Government drug information service Frank launches a new video to warn of dangers of cocaine.
Cancer rates increasing in Scotland
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The annual report by chief medical officer Dr. Harry Burns show that cancer rates, especially bowel cancer, are increasing in Scotland.
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No Way, An Irish Accent Spray
December 4, 2008 By 1 Comment
The Irish accent is one of the most appreciated and micked accents in the world, and now, for those that can’t master it, there is a spray which claims to give you one. Here with the full story is Olivia Gibbings.
Blood Shoratge Fears For Scotland
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
There are fears that there will be a shortage of blood in Scotland over Christmas. Here with the full story is Ania Lewandowska.
Prime Minister reveals ‘Mortage Aid’
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Sven Houston
Amidst public fear of home repossesion, Gordon Brown has revealed plans that would allow people to defer mortage payments by up to two years.
The plan aims to ease the financial strain on those facing reposession and will cover mortgages up to £400,000. Home repossession numbers are predicted to hit 75,000 next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
All eight major mortgage lenders have agreed to the deal that could allow homeowners to defer up to 100% of their payment for two years. The plan will cost the government £1 billion as they guarantee the money to the banks, should homeowners fail to make the eventual payments.
This is the latest step in Gordon Brown’s quest to provide financial stability for families during the economic downturn, and he insists the latest scheme will allow people time to get their family finances ‘back on track’.
Mr. Brown said: “The result will be more affordable monthly payments for homeowners who are needing a bridge through difficult times.”
The plan has been met with open arms by housing charity Shelter Scotland. Director Graeme Brown has urged more lenders to approve of the plan.
He said: “We echo the call to all lenders, in particular sub-prime lenders, to sign up to this commitment, which is the first step in making sure that the 75,000 households across the UK, expected to be repossessed next year, is only a prediction rather than a reality.”
In a related move, lenders Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley have agreed to defer repossession proceedings until homeowners are six months behind on their payments. This follows the lead taken by the Royal Bank of Scotland following calls from the PM for banks to help ease the strain on homeowners.
Radio Clip:mortgage-voxes
NHS Underspending
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Lucy Harvey
Over the past three years, the NHS has underspent its budget by £26 million.
Radio clip.nhs-2
Are dolls influencing children?
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Do toys sexulise young children? Jenna Raffaelli investigates.
Radio clip:bratz
Police Campaign To Stop Drink Drivers
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Lothian and Borders Police are launching a campaign next week in order to clamp down on drink driving over the Christmas period. Here with the full story is Ashley Anderson.
House Sales To Remain Down
December 4, 2008 By 1 Comment
By Sven Houston
Estate agents are not expecting an increase in property sales despite today’s interest rate cut, Napier Dunedin News can reveal.
The Bank of England today cut its interest rate by 3% to 2%, taking it to the lowest level in over half a century. This reduction, coupled with the 14.9% fall in house prices in the past year, is not met with particular optimism from estate agents.
Pam Kennedy at Lindsay Residential says things will get worse before they improve, with financial consultants predicting the overall house prices could drop to 30% next year.
“The interest cut won’t change much, as people are still nervous. The fear of losing their job combined with the threat of repossession means potential buyers are holding back. People dont feel safe buying in the current climate.”, Pam Kennedy told Dunedin Napier News.
As of December 1st, every homeowner is required by law to hold a Housing package before putting their home on the market. At a cost of £500-800 it is putting off potential sellers and thus slowing down the market.
The cost of the housing pack is resulting in many owners opting to lease the property instead.
Kennedy said: “In addition to the house pack, home owners now require an energy performance certificate (EPC) which costs £85. This is delaying the market, as it can take up to seven days for such a certificate to be approved. The result is that alot of people are choosing to lease their homes out, as it saves alot of hassle in the short term”.
“At the moment we are quiet due to the Christmas period, but we’re expecting it to pick up a bit in January. But in general sales will remain down, some consultants are telling us prices will fall by 30% next year, but that may be overly pessimistic.”
Estate agents say its hard to tell when they will see a significant improvement in the market, due to the unpredictable economic climate at present. Kennedy said:
“For a while we were told that things would even out next year, but now it looks like the market won’t bounce back until 2010. So it’s hard to tell really, we’re still selling homes but obviously at a slower and cheaper rate.”
