2009 October

The reason why sunshine makes us happy

October 22, 2009 By Aleks Jurczak Leave a Comment

by Aleksandra Jurczak

Weather and the seasons affect the way our biological clocks work, the latest study by Edinburgh University has shown.

The researchers used computer simulations to create an artificial environment with no seasons or weather elements in it. However, it has been proved impossible to recreate the complexity of the body clock system without these elements.

The study led by the University of Edinburgh, involving researchers from the California Institute of Technology and the University of Warwick found that the changing amounts of light during the day and throughout the year shape the complicated system of our internal body clocks, based on light receptors similar to those in other live organisms, like plants.

Dr Carl Troein from the University of Edinburgh School of Biological Sciences said that the comparison is relevant in the debate about global warming: ‘With the passing of time and changing of the climate, plants had to “travel” north to find adverse conditions of temperature. However,the smaller amount of they received led to their slower growth. The same could apply to humans due to the climate change when the amount of light they’re exposed to does not match their biological clocks: their internal ‘growth’ will slow down.

Dr Troein believes the finding will help those who want to “manipulate the clock” for example when traveling or doing different work shifts whilst further research would support the work of therapists treating sleeping disorders.

Chris Idzikowski from Edinburgh Sleep Centre said, ‘At our Centre we recognise that weather, sleep and the biological-clock are inter-related, for example jet-lag or shift-work adjustment are common examples of desynchrony. Finland is a good example of country that has huge problems with the continuous light or lack of light, which can be an issue.’

Filed Under: Life and Society, Science and Technology, Uncategorized

Rents Signal Return To Stability In Market

October 22, 2009 By lauren1875 Leave a Comment

Edinburgh-Skyline

By Lauren Witherspoon

Rent levels in Edinburgh may have bottomed out providing confidence to landlords that Scotland’s recently volatile rental market is now on a path to stability, according to latest research by Scotland’s leading letting portal Citylets.
The latest Citylets quarterly report, which covers the period July to September 2009, shows that whilst some sectors in the capital recorded their biggest year-on-year decreases to date, the overall picture across Scotland has stabilised with average rents down 3.4% year-on-year.
Thomas Ashdown, the entrepreneur behind Citylets Network, which includes major partner brands such as s1homes and Primelocation, said the trend will be good news for landlords and letting agents who have been dealing with an unpredictable market for the past two years.
He said: “We’ve seen a lot of volatility in the rental market in the last two years. First we had the credit crunch leading to a boom in rental demand as people couldn’t or wouldn’t buy. That saw prices rise. Then we had thousands of ‘reluctant landlords’ – those who couldn’t sell putting homes up for rent – redressing the balance before inducing elements of over-supply, so putting a squeeze on prices.

“The Citylets quarter three report, records some of the heaviest falls we have ever seen in rents year-on-year. In particular the situation for two bed flats in Edinburgh has worsened slightly, down 7.7% year-on-year. However I think that we are now at the bottom of the curve and with demand remaining strong and the housing market seemingly on a more even keel, it is likely we should be moving to a more stable rental sector in 2010.”

“Across Scotland, rents are down but they are no worse than what they were in Quarter Two, providing yet more evidence of the stabilisation trend.”

The average rent for an Edinburgh property in 2009′s quarter three was £729, as opposed to £762 for quarter three in 2008. This represents a 4.3% reduction in the average property price year on year. Rents for one and two bed flats in the city fell on average by 4.6% and 7.7% respectively. Properties in Edinburgh also took longer to let compared with quarter three in 2008, with one bedroom flats taking fifteen days longer and two bedroom flats taking fourteen days longer to rent.

Thomas added: “A return to stability would be welcomed by landlords but at this time the average time to let at well over one month is still considerably longer than a year ago and as such they should continue to adjust to market conditions, have patience and accept the increased probability of voids.”

Steven Currie, director of Edinburgh-based, Murray & Currie Property Sales & Lettings, said: “We’ve definitely seen things stabilise over the past few months in Edinburgh. We’re still getting a lot of enquiries from people looking for flats to rent, so there hasn’t been any noticeable drop in the market.”

Filed Under: All Politics, Economy and Business, Life and Society Tagged With: citylets, Credit crunch, Edinburgh, Housing, recession, rent

Swine Flu Vaccine

October 22, 2009 By opal2009 Leave a Comment

by Wendy Wan

The controversy surrounding swine flu continues as the vaccine for it has drawn a whole new debate after it got underway on Wednesday.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, and Chief Medical Officer Harry Burns were on hand at Glasgow’s New Victoria Hospital to see the first vaccinations being administered.

The first round of vaccinations will be firstly focused on hospitals, immunising staff members, patients as well as priority groups with conditions such as heart disease, asthma and pregnant woman.

Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer for England, urges “people in the priority groups to have the vaccine” as well as frontline health and social care workers to “prevent them and their famillies getting the virus from patients.” This will minimise any disruption that can be caused to the NHS through staff being absent due to illness.

However the mass immunisation programme has taken place amid the national postal strike and it may cause complications if GPs are to receive their deliveries of the vaccine on Monday. The delivery of notices for appointments to those patients classified as at risk could also be disrupted.

It seems that not only is the vaccination programme taking a hit from the strike, but also a report leaked to the Daily Mail in August of a letter from the Health Protection Agency warns the UK Government of the possible implications of the vaccine. Their warnings come from a scientific research carried out in the U.S during the 1976 vaccination programme.

The letter revealed that the similar vaccine used in the 1976 programme in the USA caused the increase risk of contracting Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), and eventually forced the U.S governement to pay out millions of dollars to those affected.

This has led to concerns that the vaccine has not been tested thoroughly enough.

