Plastic can be a better friend than payday loans to those trying to build a...
Last week we saw the launch of a new credit card advertising an APR in excess of 35 per cent. Cue a rant about the extortionate interest rates, you may assume. But instead I would prefer to focus on...
View ArticleCatherine Feechan: EU aims to take an axe to frustrating charges
What drives you crazy as a shopper? How about hidden charges, excessive fees for using credit or debit cards or pre-ticked boxes on websites for products you don’t want? If any of these drive you mad,...
View ArticleLooking back can help inform what direction to take in the future
Raking over the past isn’t always easy, or even advisable, but for investors it can be invaluable.Reviewing previous decisions provides an opportunity to measure their success with the benefit of...
View ArticleFilm review: Dredd
CONCEIVED by 2000AD writers John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra in the heyday of punk and the onslaught of Thatcherism, the cult Brit comic-book character Judge Dredd gets the movie he deserves with Dredd....
View ArticleVideo: South Korean rapper’s hit beats Justin Bieber in viral charts
HE’S A thirty-four year old hip-hop artist from South Korea, who shares a record label with, ahem, G-Dragon and BigBang - and he’s also got the fifth most popular viral video of all time.Rapper Psy, or...
View ArticleCabinet reshuffle: List of approved Ministerial appointments
HER MAJESTY has been pleased to approve the following Ministerial appointments: Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service Rt Hon David Cameron MP Deputy Prime...
View ArticleIrn-Bru maker AG Barr starts talks with Britvic over £1.4bn merger
IRN-BRU owner AG Barr has approached rival Britvic over a possible £1.4 billion merger that could create one of Europe’s largest soft drinks companies.Both companies stressed the talks were at an early...
View ArticleMike Ashley misses out on £24m ‘super-stretch’ bonus plan
MIKE ASHLEY looks set to miss a £24 million pay-out after Sports Direct shareholders yesterday voted down his bonus despite the retailer’s impressive results.The chain said that it had cashed in on...
View ArticleTavish Scott: Why ‘OBR with a kilt’ will protect taxpayers
MINISTER, let me ask you about the figures on page 18 – can you explain the change here?” Unlikely, I thought, before offering a less than convincing but lengthy answer. So goes the life of a finance...
View ArticleJeremy Purvis: Devo Max question just muddies the waters
Scots want clarity in the independence debate, yet we could be about to make the choices more confusing, writes Jeremy PurvisThe prospect of the Bill for an independence referendum – with continuing...
View ArticleTougher new drink drive laws are backed by police in Scotland
THE prospect of Scotland’s drink-drive limit being cut has come closer after senior police officers said they would back a reduction, The Scotsman can reveal.The Association of Scottish Police...
View ArticleFolk, Jazz etc: A message from working-class heroes that still resonates today
“THERE’S a valley in Spain called Jarama …” begins the well-known song, commemorating the doughty fighters of the XV International Brigade, who threw themselves against the far better equipped fascist...
View ArticleUnder the Radar: Scotland’s underground music scene
Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon report on Scotland’s underground music sceneClassically trained musician Siobhan Wilson caught our attention in the summer with some demos of the songs now released as...
View ArticleRuth Walker on new Channel 5 show ‘Toby’s Travelling Circus’
COMPUTER animation is de rigueur these days, but Ruth Walker discovers that old-fashioned stop motion is still thriving in the UK – as demonstrated by a new show on Channel 5I think it’s fair to say...
View ArticleInterview: Romy Madley Croft of the xx
FOR a band that trips ghostlike and lightly across the musical landscape, the xx are making a lot of noise in the right places, discovers Aidan SmithOn A warm day underneath London Bridge, summer is...
View ArticleExhibition reviews: Tim Rollins And K.O.S. | Donald Judd Drawings, 1963-93
TIM ROLLINS turned teaching art in New York on its head in the 1980s; three decades later and the Lothians got to try it his wayTim Rollins And K.O.S. – The Black Spot* * * *Donald Judd Drawings,...
View ArticleTheatre review: The Mill Lavvies | Dead Famous
THE woman at the Dundee Rep box office is quietly-spoken, but insistent; she’s coming to see The Mill Lavvies tonight, but she’s not so sure about the other show in the theatre’s autumn double bill,...
View ArticleParalympic Games: Cyclist Sarah Storey poised to equal record 11 golds
CYCLING champion Sarah Storey stood on the verge of equalling the record gold-medal haul by a single British Paralympian last night, after securing her third title of London 2012, while hand-cyclist...
View Article2014 Commonwealth Games are chance to improve image of Scotland’s food
SCOTLAND will use the 2014 Commonwealth Games to change international perceptions about its poor diet and love of fried food, it has been claimed. Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said the...
View ArticleMichael Kelly: Don’t patronise parathletes with elitist talk
TO GAIN success at the Paralympics calls for dedication and hard work, but exaggerated descriptions of their abilities only helps to demean their achievements, writes Michael KellyIs Paralympic sport...
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