Sportswear retailer Sports Direct has overcome England’s early departure from the World Cup to deliver a 15.7 per cent jump in annual profits.

The chain, controlled by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, also said about 2,000 staff are in line for a slice of bonus share awards totalling about £36.7 million after the group hit its earnings targets.

Underlying profits came in at £383.2m for the year to 26 April, up from £331.1 a year earlier.

Revenues grew 4.7 per cent to £2.8 billion, despite footfall being hit by the unseasonably mild autumn weather.

Chief executive Dave Forsey said: “Trading since the period end has been in line with management expectations and will continue to be driven by improvements in product range and availability, optimisation of both our in-store and web offerings, the introduction of click and collect in the UK and further investment in our store portfolio.”

A LONG-TERM study of a large puffin colony on Fair Isle in Shetland has caused “considerable concern” after showing that breeding numbers have halved to 10,000 individuals.

The study, published by the scientific journal, Plos One, covers a period of nearly 30 years, starting in 1986.

Dr Will Miles of the Fair Isle Bird Observatory found that the most likely cause of the decline was failure of young birds to return to the island to breed.

Dr Miles said: “We don’t know exactly why they would fail to return to Fair Isle and settle to breed but it may be due to declining local fish stocks and poor feeding conditions for seabirds in Shetland waters.

“It is very difficult to find out exactly what happens to immature puffins after they have fledged because of the vast sea areas and the problems of tracing them within other colonies.”

The study showed that since the 1980s the quantities of fish brought ashore by adult puffins for their chicks declined substantially.

Dr Miles also looked at the possible impact of great skuas on the puffin colony. The number of these seabirds, also known as ‘bonxies,’ has increased by around 300 per cent on Fair Isle in the same period, to over 400 breeding pairs in 2014, and in the UK in recent years, as well as eating fish, they’re known to have fed on seabirds.

He said he was surprised to find that, despite this increase, adult puffin survival on the island has remained high and stable over the 30 years.

“It seems adult puffins on Fair Isle are pretty good at avoiding skuas and do not get heavily predated by them,” added Dr Miles.

Seabird populations around the UK are changing with many drastically declining.

Dr Mark Bolton of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was an advisor to the Fair Isle puffin study. He said: “The UK supports internationally important populations of puffins, which are among our best-loved seabirds. Whilst visitors to Fair Isle can still enjoy the spectacle of thousands of birds, the severe decline reported in this study is cause for considerable concern.

“This decline reflects the recent change in the IUCN pan-European conservation status of puffin to ‘endangered.’”

The work reported in the study is important, because it illustrates the complex interplay among many factors that may contribute to declines of seabirds, and the need for long-term studies to diagnose cause and effect. Such studies are essential to ensure adequate management of the marine environment to safeguard the future of our seas, and the species which depend on them.

Fair Isle is Britain’s most remote inhabited island and lies between Orkney and Shetland. It is one of only four sites chosen by the UK government, through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, for intensive monitoring of seabirds. Dr Miles formerly took part in the monitoring activity, as an assistant warden at the bird observatory.

He is now based at the University of Aberdeen and employed by the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust.

Puffins are very long-lived, with some individuals reaching 30 years of age. Young puffins usually start to breed when they are five or six years old. Prior to breeding, these immature birds prospect colonies for mates and nest sites.

SEE ALSO

• Sky ‘pirates’ put puffin at Europe extinction risk

• Comment: Seabirds at risk from wind farm growth

• {http://bit.ly/1DK0pb7|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?}

BRISTOW Helicopters today announced 130 job cuts because of a downturn in the North Sea energy production.

The news prompted the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) to urge the UK Government to stage a summit on North sea jobs.

Balpa said up to 66 pilots and 64 other staff were likely to lose their jobs.

Bristow, which flies offshore workers between platforms and the mainland, said that 130 people “may be affected by redundancy” because it had been unable to make sufficient cost cuts.

A spokeswoman for the operator, which employs nearly 2,000 people in the UK, said: “We can confirm our operations in the UK continue to be impacted due to the ongoing reduction of oil and gas activity in the North Sea, as our clients make permanent changes to their cost structure and operational practices.

“The company has taken numerous measures to reduce costs by working closely with clients to improve operational efficiencies, eliminate discretionary spending, defer capital spend, and offer voluntary redundancy.”

These are difficult yet necessary proposals as we continue to align our cost structure and capacity to that of our clients in this rapidly changing, highly competitive helicopter transportation market. The company is consulting with the trade unions and employees on these proposals.”

Balpa general secretary Jim McAuslan said: “This is devastating news for the Bristow community and we are doing everything we can to support pilots who are affected.

“This announcement reflects the collapse in the oil price and its impact on North Sea industry.

“Pilots want to see that industry thrive again and ensure when it does, we have the skilled pilots and other workers available.

“We must now make certain that businesses all the way down the supply chain are not squeezed by the big oil and gas companies.

“The [UK] Government needs to nurse the industry through this downturn so skills are not lost when the situation improves.

