Obesity is becoming an increasing health issue in Scotland, so much so that it is being termed as an epidemic, but not enough is being done on the ground to tackle the problem.

According to the Obesity Route Map, Scotland has one the highest levels of obesity in OECD Countries. The most recent Scottish Health Survey revealed that almost 27 per cent of adults and more than 15 per cent of children were obese, and more than 65 per cent of adults and almost 32 per cent of children were overweight and obese combined.

These figures paint a very stark picture. Obesity costs society dearly – in 2007-8 it was estimated to have cost more than £457 million and these predictions are thought to have been modest. By 2030, both direct and indirect costs of obesity could be as much as £0.9-£3 billion.

The implications of obesity cannot just be measured on a financial basis alone. The costs to the individual are high both physically and mentally. The reality is that being overweight or obese will cause other underlying health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, joint and back problems, greater risk of stroke and heart disease, premature death and mental health conditions.

Obesity reduces employment and productivity and has a negative impact on infrastructure planning. How does someone who is obese sit on the bus, train, aeroplane or cinema seat? Do we start building bigger or do we finally begin to tackle the problem itself?

There has been a lot of talk at government level and various policy documents have followed, but there simply isn’t enough being done to tackle the problem head on.

According to the Foresight report, obesity cannot be prevented by the individual alone and requires a collective approach. Government, the food industry and health professionals need to work together to come up with a solution to this ever increasing problem, such as taxing high sugar and fatty food and drinks.

Lyndsey McLellan is the senior food and health development worker for Edinburgh Community Food

POLICE are investigating claims a missing Edinburgh student was spotted in a tiny village on the Isle of Mull.

A possible sighting of a woman answering the description of Yulia Solodyankina, who spoke with a eastern European accent, and was reported in Fionnphort, in the Ross of Mull, on Friday.

Police following up the possivble lead have shown pictures of Yulia, 22, who disappeared from her Edinburgh home on June 7, to villagers.

Yulia, from Russia, who had just finished a physics degree at Edinburgh University, was last seen that day on CCTV at Buchanan Street Bus Station in Glasgow.

Police Scotland have said they believe she may have travelled from there to the Highlands and Islands.

A local resident, who asked not to be named, said: “On Saturday night the local police woman came around the guest houses with a photo of a young woman, who I recognised as Yulia, asking if we had her staying with us.”

She added: “It’s not a big town though, there’s about 45 houses here and a couple of guesthouses. But it is a very busy little place as it’s the ferry port for Iona so is popular with tourists and travellers.”

A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed that they received a call about the sighting at Fionnphort, on the Isle of Mull on Friday and were pursuing the lead along with other enquiries.

He added: “We have had calls from Inverness, Kyle of Lochalsh, Lochgoilhead, Fort William and the Isle of Mull.”

ABERDEEN City councillors are being urged to back radical plans to spend up to £260,000 on extra incentive payments to recruit teachers for “hard to fill posts” in the city’s schools.

The individual payments of £5000 could be paid to fill up to 52 posts at primaries and secondaries across the city to help candidates from other parts of the UK to move to the booming oil capital of Europe

The staff shortage crisis is due to be discussed at a meeting of the authority’s urgent business committee on Thursday.

Gayle Gorman, the council’s director of Education,Culture and Sport, states in a report to the committee: “The staffing situation for primary schools and in some subject areas in secondary schools for academic session 2013/2014 is looking extremely challenging, with around 30-40 posts currently unfilled.

“This report sets out a proposal to offer successful candidates for these teaching posts, who are new to the city, a financial incentive, ie an additional payment on taking up post followed by a further payment at

the end of an agreed period of service.

“It is recommended that committee approve the use of Recruitment and Retention Incentive payments for hard to fill teaching posts at the discretion of the Director of Education, Culture and Sport. “

She continues “In addition, there may be some secondary posts in hard to fill subject areas to which we may wish to attach the incentive payment.

“At a time when raising attainment is a clear priority for the council, it is important that we can attract quality candidates to our schools. The fact that part of the payment is withheld until a minimum work period has been completed will ensure continuity in terms of teachers, which will benefit pupil progress, as will attaching a performance/behavioural element to the second payment.”

