Wine: A scandal in the 1980s was the making of Austrian wine
IMAGINE a wine with the freshness of German rheingau, the spiciness of French alsace and the full-bodied fieryness of Hungarian tokay.If you enjoy lively, spicy, aromatic, dry whites or succulent,...
View ArticleGardens: Space odyssey
BOXING clever means Penelope Bennett can grow a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, despite having little roomIf someone told you that their home-grown January produce included Swiss chard, frizzy...
View ArticleJonathan Trew: ‘He creates live sculptures using his face as a canvas’
MUCH of the arts world is en route to Edinburgh at the moment but Glasgow is also making a noise.This weekend sees the grand finale of the Merchant City Festival. Now in its 11th year, it has grown to...
View ArticleRoger Cox: ‘Wild and not-so free, could beach car parking charges be the...
FOR a while there it looked as if this week’s column was going to be about extreme ice climbing.Then I had the option of doing something on wingsuit flying – the near-suicidal activity whereby persons...
View ArticleGadget review: Plumen designer lightbulb
THERE’S no getting away from it. Energy-saving lightbulbs are ugly. The marriage of form and function has been completely sidelined in order to maximise their energy delivery.Plus, energy-saving...
View ArticleLondon 2012 Olympics: Call to ‘name and shame’ no-shows
SOLDIERS and students have been drafted in to fill empty rows at Olympic venues as investigations continue into why so many of the best seats are remaining vacant even when events are sold out.Hundreds...
View ArticleTim Hopkins: Clear safeguards already protect religious objectors
JOHN Macmillan questioned last week in this column whether an escape hatch could be added to the Equality Act 2010, to allow churches to refuse to conduct same-sex marriages.But that escape hatch is...
View ArticleLesley Riddoch: Ringing paean of praise to diversity
The opening ceremony was a triumph of togetherness but it’s unlikely to change minds set on separation, writes Lesley RiddochSO THE Devil doesn’t necessarily have all the best tunes.“Magnificent,...
View ArticleJane Devine: A fine example of our skewed relationship with booze
MOST of the debate around the minimum pricing of alcohol has focused on our tendency to drink too much and too often. It is typified by discussions about how to reduce the alcoholic intake of the...
View ArticleUsed Beemers tops for buyers
Used-car purchasers are as likely to buy BMWs as battered bangers, according to a survey.The average price of a privately-sold used car is now more than £6,000, the poll by Experian found.High-end...
View ArticleAvalanches on Saturn’s moon offer cold comfort
Giant avalanches on an icy moon of Saturn may provide clues about landslides on Earth, say scientists.Images from the American space agency Nasa’s Cassini spacecraft revealed 30 ice falls on Iapetus, a...
View ArticleScottish independence: Wrangle may delay vote until 2015
The referendum could take place as late as 2015, amid wrangling over the question that will appear on the ballot paper, it was reported yesterday. The UK government insists it must be a straight Yes-No...
View ArticleLondon 2012 Olympics: Callum had to keep mum about ceremony starring role
THE teenager who helped to light the Olympic flame has revealed he was banned from telling most of his own family about his secret role.Callum Airlie of Westruther, Berwickshire is one of seven...
View ArticleTim Cornwell: Award-winning art in the starting blocks
OUR very own artistic Olympics kick off this week and I’m wondering who the medal contenders will be. One has to say that on current form there’s a better chance of the home teams picking up a few...
View ArticleComment: Dairy farmers win price battle, but the war is not over yet
A FORMER president of the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS) once told me that dairy farmers were the only ones who would go to a protest meeting about milk prices, and then on the way home make...
View ArticleBusiness news in brief: Aviva | Brodies | Emaar Properties
Aviva, the UK’s second-largest insurance group, has received a number of unsolicited approaches from financial and private equity buyers for a US unit estimated to be worth some £1 billion.It is...
View ArticleImage of Scotland: Tornado GR4 passes over Kerrcleuch
Walter Baxter captures this low flying Tornado GR4 combat aircraft from Herman Law as it passes over some sheep at Kerrcleuch in the Scottish Borders to the south-west of St Mary’s...
View ArticleLeaders: Empty seats a slap in the face for athletes and fans
AFTER the stunning success of the London Olympics opening ceremony and its message of togetherness and inclusivity, the sight of empty seats at eagerly awaited events has been all the more...
View ArticleScottish independence: Labour dismisses rebellion
LABOUR chiefs say a rebellion among its grassroots members in favour of independence lacks “any real support” within party ranks.A website has been launched called Labour for Independence, which is...
View Article