The Herald

Diary of a Tireless Busybody; Jenny Agutter, One of Britain's Most Consistently Successful and Thoughtful Stars, Reveals What It Was Like to Play Alan Clark's Wife in the Eponymous Diaries Series

TWO women, tidily cardiganed, are standing amid the draughty grandeur of a castle. Their arms are folded across neat, inconspicuous breasts, their hair styled in the same pageboy bob. They gaze at each other, perhaps a little wearily at first, curious to see how effectively each appearance coincides. At Saltwood, in Kent, this was just one of several bizarre and fleeting encounters between the widow of a consummate philanderer and the actor chosen to climb inside her skin. "Somewhere I have a...

Why We Won't Be Flocking to the Laboratory Door

They're fascinated by bloodlines in Kentucky. It is rumoured that the chatelaine of Buckingham Palace takes a very great personal interest in the genetics industry in that particular American state. Then again, breeding horses, like cloning sheep, is a rather less controversial business than messing with human reproduction. Except, it seems, for men like Panos Zavos, the former professor of animal science, who left academia in Kentucky to pursue the unholy grail of human cloning. It would be ...

Darling to Switch More Control Over Rail Services to Scotland

SCOTLAND will be given more powers to regulate its train services under a root-and-branch review of Britain's railway system being announced today by Alistair Darling. The transport secretary's attempt to sort out the "dog's breakfast" in the railways will examine the overlap among transport authorities: the Scottish Executive oversees Scot-Rail, the Strategic Rail Authority's reach extends to Scotland, and Strathclyde Passenger Transport is responsible for local services in the west of Scotl...

Fears for Scotsman As Barclay Brothers Reveal (Pounds) 260m Deal to Buy the Telegraph

A QUESTION mark hangs over the future of Scotsman Publications after its owners, the Barclay brothers, made a (pounds) 260m agreed offer for Conrad Black's media empire, which includes the Daily Telegraph. The Barclays have an "irrevocable" agreement to buy Lord Black's controlling 78% stake in Hollinger Inc and announced an offer to buy the remaining 22% of the shares.

Murder at the Assassins' Gate: 20 Die in Baghdad Suicide Blast; Truck Bomber Strikes at the Heart of Us-Led Administration

A SUICIDE bomber blew up a truck packed with explosives at the gates of the US headquarters in Iraq yesterday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 60. It was the deadliest attack since the capture of Saddam Hussein last month.

Petrov's Shot to the Hearts; Solitary Goal Keeps Celtic 11 Points Clear at the Top On a Barmy Afternoon at Tynecastle

hearts 0 celtic 1 Scorer: Petrov (27) Celtic march on, though this was no jovial stroll through the Gorgie bedlam yesterday. Tyne- castle, under threat as home to Hearts but still a riotous place to visit, was the scene of a gruelling, often bitter football match which was only settled in Celtic's favour by Stilian Petrov's first- half goal. That effort, though, was the least of this pantomime. Among 10 bookings issued by Kenny Clark, a harassed referee, John Hartson was cautioned after 90 se...

Jury Is Out After Murray Makes Plea of Mitigation

Over the past 24 hours it has sounded suspiciously like 'O mea culpa' from David Murray. In typically bravura media performances the Rangers honorary chairman has come clean over the club's wretched debt, performing the equivalent of the penitent with bowed head before the jury. I give Murray eight out of 10 for being his own defence counsel. Murray, frankly, is trying to salvage his reputation at Rangers. There is no sin in this so long as the reasons for it are recognised. It has taken some...

Edinburgh's Winning Run in Europe Gathers Pace

EDINBURGH'S vanquished European opponents last night admitted they had been outclassed. The Scottish side's unbeaten run in the Heineken Cup continued with a 23-0 demolition of Leeds at Headingley and Phil Davies, director of rugby with the Yorkshire club, said: "We learned some harsh lessons."

Health Plan Suffers Lack of Funding

A HEALTH initiative which improved the fitness of youngsters in one of the most socially deprived areas of Scotland is being ignored by ministers, despite Jack McConnell's commitment to tackling childhood obesity. The scheme is to be introduced in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, but has failed to attract enough funding to be rolled out across Scotland. Its backers say that could have been done for the price of a hamburger for every pupil.