Ms Gorman adds: There is likely to be interest from the public and from other local authorities in the proposal to pay additional monies to teachers. As the first local authority in Scotland to be proposing such a move, it is likely that there will be national interest in this initiative.”

The initial payment to fill up to 52 posts will cost £156,000 with a further £104,000 to cover the cost of the second payment.

Councillor Ross Thomson, vice convener of the council’s education committee, backed the proposed initiative.

He said: “The city is doing extremely well which means it can be quite a costly city to live in, particularly if you are living in others parts of, not just of Scotland, but of the UK.”

Councillor Thomson added: “As much as we can get people to come to interview, when it actually comes to them taking the offer sometimes they are priced out of moving to Aberdeen.”

Today . . .

Boyling Point

Follow Frank Boyle on Twitter {http://twitter.com/boylecartoon|Twitter.com/boylecartoon|Go to Frank Boyle on Twitter}

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THREE female black cats have been found dumped in a cardboard box at a lay-by in Perthshire without food or water.

The dehydrated cats were taken into the care of the Scottish SPCA on Tuesday after being discovered by a member of the public in a distressed state at the side of the A9 at Pitlochry.

An SSPCA spokeswoman said: “The three cats were dumped in a Perthshire lay-by inside a cardboard box. A member of the public handed the female black cats into the charity’s Angus, Fife and Tayside Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre on Tuesday after discovering them at the side of the A9 in Pitlochry. They have been named Lisa, Edna and Betty.”

Chief Inspector Brain Cowing said: “All the cats were very nervous and dehydrated, which is understandable given the high temperatures we experienced on Tuesday. While the box had air holes, it would have been incredibly hot inside and they had no food or water available.

“Whoever dumped them had no regard for their welfare and we are keen to identify the person responsible. We’ll soon be seeking loving homes for Lisa, Edna and Betty where they’ll receive the care they deserve.”

The SSPCA spokeswoman added: “Abandoning an animal is an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. Anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life.Anyone with information is being urged to contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.”

SCOTLAND’S largest airport yesterday called for second runways to be built at both Gatwick and Stansted to protect Scotland-London flights because it said Heathrow would never get a third runway.

The airport, which is Scotland’s busiest with 9.2 million passengers a year, claimed that expanding the other major London airports would be the fastest way to increase capacity because Heathrow is virtually full.

Aviation experts warned such an approach threatened Heathrow’s role as the UK’s sole hub, giving Scottish passengers a wide variety of onward connections. But KLM already claims to carry more Scottish long-haul passengers through its Amsterdam hub than any other airline, such as British Airways via Heathrow.

Consultants also said Edinburgh’s submission to a UK Government commission examining airport capacity was predictable because it was bought last year by Gatwick-owner Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) from BAA, which retains Heathrow.

The submission stated: “Gatwick airport’s ‘constellation’ proposal whereby, over time, Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted all operate a two-runway model, is a realistic and highly competitive proposal.”

It said this represented “the most realistic and deliverable proposals in terms of providing short, medium and long-term capacity for growth”.

“We believe Heathrow’s position in west London, and the density of the surrounding population, means it will remain difficult to ever build sufficient capacity to improve that airport’s ability to deal with disruption and provide room for more flights, without there being an unacceptable local environmental cost.”

The submission also claimed that Heathrow’s UK monopoly was short-changing passengers.

However, John Strickland, of JLS Consulting said: “The submission represents a partisan view, given the common ownership of Edinburgh and Gatwick. Airlines are becoming, of necessity, increasingly canny at allocating aircraft where the most profit can be made. To achieve this for long-haul operators requires a dense hub airport.

“The UK cannot afford to dilute its strong position with one hub.”

Independent air transport consultant Laurie Price said: “History and previous failed attempts by UK governments to develop a multiple hub system show it is the wrong policy.

“All that policy would do is play into the hands of Amsterdam, which is already benefiting from more than 2 million connecting passengers a year because of lack of capacity at the Heathrow and the highest air passenger duty in Europe.”

The government’s commission on airport capacity, chaired by Howard Davies, is due to report in mid-2015,

Cases of measles in Scotland have almost trebled compared to last year, figures show.

• Measles figures in Scotland have risen by nearly treble over the last 12 months

• 121 reports of clinically suspected measles compared to 44 in same period last year

• Figures come as rise in measles cases in other areas are reported

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) said it had received 121 report of clinically suspected measles cases in the first 24 weeks of this year.