Edinburgh loneliest city in UK
December 4, 2008 By 1 Comment
By Nicol J. Craig
A recent study of the changing of commuities at Sheffield University shows that Edinburgh is the loneliest city in the UK.
Radio clip:lonelystoryfull
"How lonely are you"
Hillend junction now re-opened.
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Steven Brykajlo
Good news for commuters as the Hillend junction on the A702 is now re-open after a two day closure caused by a burst water-pipe.
Bus services returning to normal this morning
Radio Clip:final-2
Va Va Gloom for Motor Industry
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
New car sales have dropped nearly 37% since last November, with Edinburgh car dealerships one of the the many affected.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 100,333 new cars were registered in November, whilst private car sales was down 45% in November, which haven’t been as low since the early 1980′s.
This news follows the decision by Honda close its UK factory in Swindon for the duration of February and March next year, whilst BMW is closing its Oxford factory, which produces the Mini following a poor year.
As America’s car manufacturers Ford, Chrysler and General Motors continued to lobby for a $34 billion (£22.9 billion) bail-out many commentators are suggesting the car industry may be the next to fall foul of the credit crunch as financial tension caused by dropping sales and increasing production costs.
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “While some consumers may have delayed their purchases to take advantage of the recent VAT reductions, overall demand continues to fall.
He added: “Urgent action is required to ease access to credit and finance, both to support consumers and meet the cash-flow needs of the industry.”
Strathclyde Police to Crack Down On Fuel Theft
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Rebecca Gray
Police are launching an operation to crack down on fuel theft from petrol stations across the Greater Glasgow region.
Officers from the Strathclyde police force will be taking part in the ForeCourt Watch Scheme, which will target those people who drive off without paying for their fuel, and use service stations as a route to commit more serious crimes.
Using a ‘ring-round’ system, Forecourt Watch will provide local petrol retailers with an early warning of any crimes being committed on service stations in their area, together with details of the suspects
Photo Courtesy of www.flickr.com
and their vehicles.
They will be using a variety of tactics such as high-visibility patrols and plain vehicle patrols.
This system enables staff to be alert in case a car comes onto their forecourt to fill up the next time. When a service station suffers a drive-off, staff should then report it to the police. The scheme will also provide the police with information about suspect vehicles and general intelligence.
Superintendent Michelle Martin, Sub Divisional Officer based at Shettleston Police Office, commented:
“Over the last year we have seen a significant increase in the number of thefts from forecourts and we are proactively working together to a put a stop to this.”
“I would ask other motorists for help to catch these people who ‘drive off’ without paying. I am confident with their help and this new scheme we will make a difference and put a stop to fuel thefts in this area”.
Officers will also be using ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) to target stolen vehicles, vehicles without valid documentation and those with stolen registration plates.
ANPR operations involve officers using a sophisticated camera system to automatically capture the registration numbers of vehicles. The software reads the recognition and compares it against a variety of police databases.
David Miller, Manager of Silverburn Petrol Station, said: “I think this scheme will go a long way in fighting the current spate of drive-offs in the area. The new approach of working with other petrol stations may be the change we need to beat this problem.”
There are over thirty petrol stations in the Greater Glasgow area and all of them have suffered theft of fuel in the last 18 months.
Superintendent Michelle Martin added: “Some vehicles used in the initial theft of fuel are then used in more serious crimes. If we can establish that you have used your vehicle while committing an offence we can seize that vehicle and take action thorough the courts.”
Karen Matthews Guilty
December 4, 2008 By 1 Comment
By Courtnay Baird
Both Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan have been found guilty of kidnap at Leeds Crown Court.
Karen Matthews was charged with kidnapping her own daughter, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice at her trial. The man who owned the house Shannon was found in, Michael Donovan, was also found guilty of the same.
Shannon Matthews who was nine years old at the time, went missing from her home in West Yorkshire for 24 days in February this year. Karen Matthews convinced police that her daughter had been kidnapped and a search costing 3.2 million was launched.
After more than three weeks had passed Shannon was found in Michael Donovan’s flat hiding under a bed. It was unveiled that the whole plan had been hatched by Shannon’s mother to get reward money.
Edinburgh Feasts on Winter Wonderland
December 4, 2008 By 2 Comments
Like a scene from a Scandinavian Christmas, Edinburgh’s Princes Street gardens set a somewhat romantic backdrop to the famous historic sky-line.