However, Nicola Sturgeon, the Health Secretary has said that “vaccination is the best defence we have against this new flu strain.”

Filed Under: News in Brief, Uncategorized Tagged With: Daily Mail, NHS, swine flu

Call to end 800 mile round trip for asylum claims

October 22, 2009 By Una Purdie Leave a Comment

by Una Purdie

Newly-arrived asylum seekers are forced to travel 400miles to submit their claim after changes to the asylum process began this month.

The Scottish Refugee Council has called for an immediate halt to the changes which they claim put more people at risk of poverty and destitution.

The UK Border Agency announced this month that anyone making an in-country asylum claim now has to be screened in Croydon. Formerly Scottish based asylum seekers could start the process in Glasgow if they had children, health issues or other special needs. Others travelled to Liverpool, a journey which was already too long according to the Refugee Council’s Chief Executive John Wilkes:

“Scottish Refugee Council has long called for all people who have arrived in Scotland to be screened in Scotland. Those seeking sanctuary will face further delays, further stress and trauma and worsened poverty. These changes must be overturned.”

The call to allow initial asylum claims to be made in Scotland was backed by recent research from the Refugee Survival Trust . They found new arrivals were particularly at risk of destitution. They often arrived in Glasgow with poor control of the language, no knowledge of the culture or geography, and no means of financial support. In the past five years RST have provided small grants to enable 527 people to travel to Liverpool to submit their claims.

The UK Border Agency responded that claims are still expected to be made at the port of entry, but justified the change for in-country claims on efficiency grounds. Lin Homer, Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, said:

“The UK operates a firm, fair and efficient asylum system that is delivering faster decisions to help those who need our protection.

“We are determined to provide value for money for the tax-payer by critically assessing ongoing claims for support and ensuring that those in need of asylum receive it quickly and can move into the mainstream system and work.”

Filed Under: All Politics, Uncategorized Tagged With: asylum, refugee survival trust, refugees, scottish refugee council, Uk Border Agency

September Slump in Online Sales

October 22, 2009 By mmewordsmith Leave a Comment

by Grainne Byrne

Shoppers take to the high street for early sales

Warm weather and in-store promotions have been earmarked as the causes for a record slump in online spending for September.

Online sales were down 1.9%, according to the monthly IMRG Capgemini e-retail Sales Index report that measures online retail sales in the UK. Figures reveal that September sales rose by 7.6% on last year, a record low for this period.

IMRG blame the downturn in the online market on early bird sale promotions on the high street and the warmer than normal temperatures for teasing shoppers away from their computer portals to the shops.

Tina Spooner, Director of Information at IMRG explains:

“The slowdown in e-tail growth during September indicates that consumers are being cautious ahead of the festive shopping season. The fine autumnal weather also appears to have had an impact on internet sales with increased footfall reported on the high street.”

Annual, month-on-month sales comparisons are the measure for online spending growth. Sales of clothing footwear and accessories fell grew by just 10% in 2009, a downturn of 6% on last year.

Mike Petevinos, Head of Consulting for Retail at Capgemini UK, is optimistic for a reverb in the growth index:

“The results for September show a slowdown in the growth of online spending but we view this as a temporary blip and expect growth rates to return to the 15% year on year trend we have seen over the last year. The underlying trend is that customers are still returning to the internet to make more informed purchase decisions.”

Over one hundred e-tailers contribute data to the IMRG Index including British retail giant, John Lewis.

Robin Terrell, Managing Director of John Lewis say that despite this reported slump their customers continue to turn to the web to shop for clothes and home wares, he says:

“It’s clear that our customers are increasingly shopping online and enjoying the benefits of our online shopping experience more than ever. We are seeing growth online across all product lines, particularly fashion, but also encouragingly in home.”

Also enjoying success after sweeping up at the annual e-Commerce Awards for Excellence are online outfit ASOS who picked up four awards at a London awards ceremony on Monday night. Taking home awards for ‘Best Customer Experience’, ‘Best Pureplay Retailer’, ‘User Generated Innovation’ and the prestigious ‘On-line Gold Award’, ASOS may still be celebrating as no one was available to comment on their recent triumph.

Filed Under: Life and Society Tagged With: high street sales, IMRG sales index, internet shopping, online sales, online sales slump, september sales

Deer in The Headlights

October 22, 2009 By Claire Leave a Comment

By Abby Dryden

Red Deer at Dusk

The Deer Commission for Scotland is warning motorists to take care as deer-vehicle collisions soar. As the clocks are turned back, red deer begin to make their way down from the hillside earlier in the evening. This movement coincides with a peak in the flow of commuter traffic.

The unfortunate combination has seen a substantial rise in the number of collisions. In an attempt to warn motorists electronic messaging signs will be posted along roads at four key locations the A82,A9,A835 and the A87 warning of the ‘high risk of deer on the road.’

On Scottish roads every year there are more than 10,ooo motor vehicle accidents involving deer. On average 70 people are seriously hurt and between two and three people are killed. Contrary to commonly held beliefs accidents involving deer do not tend to occur on remote highland roads, 70 percent of all accidents occur on trunk roads or motorways. The estimated cost of these incidents is around £5 million.

Jamie Hammond Deer Officer from Deer Commission for Scotland ”Deer are more likely to be feeding near or on road verges at this time. We urge motorists to slow down and watch for deer crossing in front of traffic”

www.dcs.gov.uk

Filed Under: Life and Society, News in Brief, Travel and Communities Tagged With: A82, A835, A87, A9, accidents, deer, deer commission for scotland

The Final Word for Edinburgh Publishers?

October 22, 2009 By Una Purdie Leave a Comment

by Una Purdie

Chambers Dictionary

Staff at the Edinburgh publishers of the Chambers Dictionary are facing redundancy after last minute talks failed to reach agreement.