This compared to 44 in same period last year - an increase of 175 per cent.

The figures come after rising numbers of measles cases elsewhere in the UK, including a large outbreak in South Wales.

HPS said some of the measles cases reported this year had occurred in clusters of infections in particular groups.

“One cluster occurred in the traveller community in Fife and Tayside, and is ongoing. One cluster was in a healthcare setting, and one was in a school setting,” the agency said.

“In addition, two cases were linked with ongoing outbreaks in Wales and north-east England.”

HPS said the majority of cases were in patients who had not been vaccinated at all or had only received one dose of the MMR jab rather than the recommended two doses.

“It is clear from the number of sporadic cases seen in Scotland in the last quarter that measles is circulating,” their report said.

After the rise in cases elsewhere in the UK, Scottish Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns announced a short-term MMR catch-up campaign for all those aged 10-17 who have not received two doses of MMR vaccine.

The HPS weekly report also revealed cases of whooping cough remain high in Scotland after increases were first seen last year.

In the first 24 weeks of 2013, there were 772 notifications of whooping cough compared to 655 during the same period in 2012.

SEE ALSO

• {http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/health/scots-measles-cases-rise-170-amid-vaccine-calls-1-2940376|Scots measles cases rise 170% amid vaccine calls|May 23, 2013}

LABOUR leader Ed Miliband fought back over claims that his party is in hock to the unions yesterday, accusing the Tories of being “the party of a few millionaires” during a heated Prime Minister’s Questions.

After a fortnight of exchanges, when Mr Miliband was on the back foot over Unite’s alleged attempts to fix the selection of the Labour candidate for Falkirk, he used the scandal as a platform to take the initiative on party funding.

He proposed a £5,000 cap on each donation and called for an end to MPs having second jobs. Both proposals were rejected by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Mr Miliband pointed out that the Tories has received £25 million from hedge fund firms which benefited from a £145m tax cut in the budget.

“Is it a coincidence?” he asked.

He urged the Tory leader to reopen stalled talks on party funding reform.

But Mr Cameron said all Tory donations were declared, and warned that a cap could cost the taxpayer millions of pounds.

“Here are the figures – £8m from Unite, £4m from GMB, £4m from Unison. They have bought the policies, they have bought the candidates and they have bought the leader,” he said.

“I have long supported caps on donations. I think we should have caps on donations and they should apply to trade unions, to businesses and to individuals. But let me be frank with you, there’s a problem with a £5,000 cap. It is this – it would imply a massive amount of taxpayer support for political parties.

“Frankly, I don’t see why the result of a trade union scandal should be every taxpayer in the country paying for Labour.”

On second jobs, Mr Miliband said: “Current rules allow MPs to take on paid directorships and consultancies, as long as they are declared in the Register of Members’ Interests. I say in the next parliament MPs should not be able to take on new paid directorships and consultancies.”

Mr Cameron then offered Mr Miliband the chance to change the rules when the bill on lobbying and third-party funding comes to parliament before recess, which could see union members opting in to membership of Labour rather than automatically paying their affiliation fees. The Prime Minister added: “I think what matters is that every­thing is transparent and open. If you want change, I make you this offer – there is a bill coming to the House of Commons next week covering trade unions.

“Now, if you want to legislate from opting out to opting in, if you want to give union member the chance to choose whether to donate, to vote on whether to give to Labour, we will legislate. Will you accept that offer of legislation, yes or no?” Mr Miliband did not answer, telling Mr Cameron he needed to respond to his own question on whether he would support a limit on second jobs.

He said the public would “expect nothing less” than a limit on how much MPs can earn from outside jobs.

Labour backbenchers highlighted donations from millionaires to the Tories and focused on Foreign Secretary William Hague. Shadow Treasury minister Cathy Jamieson asked whether Tullow Oil chief executive Aidan Heavey’s donations to the Tories had influenced Mr Hague’s intervention in a tax dispute involving the company.

Meanwhile, shadow foreign minister Ian Lucas asked about Mr Hague’s links with JCB.

But Mr Cameron said donations to the Tories did not buy influence and accused Labour of talking down British businesses.

AN extended trailer of a film based on an Irvine Welsh novel and starring James McAvoy has been unveiled.