Winter Wonderland has two markets that offer a feast of traditional German, Scandinavian and Scottish specialties.
The German market, consists of 25 wooden huts. Their character and warmth are enough to forget about the bone chilling evening air.
Some of the highlights include the German Weinerschnitzel. These Bavarian beauties are considerably larger than their average British counterparts, taste more smoked, their texture less gritty. Lathered in mustard, ketchup, or the more European mayonnaise, the king’s of the sausage world are gentle on the pallet whilst satisfy starving stomachs quite adequately. At a cost of between £2.50 and £4 with add ons, they’re worth a try.
If you don’t like a bit of sausage over Christmas, why not try a hamburger, a little more expensive, a steak burger, or take a wonder over to the Scottish market for a few more options: Venison, wild Hogg, Haggis and Veal dishes, all for between £3 and £5.
Drinks are festive two.The Gluiwein hut offer piping hot alcoholic and non alcoholic wines, including raspberry, apple and mulled wine for around £3.50, and for another 50p you can add in a shot of schnapps or amaretto.
Beers are also on offer at a number of outlets, offering lager, but also some more unusual mixers with it, such as cola. Half pints are £2.50, pints £3.50. A point to note however is the deposits for glasses, from £4 a beer glass to £2 for the gluiwein mugs which make an average round of four drinks nearly £30.
The most disappointing fact is the weeknight opening hours, from 10am-8pm on Sundays to Thursdays, there’s little time for evening festivities, an hour or two later would be perfect. However, Friday and Saturday’s opening hours are 10am to 10pm giving those looking for a little more festive cheer, some more time to feast on the charm and scent of Edinburgh’s winter markets.
Photos courtesy of Richie Laurie Photography (http://www.richielaurie.com)
review by Daniel Parker
video by Jen Lavery
Weather Sparks Hogmanay Party Fears
December 4, 2008 By 1 Comment
With the current weather causing havoc in Edinburgh there are fears that mother nature could ruin the capital’s world famous Hogmanay celebrations.
Here with the full story is Fiona McIlwraith.
HMRC To Cut Thousands Of Jobs
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Her Majesty Revenue and Customs have today announced that they will be axing over three thousand jobs.
93 offices will close in total and 3,400 staff will be out of work by 2011.
This includes the closure of 20 offices in Scotland and the loss of around four-hundred staff.
HMRC are responsible for all aspects of taxing including the administration and collection of Income Tax, National Insurance Contributions, Stamp Duty and Child Benefit.
The Public and Commercial Services Union said on their website that this will affect businesses and the public.
They also condemned the actions for slowing down the process to claim back billions of pounds of uncollected tax and billions lost through tax evasion.
“Light Up Lives” this Christmas
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Dionne Abolghassem
A Christmas appeal to help raise money for the Royal Blind School is hoping to make over £2000 extra each day to carry on running.
The Scotsman today launched the Christmas fundraising campaign Light Up Lives, which supports the wide-ranging work of the charity which is based in Edinburgh.
Helen Forrest, Marketing and Fundraising Manager for The Royal Blind School, told Dunedin Napier News: “We are hoping to engage the community to raise funds in all sorts of ways, including by phone and online, or even via text messages.”
The School is supported by local authorities and the Scottish Government, but still needs these extra funds to support its pioneering work for young people with multiple disabilities at its Canaan Lane base in Morningside.
The Light Up Lives campaign aims to ensure vital work for this charity can continue.
Over the next three years, the charity hopes to raise £6 million to redevelop the Royal Blind School. The campaign aims to use the funds to rebuild the school swimming pool, improve accommodation and modernise the Scottish Braille.
Helen Forrest added: “There are loads of ways to donate and we hope to keep-up the charity work that we have managed to achieve so far.”
Weekend Sport Preview
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Graeme Macleod previews this weekend’s sports action.
Rugby:
Heineken Cup Pool Two
Edinburgh Gunners vs. London Wasps
The Gunners welcome Guiness Premiership champions Wasps to Murrayfield for this Heineken Cup clash on Friday. Edinburgh coach Andy Robinson is set to make one change to the team that defeated Ospreys last week. That means full-back Chris Paterson is set to make his 50th european appearance for the hosts as they look to repeat their 2005 win over Wasps.