“Balpa is calling for a jobs summit with the Treasury, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Scottish Government and the Department for Transport to take stock of the situation.

This loss of experience is a major threat to the UK industry as well as a personal catastrophe for the individuals concerned.”

A HELICOPTER has crashed into a pub in Ireland, leaving one man with minor injuries and several others needing treatment for shock.

The accident happened in Abbeyshrule, in County Longford at around 9.15pm on Wednesday night, with the aircraft hitting the rear function room at the Rustic Inn Bar.

A number of people witnessed the incident, with bystanders reporting hearing a loud noise before the helicopter came down in a lane next to the pub, which is sited near an airfield.

The pub landlord told local media that the aircraft’s propellers struck the top of the building before tumbling onto the ground next to the Royal Canal.

He added: “It must have only been a few feet off the ground but they were awful lucky.”

Two men were on board the helicopter at the time.

A witness, who took a video of the aircraft attempting a landing before the incident, said that he started filming as the helicopter ‘got a bit low’, adding: “I went over to take a video. The minute it hit the building I called 999.”

Ciaran Doyle, who was working with his father, told RTE’s Morning Ireland programme: “[The helicopter] was hovering over the canal for about five minutes.

“It started to come in close to the pub, and it started moving towards the back.

“The minute I saw it, my hands started to shake and I picked up the phone and called the emergency services.”

Local radio reports suggested there had been some injuries to customers inside the pub while a spokesman for the Department of Transport said that two members of the Air Accident Investigation Unit had attended the scene.

Investigators are currently gathering evidence.

The SNP is still winning support from Labour and Nicola Sturgeon is poised for another landslide victory in next year’s Holyrood election, a new poll has found.

The Nationalists are poised to take an astonishing 60% vote share in the May election, with Labour flatlining on 20% and the Tories on 15%, according the TNS survey.

And Scots see the future of the NHS and jobs as the key issues for next year’s campaign.

The SNP would be the first party to have three spells in office if it wins next year.

Tom Costley, head of TNS Scotland, said the SNP is enjoying a “commanding lead” over other parties.

“Our survey also suggests that the SNP vote may be holding together more strongly than the Labour vote,” he added.

“However, given that Labour is still in the process of choosing new UK and Scottish leaders, the picture may change later in the year when the leaders of all the parties set out their stalls at their autumn conferences.”

The SNP lead among younger voters continues to be especially strong – 73% of those aged 16-34 who express a party preference say they intend to vote SNP, against 12% backing Labour.

The Nationalists have been more successful in retaining the support of voterse who backed them in this year’s general election which saw the win all but three of Scotland’s 59 seats.

Almost all (97%) of those who said they voted SNP in May said they intended to back the party in the constituency vote for Holyrood next May. Among Labour general election voters, 85% said they would stick with ther party.

The poll of 1056 adults over 16, saw 60% backing the SNP in the constituency vote and 51% on the regionsal list.

Labour trailed on 20% in constituencies and 21% on the list, while the Tories were on 14% and 13% respectively. The Lib Dems are at 5% and 7%, while the Greens are on 3% on the list.

The poll also continued to point towards a relatively high turnout, with 66% saying they were certain to vote, just one point less than a month ago – turnout in the 2011 Holyrood election was 50%.

A NEW non-profit energy company has been set up to sell cheaper power to around 200,000 homes across Scotland.

Our Power Energy has been founded by 35 organisations including some of Scotland’s largest housing associations, and local authorities.

The company will enter the market at the end of 2015 as an Ofgem-licensed supplier of gas and electricity to provide lower cost energy to the tenants and communities of its members.

It expects to save people up to 10 per cent on their household utility bills compared to standard commercial tariffs.

Over the next five years, this could see up to £11 million of savings for households in some of the most disadvantaged communities across the country.

It is backed by loans of £2.5 million from the Scottish Government and £1 million from Social Investment Scotland.

Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil said: “Fuel poverty is at its highest level in a decade with fuel prices having risen by an inflation-busting 7 per cent between 2012 and 2013.

“A recent investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that millions of energy customers are paying too much for their energy bills.

“That is why the Scottish Government has invested £2.5 million in Our Power. It will be the first independent and fully-licensed energy supply company registered as a non-profit distributing organisation owned by its members.

“This ground-breaking company will make a real difference to tens of thousands of low income households who are currently disadvantaged in the energy market and struggling to pay their bills.”

FORECASTERS have issued a severe weather warning for unseasonably heavy rain, thunder and winds of up to 50mph across central and western Scotland today and tomorrow.

The Met Office yellow – “be aware” – alert also warned of potential flooding from up to 80mm (3in) of rain because recent rainfall has left ground saturated.

In a signal that what passes for summer in Scotland is being put on hold, the agency said the bad weather was being caused by a “rather vigorous area of low pressure for the time of year”.

The warning will be in force from 1am today until 9pm tomorrow,

Forecasters said the worst periods would see six to nine hours of heavy, thundery rain in the early hours, followed by persistent rain later today that is expected to last well into Saturday.

