Hugo David Simpson Blanshard

Anthropology-Film & Visual Culture – Lisa Kay Marley; Michelle Ntow

Anthropology-French – Jessica Anne Fontaine

Anthropology-Geography – Emily Lynn Richards

Anthropology-Hispanic Studies – Matylda Wierietielny

Anthropology-Hispanic Studies (Mode B) – Jessica Marie Thornton with First Class Honours

Anthropology-International Relations – Marta Cicalkova with First Class Honours; Anna-Christina Gräfin v. der Schulenburg; Daphne Heijdelberg; Rebecca Wilson

Anthropology-Politics – Emily Rowan Poore with First Class Honours

Anthropology-Religious Studies – William James Philip Jaggard

Anthropology-Sociology – Camilla Harrison; Laura Mackay

Film & Visual Culture - International Relations – Lucette Ahouangnimon

International Relations-Language and Linguistics – Agnieszka Kartasinska

International Relations-Legal Studies – Nigar Dadashzade; Marianne Knoph Fallang; Leah Hutchison; Marie Kienast; Samantha Louise Worsley

International Relations-Management Studies – Mirlan Almazbek Uulu; Pedro Miguel De Carvalho Fernandes; Katarzyna Jaworska; Réka Koloh; Milica Stojanovic

International Relations-Sociology – Bright Amponsah; Melissa Barnes; Vera Queiroz De Oliveira Caldeira Da Silva; Jonathan Peter Crichton; Katherine Elizabeth Jones; Victoria Macadam; Caitlin Mary Macfarlane; Alex Ann Murray; Claire Louise Wheelans

Politics And International Relations – Gillian Karen Adam; Sadia Ahmed; Linzi Jennifer Allan; Charles David Anderson; Helene Victoria Baeckstroem with First Class Honours; Alastair James Ballantyne; Eugenie Blyth; Eva Luca Borbely; Nesrine Bouguerra; Lewis Brennan; Georgia Bryden; Struan Richard Charters with First Class Honours; Kathryn L Childers; Madeleine Josephine Clarke; Ross Varnam Collier; Oisin Peter Conway; Kriss Sandford Cunningham; Ewa Sylwia Czerwinska; Matthew Dawson; Samuel Deasy; Shakti Sri Devapura; Caitlin Helen Docker; Corrie Alyson Drumm; Megan Dunn; Craig Esplin; Sophie Louise Garden; Adam Gourevitch; Kevin Alexander Gregor; Liisi Aino Maria Hakalisto; Stuart Iain Hewitt; Judith Huber; Amy Louise Ilyine; Lucas John Jones; Renathe Axten Jørnsen; Jack Keays with First Class Honours; Sarah Kilgariff; Robyn Kinniburgh-Clough; Noora Ida Eveliina Kinnunen; Josh Knox; Tom Lawman; David Lawrence; Anneli Lepp; J. Marc McCorkell; Daniel Stephen McCroskrie; Gordon Stuart McKechnie; Sophie McLeman; Fraser Struan McMillan with First Class Honours; Iain Douglas McNab; Mallory Claire McNally; Miika Janne Samuli Martemo; Kirstie Shonagh Matthew; Robert Andrew Paul Melhuish; Rory Alexander Mellis; Maja Mitchell; Katja Elizabeth Dahl Murphy; Paul O’Leary; Kingsley Chika Onwubiko; Janet Dede Amma Onyia; David Andrew Paterson; George Matthew Joseph Pilley; Jonathan Alec Roger Potton with First Class Honours; Christina Rebecca Prothmann with First Class Honours; Everhard A H Raafs; Alexandra Remond with First Class Honours; Samuel Josh Rogers; Krete Roose; Franziska Rundfeldt; Theis Rytoft Nielsen; Laura Elizabeth Seaton; Gavin David Stuart Shepherd; Natalie Strachan; Thomas Alexander Nabor Tucker; Johanna Wallin with First Class Honours; Monica Jane Weir; Malgorzata Wietrzynska; Gabriela Williams; Stuart Charles Wyllie; Vita Zaporozcenko

Politics-Sociology – Rachel Claire Edmunds; Joseph Louis Gallagher; Lisa Marie Irvine; Catriona Louise McGregor; Kyle Allan Shand

