The Herald

Doubt Cast On Dinosaur Extinction Theory

THE meteor impact credited with wiping out dinosaurs 65 million years ago occurred much too early to be the sole cause of their extinction, it was claimed yesterday. Scientists probing the huge Chicxulub crater in Mexico found that it was made 300,000 years before the end of the Cretaceous period, when the collision of an asteroid or comet was thought to have triggered dramatic volcanic and climate changes on the earth's surface.

Belgium's 'Trial of Century' Opens; Man Accused of Sex Crime Spree Falls Asleep in Dock

BELGIUM'S public enemy number one dozed in a bulletproof dock yesterday as he went on trial for kidnapping, abusing, and killing young girls in a crime spree that horrified Europe in the mid- 1990s. Marc Dutroux, 47, and three co-defendants arrived before dawn under tight security and were escorted into the packed courtroom in Arlon to avoid the throng of photographers and TV crews who had descended on the sleepy southern town.

Flirting with the Flamenco Factor; Think Matador . . . Not Muted. And Think Big, Bold and Spanish. For the New Arrivals On the High Street Are Bursting with Life and Fiercely Flamboyant. By Lorna Maclaren

As the black-eyed flamenco dancers stomped and sulked their way along the catwalk in Spain this week to the sound of fierce guitars, one thing was clear: if Madrid Fashion Week is to be believed, tradition is back. Big style. The dramatic and colourful return to Spanish fashion's roots was the work of the flamboyant designer Francis Montesinos, who delighted his audience with beautiful matadors in rich satins and floral brocades. Now, this modern twist on an ancient culture is filtering down ...

Order of the Boot for Racism; Amnesty International Hopes a Football Tournament Will Drive Racism Out of the Game. By Jennifer Cunningham

Paul Elliott was subjected to racist chants when he joined Celtic in 1989 and lost little time in embarking on an educational crusade. By the time he moved to Chelsea, in 1991, he had won the title of Scottish Player of the Year and supporters' hearts. A brutal challenge that caused severe damage to the ligaments in his right knee forced him out of the game in 1994. It was then that he turned his attention to another aspect of the game entirely and devoted his time to the Let's Kick Racism Ou...

The Thing That Haunts Me; He Played for Scotland Under-18s and Never Made Senior International. He Was a Top Scholar and Failed to Achieve Honours. He Became First Minister and Resigned in an Uproar. What Dogs Henry Mcleish?

REFLECTING on whether to stand as first minister following the death of Donald Dewar, Henry McLeish was conscious of having settled often in life for the status of also-ran. A talented young footballer, he was picked to play for Leeds United at the tender age of 15, but returned home before making his mark. He then played for the Scotland Under-18s but, somehow, never made senior international. At university, he was top every year and won a scholarship, but failed to get first-class honours b...

The Diary

Voting with her feet FORGET the politics; former first minister Henry McLeish's autobiography, Scotland First, reveals that he set his personal keepie-uppie record at 1760 when he was only 12.

So, You've Never Heard of a Nurse Getting Blind Drunk?

'Well, the Chinese carry-out has arrived at last," said the nurse, contemplating the sea of fresh vomit on the cubicle floor. "What do you think - chicken chow mein? Or beef in black bean sauce? And maybe 10 pints of lager?" It was then, I think, as she reached wearily for the shovel, at three that morning in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary's bleak old A&E department, that all my illusions about nursing finally came tumbling down. In the course of 48 hours of reportage I had seen nurses riding the ...

The Trouble with Going Over the Top

It is a pity, perhaps, that there was no award for a best foot- in-the-mouth category at this week's Oscars ceremony, for we would not have been short of political candidates. We no sooner had the fall-out from Tory MP Ann Winterton's appallingly insensitive "joke" about the death of Chinese cocklers in Morecambe Bay when the Labour Party produced an own-goal at its Scottish conference in Inverness. According to the party's chairman, Ian McCartney MP, Oliver Letwin, the shadow chancellor, who...