Proposals to close the Edinburgh office of Chambers Harrap were announced last month by parent company Hachette, threatening 27 jobs in the capital. Attempts by the staff’s union, the National Union of Journalists to force a rethink will continue but time is short. Hachette stated during yesterday’s talks that they plan to issue redundancy notices next week.

If the closure proceeds, it will be another knock to the publishing industry in Scotland. It will bring to an end a historic 180 year connection between the company and the capital. Production of the profitable Chambers titles such as the dictionary would move to Hachette’s London office, with other titles such as foreign language reference books going to Paris-based Larousse.

Scottish NUJ organiser Paul Holleran, who attended the meeting, told Napier News that he believes there could be a future for the company in Scotland but Hachette are “not interested at all” in maintaining a presence in the city. He said:

“Chambers in Edinburgh is still a viable business if they don’t take the books to London and Paris. It’s a blatant example of assett-stripping” Mr Holleran admitted the signs weren’t encouraging but vowed to continue fighting: “We’re doing everything we can to keep these jobs in Scotland and ensure a Scottish presence is maintained for this successful publisher.”

The NUJ are considering the legal options to challenge the move. The union has asked the case to be referred to the European Works Council. They believe it may have breached European legislation governing consultation procedures.

Hachette blame the rise of the internet and the subsequent demise of dictionary sales for making the closure necessary. In an earlier statement a spokesman said they had tried to find alternative options including the possible sale of Chambers, but no buyer was forthcoming.

Further talks between management and the union are set to take place early next week.

Filed Under: All Politics Tagged With: chambers harrap, Edinburgh, hachette, NUJ, publishing

Strike Three

October 22, 2009 By opal2009 Leave a Comment

by Wendy Wan

A national two day postal strike has gone ahead this morning after a last minute deal was not reached by Royal Mail and union leaders yesturday.

After lengthy talks from both sides, the two parties failed to agree on terms of pay, conditions, and modernisation of the Royal Mail, leading up to 120,000 members of the CWU to walk out this morning and tomorrow.

Dave Ward, Deputy General Secretary of the CWU said that they were “disappointed that despite extensive talks with the Royal Mail, the company has dismissed our offers to resolve the dispute.” The CWU in a statement also said that they felt that the Royal Mail had “no intention of resolving dispute,” after internal documents of the Royal Mail were leaked to the media last week.

However, they still hope to hold “unconditional talks” at the ACAS.

The two day strike will set to disrupt mail deliveries across the country and add to the increasing back log of mail. In a statement, Mark Higson, Managing Director of the Royal Mail, urged members of the CWU “to abandon its unjustified strikes and to help the business deliver the service our customers deserve.”

The Royal Mail is also set to lose from the dispute after it was revealed that the SNP Government has awarded an £8 million deal to TNT to deliver second class government mail. The deal will see TNT delivering to 89 public sector bodies across Scotland.

The deal however has led to cries of “utter hypocrisy” from Frank Doran, Labour MP for Aberdeen North, after SNP ministers have previously expressed their support of the post office.

Filed Under: All Politics, Economy and Business Tagged With: CWU, royal mail, TNT

See You Jimmy Choo

October 22, 2009 By mmewordsmith Leave a Comment

by Grainne Byrne

: Image courtesy of H&M

One of the most anticipated dates in the fashion calendar, Jimmy Choo’s exclusive collection for H&M hits stores on 14 November 2009.

Luxury footwear legend Jimmy Choo’s collaborative collection offers affordable glamour and style for the first time in high street collection. Catering for men and women, the top-to-toe range includes footwear, outerwear, jewellery, handbags, dresses and more - an all round collection promising to revitalise H&M.

Tamara Mellon, Founder and President of Jimmy Choo says:

“The Jimmy Choo collection for H&M is full of fun, one-off items with an accessible and glamorous identity. I wanted to create pieces that would reach a cool and young customer with a fashionable and independent sense of spirit in this one-off collaboration.”

Statement pieces range in prices from £17.99 – £179.99, a stark difference to Jimmy Choo’s usual skyscraping £250 price tag for an ankle skimming ballet pump, making this launch a key date in the fashion diary.

The cult, cut-price collection will be available in 200 stores worldwide, including Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries.

But while this season’s collection is available in Glasgow; Edinburgh shoppers are feeling left out in the cold.

“I am very surprised that Edinburgh is being excluded from this launch, after all it’s been in all the major press for weeks now with a very hyped up glamorous pre-launch marketing campaign. I thought the days of only being able to get something in Glasgow had long gone; I’m pretty sure one of their previous campaigns was restricted to Glasgow only as well.” says Jill Somerville, Head of Client Services, Edinburgh.

Carol Neill, Team Leader, Edinburgh, believes that Edinburgh shoppers would love to indulge in the designer bargains:

”I think it is style discrimination on the city’s shoppers and I’m offended that H&M have chosen to forget about their loyal Edinburgh customers. Jimmy Choo is an obvious designer favourite here - it’s largely stocked in Harvey Nichols and with a large price tag. Being a Scot I love a bargain and would have loved to have purchased the zebra print clutch for the Christmas party season. ”

A spokesperson for H&M said:

“The focus for our designer collaborations is always on major city stores and sold where we think demand will be met. We have learned from previous guest designer collaborations, and experience shows that this type of collection sells best in large city stores.”

Edinburgh fashionistas have been left out in the cold before by H&M with Roberto Cavalli, Alexander McQueen and Comme de Garçons collaborations all being limited to Glasgow stores in Scotland.

Karl Lagerfeld, Creative Designer for Chanel was left riled after the launch of his UK capsule collection for H&M. Lagerfeld accused the retailer of ”snobbery” for limiting numbers of his sold-out collection and denying access to the thousands of fans he had anticipated reaching.