An L-shaped warning area covers the west coast and islands as far south as Arran, along with a swathe of the country from Glasgow as far east as southern Aberdeenshire, including

Stirling, Fife, Perthshire and Dundee.

Events which could be affected include the HebCelt music festival on Lewis.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Rain, some heavy and thundery, will move north east across Scotland during the early hours of Friday.

“An interlude of drier weather is then expected, before further persistent and occasionally heavy rain develops late Friday and lasts through much of Saturday in places.

“The heaviest rain seems likely to be focused on northern Argyll and Lochaber.

“The rain will be accompanied by strong winds, these turning from south-easterly to southwesterly.

“Gales are possible for a time later Friday, particularly in the west, with gusts to around 50mph.

“Total rainfall will typically be 25-50mm (1-2in) but with some areas, particularly over high ground, receiving more than 80mm over the two days.

“Given that the ground is saturated, the public should be aware of the risk of localised flooding.”

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had five flood alerts in force yesterday, for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire; Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire; Dundee and Angus; Fife; and Perth and Kinross. The agency said: “Heavy rain is expected to cross during the early of hours of Friday and Friday morning.

“Flooding to low-lying areas from rivers and small watercourses is possible.

“The intensity of the rain may also cause some surface water flooding, particularly in built up areas or on low-lying roads.”

A FORMER advisor to senior government ministers has been jailed for 18 months after he was caught filming up women’s skirts at Waverley.

Neil Trotter, 54, followed his victims heading out of the station and used his mobile phone to capture the images.

The civil servant – who used to work in Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary John Swinney’s office – was placed on the sex offenders register for ten years. A court heard yesterday that his life was in ruins and his family on the brink of financial collapse after he was sacked following his arrest.

Trotter filmed the women as he arrived in the Capital after commuting from his home in Forrest View, Polmont, near Falkirk.

He was caught after a fellow traveller reported his suspicious behaviour to the British Transport Police.

Officers set up a surveillance operation and detained him the next day as he left the station.

An examination of his home computer then found 22 videos filmed on his mobile between June 11 and September 29, 2014.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that the camera had been directed under women’s skirts, recording zoomed-in images of their buttocks and private parts.

As well as at Waverley, the pervert also committed the sickening acts at the Buchanan Galleries shopping centre in Glasgow.

At a previous hearing when Trotter pleaded guilty, prosecutor fiscal depute Aidan Higgins told Sheriff Peter Braid: “As he made his way out of Waverley Station he came to the attention of a fellow commuter because he seemed to be acting in a curious manner, a sinister manner.

“As he entered the escalator, he was clearly making an effort to get very close to a female ahead of him.

“He was seen to be holding his mobile phone in such a way that it was clear he was using his phone to get under the lady’s skirt, taking photographs of areas under the skirt, buttocks and other parts.”

Defence solicitor Neil Hay said Trotter was “ashamed” of his behaviour.

He added: “He [Trotter] is most ashamed of his actions. He is well aware his behaviour is unacceptable to the community. This is not a victimless crime. He is sorry for what he has done.

“He has lost his career, brought his family to the brink of financial ruin and brought shame and humiliation to himself and, regretfully, to those very close to him.”

Sentencing Trotter, Sheriff Braid told him he took into account everything that had been said on his behalf, but added: “The repugnance society must feel towards these offences is such that, in my view, there is no alternative to a custodial sentence, in retribution and to deter others.”

THE SNP hopes to use its “magical omnipotent power” to defeat the Government’s welfare reforms after becoming the “saviours of the English foxes”.

Pete Wishart said he hoped he could ensure the “callous” Welfare Reform and Work Bill “miraculously disappears” simply by announcing the SNP intends to vote on it, in the wake of the Government’s retreat on fox hunting changes.

The SNP’s Commons leader also urged Labour to help his party stop the welfare measures announced in the Budget, which included limiting tax credits to two children and a further reduction in the benefit cap.

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman has called for her party not to oppose all of the planned welfare cuts, which has triggered 40 MPs to table a Commons amendment aiming to scupper the entire package.

Speaking during business questions, Mr Wishart told Commons Leader Chris Grayling: “It seems like there’s an almost magical omnipotent power to the Scottish National Party just now.

“As soon as we announced our intention to exercise our democratic rights in this House and vote on a measure announced in the business statement it miraculously disappears.

“Such is this omnipotence that we’re seemingly credited for the election result in England, the near-death of the Liberal Democrats, the crisis in the Labour Party and now we’re the saviours of the English foxes.

“Now I’m going to try my arm and see if I can test this omnipotence a little bit further because I’m going to announce to you today that the Scottish National Party fully intends to vote on the Welfare Reform Bill.

“Let’s see if we can get that to miraculously disappear and we could do a job for the poor, the most marginal and vulnerable in society and protect them from this callous Bill that the Tories intend to bring forward.

“We can’t leave it to the Labour Party, we just can’t - I have no idea what they’re going to do on Monday and I hope they join us in the lobby and vote against this callous Bill but I have my doubts when I look round at my honourable colleagues in the Labour Party.