Troops 'Gagged' Over Anthrax Jab Concerns

SOLDIERS calling for an inquiry into the possible effects of Iraq war anthrax vaccinations on the health of their unborn children have accused the Ministry of Defence of attempting to gag them. The National Gulf Veterans and Families Association claims that the military authorities are trying to suppress the outcry over a cluster of infant deaths at a small base in Hampshire.

Scott Plans to Make More Films at Home

Dougray Scott, the Hollywood star, last night told of his plans to make more films in Scotland as he attended the premiere of his latest project. The Mission: Impossible 2 actor joined co-stars Kevin McKidd, from Trainspotting, and Neve McIntosh, from Plunkett and Macleane, for the screening of One Last Chance at the UGC cinema in Renfrew Street, Glasgow.

West Coast Line Upgrade 'About to Be Derailed'; Legal Action Threat If Spending Is Halted

THE plug is about to be pulled on all uncompleted works on the west coast main line upgrade north of Crewe, according to industry insiders. They warn that the Treasury has still to find the money - and that no decisions have been taken over when, or if, Crewe to Glasgow improvements should be completed.

Briefing: Drangeln

Efforts are under way to clamp down on this unsavoury German practice. Q: What does it involve?

Congestion That Is Not Necessary

There was a deliberate planned closure of the northbound carriageway of the A80 on Sunday, February 29. The travelling public received minimal notice of this closure. Martin Williams's analysis (February 20) which claimed that "lack of funds put Scotland on a rocky road" should convince everyone that a full public inquiry is essential before any further work is taken on creating an online M80 through the bottleneck of Cumbernauld and beyond Castlecary, without any satisfactory route north for...

The Fairest System

ALAN Sinclair is right to criticise the first-past-the-post system used for Westminster elections (Letters, February 25); indeed, living in a Labour fifedom (sic) I can thoroughly empathise with his sentiments. He despairs, however, of discovering a perfectly proportional voting system this side of Utopia. Well, even the pro-STV Electoral Reform Society admits on its very informative website that the Additional Member System in its pure form, not the bastardised Holyrood or Bundestag versions...

Falun Gong

IN your article about Falun Gong (February 24), we were surprised to read the subtitle, "Why does the cult alarm the Chinese authorities?" as the article itself shows that this is a term used by the Chinese authorities in their attempt to foster hatred against Falun Gong. The word "cult" was originally used with great reverence and referred to a group that payed homage to divine beings but today's meaning is very derogatory. It alludes to being an evil group, which engages in brainwashing and...

Labour Modernisation

AS someone who attended Scottish Labour's Conference, I don't recognise Robbie Dinwoodie's report (March 1) as a fair reflection on the event or the party's policy process. As a card-carrying member, I fully support the modernisation of the Labour Party, particularly the way we make policy. I am sorry if this does not suit the hard left or the Scottish media who want us to go back to resolutionary politics, but we are trying to make policies for improving Scotland, not filling newspaper colum...

Royal Mail Changes

Carl Anderson; Actor and Musician Who Played Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar On Screen and Stage

Carl Anderson, who played Judas in the film Jesus Christ Superstar and appeared in more than 1200 performances of the musical on stage, has died of leukaemia in Los Angeles, at the age of 58. He was spotted on television by the producers of the original American stage production, performing unauthorised versions of the show's songs with his rock group. While one producer was outraged and initiated action to make sure there was no repeat offence, the other concluded Anderson would make an exce...

Agathe Hopes for an Action Replay in Europe

CELTIC fly out to the Czech Republic today with Didier Agathe for one believing they can repeat their success of last season and reach the UEFA Cup final once again. Teams of the calibre of Barcelona, Inter Milan, Liverpool and Newcastle may stand in their way in future rounds by the man from Reunion Island thinks they can be overcome.

Mature Graduates

IT seems that philosopher-solicitor Ken McCracken has a very narrow perspective of university graduates in Scotland (March 1). Not all graduates are fresh from university and as he describes them "at the bottom of the hour glass of professional choice". At the University of Strathclyde almost 10% of the intake are mature students whose presence brings a wealth of experience, resourcefulness and creativity to the university setting. Many of these students have engaged in specialist training in...