Sociology – Dawn Anderson; Tessa Kassia Jane Armstrong; Andrew Callum Atkins; Judith J Bain; Kathryn Patricia Birrell; Fiona Christine Boase; Emma Louise Connor; Kristian Hennelund Kjaergaard; Lynsey Fiona Lawson; Kristina Lebedeva; Aapo Otso Nestori Lempinen; Tyler Aiden Ligertwood; Ailsa Helen McDonald; Tracy Ann Middleton; Ferghal James Molloy; Charlotte Elizabeth May Pink; Anthea Potsides; Michael Reid; Susan Renda; Ruth Sneddon; Amanda Margaret Stewart; Amber Stewart; Grace Joanna Mackenzie Wilson; Nassif James Younes with First Class Honours

11.00 Ceremony

Honorary Degree

Degree of Doctor of Music – James Anthony O’Donnell KCSG, MA, FRCO

Organist and Master of the Choristers of Westminster Abbey

Arts & Social Sciences

Higher Degrees

Master of Science

Taught Programme – Studies in Mindfulness – Norton Graham Bertram-Smith with Commendation

Undergraduate Degrees

Master of Arts

Honours Degrees

Education (Primary)-Geography – Kathryn Mhairi MacIver with First Class Honours

Education (Primary)-Hispanic Studies Mode A – Sinead Margaret Paterson

Education (Primary)-International Relations – Kayleigh Helen Forbes

Education (Primary)-Psychology – Jodi Lauren Morrison

Education (Secondary)-English – Fern Elizabeth Lindsay

Education (Secondary)-Geography – Christopher McLagan

Education (Secondary)-International Relations – Sharri-Louise Holroyd

Educational Studies-English – Sandy Her Zhu

Education

Higher Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy – Rim Riyad Mouawad; Ross Whyte

Master of Education

Taught Programmes

Advanced Professional Studies (Chartered Teacher) – Margaret Jaqueline Bingham; Darrell Ann Davidson; Hayley Fiona Gray; Yvonne Isobel Mackay

Advanced Professional Studies (E-Learning) – Ruth Elizabeth Samson

Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor Of Education

Primary

Designated Degree – Jacqueline Clark

Honours Degrees – Sabrina Iona Alexander; Cathryn Anderson; Kirsten Anderson; Deborah Bennett; Samuel Alistair Birkett; Jennifer Jean Bloomfield; Lynsey Evelyn Bremner; Olivia Rose Bremner; Rebecca Bremner; Nancy-Lee Brown; Anne-Marie Brownie; Chloe Bruce; Nicola Buchan; Rachael May Canale; Rebecca Carle; Lyndsey Laura Carmichael; Shannon Gail Carmichael; Samantha Coull; Katherine Crerar; Abbigail Cruden; Louise Dalgarno with First Class Honours; Megan Claire Dawson with First Class Honours; Michael Donaldson; Katie Ferguson; Holly Fillingham; Kelsey Rose Findlay; Rhiannon Forbes; Autumn Fyfe with First Class Honours; Corrie Fyfe; Jennifer Gemmell; Jennifer K Goodwillie; Emma Grieve; Kathryn Louise Hannay; Rachel Harkin; Carla Louise Hill; Rebecca Hutcheon; Stacey-Louise Hutchison; Marie Irvine; Catriona Mary Jackson; Holly Roxanne Johnston with First Class Honours; Rachel Eve Kennedy; Alison Crawford Kerr; Rachel Lau; Rachel Ann Laurie; Morag Jean Lees; Yan Ting Li; Deborah Liddle; Eirian Lyon; Alan James McArtney; Louise MacAulay; Sarah Emily McCombie; Jennifer McDonald; Lynne Downie MacDonald with First Class Honours; Nichola McDonald; Paula McDonald; Eilidh Frances McKay; Michelle Kerry Mackay; Gillian McKenzie; Laura Mackenzie; Kirsten Amber Mackinnon; Natasha Elizabeth McLean; Kirsty McMillan; Stacey McPherson; Gemma Louise Mann with First Class Honours; Jessica Manson; Danielle Miller; Katie Jane Miller; Caroline Mary Milne; Gemma Louise Milne with First Class Honours; Shelley Alexandra Mitchell; Eilidh Munro; Victoria Murray; Rebecca Paterson; Christopher James Potter; Stephanie Rae with First Class Honours; Kathryn Mary Christine Read; Rachael Jane Robb; Erin Louise Robertson; Julie Adele Robertson; Natalie Ross; Kirsten Margaret Scott with First Class Honours; Hollie Shearer with First Class Honours; Jade Sives; Alison Lindsay Small; Kristy Elizabeth Smith; Marina Smith; Alison Jane Stewart with First Class Honours; Jennifer Summers; Jillian Summers; Ashleigh Margaret Tait; Emma Louise Walker; Amy Julia Walkingshaw; Mark Watson; Katie-Jo West; Jennifer Williams; Alison Jane Wilson; Kelly Louise Wilson; Nicola Wilson; Cally-Jay Winter; Emma Jane Wood; Rachael Wright