“I just hope they do the right thing.”

He also wished Mr Grayling an enjoyable break during the summer recess, adding: “But come back, drop your (English votes for English laws) plans and I’m sure we’ll get on just famously.”

Mr Grayling replied: “Maybe over the summer, as you relax on the beach, wherever you are, you might consider whether you really want to pursue the policy of reversing of what you rightly said to the McKay Commission when you give evidence to it, about the need for the Scottish National Party to stay outside matters that don’t affect them.

“It’s been a policy of principle for your party over many years and I think it’s a shame you have walked away from the principle.

“If anybody is U-turning at the moment, it’s you. You are a man of principle, I’m sure you will reflect again and perhaps take a different approach in the future.”

On the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, Mr Grayling disagreed with the SNP and said it would deliver measures for working people.

He said he believed it attracted the support of workers in Scotland who want to “see a welfare system that is fair”, particularly from those who pay for it.

SEE ALSO

• PM accused of Evel plot over SNP fox hunting clash

• Backlash against SNP as Tories make fresh Evel bid

• Fear of Labour/SNP deal ‘won election for Tories’

• {http://bit.ly/1DK0pb7|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?}

TIM FARRON has been elected to succeed Nick Clegg as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

The former party president expectantly defeated Norman Lamb after a vote by around 60,000 party members.

Mr Farron now faces a major rescue job on his hands in the wake of a disastrous election which saw the party lose all but eight of its 57 Commons seats after five years in coalition government with the Conservatives.

The 45-year-old replaces Mr Clegg who stepped down following the election despite the former deputy prime minister keeping his Sheffield Hallam seat.

Mr Farron is MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, a seat which he has held since 2005.

A disappointing entry that jettisons many winning features from the series

Game review: Rory McIlroy PGA Tour

Platform: Xbox One (reviewed) / Playstation 4

Score: 6/10

THE continuing decline in form of Tiger Woods, once the world’s most successful golfer, has been an uncomfortable reality for Electronic Arts. For close to a quarter century the firm has been making PGA licenced golf games. For 15 of those, they have been branded with the image of the 39-year-old with 14 Major titles to his name. But as the American’s star has declined over the past five years and his quest to topple Jack Nicklaus as the sport’s all-time great falters, EA has found itself with an unbefitting figurehead.

Cue its decision to take a break from the annualised franchise last year. The last instalment, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14, was an impressive offering which fine tuned an age-old formula while throwing some excellent new ideas into the mix, such as the Legends of the Majors mode which allowed players to pit their skills against champions from bygone eras. With the publisher taking a pause before unveiling its new cover star, hopes were high that the return of the series would mine the same seam of thoughtful evolution.

As a standalone game, it is very good; compared to its predecessors, it is simplistic

Unfortunately, the reverse is true. Judged as a standalone game, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour plays a very good round of golf. But assessed against the leaderboard of previous entries in the series, it barely manages to make the cut due to the way it has jettisoned swaths of modes and features while drastically paring back the range of real life golfers and courses on offer. Instead of progress or, at the very least, refinement, a storied series has relapsed in alarming fashion.

The game does the basic things well, most notably the way in which you strike the ball. With a choice of three swing mechanics, from the traditional three-click method to a more involved and sensitive set-up which demands careful timing and rhythm over the analog sticks, its core gameplay is responsive and satisfying. Finding a method that complements your style and experience is straightforward given the ability to toggle a welter of assists - for example, whether you are able to add spin to the ball while it is in air.

The career mode has been pared back to the bare bones

However, executing the basics is just not enough for a series of this vintage. Staples of the game, such as the single player career mode, have been injudiciously pared back; the default setting sees you play only a select few holes from each course every round, while attributes for your own created golfer are added automatically, denying you the chance to truly mould a character that best suits your way of playing. Success in a tournament, meanwhile, earns players a desultory text box offering congratulations.

Online, meanwhile, modes such as country club and simultaneous online tournaments have been excised, leaving only head to head play. And with a dated template of pre-created character models to choose from (if there is an obvious use for the Kinect, then surely it is allowing players to scan in their likeness to games) and it becomes clear this is not a game that goes out of its way to encourage commitment or acknowledge your achievements. The advertising tagline EA are using to promote the game, ‘Golf without limits’, feels like a bad joke.

It may be the best next gen golf game but this is still an anticlimactic return

EA will no doubt stay true to its promise to supplement the game with free DLC content that, in time, will create a richer offering. As things stand at launch, however, this is an unforgivably simplistic and underwhelming title. It may be play a better game of golf the sober simulation of The Golf Club and the arcade-inspired Powerstar Golf. But there is no denying that the meagreness of the courses, characters and customisation options has resulted in an anticlimactic return for one of the publisher’s flagship series.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Don’t trust the automatic shot selection and direction, which often leaves you way short of the pin. Instead, study the green surface and wind direction before tailoring your shot.

In career mode, be sure to change the settings so that you play full rounds, otherwise your performance on the majority of holes will be simulated according to your player’s attributes, which are lowly to begin with.