Of the restricted quantities Lagerfeld was quoted in Stern Magazine as saying:

“It was great to work with the people at H&M”, although he added, “they did not make the clothes in sufficient quantities. I find it embarrassing that H&M let down so many people… I don’t think that is very kind, especially for people in small towns and countries in Eastern Europe. It is snobbery created by anti-snobbery.”

Watch H&M’s exclusive Jimmy Choo collection video here

Filed Under: Life and Society Tagged With: designer collection, h&m, jimmy choo, karl lagerfeld, shoes, tamara mellon, winter fashion

Tempted ‘Googlers’ Threaten Justice

October 22, 2009 By Claire Leave a Comment

by Abby Dryden

The Jury

Eminent Scottish QC Donald Findlay warns ”In some high-profile cases,the temptation to type in the name of the defendant or the incident into a search engine must be a temptation almost too great’

The modern juror has turned investigator. The use of internet search engines on computers and mobile phones after court business has ended for the day poses a threat to the impartiality of justice.

Mr Findlay writing in the Scottish Legal News states that the ‘googling juror’ must be dealt with. Currently jurors are warned on a routine basis that they must reach their verdict only on admissible evidence and that no discussions should take place outside of court. There is however, no specific mention made to the use of information technology. This less than explicit warning is not curtailing the more investigative tendencies of some jurors.

There is a broad concern amongst Scottish trial lawyers that the matter is not being dealt with effectively. Mr Findlay goes on to state that he does not believe “that the system does anything to combat it but, rather, has adopted an ostrich approach to it’

A Spokesperson from the Scottish Court Service said. “Although this is a matter for the presiding judge sufficient arrangements are in place to ensure that a judge can direct jurors to have regard only to the evidence”

Not only does this issue raise questions related to the need for new legislation around the use of the internet by jurors, it highlights yet more failings around the use of a jury based trial system.

www.scotcourts.gov.uk

Filed Under: Courts and Crime, Economy and Business, Life and Society Tagged With: Donald Finlay, impartiality, jurors, Justice

Tall and Talented

October 21, 2009 By Tracy Norris Leave a Comment

By Tracy Norris

Are you exceptionally tall and athletic? Tall and Talented

Do you dream of being on the Olympic podium?

Then you just might have what it takes to compete for Great Britain in the Rio Olympics in 2016.

UK Sport launched Tall and Talented today. The programme is looking for athletes who might be capable of winning medals in sports such as rowing and basketball, where height is a real advantage.

You may never have tried these sports before, but don’t let that put you off. Many of the athletes discovered in a similar talent hunt just 2 years ago, are looking forward to competing in London in 2012 in sports they had never tried before their potential was spotted.

One such athlete is 21 year old Samantha Fowler from Glasgow. She had reached county level at high jump and badminton but is set to row for Great Britain at the Olympics in 2012. “Although

Samantha Fowler, Olympic rowing hopeful for 2012

training is hard and requires immense commitment, I am taking a step closer to getting to the Olympics every day” she says.

So, if you are aged 15-20, over 5’11″ (females) or 6’3″ (males), already competing at county level or above in any sport and think you have what it takes, then apply online at www.uksport.gov.uk/talent by 16 November.

As Fowler says “Tall and Talented is a once in a lifetime opportunity…you have nothing to lose”.

Filed Under: News in Brief, Sports, Uncategorized Tagged With: Athletes, Basketball, London 2012, London Olympics, Olympics, Rio 2016, Rio Olympics, Rowing, Samantha Fowler, Tall and Talented, UK Sport

Orkney Venus Comes to Edinburgh

October 21, 2009 By Tracy Norris Leave a Comment

By Tracy Norris

Barely over 4 centimetres tall, the Orkney Venus saw daylight for the first time in 5,000 years when she was unearthed by archaeologists this summer. Found during an excavation by Historic Scotland on the Orkney island of Westray, the figure is a rare and exciting find.

“]

Archaeologist Jakob Kainz made the discovery of the face [Pic: Historic Scotland

Not only is the charming, simplistic figurine the oldest depiction of a human discovered in Scotland, it is the oldest depiction of an actual face ever found in the UK.

Orkney is famed for the Neolithic site at Skara Brae, and this latest discovery on Westray further establishes the immense archaeological importance of Orkney.

Small eyes and a heavy brow are scratched into the soft stone of the figure. What seem to be breasts suggest she is female and locals have fondly named her the Westray Wife. More scratched marks suggest clothing and perhaps hair.

What was she for? Well, that’s what experts are hoping to discover at the National Museum of Scotland when they study her in more detail this month. According to Historic Scotland, ”in the immediate future it is likely that experts are likely to generate at least as many questions as answers as they try to get to grips with the significance of the Orkney Venus”.

The figurine has been brought to Edinburgh for further studies and is currently on display at Edinburgh Castle until October 3rd. Children can visit free if they say the word ‘Orkney’ when they arrive at the ticket desk. As the City’s schools are enjoying half term, the Orkney Venus is likely to be a big draw for visitors to the castle, particularly families.

The Orkney Venus will continue a tour through several Historic Scotland sites, eventually returning home to Orkney where she will be displayed for visitors to the islands.

Filed Under: Life and Society, News in Brief Tagged With: Archaeology, Edinburgh, edinburgh castle, Historic Scotland, Neolithic, orkney, Orkney Venus, Westray, Westray Wife

Crunch-hit council cancels Hogmanay bash

October 21, 2009 By gordo356 Leave a Comment

By Gordon Smith

Amy MacDonald headlined last year's celebrations (Courtesy of hardpeople.wordpress.com)

Revellers in one of Scotland’s largest cities will be without their traditional New Year celebrations as the ongoing economic crisis takes another victim.