The visitors are two-time winners of the competition with their last success coming as recently as 2007. This will be Wasps first match since a boardroom reshuffle – which saw World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio appointed a director of the club – earlier this week.
Football:
Scottish Premier League
Falkirk are looking to bounce back from conceding a late equaliser against Hibernian last week when they host St Mirren.
Inverness CT welcome Dundee United to the Caledonian Stadium while Kilmarnock host Aberdeen at Rugby Park.
Motherwell were dumped 2-0 at Pittodrie last week and will be looking to get back to winning ways when they host in-form Hearts at Fir Park. The Jambos picked up a superb three points last week thanks to a 2-1 win over Rangers at Tynecastle. That means Csaba Laszlo’s side have won five games in a row, lifting them up to third spot in the SPL table.
Rangers take on Hamilton to Ibrox looking to bounce back from that defeat. Walter Smith is likely to have Kenny Miller, Sasa Papac and Steven Davis back in the squad.
In Sunday’s match, Hibernian entertain Celtic at Easter Road. Mixu Paatelainen’s men salvaged a draw at Falkirk last week thanks to sub Colin Nish’s late strike and the towering forward is likely to be vying for a start when the champions visit. Celtic on the other hand are looking to rack up their 13th consecutive league win before Wednesday’s Champions League match agains Villarreal.
Scottish Cup
In the re-arranged third round fixtures, Edinburgh City host Brechin City at Meadowbank Stadium while Spartans travel north to play Elgin City. Forfar Athletic take on Stranraer and the all non-league matches see Forres Mechanics face Dalbeattie Star and Inverurie Locos host Vale of Leithen, with the winners in that match set to be take on Premier League Motherwell at home in the next round. Junior outfit Lochee United host Second Division Ayr United with the winners meeting Kilmarnock in Round Four.
Boxing:
Amir Khan vs. Oisin Fagan
Bolton fighter Khan returns to the ring for the first time since his 54-second knockout at the hands of Breidis Prescott. The Olympic silver medalist is looking to rebuild his career following that defeat, the first of his professional career. The 21-year-old boast a record of 18-0-1 and will have to win this one to keep his hopes of a world title fight alive.
Opponent Fagan turned professional in 2003. The Irishman goes into this fight in London with a record that reads 22-0-5. The ‘Gael Force’ last fought in March against Paul Spadafora when he lost in a split decision after 10 rounds.
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao
After Khan vs. Fagan, attention turns to Las Vegas where Oscar De La Hoya takes on Manny Pacquiao. This fight sees two of the best pound-for-pound fighters going head-to-head with the winner likely to be rewarded with a multi-million pound match with Ricky Hatton next year.
De La Hoya’s record reads 40-0-4 and his last appearance in the ring was a win over Steve Forbes in May. Pacquiao comes into the fight with a record of 47 wins, two draws and three losses. This clash with the ‘Golden Boy’ presents probably the biggest challenge of the Filipino’s career.
Shelter Christmas Plea – Help the Homeless
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
A housing charity is launching a UK wide fundraising campaign this Christmas to aid people suffering from the credit crunch.
The current economic downturn has resulted in over 460,000 people consulting housing charity Shelter for financial help in the past six months.
This has resulted in Shelter running a special Christmas charity plea throughout December, with all donations going towards their housing advice services.
Shelter Chief Executive Adam Sampson said: “As the financial crisis really starts to hit home, Shelter is seeing more and more people turning to us for help, but the more demand for our services, the more funding we need. That’s why support at this time is crucial if we are to help people keep a roof over their heads.”
Donations can be made via the Shelter Scotland website at scotland.shelter.org.uk/christmas.
Bank Of England Cut Interest Rates
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The Bank of England have announced that they have cut interest rates by 1%.
This decision, made at noon, reduces the rate to 2% which is the lowest it has been since 1951.
In a poll by Reuters, 40 out of 62 financial experts asked, stated that they thought this was the step that the Bank of England should take.
This comes just one month after the interest rate was cut from 4.5% to 3% in order to help with the growing financial crisis which has led to unemployment rising, a downturn in mortgage lending and high street stores slashing prices in the hope of encouraging public spending.
Financial expert advisors Moneyfacts, say the latest cut will help out those with mortgages, estimating that most homeowners with a repayment mortgage of around £150,000, will save between £20-£75 a month.