Shot shaping is a crucial way of safely navigating hazards and treelines and is especially useful on links courses where angles are all important.

A REVIEW of the BBC must be used as an opportunity to improve services and deliver better coverage for Scotland, the Culture Secretary has said.

Fiona Hyslop said the UK Government’s Green Paper on the corporation’s future must not be used as a cover “to slash and diminish” the broadcaster.

UK Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said the BBC charter review would raise questions about the overall purpose of the broadcaster, the services and content it should provide, how it should be funded and how it should be governed and regulated.

A deal has already been agreed which will see the broadcaster take on responsibility for funding free TV licences for the over-75s, while the review will consider whether the corporation should pursue a narrower range of programming and examine the future of the licence fee.

The Green Paper comes two days after the BBC published its annual report.

Analysis from audience councils and focus groups found 48 per cent of people in Scotland think the BBC is good at representing their life in news and current affairs content, compared with 61 per cent in England, 61 per cent in Northern Ireland and 55 per cent in Wales.

Ms Hyslop, said: “This week’s annual report from the BBC showed that it is currently failing to meet the expectations of the people of Scotland.

“More than half the nation doesn’t believe the BBC properly reflects their lives, and we’ve seen a decline in production spend in Scotland. These BBC failures must fuel positive reform, not furnish excuses for cuts.”

She added: “BBC reform needs to deliver improved coverage of the life of Scotland to the people of Scotland, an international perspective from Scotland and increases in Scottish production levels to help grow the industry.

“We’ve made clear the Scottish Government intends to play an active role in the charter renewal process and despite the UK Government failing to fully consult on the green paper or licence fee settlement we will be working to ensure that Scotland’s voice is heard.

“Charter renewal must be used as an opportunity to improve services that will help it better deliver for Scotland and protect the BBC’s independence - not used as a cover for the UK Government to slash and diminish the BBC.”

Scottish Labour’s culture spokeswoman Claire Baker said: “For the first time, the Scottish Parliament has a role to play in charter renewal and it is vital the public have a clear and loud voice in the whole process.

“This is an important charter for the BBC as it looks to adapt to the challenges and opportunities that new technology and changing viewing habits bring.

We need to make sure that these arguments are being made with the public in mind.

“We must not have a situation where politicians use the renewal process to settle old scores. The public will not forgive them if they did.”

SEE ALSO

• The people deserve a more Scottish BBC Scotland

• BBC urged to launch Scots political coverage review

• Leaders: BBC must not be cowed into partiality

• {http://bit.ly/1DK0pb7|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?}

A NUMBER of Gentoo penguin chicks have hatched at Edinburgh Zoo, after a successful breeding season.

Sixteen chicks were born, with the first hatching on May 4.

Gentoo penguins are mostly found on a number of sub-Antarctic islands, including the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Kerguelen Islands

Smaller colonies are known to live on Macquarie Island, the Heard Islands, South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.

The penguins form breeding colonies each year, with each couple making a nest out of stones, grass and moss.

Female Gentoos will tend to lay up to two eggs, which both the male and female will incubate for between 30 - 40 days.

The Gentoo chicks fledge around 85 - 117 days after hatching, but continue to be fed by their parents for another four weeks.

Edinburgh Zoo is currently home to more than 70 Gentoo penguins, and are described by their keepers as ‘active and curious’, with ‘exuberant personalities’.

Senior Penguin Keeper Dawn Nicoll added: “We have had a very successful breeding season this year and we are very happy with the outcome.

“The chicks are starting to wander from the nest now and explore their new home; however, there are still a number of much younger chicks that will still sit on the nests for a while.”

“The hatchlings’ personalities are starting to show now and they are definitely a feisty bunch. They are becoming more confident and the older ones are starting to hand-feed.

“Breeding season is always a busy time for us, but we will get a lot busier now as the chicks start wandering around and moving to the crèche.”

Agreement to provide Greece with a short-term loan to see it through to the middle of next month helped propel European markets higher, although the euro fell to a fresh seven-year low against the pound on fears the country’s rescue may not be sustainable in the long run.

Glasgow-based engineering group Weir was the biggest beneficiary as a wave of positive sentiment swept through the City, with a rise of 67p or 4.2 per cent to 1,661p putting it at the top of the blue-chip risers’ board.

Jasper Lawler, market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: “The European Central Bank’s willingness to raise the ceiling on the emergency liquidity assistance puts to bed the immediate risk of a banking collapse and paves the path towards the reopening of Greek banks.”

With Greece’s politicians last night approving a series of tax hikes and economic reforms, the FTSE 100 climbed 42.7 points to finish the session at 6,796.45.

Retailer Dixons Carphone was another gainer, closing up 6.7p at 468.2p after reporting a surge in profits in its first set of annual results since its formation by the merger of Carphone Warehouse with the owner of Currys and PC World.

Green power firm Infinis was also on the rise, sparking up 10.25p or 7 per cent to 156.5p as it said Tom Hinton, finance chief of Centrica Energy Canada, is set to replace Gordon Boyd as chief financial officer.