Officials at Aberdeen City Council (ACC) have admitted that a squeeze on finances has meant that any festivities will not be “on the same scale” as past years.

Staging last year’s event, featuring Bishopbriggs-born singing sensation Amy MacDonald, and local star Sandi Thom, had set the council back over £300,000.

Officials had already agreed to slash the 2009 budget by £50,000 as part of the council’s larger cost-cutting exercise to ease it out of a reported £60 million financial black hole. Yet this latest news will come as a further blow for many who had hoped to attend the free street party to see in the new year. Granite city residents had previously enjoyed world-class acts such as Travis, Wet Wet Wet, and The Proclaimers as part of their Hogmanay line-up.

Head of Corporate Communications at ACC, Louise Scott said that despite crowds of over 20,000 in previous years, many party-goers had been arriving shortly before the bells at midnight, and as a result, such a high calibre event was not justifiable.

As an alternative, a report to go before the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee has recommended setting aside around £50,000 for community groups in the city to organise their own Hogmanay parties.

A council spokesman emphasised a formal decision had yet to be taken, with the city’s famous fireworks display from Union Terrace Gardens and the Castlegate still going ahead.

Conservative councillor for Torry and Ferryhill, Alan Donnelly told the Aberdeen Evening Express: “I feel that surely we should have been able to attract somebody up here, Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city.”

Aberdeen is not alone in facing spending cuts, with councillors at Edinburgh City Council recently announcing a 25 percent reduction in capacity for the Capital’s Hogmanay street party following budget issues.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Aberdeen City Council, Credit crunch, Hogmanay, New Year

Ex-Champions suffer yet another defeat

October 21, 2009 By mikeymclintock Leave a Comment

By Michael McLintock

Boroughmuir fell to their 3rd consecutive at the weekend against their Glasgow rivals.

‘Muir lost 21-17 to fierce Glasgow Hawks in a close match where one try could have turned everything on it’s head. ‘Muir went down by ten points within ten minutes, Fergus Pringle, Head Coach said “immediately we were on the back foot”

The ‘Muir team, that is already loaded with injuries, had a team put together only two days before the game. Youngster Nick Fraser was thrown into the starting line up, with only one previous first team start under his belt. However the new boy played very well.

After the game, Pringle commented that “Basic errors lost us the game, tackling and passing was the biggest fault”

Boroughmuir with no injuries preparing to play

“The most frustrating element is that their is definitely a good team in there, but at the moment they are struggling to break out”

Boroughmuir seem to be missing certain key players, such as ex-Captain Angus Martyn who suffered a knee injury in pre-season training, the South-African is expected to be out for the remainder of the season.

Elsewhere in the Hydro-electric league, West of Scotland slumped one point outside the relegation zone after losing 27-20 to Selkirk, both sides are bottom of the league currently and need vital points to stay in the premier league.

Current leaders Currie demolished Edinburgh Accies 21-48 on Friday night under the spotlights at Raeburn place. Currie now sit 4 points clear of current holders Ayr at the top of the league.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Angus Martyn, Boroughmuir, Currie, Edinburgh Accies, Glasgow Hawks

Rangers suffer another home defeat

October 21, 2009 By rosscdoyle Leave a Comment

(courtesy of BBC Sport website)

By Ross Doyle

Urinea Urziceni beat Rangers 4-1 last night almost ending their hopes of qualification for the second round of the Champion’s League after a stunning 90 minutes which included 3 own-goals.

The home crowd expressed their frustrations at the end of the game, with loud cheering and various objects thown onto the pitch, while many of the supporters had exited the stadium long before the final whistle.

The Romanian side arrived at Ibrox yesterday expecting a difficult evening with the away side yet to record a win in European competition in their history so far. But it was the Scottish Champions who will have now been left to pick up the pieces as their qualification hopes look to be in serious jeapardy.

The game started brightly for the home side as Pedro Mendes’ deflected drive looped high into the top corner of the net in the second minute.

But 4 goals, including three in 16 minutes in the second half, from the Romanian Champions inflicted a second consecutive 4-1 reversal for Rangers after they suffered the same against Seville in the previous match.

Rangers manager Walter Smith blamed poor defending in the post-match interview, “we lost three goals we should not be losing”. he also commented on the decline of the performance after taking an early lead, “after a good start, we did not impose ourselves on the game.”

Dan Petrescu, manager of Urinea, was pleased with the result, “I don’t think it was easy for us” he also reacted to comments on the change of fortunes after half-time, “My players did well in the second half after we scored the second goal but we did not play well in the first half.”

Rangers will now likely have to compete for third place in the group although fellow Group G strugglers Stuttgart also suffered a home defeat last night to group leaders Sevilla. Their next fixture will be away in Romania with the opportunity to regain some pride and re-ignite their faltering European campaign with 3 points crucial to any involvement in European competition after Christmas.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: Champions League, dan petrescu, Football, irbox, rangers, urinea urziceni, walter smith

British Backpackers not practicing safe sex Down Under

October 21, 2009 By LinnD Leave a Comment

by Linn Dupont

Backpackers-6356853 British backpackers traveling around in Australia has been accused for spreading sexually transmitted diseases caused by their risky behavior. That is found from a study made by Britain’s John Moores University in Liverpool and Australia’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

A survey carried out amongst backpackers at hostels in Sydney and Cairns found out that the British backpackers often had triple the number of sexual partners compared to how many they were normally having sex with at home. This regardless being single or not.

The report shows that of those who were single when arriving to Australia and having sex, 40.9 percent reported not using condom on a regular basis, while 24.0 percent had unprotected sex with multiple partners.