Not all lenders are expected to pass on cuts, but Lloyds TSB have announced that they will be passing on reductions to their customers.
However homeowners with a tracker mortgage may not benefit from this cut as they involve tracking the Bank Rate.
This cut is another measure to help Britain fight the credit crunch, following on from yesterdays announcement that government have plans to help those facing home repossession to stall repayments on their mortgages for two years.
A Warm Glow Heats Kelso
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Courtnay Baird
Kelso is aglow again after the gas was turned back on after almost 72 hours without heating.
Gas engineers have been working since Monday morning to fix a problem which had caused 3000 properties in Kelso and 70 in nearby Ednam to go without heating, in some of the coldest weather conditions of the year.
Speaking to Dunedin Napier News, Laura Young, Press officers for Scottish Gas Networks said: “All properties affected were visited by 9:30pm last night and everyone we could get access to had their gas supply turned back on. A few houses we could not gain access to last night will be getting turned on this morning.”
Without gas many properties were unable to cook, wash or heat, but facilities were set up in Kelso High School including a canteen for residents and warm areas to sit. SGN engineers concentrated on ensuring all residents were given temporary heaters.
Laura Young, said: “I would like to congratulate all engineers on working in very cold conditions and dealing as quickly as possible with all customers, especially paying attention to the elderly and vulnerable.”
Journalists’ redundancies in Glasgow.
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Nichole Guthrie
Glasgow based Herald and Times Group has made 250 of their journalists and publishing staff redundant.
210 of the staff are likely to get their jobs back if they agree to the new rules and regulations imposed by new editor-in -chief Donald Martin.
40 jobs are however going to be cut as certain staff are going to be merged. The group said in a statement this will “increase efficiency and make full use of state-of-the art news production technology”.
Paul Holleran, National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Scottish Organiser told Dunedin Napier News: “The industry is going through a lot of change but this is a totally unacceptable way of enforcing pay cuts and longer work hours”.
He added: “There will be a legal backlash to this”.
Managing Director Tim Blott said in a statement: “We are committed to producing vibrant and relevant newspapers and websites and see a bright future for The Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times and their digital versions.”
Tom Thompson of the Herald told us: “We are restructering the company in order to create a larger team of people working together to get better content”.
He added: “BBC Scotland cut 20 jobs yesterday as well. It’s just the way things are going with the current economic situation”.
Once upon a time in Edinburgh…
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Greg Lorraine
What do you get when ten of Scotland’s best children’s writers get together to celebrate life in the city of Edinburgh? The answer – Our City.
The recently launched book is a special collaboration in support of the One City Trust, which campaigns for social justice. The book is a collection of specially written stories aimed at primary school readers, all of which take place in Edinburgh.
It includes stories by award-winning authors including Keith Gray, Nicola Morgan, Alison Flett, Vivian French, Jonathan Meres, Cathy Cassidy and Alison Prince, with an introduction by popular children’s TV presenter Raven. All illustrations are by acclaimed cartoonist John Fardell.
Jonathan Meres, who wrote the story All Change for the book, said: “As I live in Edinburgh myself, it definitely made it easier to write for the book. The route the bus takes in my story is one I’m very familiar with.
“The book’s great as I think children who live in Edinburgh, or who are familiar with the place, will be able to relate more to the stories. Each one touches on universal themes, my own story touching on bereavement and the relationship between a grandson and his grandpa.”
Alison Prince, who talked to children at Oxgang’s Primary as part of a special day to promote Our City said: “My story is about the fear of being bullied, something children everywhere experience at some stage.
“I hope young readers will pick up on the general ‘feel’ of the city itself but it should not prevent non-Edinburgh dwellers from relating to it as well. Edinburgh’s full of inspiring buildings such as the Parliament building and the typical Georgian terraces with steps up to a grand front door. I’m a magpie as a writer, collecting any bright bits that takes my fancy.”
One City Trust’s ambassadors include Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and Irvine Welsh.
All profits from the sales of the book will help support communities in Edinburgh, preventing inequality and exclusion of all kinds and encouraging social welfare and human rights.
Our City is available from all good bookshops. To order copies direct from the publishers go to http://birlinn.co.uk/
For more information about One City Trust go to http://www.onecitytrust.org.uk/