Filth sees unscrupulous Edinburgh detective Bruce Robertson lie, cheat and snort his way through the city as he attempts to solve a murder while undermining his promotion-chasing colleagues.

The film, co-starring Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots and Jim Broadbent and directed by Jon S Baird, will be released in Scottish cinemas on September 27. UK cinemas will see it a week later on October 4.

SEE ALSO

• {http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/film/filth-to-premiere-in-scotland-on-september-27th-1-2948042|Filth to premiere in Scotland on September 27th|May 29, 2013}

• {http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/film/filth-trailer-explicit-james-mcavoy-starring-clip-unveiled-1-2890699|Filth trailer: Explicit James McAvoy-starring clip unveiled|April 11, 2013}

A FLOORING company is demanding more than £1million in compensation after the discovery of the ancient burial ground of a medieval friary on the site of its planned new base in Scotland.

• A flooring company is seeking more than £1m in damages after the discovery of a medieval burial ground on a site it had planned to develop on

• Manorgate Ltd claim that when the site in Perth had been purchased they had not been informed of its archaeological designation

Manorgate Ltd bought the development site on the corner of Riggs Road and Whitefriars Street in Perth, in 2006, unaware that the area was designated a site of archaeological significance.

The company was forced to abandon its development plans after an archaeological dig, ordered by the local council, uncovered more than 100 ancient skeletons at the site of the medieval Friary of Tullilum.

Manorgate is suing property search company, First Scottish Property Services Ltd (FSPSL) for £1.2 million for failing to disclose the site’s archaeological designation while carrying out an “appropriate property search.”

In a judgement issued at the Court of Session, Lord Woolman has upheld the claim and ordered a further hearing for the final compensation figure to be settled.

According to the judgment, Manorgate bought the site for £385,000 in 2006, intending to demolish the existing buildings and erect new commercial premises at the site. One of the new units was to be used as a retail branch for its flooring business, Direct Flooring.

Lord Woolman states: “After Manorgate paid the purchase price and took entry, it discovered a crucial fact. The site was designated as being one of archaeological significance.

“The designation had a major effect on Manorgate’s plans. In granting planning permission to carry out the proposed development, the planning authority required Manorgate to carry out archaeological investigations.

“Those investigations disclosed that a mediaeval Friary with associated burial ground had once stood on the site. Extensive human remains lay below the earth’s surface. The planning authority stipulated that those remains had to be dealt with in a sympathetic manner.”

The judge continues: “There were two main options. The first was to remove the remains by way of excavation. The second was to design the foundations for the new buildings in a manner which did not interfere with the remains. Over a very lengthy period Manorgate considered various solutions with the aid of its professional advisers. Ultimately, it concluded that the development was uneconomic. It closed down the site in March 2010 and it has remained ‘mothballed’ ever since. “

The archaeological designation of the site should have been noted in an appropriate property search. But FSPSL, who carried out the search had provided a Property Enquiry Certificate (PEC) which failed to disclose the archaeological designation.

Lord Woolman states: “FSPSL admits that it was negligent. It accepts that the PEC should have referred to the archaeological designation. But it maintains a number of lines of defence. They include causation, contributory negligence, remoteness and mitigation. In my view, these lines of defence fall to be rejected and the real question is the proper calculation of Manorgate’s loss. “

According to the judgement, the Friary of Tullilum was established in the 15th Century by Carmelite monks and thrived until the 16th Century.

The judgment notes that over the course of the years the Friary fell into disuse and its buildings became derelict. By Victorian times, no visible evidence of the establishment remained.

“Despite the name of the adjacent thoroughfare (‘Whitefriars Street’), in modern times many people were unaware of the Friary’s existence,” the judgment states. “They included the sellers from whom Manorgate acquired the site. Its history was, however, known to some individuals. The Ordnance Survey map of 1862 identified the area as being the supposed site of a Whitefriars Chapel.”

In 1982 archaeologists carried out limited excavations in the area of the site and confirmed the existence of the Friary. They also discovered the remains of 21 people and concluded that the site incorporated a burial ground. But archaeologists were unable to determine the exact configuration of the buildings, nor did they know the precise location or dimensions of the burial ground.

After Perth and Kinross Council ordered an archaeological survey, Scottish Urban Archaeological Trust Limited (SUAT) was contracted to carry out the work.