Australia is a very popular travel destination and each year 700, 000 young Britons go there to enjoy life while traveling around and provide for themselves by carrying out different jobs on the way. Almost one fifth of the backpackers have more than one sexual partner when they’re on vacation.

“Backpackers are at high risk of sexually transmitted infections and other negative sexual outcomes”, the study sums up. Both John Moores University and Australia’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre strongly wish for backpackers to take a closer look at their behavior both before and during their travels in order to make an effort for improvement.

Backpackers

Filed Under: Life and Society, Travel and Communities, Uncategorized Tagged With: Australia, Australia's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, backpackers, backpacking, John Moore's University, Liverpool, risky behavior, sexual partners, sexually transmitted diseases

Sixteenth victim of Swine Flu in Scotland

October 21, 2009 By jonathanbradwell Leave a Comment

By Jonathan Bradwell

Courtesy of ScrapeTV

A Fifty Nine year old women from Fife suffering from underlying health problems became the 16th victim of Swine Flu today, just as the vaccination programme began in Scotland.

The vaccination programme aims to distribute the Swine Flu Jab to around 1.3 million people by Christmas time.

This program aims initially to target those people who are in the high risk groups.

These groups include pregnant women and those who work with the sick.

In relation to this, a Scottish government spokesperson said:

“Each GP has contact details for their at risk group and will have a note of who in there surgery is needing a vaccine quickly”.

The government urges those who believe they have been infected with Swine Flu to seek medical help as soon as possible, by sending a friend or a relative to pick up anti virals from a GP or collection point. However, people who think they are infected are advised not to leave their homes.

The spokesperson stated that “They will have a home phone number and a mobile number. A lot of GPs don’t use letters for alerts like this, and use texts”.

The UK government have put in an order to obtain enough Swine Flu vaccines to cover the entire population of the England, Wales and Scotland.

The Scottish government expects supplies of the vaccine to increase in the next few weeks.

The Swine Flu fatality rate is now at 100 deaths in the UK alone.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: swine flu

Royal Mail Dealt Another Blow

October 21, 2009 By Ahmed Asif Leave a Comment

By Ahmed Asif

The Scottish government handed Royal Mail a killer blow after handing rival company TNT a multi-million pound contract to deliver second class mail.

Royal Mail which is has been hit with a wave of criticism from every corner after deciding to call a strike after fears that hundreds of full time jobs would be cut and instead many part-time jobs would replace it and also about working conditions and pay. The strikes planned for the 22nd and 23rd of October would cause massive disruption to delivery service nationwide.

However the Scottish government decided to offer the £8m contract to TNT stating that this deal would save the public just under £3m each year. However many would see this as the latest saga surrounding Royal Mail’s decision to strike. Many companies such as Ebay are are already pondering on the possibility of switching from Royal Mail to a private firm in order to keep their services full functional and customers happy. Royal Mail are playing a dangerous game with the high possibility of losing contracts worth millions if they do not call off the strike.

Royal Mail van stands still as TNT handed contract. Picture courtesy of the BBC

Pat McFadden the Business Minister stated “The most fundamental challenge to Royal Mail is not competition from other mail companies – it’s competition from other communication technologies and that must lie at the heart of the response to this dispute.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail submitted as competitive a bid as possible for the contracts being tendered.

“We are fighting hard to retain every letter we possibly can but we operate in a commercial market in which we are facing increasingly fierce competition.

“That is why we urgently need to modernise our operations so we can compete and win business such as this.”

Workers voted with a huge majority for a nationwide strike against Royal Mail over working conditions, pay and huge reform plans.

Filed Under: Economy and Business, News in Brief Tagged With: royal mail, scottish government, TNT

Former Celtic player Larsson retires from football

October 21, 2009 By LinnD Leave a Comment

by Linn Dupont

Swedish football striker Henrik Larsson retires from professional football.

Yesterday the former Celtic and Barcelona striker announced his retirement. After 16 years as a professional football player he has come to the decision to put his career to an end.

“I am now 38. It’s enough,” Larsson says in a press statement. “Now it’s time for something else”. His decision to retire has been developed over time.

Larsson, who plays for the Helsingborg team in the Swedish premier division, will play two more matches in the Swedish league before he does his final match when the season ends on 1 November. After that he will put his red and blue Helsingborg sweater on the shelf and go for a well deserved vacation.

During the 2000-01 season when playing for Celtic, Henrik Larsson won the Golden Boot for being Europe’s top scorer. Amongst Celtic supporters he is known as ‘The King of Kings’.

Larsson also played in Manchester during 2007. He participated in three World Cups and three European Championships and scored 37 goals in his 106 international matches for the Swedish team. Over the years, Larsson has retired from the Swedish team several times, but he always came back when they needed him to help support his national team.

When Larsson helped Barcelona beat Arsenal with 2-1 in 2006 it became his biggest European triumph. Barcelona received it’s first Champions League title in 14 years and Henrik Larsson became the hero.

Back in Helsingborg, sports journalist Martin Bergstroem, reveal his opinion on the matter.

“He is without a doubt one of Sweden’s absolute best football players throughout history. Of course that makes his retirement a loss for the Swedish national team and for his fellow club players in Helsingborg,” Martin Bergstroem tells Edinburgh Napier News. “Larsson’s shoes leave a big empty hole to fill out, which opens up for new, younger players to rise in Swedish football.”

“Although, Larsson’s decision was expected,” Bergstroem continues “I think he did the right thing now when Sweden missed out on the World Championships and Helsingborg at the same time missed their chance to this year’s gold medal”.

Say what you want about Sweden loosing one of their greatest football strikers, but Larsson has plans on a future as a trainer. “If he decides to stay in the football world and help develop other players, we should consider ourselves lucky’”, says Bergstroem.