Bachelor of Music

Designated Degree – Education – Natasha Boyle; Eilidh McColm

Honours Degrees – Douglas Anderson; Mathew John Brechin; Kirsty Jane Campbell; Chandra Rose Fairbairn Chapman with First Class Honours; Laura Cheyne; Rebecca Conn; Megan R Cormack; Megan Crosbie; Craig Alexander Gemmill; Ross Mark Hammond; Fiona Elizabeth Margaret Hunnisett; Lara Elizabeth McGrath with First Class Honours; David Andrew McLean with First Class Honours; Sarah Moore; Dale Murphy; Stuart James Nimmo; Mallory Anne Peter; Sophie Bethan Radcliffe; Kaelin Richards; Alison Lesley Russell; Jessica Moira Jane Russell; Emma Elizabeth Simpson; Heather Singer; Callum John Thompson; Cameron Geoffrey Thompson; Immanuel Carl Maria Voigt with First Class Honours; Susan Jane Winch with First Class Honours

Education – Amina Belfakih; David Cosgrove; Amy Gilchrist; Rachel Iona Henry; Cheryl Lauren Hughson; Shelley McDonald with First Class Honours; Laura Louise Malcolm; Miranda Jade Neall; Morven Marjory Sharp; Brian Charles Sullivan; Emily Anne Tanton

Bachelor of Arts

Childhood Practice – Faith Barr; Claire Jane Drennan; Lauren Ferguson; Wendy-Louise Haggath; Cherie-Lynne Morgan; Karen Sayers

Educational Studies – Elizabeth Molade Abe; Sarah Barber; Rowan Lindsay Crawford; Rebecca Dorothy Lamb; Charlotte Reid; Melissa Reid; Claire Helen Smith; Richard Steele; Isla Alyson Wilson; Duncan Wood

Social Pedagogy – Martin Peter Alfred; Bridget Mary Beagan; Holda Berger; Madeleine Hartstock; Sara Kapitany; Dong Min Lee; Veronica Luz Milburn; Nikola Kerrin Nissen; Danica Ondrusova; Helene Schritt; Veit Seidl; Paul Friedrich Wefers; Hannah Lucy Wheelwright

Science – Undergraduate Degrees – Bachelor of Science – Honours Degree – Biology-Education (Primary) – Jennifer Rae

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Business news: Air Canada | Lloyd’s | Aker

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THE only non-stop flight between Edinburgh and Canada was launched yesterday.

Air Canada “rouge”, the new leisure carrier created by the country’s largest airline, will fly a Boeing 767-300ER three times a week in high season between Edinburgh and its hub at Toronto Pearson.

Canadian visitors already generate £83 million a year for the Scottish economy, according to VisitScotland.

Transport minister Keith Brown said: “We are determined to build on international air connections with countries such as Canada, which is such an important market for Scotland.”

Ward to step down at Lloyd’s of London

The chief executive of the world’s oldest insurance market yesterday announced he will leave after eight years in the job.

Richard Ward, 56, will leave Lloyd’s of London in December, the insurance syndicate said.

Ward said: “This has not been an easy decision to make but, as Lloyd’s longest-serving CEO, I believe it is now right to hand over the reins to someone else to take Lloyd’s into its next chapter.”

The Council of Lloyd’s said it will “conduct a process with a view to the appointment of a successor” before the end of the year.

Fraud cases double in first half of year

CORPORATE fraud in Scotland more than doubled in the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period last year, a report by KPMG has found.