Lord Woolman states: “At the outset, SUAT expected to find the remains of about 20 to 25 bodies. SUAT’s view turned out to be mistaken. It quickly found another graveyard with many more bodies, some in family groups.

“Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust thought that the date range for the burials might extend over a period of about 600 years, from the 13th to the 18th centuries. There were about three times as many remains as it had estimated. After a total of just over a hundred bodies had been removed from the Site, SUAT informed Manorgate that there were likely to be about one hundred further human remains. The cost of excavating them rendered the development non viable.”

He concludes that FSPSL “held itself out” as providing specialist search service and expected recipients to rely on its certificates. “Matters went awry because it supplies Manorgate with inaccurate information,” he states.

AN MSP was with another woman the night his wife gave birth to their third child, it has been claimed in court.

Bill Walker was allegedly “up to no good” as his second wife, Anne Gruber, gave birth to the couple’s third son, Douglas.

The trial of Walker, 71, was also told that he taped the phone calls of his third wife, Diana Walker, 61, and made her sign an “agreement” to do all the household chores.

She said she spoke to journalists about her ex-husband after being “mad” to hear him supporting a Women’s Aid project for victims of domestic abuse.

Mrs Walker told a sheriff her “hypocritical” ex-husband must be “brought to account” for ­alleged domestic violence.

The Independent MSP for Dunfermline is accused of a string of attacks against three former wives and a step-­daughter between January 1967 and January 1995.

He denies 23 assaults and one breach of the peace in a trial which began at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.

Former health visitor Mary Walker, 75, said she paid a professional visit to Mrs Gruber shortly after the birth of the couple’s third son in the 1970s. She said she found Walker’s wife “pale, unhappy-looking and shaking”.

The health visitor said: “What I remember clearly is on the night Douglas was born, Anne’s husband wasn’t available. She was left alone having her baby without her husband’s support.

“She told me that on the night Douglas was born, her husband had another woman.”

She added that Mrs Gruber had told her Walker had been “up to no good” elsewhere that night and that he was “physically and emotionally abusive”.

“She was unhappy and frequently crying,” she said.

Diana Walker told the court her former husband had a machine on which he would record her phone calls.

“My friends couldn’t phone up and speak, because we knew he’d be listening,” she said.

The MSP is accused of assaulting Mrs Walker on four occasions between 1988 and 1995.

She said he had “whacked” her a few weeks before their marriage in 1988, when the couple were in a lift after a wedding reception in Edinburgh.

“He whacked me on my face so hard my head was spinning,” she said. “It was out of the blue, I didn’t see it coming. It was full-force.”

Mrs Walker, a primary school teacher, said that when she confronted her fiance about the incident, he said she had “provoked” him.

On an occasion after they married, she said she had to wear dark glasses and foundation on a trip to a restaurant to conceal a black eye he gave her during an argument at their home at Blair Logie, near Stirling.

“We had a big row. He started shouting at me and then he thumped me one in the face,” she said.

On another occasion at the house, he had thrown a tray towards her, the court heard.

The couple later moved to a new house in Alloa, where Mrs Walker said her husband once slapped her repeatedly across the face.

They separated for a while, and on her return she said she had to agree to do all the chores.

“He made me sign an agreement that I would do all the shopping and cleaning, otherwise I wouldn’t be allowed in the house,” she said.

The couple divorced in 1998, the court heard.

Walker’s lawyer, solicitor advocate Gordon Martin, suggested that she had spoken to the press and made up allegations in order to jeopardise his client’s political career.

“No, I wanted his constituents to find out what sort of man it was that they had elected,” she said.

Mrs Walker said she had been “mad” to hear him speak in support of a lottery grant to a Women’s Aid initiative in ­Dunfermline.

“That’s hypocritical,” Ms Walker said.

“How dare he when he is one of the perpetrators of domestic violence and he needs to be brought to account for it.”

The trial, before Sheriff Katherine Mackie, continues.

Read more on Bill Walker

• MSP arrested after domestic assault allegations

• Walker in court of 24 domestic abuse charges

• Walker faces domestic abuse charges in court

• Bill Walker claims self defence in assault case

• Bill Walker trial: MSP took gun to ex-wife’s home

A TEACHER who had sex with a teenage pupil has been told to carry out a six month community payback order.