After this mornings press statement with his home club in Helsingborg, Larsson stated that he is fully satisfied with his decision. “It has developed furthermore during this season. Of course, it has been tough, but it was a tougher decision leaving the Celtic,” Larsson said. ”I have enjoyed my career and am very grateful to everyone who has supported me ,” he finished his statement.

Henrik Larsson

Filed Under: Sports, Uncategorized Tagged With: Barcelona, Celtic, Football, Helsingborg, Henrik Larsson, Larsson, Retirement

One Week, One Cause, All The Difference

October 21, 2009 By Ahmed Asif Leave a Comment

By Ahmed Asif

An annual charity event which witnesses university students uniting together to raise funds for needy children and orphans throughout the globe is due to kick off within the next couple of weeks in the UK.

This event allows Islamic Societies in universities up and down the Britain to work together for one week by organising various events and fundraisers in order to raise money for orphans and needy children in various troubled regions throughout the world. The UK wide event is backed by Islamic Relief, a world renown charity which has undertaken crucial charity projects in countries such as Iraq, Palestine, Kenya and Chechnya and which also respond swiftly to any humanitarian or natural disasters which occur.

Ahmed Shaikh, head of Charity Week in Scotland stated that “Charity Week is a week dedicated to raising funds and awareness for needy orphans around the world. It started a few years ago in London by an Islamic Society, the project is designed to get societies to get together and work together and since then it has spread throughout the UK and even internationally. Scotland took part for the very first time last year and hopefully for many years to come”.

Charity Week has been a hit throughout the universities in the UK and has been highly successful, previous years have seen funds being raised in it’s hundreds of thousands. Students have taken time out of their hectic timetables and exam revision period to raise money for those who are less fortunate. Shaikh mentioned “Charity Week is growing exponentially, at first we raised a few thousand then £30,000 then £120,000 and then £200,000. Last year in Scotland alone we raised £50,000″.

However Charity Week is not exclusively open to Islamic Societies and students who follow the Islamic faith, Shaikh stressed that “Charity Week is open to anyone and everyone, it’s open to people of all faiths and people of no faith”, he continued “Last year we organised an inter faith dialogue and the topic was charity as a duty for all mankind. We invited a priest, a rabbi and a sheikh and the aim was to highlight the common ground we share”.

When asked where the money raised from previous Charity Week fundraisers had been spent Shaikh replied “Our previous funds have been spent on a wide range of projects we have previously sponsored 100 orphans in Gaza for 3 years, we have refurbished an orphanage in Chechnya, we sponsored 100 orphans in Pakistan after the earthquake and we donated money for equipment to an orphanage in Kenya for handicapped children”, he continued “last year’s money was spent on building a vocational training centre for orphans in Niger. It’s a centre where orphans are given essential skills such as carpentry and sewing in order to equip them for the future”.

Charity Week helper. Picture courtesy of UCLU Islamic Society

Charity Week is due to begin within the next couple of days and events have already been well publicised in universities campuses. A sponsored cycle around Millport, a sky dive, a girls night out and a football tournament are just a few of the proposed events.

Brave students have also volunteered to brace the harsh Scottish weather in order to bucket in Glasgow and Edinburgh city centre’s. Asked about the feedback from the public Shaikh stated “the response from the general public has been very good and the majority of people are happy to give money, you get the odd eyebrow being raised when the see the Islamic Relief logo on the back of the t-shirts, however, the council and police have all been very cooperative and helpful”.

Edinburgh Council were not available for comment.

Filed Under: Life and Society, Travel and Communities Tagged With: Charity Week, Edinburgh Council, Islamic Relief, Universities

Stowaway spider sparks plane chaos

October 21, 2009 By gordo356 Leave a Comment

By Gordon Smith

An Edinburgh-bound plane was grounded yesterday as an exotic spider sparked panic in the cabin. The British Airways flight from London Heathrow had landed at the Scottish capital’s airport just moments prior to the alarm being raised. The unnamed male passenger was aboard the Airbus A319 aircraft when he spotted the eight-legged minibeast crawling between his feet, and informed the cabin crew.

British Airways spokesman Denny McGee told Edinburgh Napier News, “The gentleman in question said that having travelled extensively, he was “familiar with spiders” and as a result knew what he had seen.

“This is a very rare incident for a domestic flight in the United Kingdom, and as such I have never encountered anything of this nature in my many years in the business”.

A British Airways A319 Plane (courtesy of Flickr: Albspotter)

A British Airways Airbus A319 (Courtesy of Flickr: Albspotter)

The search for the hairy creature caused havoc with BA’s morning schedule, with the following 9:05am shuttle service from Edinburgh to Heathrow cancelled whilst specialist teams were drafted in.

It is understood that fumigators from the South-East of England flown to the scene yesterday were left “clueless”, with no sign of the spider being found.

A BA insider admitted, “Despite exhaustive efforts and all appropriate action, our specialists were unable to find anything. So yes, it could still be out there”.

An Edinburgh Airport spokeswoman said, “All passengers disembarked the aircraft safely, and all 120 of those due to travel on the cancelled flight were accommodated in our subsequent departures”.

Tarantulas are infamous for their hairy legs and bodies, with certain species being able to grow to almost one foot long. Although not native to the United Kingdom, they are more widespread on the continent and have previously been discovered in fruit and vegetable cargo imports.

Filed Under: Travel and Communities Tagged With: British Airways, Edinburgh Airport, London Heathrow, Spider

Local residents suffer from Grassmarket revamp

October 21, 2009 By rosscdoyle Leave a Comment

(courtesy of Best of Edinburgh website)

By Ross Doyle

The Grassmarket area of Edinburgh is now facing problems with the lead up to the festive period, as the British drinking culture continues to disturb local residents.

