Elephant learned to talk out of loneliness - scientists say
AN elephant which can imitate human speech is believed to have learned to speak five basic words out of lonliness so that he could interact with humans. South Korean elephant Koshik speaks by sticking...
View ArticleDutch firm becomes first potential bidder for ScotRail franchise
DUTCH national railways Nederlandse Spoorwegen subsidiary Abellio has become the first potential bidder for the next ScotRail franchise to throw its hat into the ring.• Abellio announces bid to succeed...
View ArticleLabour MP Denis MacShane resigns over ‘deceitful’ expenses claims
LABOUR MP Denis MacShane has announced he is resigning from Parliament after the Westminster sleaze watchdog found he had wrongly claimed thousands of pounds in expenses.The former Europe minister said...
View ArticleVideo: outrage as woman removed from Ryanair flight for having more than one...
BUDGET carrier Ryanair has been criticised after a woman was taken off a plane after she fell foul of baggage rules.The woman, who has not been identified, was removed from the flight by police moments...
View ArticleiPad mini: A roundup of the reviews
SINCE it’s launch last week, the iPad mini has been met with a mixed response, with some users praising the tablet’s lightness whilst others are bemoaning the non-retina display. Here, we take a look...
View ArticleStuart Waiton: Changing drink-driving law steps over limit
BY removing risk from society, the powers that be will take the joy out of life, writes Stuart WaitonThe Scottish Government plans to reduce the drink-driving limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml blood...
View ArticleGerry Hassan: Euro-sceptics may be the real petty nationalists
The UK’s relationship with the EU is under pressure and Scots may have to consider whether they want part of a detached little Britain, writes Gerry HassanEurope has been in the headlines in the last...
View ArticleDavid Watt: Entrepreneurs and leadership vital for future growth
The past few years have clearly been difficult for the Scottish economy, and despite the welcome news that the UK is now officially out of recession, for many businesses north of the Border it doesn’t...
View ArticleFatty acid worry for oilseed farms
Although the market price for oilseed rape is at an all-time high, there is a major cloud hanging over the Scottish crop with many of this year’s crop samples having well above acceptable levels of...
View ArticleAsthma risk from drying laundry, study finds
Drying laundry inside the home has been found to cause asthma in some people, a study has found.Research carried out by the Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit at the Glasgow School of...
View ArticleSamsung takes Note with 3m sales
Sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 smartphone have topped more than three million just over a month after its launch.The South Korean firm said yesterday that sales of the smartphone reached the figure...
View ArticleErikka Askeland: Trees deserve all the help they can get
Imagine a forest. It’s not too hard, as there are still plenty left in Scotland, where the breeze rustles boughs and leaves, perhaps with a burn babbling through them.Of course, there used to be more...
View ArticleStaying power: Edinburgh’s Balmoral Hotel turns 110 years old
AS The Balmoral celebrates its 110th birthday, Sir Rocco Forte explains why this hotel, and Scotland, is so important to himSOME sofas are made for slumping, defying our best efforts to stay upright....
View ArticleInsurers see fall in premiums on fewer policies
Two of the UK’s largest car insurers have been hit by a fall in premiums, with market leader Direct Line also reporting a dip in policy numbers.In its first results as a listed company, the owner of...
View ArticleWeather dampens cash flows for farmers
Farmers heading into winter were yesterday advised to check out their cash flows, with warnings of some severe challenges to their planned expenditure.Jimmy McLean, head of agricultural services at...
View ArticleUS firms hiring more workers but overall jobless rate continues to rise
Employers in the US stepped up their hiring last month, but the unemployment rate rose as more people joined the jobs market.Figures from the labour department showed the economy added 171,000 non-farm...
View ArticleBusiness briefs: Homeowners in new inflation statistics | European car sales...
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is to introduce a new measure of inflation next year that includes costs faced by owner occupiers.The new index, known as CPIH, will use changes in rental...
View ArticleLowering drink-drive limit ‘could let worst offenders off hook’
LOWERING the drink-drive limit could divert police from pursuing the worst offenders, Tory MSPs have warned.• Tory MSPs have alleged that the proposed cut of the drink driving limit may criminalise...
View ArticleComment: Reviews by the score, well it seems like that
WE LIVE in a culture in which there are calls to “review” seemingly every political decision. So the fact that the Bank of England commissioned three separate investigations of its conduct during the...
View ArticleConstruction on ‘modest’ rise
The UK’s construction sector managed to eke out modest growth last month, but firms said they remained cautious about the future as residential activity fell for the fifth month running.According to...
View Article