Two new prisons in Edinburgh and Greenock to replace Cornton Vale
TWO new women’s prisons will replace Scotland’s notorious Cornton Vale under radical plans to improve conditions for female offenders.The most serious criminals will be sent to the new units in...
View ArticleLondon 2012 Olympcs: Gold keeps on coming as Games enter home straight
MO FARAH sealed his place as a British sporting legend last night after adding the 5,000-metres gold medal to the one he claimed in the 10,000-metres last week, in a thrilling highlight of the final...
View ArticleBribery cases plan creates ‘Scots blind spot’
PLANS to introduce American-style plea bargains into bribery cases south of the Border could create a “blind spot” that stops Scottish companies from owning up to their mistakes, legal experts have...
View ArticleGerald Warner: Scourge of equality will throw Britain off the podium
THE Olympic Games are the ultimate forum of sporting excellence. All competitors, whether individuals or team members, are striving to prove their superiority over other challengers; strength, stamina,...
View ArticleDani Garavelli: Education is a by-product of the push for A grades
EARLY last week, all around my neighbourhood, teenagers could be seen gazing anxiously out of windows or pacing their driveways, waiting for the postman to deliver the envelope which would determine...
View ArticleDuncan Hamilton: UN must heed the warnings as member states drift away
WILLIAM Hague’s announcement of £5 million for various Syrian opposition groups is welcome. The money is in the foothills of what any civilised country could and should do when faced with the barbaric...
View ArticleLeader: Race for Rio Scots can’t win
LONDON 2012 has been a triumph, not least for Scottish athletes; but could Scotland enjoy an even higher profile at Rio 2016 by fielding its own national team?Without in any way pre-empting the result...
View ArticleAlex Wood: Grammar deserves a place in our classrooms
MICHAEL Gove’s proposal to introduce compulsory testing in grammar, punctuation and spelling at the end of primary schooling has met fierce resistance. I concur with many of his critics that a one-off...
View ArticleMarkets: Worries grow over Petrofac’s ability to fill order book
IMPRESSIVE first-half profits at oil services firm Petrofac will be overshadowed by concerns that time is running out for hitting its orders target.The FTSE 100 group, which has large operations in...
View ArticleStagecoach tipped to benefit even if it loses West Coast franchise
STAGECOACH could emerge from the current rail franchise bidding wars with higher profits from its train division, according to analysts, even if Sir Brian Souter’s firm loses its West Coast route to...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Warning over scams promising to unlock pension savings early
THOUSANDS of people could be putting their life savings at risk by using dodgy schemes to get early access to their pension cash.Pension liberation schemes are targeting cash-strapped workers despite a...
View ArticleW&R Barnett lifts stake in troubled Superglass
A COMMODITIES and agricultural business has emerged as the largest shareholder in beleaguered Stirling-based Superglass after a significant reshuffling of stakes in the company in recent days.W&R...
View ArticleIsle of Arran Distillers toasts whisky cash
ONE of Scotland’s newest distilleries has secured a £3 million cash injection to increase production of its single malt.Isle of Arran Distillers, which was set up in 1995, has landed the finance...
View ArticleCrowd funding proves fruitful for small and start-up businesses
IT BEGAN when a group of fans of rock group Marillion raised $60,000 on the internet to underwrite a US tour. Now “crowd funding” is becoming an established means for small and start-up businesses to...
View ArticleAdam & Co boosts board with two new directors
PRIVATE bank Adam & Company has bolstered its board with the appointment of lawyer Linda Urquhart and accountant Alexa Henderson as non-executive directors.They will offer advice on strategy,...
View ArticleBibby Financial Services expands to target firms denied bank funding
INVOICE financing specialist Bibby Financial Services is expanding into Aberdeen in a bid to win more business from small firms that have been denied funding by the big banks.The company, which has...
View ArticleComment: The hole we’re in is a bottomless pit
IN ECONOMICS, as in life, we become only slowly wise. But five years on from the week that the great financial crisis first erupted, are we any the wiser?Far from gaining wisdom, the past five years...
View ArticleMy Festival: Louise Welsh
I’m looking forward to seeing Waiting For Orestes: Electra at the King’s Theatre. It’s by the Suzuki Company of Toga, who are meant to be brilliant and innovative, and it’s in Japanese with English...
View Article‘Could a future Katherine Grainger win gold… who’d partner Andy Murray?’
The hurdles Scotland faces sending its own team to the Games strike at the heart of the independence debate, writes Eddie BarnesTWO billion people are watching. With the scent of fireworks wafting...
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