The area as benefited from a £5 million rejuvenation to promote the area and attract more visitors, with the introduction of outdoor seating and more pedestrian space. This has attracted more visitors to the area while sadly promoting more drink related disturbances and an increase in stag and hen parties.

The outdoor seating areas were strictly introduced for dining purposes, while these rules have been frequently ignored according to Paul Duncan of Manager of Mama’s Pizza located within the area who said “this year it was a mess, no-one seemed to enforce the regulations. “He also added that”one of the rules was there should be no advertising of alcohol, but one of the pubs had huge umbrellas with a beer advert.”

A city spokesperson confirmed a review on the problems would take place, but there was no guarantee of any enforced changes to the current layout.

Councillor Mowat of the the City Centre Neighbourhood Partnership said “some residents are suffering weekly problems because of drunks, which included people fighting, singing and urinating through letter boxes and closes.”

With the festive period fast approaching, the problems are likely to increase and local groups have continued to put pressure on the council to act on the current situation.

Filed Under: News in Brief Tagged With: alcohol, city council. city centre neighbourhood partnership, drinking, grassmarket, hen parties, stag parties

Greggs plan to open 600 new stores

October 21, 2009 By mikeymclintock 1 Comment

By Michael McLintock

Greggs have today announced that they plan to open 600 new stores nationwide creating 6,000 new jobs.

A typical Greggs store

Greggs, scots-born, chief executive Ken McMeikan announced that out of the 6,000 new jobs, 800 will be allocated to Scotland. The main bakery in Glasgow will also be expanded to supply the higher demand. Greggs plan to boost their outlets in scotland by 70%.

The Newcastle based firm already supplies 6 million customers per week nationwide through their 1,400 outlets. McMeikan explains “currently more than 50 per cent of the UK population do not have Greggs near by”

Greggs intend on opening 50-60 new stores in 2010 and 70 plus from 2011 onwards. throughout the recession Greggs have reported that their sales have increased by 2.5 % in the first 16 weeks of the second half, that would suggest the nation is turning to quick and easy food.

McMeikan said the new stores will be aimed “particularly in areas where we are currently under-represented or have no presence at all”

They went onto say “Southern England , the East Midlands, North East Scotland, North West England and North Wales are good examples of areas with further potential for us”

Greggs boasted of increased profits along with their total sales up by 3.8% and like-for-like sales up by 1%, they insist there is a new public demand and lay these figures as backbone for such expansion.

The 600 new stores is expected to cost around £9 million however will produce an extra £300 million, Greggs insist that the new stores will only affect their finances in a positive manner.

Filed Under: Economy and Business, Life and Society Tagged With: Greggs, Ken McMeikan, Newcastle, recession

Local newspaper challenged

October 21, 2009 By vintagewintage Leave a Comment

Town in need of fresh news

By Ross Winton

Local news in Midlothian looks set to come under pressure with the introduction of a cutting-edge newspaper.

Penicuik’s ‘Town Crier’ is to be challenged by a new publication called ‘The Monthly Edit’.

The ‘Town Crier’, which has run since January 1965, has come under scrutiny in recent years from locals, suggesting not enough effort is being put into the scheme.

Now, a group of Penicuik residents have gathered together in a bid to give their area fresh impetus in terms of news and attempt to restore community spirit.

Barry Turner, head of media production at ‘The Monthly Edit’ was confident that the new venture would ultimately be a success.

“What we’re looking to do here is bring a sense of pride back into Penicuik.”

“As successful as the Town Crier has been in the past, it’s days are numbered now so we’re hoping to become the main source of local news in the area.”

“It’s early days so far, but our ambition is to eventually branch out into Roslin, Loanhead and other surrounding areas.”

‘The Monthly Edit’ is currently focusing on advertising for local businesses and as space is limited in their paperback publication, they are offering full adverts in the Live Editorial section of their website.

In addition to local advertising, they also hope to report on local news in the shape of sports, charity events and educational stories.

Having been let down by a freelance journalist initially, the publication is currently seeking young, enthusiastic citizen journalists to help report on local stories.

Filed Under: Life and Society Tagged With: Loanhead, Midlothian, Newspapers, Penicuik Town Crier, Roslin, The Monthly Edit

Fright Night Fears

October 21, 2009 By becca110 Leave a Comment

By Rebecca Gordon

While Halloween mischief is always expected, insurance company Axa fear a spike in anti-social behaviour linked to trick or treating and fireworks this year. Basing research on previous insurance claims, the company’s statistics show that the seven days from 30th October to 5th November are the worst week in the year for malicious damage to homes.

Halloween Image, courtesy of Alan Baxter online

With the incidence of claims 350% higher than the average day on the 5th of November and 270% higher on the 31st October, property damage ranges from broken windows to a wall being pushed over, while on bonfire night the average claim for malicious firework damage averages at £1000.

In addition, Government statistics reveal that around 1000 people a year are injured by fireworks and the resulting increase in ‘secondary fires’.

With Halloween falling this year on a Saturday, generally the worst day of the week for malicious damage claims, Axa expects a huge increase in deliberately destructive acts. Nick Kidd, Head of Household Underwriting at Axa warns “We don’t want to ruin anybody’s fun on Bonfire Night but people do need to be vigilant. Although it is difficult to avoid someone putting something through the letterbox, people should take extra care to ensure windows and doors are locked…

“Any sort of damage caused to another person’s property is not only anti-social but also a criminal offence and while insurance can pick up the cost, it can’t deal with the emotional drama.”

Filed Under: Courts and Crime, Life and Society Tagged With: axa, bonfire night, government, Halloween, insurance