The 61 per cent rise includes a former solicitor in Arbroath accused of embezzling £570,000 from clients between 2001 and 2006 and a bank worker alleged to have defrauded customers of £415,000 in Dunfermline.

KPMG’s Fraud Barometer found Scottish courts dealt with five cases involving more than £100,000, the same number as in 2012. But the total value of fraud cases was £1.9 million against £1.2m a year earlier.

Aker seals Mariner deal with Daewoo

NORWEGIAN energy services firm Aker yesterday won a contract from Daewoo to work on the construction of an oil rig for the Mariner oil field in the UK sector of the North Sea.

The contract, for an undisclosed sum, will be completed in 2015 and will involve work at Aker’s yards in Germany and Norway, as well as Daewoo’s base in South Korea.

Aker said that the deal could lead to a contract for an identical rig for the nearby Bressay field. Both Mariner and Bressay lie to the east of Shetland and are operated by Norwegian oil giant Statoil.


Thistly Cross cider to be sold in 77 Tesco stores

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ARTISAN cider maker Thistly Cross has won a contract to supply its drinks to 77 Tesco supermarkets in Scotland and is preparing to expand into the Canadian and Russian markets.

The Dunbar-based business – which already sells its produce in Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose – will market five of its six ciders in Tesco’s stores.

Thistly Cross, founded in 2008 by East Lothian farmer Ian Rennie and cider maker Peter Stuart, has hired an extra member of staff to cope with the additional work, taking its headcount to seven.

Angus Bell, Tesco’s local category buying manager for Scotland, said: “I was really impressed when I visited the farm recently and I’m delighted we will be stocking them in the majority of our Scottish stores, just in time for that summer sunshine.”

Julie Rennie, key account director at Thistly Cross and Ian’s daughter, added: “The question we get asked most frequently is ‘Where can I buy Thistly Cross?’, so being able to partner with such a well-known retailer as Tesco is another step towards helping consumers get their hands on our cider.”

Tesco will stock the still and sparking versions of the cider, alongside ginger, strawberry and whisky cask varieties.

The strawberries are grown on South Belton farm, near Dunbar, where the cider is made, while the whisky cask version is aged in Scotch casks previously used by the Glenglassaugh distillery at Portsoy in Banffshire.

Thistly Cross is already exported to Australia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong and the United States.

Last year the company joined forces with Broughton Ales and the Scottish Borders Brewery to “bundle” their drinks together in order to promote them to distributors and to pubs.

Retail software start-up lands first contract

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A START-UP company which helps retailers with customers who return items bought online has landed its first major client.

Clear Returns, the brainchild of chief exercutive and web analytics expert Vicky Brock, has signed up M&Co to use its analytics software which tracks and reduces the number of items returned through internet sales.

It is expected the company will launch its next stage of fundraising on the deal with M&Co, a value fashion retailer with 300 stores nationwide.

Brock said: “We’ve now proven our technology works with UK and European high street retailers. We have launched our technology officially with customer M&Co – one of the largest, privately-owned fashion retailers in the UK. The three-month pilot project is aimed at delivering significant savings by reducing returns from the online channel.”

Nichola Toner, website and customer services controller at M&Co, added: “M&Co has a very successful e-commerce operation, which is becoming increasingly important to the company-wide performance and we seek out and take a lead with best practices.

“Customer experience and operational efficiencies are essential to the profitability of the online channel and tackling returns are key to both. We’re working with Clear Returns as it fits with our innovative approach to ensuring that we deliver quality and service to our customers at an affordable price.”

Last week Clear Returns was named the best new product at the Digital Technology Awards in Glasgow.

Abu Qatada ‘set for Sunday return to Jordan’

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RADICAL cleric Abu Qatada is reportedly preparing to leave Britain, with officials in Jordan saying he was expected to arrive there on Sunday.

The reports came after the Jordanian government published a treaty designed to trigger Qatada’s deportation, leaving just a handful of legal steps before it is brought into law.

Qatada previously volunteered to leave his taxpayer-funded UK home for Jordan – with his family in tow – as soon as the treaty was ratified by both countries.

The agreement aims to allay fears that evidence extracted through torture could be used against him in Jordan at a retrial.

The Home Office refused to confirm or deny reports that Qatada was set to finally leave Britain on Sunday.

But Jordanian officials have been quoted as saying they expected the terror suspect to depart in the early hours.