• Eppie Sprung Dawson, 27, found guilty of having sex with a teenage pupil has been given a six month community payback order

• Teacher is also placed on sex offenders register for six months, and will undergo counselling

• Married Dawson had sex with pupil, 17, in front seat of her car

Eppie Sprung Dawson, 27, has also been placed on the sex offenders register for the same length of time, with the final period on the list will be determined later.

Dawson has also been placed under the supervision of social workers for six months and will continue to undergo psycho-sexual counselling.

At an earlier hearing Dawson, of Pleasance Avenue, Dumfries had admitted having sex with a 17-year-old pupil in the front seat of her car in a secluded spot between Dumfries and Annan.

Solicitor David Finnie said she had undergone four sessions of counselling and had another 12 to complete. He added that it had become clear that there was counselling available for her and she had willingly taken up the offer.

Mr Finnie said she had undergone four sessions and was finding the treatment beneficial. He suggested that the whole matter be cleared up so that Dawson could do what was necessary to get on with her life.

“This was a case of breach of trust rather than any form of abuse. I would suggest that the community payback order might be sufficient,” he said.

Last month Sheriff George Jamieson told Dawson, who is no longer employed by Dumfries and Galloway council, that had she not been a teacher she would not have had to face a charge because the pupil was over the age of consent.

However, he told her that she had breached a position of trust.

Dawson had picked up the pupil in Dumfries last December, drove to a secluded layby on the Cummertrees to Hoddam Road, and had sex with him before being discovered by patrolling police officers, who had found the pair partially undressed in the front seat after approaching the vehicle.

Sheriff Jamieson said: “You have been called into temptation and you have committed adultery – your marriage is gone and your career as a teacher is gone.”

Mr Finnie described Dawson as a gifted, talented and committed teacher who was dedicated to her job, but had thrown it all away to the cost of her marriage and career.

He said: “She has all the facets that are required to make a first class teacher and she has thrown all that away.”

Sheriff Jamieson, who ordered Dawson to return to court on September 18 for updated reports, said that while it was important to address the criminal side of the charge, it was encouraging to see that she was benefiting from counselling. He added that he hoped that the social workers could add to the therapy.

Last month, Mr Finnie told the court how Dawson had been abused when she was between 13 and 18 by a man 29 years her senior. He said that although it did excuse her conduct, it provided some explanation.

He had also pleaded with the court not to impose a custodial sentence on Dawson, saying: “She has been punished already with her career wrecked, her marriage wrecked. I would suggest that this is not a case appropriate to make an example of her and it is not necessary to impose a custodial sentence.”

SEE ALSO

• {http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/dumfries-sex-teacher-tells-court-of-teenage-abuse-1-2955217|Dumfries sex teacher tells court of teenage abuse|June 5, 2013}

The austere countryside of Eskdalemuir in Dumfries is the unlikely setting for Samye Ling Monastery and Tibetan Centre.

Established in 1967, the monastery was the first of its kind in Europe. Although its beginnings were modest, it has since expanded to house a permanent community of around 60 people. While beguiling enough on the outside, its ornately decorated interior is the site’s real attraction, drawing Buddhists and curious tourists into a room that seems about as far removed from Scotland as you could imagine.

Buddhist statues, embroidered silk paintings, intricate figures, flowers and florid pillars greet visitors as they step inside (with shoes off, as is customary).

Though the centre is not geared for tourists, the centre is a friendly and welcoming place that does make room for a tea room, serving vegetarian snacks and teas.

SEE ALSO

• {http://www.scotsman.com/news/true-path-from-tibet-to-eskdalemuir-1-684559|True path from Tibet to... Eskdalemuir|March 3, 2007}

• {http://www.scotsman.com/news/young-buddhist-leader-will-bring-instant-karma-on-his-visit-to-scotland-1-795744|Young Buddhist leader will bring instant karma on his visit to Scotland|March 19, 2010}

COMMUTERS today endured a second day of rail disruption caused by Network Rail track problems in Scotland - this time hitting the morning rush hour at Glasgow Central station.

Trains on many routes into Scotland’s busiest station were hit by a points failure at Shields junction in Pollokshields, where the two lines from Paisley merge.