Britons Safe After Coach Catches Fire in Tunnel

Dozens of British tourists escaped uninjured yesterday when their coach caught fire in the middle of a tunnel in France. The coach carrying 37 passengers - all believed to be British - was heading towards the popular ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps when the incident occurred.

I Can Still Be Angry If I Want to Be Angry; Ferguson Was Seething in Wolverhampton. Part 2 of Ian Paul's Exclusive Interview

NOT being party to his team chat following Saturday's defeat by Wolves, I can't be sure of his contention that Sir Alex Ferguson is much mellower than in days of yore, but it can be presumed that he is still not afraid to have his say when the occasions warrants it. "What has changed is that, as you get older you are able to control the anger," he says. "But if I want to be angry I can still be angry. "But all these stories about throwing cups and saucers in the dressing room are nonsense.I d...

Goram Hoping to Catch the Eye with Kilbirnie

Andy Goram, the former Rangers and Scotland keeper, is poised to slip down from senior to junior football with Kilbirnie Ladeside. The 39-year-old has been without a club since leaving Elgin City earlier this season, and as Goram is a friend of George Walker, the Kilbirnie manager, it is believed he may be tempted to sign a short- term contract with the Ayrshire team.

Boumsong Refuses to Confirm He'll Be at Ibrox Next Season

LESS than a month after John McClelland, the Rangers chairman, claimed the club had signed French internationalist Jean-Alain Boumsong on a five-year contract, the player has refused to confirm he has put pen to paper. It is the latest twist in a bizarre transfer saga, during which it has been claimed Rangers - despite their millions of pounds of debt - had outbid such clubs as Liverpool and Inter Milan to sign the Auxerre defender on a (pounds) 45,000-per-week pre-contract agreement.

New Northern Ireland Coach Unlikely to Tempt Lennon Back

Neil Lennon is willing to talk to the new Northern Ireland manager about his future but says he is unlikely to return to international football. Dunfermline's assistant manager, Jimmy Nicholl, is likely to be appointed as successor to Sammy McIlroy after meeting the Irish Football Association today, but, despite the lure of a World Cup qualifying group which includes England and Wales, Lennon says he is enjoying club football at Parkhead more without international duty. The midfielder quit fo...

What Jackson Said Under Hypnosis

Psychic defence: Uri Geller, the psychic, yesterday came to the defence of his friend Michael Jackson, saying the pop singer denied under hypnosis three years ago he had sexually abused children. Geller told Israel's Army Radio he hypnotised Jackson when the two were alone in a recording studio. The hypnosis took place before Jackson was alleged to have molested a cancer-stricken boy invited to his Neverland Ranch. Last week, Jackson was formally charged in relation to that case. He faces sev...

Leicester Look Prepared to Move for Thomson

Kevin Thomson, the Hibs midfielder, could be the next player from north of the border to join the ranks at Leicester. Micky Adams, manager of the English side, is lining up his third Scottish raid within a week, having received good reports about Thomson.

Murrayfield Move Is Only Answer, Claims Levein

ACCORDING to Craig Levein, the Hearts manager, his club have little option but to leave Tynecastle or be forced into administration. Hearts are set to share Murrayfield and sell their 118-year-old home to service a debt of (pounds) 17.6m, but some fans have questioned the wisdom of the move.

Little Beauty, but Plenty of Wee Beasties Among the Hibs Youngsters

livingston 1 hibs 0 BEAUTY may be in the eye of the beholder but even the most vain supporter would have struggled to find anything to love about this encounter.

United Finally Get Saha After Agreeing Fee with Fulham

Manchester United last night agreed a fee with Fulham for 15- goal striker Louis Saha. The French forward, who has made no secret of his desire to join the Old Trafford outfit, will complete the move later this week, providing there are no unforeseen problems with his medical or personal terms.

Hands Across a Sea of Mediocrity; As His Old Pupil Alex Mcleish Watched Rangers Scrape Past Motherwell, Sir Alex

rangers 1 motherwell 0 IT was a weekend for holding hands up at Ibrox. David Murray, Rangers' honorary chairman, did so in accepting responsibility for the fragile financial state which has paralysed the club's progress. And in an eyesore of a match, apologies were all the rage. Not all were forgiven by the frustrated following.