Sports Direct edged up 2p to 736.5p after enjoying a rise in full-year earnings that will trigger a £150 million bonus share award payout for thousands of the sportswear chain’s staff.

However, the upbeat mood in London did not spread to oil major BP, which was the heaviest top-flight faller with a decline of 5.1p to 422p. Gold and silver miner Fresnillo was also heading in the wrong direction, dipping 8p to 668.5p.

NICOLA Sturgeon has hit out the New Statesman magazine - calling their cover illustration of her cringeworthy.

This weeks cover touts an article on The Motherhood Trap, promising to investigate why so many successful woman are childless.

It features an illustration of Sturgeon, along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Home Secretary Theresa May and Labour leader candidate Liz Kendall.

They are pictured standing around a crib containing a ballot box, suggesting they have sacrificed motherhood for political success.

But Sturgeon hit out at the cover in a tweet saying: “Jeezo...we appear to have woken up in 1965 this morning!”

Helen Lewis, the author of the piece replied, saying: “Would love to chat about this once you’ve read the piece!”

To which Sturgeon replied: “Of course. Article not available yet - my tweet is about the cringeworthy cover, not your writing.”

Other Twitter users have agreed with Sturgeons verdict, calling the cover illustration undignified and outdated.

One user, called Hard-Working Carer said: “It’s like a Ladybird book cover of Why are these women not mummies?”

But others have gone so far as to suggest that the cover of the left-wing magazine is sexist.

Fraya Jadzia posted, saying: “Funny how the new statesman doesn’t mention childless male leaders, almost as if sexism is still a thriving part of society.”

And Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson also weighed in, sharing the page with the caption: “Oh, do sod right off.”

• {http://bit.ly/1DK0pb7|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?}

THIS unfortunate seagull got a bit more than it bargained for after getting its head stuck inside a food container.

The gull was seen in Kittybrewster, in Aberdeen, looking faintly embarrassed after managing to get the takeaway box stuck around its neck like a bib.

It is thought the greedy bird had been rummaging for scraps in a nearby bin.

A number of passers-by attempted to help the bird by removing the polystyrene box, but it flew off before the makeshift bib could be removed.

Scottish SPCA Chief Inspector John Carle said: “It looks like the gull can still fly which will make it difficult to catch.

“However, if anyone spots the bird they should contact our animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”

DAVID Cameron faces a furious backlash after the 10 per cent pay hike for MPs was confirmed today - despite the rest of the public sector being capped at 1 per cent for another four years.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said the issue of politicians’ salaries could no longer be “ducked” and it is pushing ahead with the increase from £67,060 to £74,000.

However, the watchdog has climbed down on plans to link their pay to UK-wide average earnings in future - a move that could have left MPs £23,000 better off by 2020.

Instead they will be restricted to average rises in the public sector.

The Prime Minister previously branded the substantial boost, backdated to May 8 and tied to cuts in pensions and expenses, “unacceptable” at a time of austerity.

But last month Downing Street indicated that Mr Cameron will not seek to block the move - and he will personally accept the money. Politicians elected before 2015 - including Mr Cameron - will also see a major boost to their pensions as they are based on final salary.

The proposals have caused bitter divisions among MPs, with some decrying the award and others arguing they have been underpaid for decades.

It has also split ministers, with Education Secretary Nicky Morgan breaking ranks to declare she will give the money to charity and International Development Secretary Justine Greening warning that Ipsa is “not working in its current form”.

Labour leadership contenders Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall have all declared they will forego the rise.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is likely to be reminded of comments from 2013 when he indicated he would not accept a pay rise while the rest of the public sector was being restrained.

Michael Gove, now Justice Secretary, memorably declared around the same time that Ipsa could “stick” their pay rise.

Under pressure, the Government formally expressed its opposition to an increase in a letter to the watchdog’s final consultation on the plans last month.

Mr Cameron has also imposed a freeze on the ministerial element of pay - meaning he and Cabinet ministers will only get an effective 5 per cent bump in their total remuneration.

However, blocking a rise finalised by Ipsa would require a change in the law, and with a slim majority it is far from clear that Mr Cameron could carry a vote in the Commons.

The hike was originally unveiled in 2013 to address complaints that MPs’ pay has dropped behind that for other jobs.

Ipsa said last month that the mooted rise would go ahead unless “new and compelling evidence” was submitted.

In its report today, the watchdog said the additional four years of 1 per cent public sector pay restrictions unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne in the Summer Budget represented “compelling evidence”.

It said MPs’ salaries would now go up every April in line with average weekly public sector earnings, rather than those for the whole workforce.

OBR forecasts show UK-wide average earnings going up 3.6 per cent in 2016, 3.9 per cent in 2017, 3.9 per cent in 2018, and 4.1 per cent in 2019, and 4.4 per cent in 2020.

On top of the £7,000 bump this year, that would have left MPs receiving nearly £90,000 in 2020 - a rise of £23,000 or 34 per cent over five years.