Media reports quoted a Jordanian government official as saying: “Abu Qatada is expected to leave Britain in the early hours of Sunday and should arrive in the morning in Jordan on the same day.

“He will arrive in Jordan on a military plane, escorted by Jordanian and British guards.”

If he were to leave on Sunday, it would mark the end of a near ten-year battle to eject the controversial Muslim preacher from the country, which has cost more than £1.7 million.

A Home Office spokeswoman would not comment on the reports, but added: “Our focus is on seeing Abu Qatada on a plane to Jordan at the earliest opportunity.”

The government has been trying to deport him to Jordan, where he was convicted of terror charges in his absence in 1999, for about eight years.

The publication of the treaty comes after both houses of the Jordanian parliament and King Abdullah II approved the treaty, while the UK parliamentary scrutiny process has also been completed.

However, Home Secretary Theresa May previously warned that, even when the treaty was fully ratified, it would not necessarily mean that Qatada will be on a plane to Jordan within days. The case remains open to legal challenge.

Qatada is currently behind bars in London’s Belmarsh prison after breaching a bail condition which restricts use of mobile phones and other communication devices.

The Special Immigration Appeals Commission previously heard that a USB stick understood to belong to Qatada’s eldest son contained “jihadist files” made by the “media wing of al-Qaeda”.

The terror suspect is also being investigated by Scotland Yard over suspected extremist material found during the search of his home.

Nicole Farhi goes into administration

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LUXURY fashion and homeware retailer Nicole Farhi fell into administration yesterday while part of furniture chain Dwell was rescued by its founder saving 150 jobs.

The collapse of the designer brand group, founded by Farhi in 1982 with her then-partner, French Connection boss Stephen Marks, was said to be facing “increased financial pressures” due to the slump in high street spending.

Its owner, Kelso Place Asset Management, had acquired the company only 18 months ago pledging to invest £15 million in the business.

Administrator Zolfo Cooper said it was already in talks to sell the brand, which has a flagship store in London’s Mayfair, as well as five other standalone outlets and ten concessions in the UK and Ireland, at Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser and Selfridges.

It employs 75 staff across its retail network as well as 44 working at its London headquarters. It also sells wholesale products to other retailers. Zolfo Cooper said in a statement that NF Fashion and NF Acquisitions, the companies behind the brand, would continue to trade while “all possible options for its future”, including a sale of all or parts of the business, are considered.

Peter Saville, partner at Zolfo Cooper, said: “Nicole Farhi is a very powerful retail brand. Unfortunately, as with many other fashion retailers, the decline in high street spend coupled with rising costs has led to increased financial pressures.

“We are already in discussions with a number of interested parties who value the strength of the Nicole Farhi brand.”

Its chief executive Francois Steiner left the business in May.

Meanwhile, the co-founder of upmarket furniture retailer Dwell has kept the ailing company alive by agreeing a deal to rescue a number of stores.

Aamir Ahmad, who founded Dwell with family and friends in 2003 but left last year following its sale to a private equity firm, stepped in after the business went into administration last month, resulting in the closure of 23 stores.

Securing the jobs of around half of Dwell’s 300-strong workforce, the deal with administrator Duff & Phelps will result in the reopening of three outlets in London today as well as in Essex and Manchester.

Talks with other landlords are under way with the hope that additional stores and jobs can be saved. The Dwell online store will also reopen today.

The upmarket retailer, previously majority owned by private equity firm Key Capital Partners, went into administration after it struggled amid sluggish consumer confidence and a weak housing market. Ahmad pledged to do “everything we can to find a solution for customers who have lost out”.

UK subsea sector shows growth

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BRITAIN’S subsea industry is now worth £8.9 billion, representing a 45 per cent share of the £20bn global market.

A survey from Subsea UK showed that 16,000 jobs have been created since 2010, bringing the total number supported by the industry to 66,000. The findings of the survey suggest the sector could grow to be worth £11.1bn by 2016.

Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK, said: “These findings are further proof of the success, dynamism and sustained growth potential of subsea. Not only has our sector out-performed any other in the UK, it has improved its global position despite a faltering economic climate.

“The increase in activity in the North Sea has played a major factor in this continued growth but exports remain high, accounting for 43 per cent of total revenues.”

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