The Herald

Round-Up of Militants Ends in 23 Deaths; Third Day of Violence in Uzbek Capital

Police and military clashed with suspected terrorists, including three suicide bombers, and 23 people were killed in a third day of violence yesterday that rattled the Uzbek capital during a sweep to round up Islamic militants. At least 42 people have been killed in the worst unrest in this former Soviet republic since it became a staunch ally in the US-led war on terror after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

We're Glad to Be Girly; Once Only Gay Men Would Snub Footie for Shopping, but Cate Devine has Found That More and More Men Are Joining a New Club

When Ian Bell gets up on a Saturday he feels refreshed after his Friday evening massage and facial, and makes a point of wearing something different from his usual dress-down working gear. So, he'll select a sharp Armani suit, team it with a John Smedley fine merino wool sweater, some Gucci shoes - and then go shopping for more. The 35-year-old fitness expert, who was born in the west of Scotland and is now a consultant at One Spa at the Edinburgh Sheraton, will break up his day's "retail sta...

Billboard

Love over lunch If you are into seriously hard-core romantic music, and the darker and more expressionist the better, then do not miss the RSAMD's lunchtime concert at 1pm on April 23. okay, okay, it's still bright outside, it's the wrong time of the day, and the mood and atmosphere will be less dense and nocturnal than appropriate, but us sad chaps at Billboard have got to take our thrills where (and when) we can find them. Anyway, the Hebrides Ensemble will give a performance of Arnold Scho...

Grand Master Returns; When It Comes to Pianists, John Lill Is No 1 and Is Back to Wow Scottish Fans. By Michael Tumelty

CLEAR the decks - and the diaries. The master is back. This week, pianist John Lill returns to Scotland for the first of a series of visits that will mark the great British pianist's 60th birthday, which fell earlier this month. This week he'll be playing Brahms's First Piano Concerto with the RSNO in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. Next month, he'll be back to give two special celebrity solo recitals and a masterclass at the RSAMD. In more than one way it is entirely appropriate that Lill sho...

Simple: You're Just Too Kooky, Kid

Music Simple Kid, G2, Glasgow 3/5 There is always this danger when a musician has an irrepressible sense of humour and an indulgent manager. You do worry that Simple Kid, with his multiple monikers, comedy cohorts, rampant hair and cover-version habit, will simply buffoon around, performing in-jokes to his mates and making a mockery of the money being spent on his promotion. He does appear a little self-consciously untouched by being on stage - confident and wry as they come, in fact - but he...

Her Nagging Doubt About Feminism

Are men today portrayed as "idiotic, self-centred sex fiends, incapable of contributing anything of value to women or children?" That is the contention of radio shock-jock Dr Laura Schlessinger in a book which has roared to the top of US bestseller lists and will be arriving in the UK later this year. The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands has already caused controversy, with Dr Laura telling American women that they have grown too self-centred and are treating men increasingly badly, using ...

A Gollum-Like Fixation with Ring-Fencing Sovereignty

There seems to be a rule that the bigger and flashier a parliament, the less power is exercised by its members. The House of Commons is a cramped and sweaty bear pit, too small for all 650-odd MPs, but it has vastly more power than Holyrood, which is going to have a much grander debating chamber. However, one of the flashiest and grandest chambers of all time has to be the European Parliament's hemicycle in Strasbourg. This is a vast dome like a Dounreay-style nuclear power station made out o...

Mcconnell Blames Men for Nursery Strike

THE intransigence of a small number of men is to blame for the long-drawn-out nursery nurses' dispute, Jack McConnell said yesterday. The first minister was highly critical of both the union leaders and local authority employers, but angered supporters of the strikers by appearing to characterise them as unwitting women being led astray by men.

Eight Held As Police Seize Bomb Material in Anti-Terror Raids

EIGHT men were being questioned last night over an alleged al Qaeda plot to unleash a terrorist bombing campaign in Britain. They were arrested in dawn raids by 700 police officers at 24 addresses across London and the Home Counties.

New Leukaemia Fear Over Power Lines

SCIENTISTS for the government yesterday raised the possibility of a link between radiation from electricity power lines and childhood leukaemia. The advisers urged ministers to review the latest global figures, and consider whether there could be a connection.

Leading Scots Politician Under Scrutiny Over His Expenses; Labour Asks Eu to Launch Inquiry; Exclusive Catherine Macleod Political Editor

DAVID Martin, Scotland's most senior Euro-MP, is facing an investigation into his expenses, triggered by the Labour Party after "very serious allegations" were made about his financial arrangements. It is understood that Mr Martin, a vice-president of the European parliament, is vehemently denying the allegations, which are believed to have originated in Scotland.

Hidden Menace of Terror in the Suburbs; Residents Shocked by Find

UNTIL yesterday the gravest danger to the populace of one London suburb seemed to be highlighted by a council notice warning: "Unlicensed street traders (including car sellers) will be prosecuted." It all changed dramatically with Operation Crevis as anti-terror detectives seized more than half a ton of ammonium nitrate fertiliser - potentially deadly ingredients for a bomb - in Hanwell, west London.

Cavers Return with Claim of Mistreatment in Mexico

A GROUP of British cavers who sparked an international incident after being expelled from Mexico for breaching their tourist visas returned home yesterday, maintaining their innocence and complaining of mistreatment. The six potholers - including Scots RAF Sergeant John Roe - became trapped by rising flood waters at one of the world's biggest cave systems at Cuetzalan, north-east of Mexico City, before being rescued by a team of British divers last Thursday.

Pakistani Cricketer Attacked As Children Look On

AN Asian cricketer has been racially abused and assaulted while training in a park as his terrified children looked on. The 39-year-old, a member of Edinburgh Cricket Club, was with his five-year-old daughter and his son, aged eight, in Inverleith Park.

Edinburgh Hotel Rates for Business Fall by 21%

ROOM rates paid by business travellers at hotels in Edinburgh last year fell by 21%, according to a survey by BTI UK, the travel management company. It said the average room rate paid in Edinburgh was (pounds) 84.21, compared with (pounds) 80.16 in Glasgow, where prices fell by 4%.

Bone of Contention As Islanders Hide Jaws of Beached Whale; Museum Appeals to Coll in Re-Run of Whisky Galore

IN a 21st-century reworking of Whisky Galore, the inhabitants of Coll were last night on a collision course with the authorities after a whale's jawbones mysteriously vanished on the small island. While the islanders of Todday hid cases of whisky from the grounded SS Politician off Eriskay, a Celtic brotherhood on Coll in the Inner Hebrides have secreted the two 12ft jawbones to try to thwart attempts to remove them by the National Museums of Scotland.

Bt Call Centre Will Close in September

Death Row Lawyer's University Date

Gourmet Glasgow Festival Expands

Airlines Launch Flights to Holland