By contrast public sector earnings are only expected to go up by around 5 per cent over the period.

The measure being used by Ipsa has also fallen into negative territory in the past as a result of job cuts - and the watchdog’s report stated: “If these data show that public sector earnings have in fact fallen, then MPs’ pay will be cut too.”

The watchdog’s chairman Sir Ian Kennedy defended the salary increase, pointing to other curbs such as introducing a career average pension and scrapping expenses for evening meals. “Pay has been an issue which has been ducked for decades, with independent reports and recommendations from experts ignored, and MPs’ salaries supplemented by an opaque and discredited system of allowances,” he said.

“We have made the necessary break with the past. We have created a new and transparent scheme of business costs and expenses, introduced a less generous pension scheme, where taxpayers contribute less and MPs make a higher contribution, and scrapped large resettlement payments.

“We have consulted extensively on MPs’ pay, and with today’s decision we have put in place the final element of the package for the new Parliament.

“In making this decision we are very aware of the strongly held views of many members of the public and by some MPs themselves.

“We have listened to those views. We have made an important change to the way in which pay will be adjusted annually.

“Instead of linking MPs’ pay to wages in the whole economy, it will be linked to public sector pay.

“Over the last Parliament, MPs’ pay increased by 2 per cent, compared to 5 per cent in the public sector and 10 per cent in the whole economy.

“It is right that we make this one-off increase and then formally link MPs’ pay to public sector pay.”

• {http://bit.ly/1DK0pb7|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?|Have you visited our new Scottish food and drink site?}

CALLS have been made for immediate action to tackle the “looming crisis” in the recruitment of family doctors, as it was revealed that health boards were being forced to take over practices due to GP shortages.

NHS boards have taken the unusual step of taking control of 42 surgeries in Scotland to ensure patients had access to a GP while vacancies spiralled.

A survey sent to each of the country’s 987 GP surgeries by Labour public health spokesperson Dr Richard Simpson MSP, revealed that almost one in four GP partners are close to retirement age.

It found 92 unfilled GP vacancies and 68 sessional GP vacancies – which refers to locums and other doctors who provide cover for sickness and holiday leave.

Dr Simpson also received 50 emails from worried doctors outlining “serious and detailed concerns” about the situation.

Practices are normally owned and run by GP partners but health boards can intervene if asked to by doctors, or in an emergency to ensure patients have access to a GP.

NHS Lothian admitted it was taking control of a fourth practice next month, while health boards in Grampian, Forth Valley, Highland, Shetland and Tayside have all stepped in to help struggling surgeries.

Dr Simpson, who was a GP for more than 30 years, said: “A family doctors crisis is looming in Scotland, but patients across the country are feeling the effects now.

“We are seeing fewer doctors serve more people, an increasing number of practices where the NHS has to step in to sort it out, and an increasing number of vacancies across the country.

“Between GP partners retiring in next decade combined and emigration rates of newly qualified doctors continuing we are going to see primary health care come under crushing pressure, particularly as our population ages.

“It is the SNP government’s responsibility to manage workforce planning in our NHS. They have known about the age profile of GPs for a long time so should have been putting measures in place to make sure more GPs were training.”

The news should be an “urgent wake up call” for ministers, warned Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP.

He added: “Unless quick, concrete action is taken we face the prospect of more patients facing long waits for what should be routine appointments.

“We have the prospect of a vicious circle where increased pressure on our remaining GPs will make it harder to recruit and retain doctors in this crucial area of medicine, increasing the workload again and putting further strain on GPs and accident and emergency services alike.”

One in five training slots for GPs in Scotland went unfilled this summer, posing a critical threat to the sector’s struggling workforce.

Dr Carey Lunan, of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), called for long term funding from the Scottish Government to attract more trainees, to allow GPs to return to the profession and to encourage GPs to stay in the profession.

Dr Lunan, who works as a GP in Edinburgh, said: “A satisfactory solution has to be found to the current state of affairs and that solution must begin with Scottish Government getting fully behind general practice with a firm commitment to appropriate, long-term funding which would attract more GP trainees into the profession, allow GPs to return to the profession and encourage GPs to remain in the profession.

“We welcome the recent announcements around additional short term funding to address some of these issues, but we do not believe that this goes far or wide enough. We must hear a great deal more.

“For many years, the annual funding to general practice has been cut, and until this situation is reversed, and we see a sustained increase in resourcing of the general practice workforce, this situation is only going to get worse.”

Public Health Minister Maureen Watt denied there was a crisis in Scottish healthcare.

She said: “GP surgeries run directly by health boards make up a small percentage of the total number of practices in Scotland and it’s important to note that this number has changed very little over the past decade.

“This is a legitimate part of the GP contract and happens for a number of reasons. Often it is more appealing to GPs to be in a salaried post, and in rural and deprived areas there can be many benefits for practices to adopt this model.”