The fault shortly before 7:45am led to trains being diverted onto other lines, which had a knock-on effect on other services, including to Barrhead in East Renfrewshire.

Network Rail fixed the problem an hour later but said delays had continued into the morning because of congestion around Central station.

A spokesman said: “Network Rail apologises for any inconvenience caused to passengers as a result of this.”

It came after a series of heat-related problems around Waverley station in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon caused major disruption, which Network Rail revealed today had delayed or cancelled more than 370 trains.

A set of points just west of the station were affected, while a speed restriction was imposed on track west of Haymarket station in the city’s west end.

Bottled water was handled out to delayed passengers as temperatures topped 28C.

Network Rail said: “In very hot weather, we experience significant thermal expansion of our points on the basis they are made of steel.

“We make allowances for thermal expansion up to rail temperatures of 27C, which is a condition we call the “stress free temperature.

“After 27C we need to monitor very carefully to ensure we are ready to make an adjustment to maintain the detection element.

“Points operations are entirely dependent on the detection aspect ,that is where one part of the mechanism is in relation to another at any given time.”

In total, more than 500 trains were delayed across Scotland yesterday - or one in five - with other problems including high track temperatures forcing speed restrictions. Trouble spots included Barassie in Ayrshire, Auchengray in South Lanarkshire, Wishaw in North Lanarkshire and Barrhead.

BRITAIN’S third-biggest grocery chain, Sainsbury’s, has countered a claim from market leader Tesco that the race to expand 
supermarket space is over, saying it saw plenty of opportunities to open stores.

Tesco chief executive Phil Clarke last year called a halt to the race among the big supermarkets to open new space, in reaction to the growing importance of internet shopping.

But Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King told the group’s annual shareholder meeting in London yesterday: “It may be that one or two of our competitors have chosen to leave that race. But that’s not quite the same as saying the space race is over, because for Sainsbury’s there’s still much opportunity to grow our business into the future.”

In the 2012-13 financial year, Sainsbury’s added 14 supermarkets, 87 convenience stores and made eight extensions – adding a total of just over one million square feet and in line with its target of around 5 per cent gross space growth.

King said the company, which yesterday opened its 592nd store, in Bicester, would continue to open traditional supermarkets, with a development pipeline in parts of Britain where it is under-represented. It would also add space to existing stores through extensions.

That investment would complement the development of its estate of smaller local convenience stores.

Sainsbury’s is currently opening convenience stores at a rate of one or two a week and their number will surpass the number of traditional supermarkets later this year.

Adopt an Intern, a not-for-profit company that organises paid work placements for graduates, aims to place its 500th client before the end of the year.

The organisation, which was spun out from the Centre for Scottish Public Policy think-tank in 2010, has already placed 350 graduates with businesses, charities and public sector bodies.

The news follows chief executive Joy Lewis telling Scotland on Sunday, The Scotsman’s, sister paper, that she hopes the body will secure further funding from the Scottish Government, having received £800,000 from Holyrood and the European Union.

Lewis has unveiled a “corporate fostering programme”, under which larger companies sponsor start-up businesses or social enterprises to take on graduates, creating a “feeder system” from which bigger firms could then recruit staff.

AND relax. The latest signal that the UK economy has moved from intensive care to the outpatient ward came as ratings agency Moody’s gave our banks the thumbs up.

The upgrade from “negative” to “stable” was the first time UK high street banks have been given the all-clear by a ratings agency since 2008, when we first fully started to realise lenders were built on sand and the tide was going out.

The credit ratings outfit opined that the UK’s general economy was stable despite expectations that growth will remain low for the foreseeable.

Other positive signs to have cropped up this week include a rebound in commercial development activity according a report by property consultancy Savills, an improving housebuilding sector, boosted by government help schemes, and a tweak by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to its economic growth forecast for the UK this year from 0.7 per cent to 0.9 per cent – the first time it has turned up the notch since April 2012.

We’ve heard reports from optimists in recent gloomy times claiming to see green shoots of recovery, only to have these fragile tendrils hosed away by more bad news – from sovereign debt crises ad nauseam in Europe to a bank that claimed to be super nice wiping out pensioner bondholders after swallowing more dodgy lending than it could chew (here’s looking at you, Co-operative Bank).