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There is, it has to be said, a logic to the decisions on MP’s pay and expenses made by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

The body was set up after the 2009 MPs expenses scandal and was tasked with making the remuneration of MP’s more transparent. There was a time when hard-done-to MPs, unable to persuade the public that a pay rise was necessary or unwilling to face down the public for giving themselves one, simply and quietly increased their expenses and other perks in what they saw as a substitute.

This is what led to the outrage when it was revealed MPs were using the public purse to pay for their homes and for ridiculous items such as wisteria for their gardens and a duck house. That scandal did serious damage to the reputation of the House of Commons and to democracy in Britain in general.

It has to be remembered that IPSA was a body tasked with, at least partially, restoring the public’s faith in the financial probity of their elected representatives.

So the new structure outlined by the IPSA will not cost the taxpayers any more than they currently pay and brings in cuts to expenses, pension and severance payments for MPs. It will also restrict future pay rises to be in line with average rises in the public sector – likely to be less than the original proposal of being tied to average earnings across the board.

So far so good. But it also brings MPs a 10 per cent pay rise, seeing salaries rise from £67,060 to £74,000. This is where it got it wrong. And there are many who see that the pay rise is wrong.

Coming at a time of arguments raging about the prolonged period of austerity Britain is currently undergoing, when there are restrictions in public pay and the continued paying down of the deficit, many MPs have said they do not want the pay rise and that it is inappropriate given the country’s circumstances.

Even the government formally expressed its opposition to an increase in a letter to IPSA. But it appears it is unstoppable – and that is the part the public will find truly unbelievable. MPs’ pay is out their hands – everyone thought that would be a good thing and no-one saw the independence of the pay-setters working this way.

But IPSA is wrong in saying MP’s are underpaid. And in the logic of their actions IPSA has actually forgotten what it was set up to do. Creating transparency was not the end, but the means to restore the public’s faith in politicians. By doing as they have, they have failed in their prime directive.

But the public, the long-suffering public, will know that if the MPs united unanimously in opposition to this measure it actually could be stopped. The fact is there really does not seem to be that will. Confidence is not restored.

Customer should come first

Markets have throughout history been important social places for people. They give us the supplies we need every day, the food and the drinks that sustain life. Today’s supermarkets offer much more, a massive array of consumer goods that we need for 21st century life, as well as the luxuries and treats we like. They are also the place where we bump in to friends. All in all we like markets, and we need them to be good places to be. The competition between them gives us plenty of choice where we spend our cash.

So places that confuse or mislead us are probably not where we want to be. Yesterday the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) warned that supermarket pricing could “confuse or mislead” shoppers and has told the industry that it needs to make the cost of food clearer and more transparent for ­consumers.

Congratulations to Which? for its tenacious pursual of the issues around this and the creation of its super-complaint, seven years shows great commitment to the consumers’ best interests.

Now we do need to see that action by government to strengthen rules to give retailers less opportunity to continue in these ways.

And we need the retailers to take heed of the CMA’s findings on the report and not only improve practices but to give clear and consistent messaging that they are improving practices. Given our relationship with them it would be in their best interests.

Perhaps the first one to do so would reap the biggest benefits in terms of attracting customers.

REGULAR users of Scotland’s most notorious road may disagree, but you may have never had it so good on the A9. Forty years ago, the road was so tortuous you could take your car by Motorail train between Stirling and Inverness. Subsequent upgrades in the 1980s to bypass towns and villages were to give the route a new infamy as speeds increased, and with it the number of fatal crashes.

But in the last year, there appears to have been an improvement – at least to the pleasantness of the journey – following the introduction of average speed cameras.

From my limited experience of driving the road over the last few weeks, the cameras have achieved their intended effect of calming traffic and moderating some of the unsettlingly extreme past behaviour of some motorists. I witnessed far less impatient tailgating and dangerous overtaking than in the past.

Yes, trips may now take a little longer, perhaps partly because some drivers see the 50mph lorry speed limit signs and think these apply to them too. There are no 60mph limit signs for cars – just the black and white national speed limit symbols.

Unsurprisingly, the anti-camera campaign appears to have largely run out of steam. After all, average speed cameras have been a common sight at roadworks for years and have been operating over some 30 miles of the A77 in Ayrshire since 2005 without any discernible protest.

For those wanting to get between Inverness and the south faster, that is on the horizon, with ministers pledged to spend £3 billion to complete the dual carriageway to Perth within a decade.

Sceptics have yet to see how the Scottish Government can afford that vast level of spending, or be convinced it is feasible to widen 80 miles of road in ten years, when only a few miles have been built since the SNP came to power eight years ago.

The dualling programme starts in earnest within months, with construction getting underway on a five-mile stretch between Kincraig and Dalraddy, south of Aviemore, in “late summer”, according to the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency, which is in charge of the project.

That is likely to mark the start of continuous traffic disruption until 2025, with the average speed cameras expected to be used to enforce speed limits of 40mph or lower through the roadworks. Motoring groups have said work will have to take place at more than one of the 12 sections of the dualling project to get it done on time.

That’s a lot of potential motoring pain ahead, so it may well be a case of enjoying the present state of the A9 while you can.