But let’s not forget Moody’s caveats. The banks’ long-term debt and deposit ratings remain on a negative outlook because the agency expects the government to try to shake off the burden of responsibility if they mess up again. The lenders will also face higher costs of regulation under beefed up regulators – an employment boon perhaps for all those now ex-bankers who can meaningfully apply their skills to making life difficult for their previous employer.

But the upsides Moody’s points to include the fact that unemployment has remained low – thanks to those “zero hours contracts” no doubt, as well as the general economic mood music preventing staff from asking for a pay rise for five years running. We also know – thanks to the new governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney – that interest rates are going to amble along at historic lows for a while, which means mortgage borrowers and small companies will be able to keep paying their debts. No wonder banks are feeling a bit happier.

Cable confirms open secret of postal float

UNSURPRISING to anyone, Business Secretary Vince Cable yesterday confirmed the plan to float Royal Mail, allowing the Treasury to pocket something just short of £3 billion. That figure, of course, depends on market demand as well how much the government will sell – Cable said that it plans to retain a minority stake.

Some 10 per cent of the company’s shares are going to be handed to employees for free. The giveaway could be worth between £2,000 and £3,000 to each postie, albeit they won’t be able to sell the shares for three years. It’s undoubtedly a sweetener for a workforce that has been even more hostile to the notion of privatisation than audience reaction to the latest cinematic version of The Lone Ranger.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) pledged to hold a strike ballot at the end of the month unless a “legally binding” agreement on staff terms and conditions can be agreed ahead of any new owners coming on board. Unless staff decide to give up on a difficult cause and take Cable’s bright penny.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) yesterday announced that suspicious share price movements ahead of mergers have fallen to a record low after a crackdown on market abuse.

The regulator, which replaced the Financial Services Authority in April with a remit to take a harder line on financial crime, said that 14.9 per cent of mergers in 2011-12 were preceded by unusual market moves two days before the announcement.

This compares with 19.8 per cent in the 2010-11 financial year, which had been the lowest since records began in 2003.

Etay Katz, a financial services lawyer at City law firm Allen & Overy, said the fall in suspicious trades was not a surprise given the very substantial efforts dedicated to enforcement.

“The trend would appear to strengthen the hand of the regulator to make them continue to focus on this area until they get a consistent level of reduction,” Katz added.

SCOTLAND’S fund management sector could be held back by a lack of accountants trained to handle specialist work, according to a senior industry figure.

John Docherty, a divisional director at recruitment firm Core-Asset Consulting, warned that a “dearth” of fund accountants could stifle growth.

He blamed an influx of international firms into Edinburgh and Glasgow – including BNP Paribas, Citi and State Street – for hoovering up bean counters.

Docherty said: “Put simply, demand is outstripping supply. But behind this trend lurks the dual problem of prominence and perception. Fund accounting falls between two stools – newly-qualified accountants often see it as falling short of their ambitions, while budding investment gurus are drawn to the bonuses and cache associated with fund management.”

Docherty called for companies to create apprenticeship schemes, increase the number of roles for graduates and “offer salaries that are competitive with other accountancy roles”.

He also suggested that schools, colleges and universities should tell students about career opportunities, while accountants needed to widen their skills base.

Mark Allison, executive director for education at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (Icas), said that a survey carried out in 2009 by the Scottish Investment Operations (SIO) and the investment industry’s largest employers found that there was a lack of specific qualifications for investment and fund accountants.

“In reaction to this, SIO, Icas and the CBI formed the investment accounting diploma to address this commonly-reported skills gap,” Allison said.

Owen Kelly, chief executive of trade body Scottish Financial Enterprise, added: “The number of international operations opening up in Scotland in recent years is testament to the skills on offer.

“However, we can never be complacent and the industry and education sector must continue to work together to match skills provision to the needs and priorities of Scotland’s financial services sector.”

European banks that get into trouble will have to provide a detailed restructuring plan before they can get a state bailout under rules agreed yesterday.

In a major policy shift, the European Union will change rules on state aid on 1 August in order to create a level playing field among countries and ensure shareholders and junior bondholders contribute to a rescue.

Currently, a troubled bank in one nation might receive support that protects investors and creditors, while one in a different country gets only marginal assistance.

European commissioner Joaquin Almunia said: “Bank owners and junior creditors will need to contribute before any more taxpayers’ money is spent on bank bailouts.”