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The Diary

Good egg THE Diary has been a fan of Welsh crooner Bonnie Tyler, pictured, ever since we revealed that a planeload of Celtic fans heading to Stuttgart was holding a singalong and the large-haired woman at the back was encouraged to join in. After a few bars of Bonnie's Total Eclipse of the Heart, a Celtic fan cheerily told her: "You're almost passable, hen." And, yes, it was indeed Bonnie Tyler doing the singing.

Caine's New Dining Role

Sir Michael Caine, the actor, who has co-owned a string of upmarket restaurants over the years, is to open an Indian restaurant in London. Deya, his first Indian establishment, will open at the end of the month in Portman Square.

Capital Encore for (Pounds) 5 Tickets at Festival; Longest Play Among Programme Highlights

THE return of a special series of (pounds) 5 tickets and the single longest play in Scotland's theatre history will be among the highlights of this year's Edinburgh International Festival. The festival, which unveiled its new programme yesterday, has decided to relaunch its popular series of late-night performances, where tickets will cost only (pounds) 5 each.

Man Dies After Being Hit by Police Car On 999 Call

AN elderly man died in hospital last night after he was struck by a police car attending an emergency call. Strathclyde Police have launched an inquiry into the incident, which happened in Glasgow just before 3pm when two police officers were attending the 999 call.

Sir Sean Declares His Support for Tartan Day Events

SIR Sean Connery yesterday spoke in support of the first Tartan Day celebrations to be held in Scotland, despite his refusal to meet Jack McCon-nell, the first minister, at the main US event. The event in Scotland starts this weekend in Arbroath, and also has been supported by a list of other prominent Scots, including Ewan McGregor, the actor, George Reid, the Scottish parliament's presiding officer, and Dougie Donnelly, the sports presenter.

(Pounds) 431m for Holyrood Worth It, Says Steel; Msps Were Misled About True Cost, Fraser Inquiry Is Told

THE saga of Holyrood's costs and delays has cast a "dark cloud" over Scotland, but the public eventually will see the (pounds) 431m bill as a price worth paying, the parliament's former presiding officer said yesterday. Lord Steel of Aikwood said that, in spite of rising costs, the building ultimately would be appreciated by Scots as a symbol of devolution.

Falconer Rebuked On Whistleblower Curbs

Lord Falconer, the lord chancellor, was rebuked yesterday by a Commons watchdog over the way he dealt with a whistleblower. He committed a contempt of parliament by suspending Judy Weleminsky, the standards committee ruled. The peer had not intended to discipline Ms Weleminsky and no action will be taken against him, the MPs ruled.

Swinney Skewers First Minister Over Corporate Hqs

JACK McConnell was left severely embarrassed yesterday over the issue of retaining corporate HQs in Scotland, when he appeared not to know the Scottish Executive's policy. The first minister was skewered at question time by John Swinney, the SNP leader, in relation to the latest corporate crisis in Scotland, the Standard Life redundancies.

Housing Agency Pair Attack 'Gagging' Move; City Landlord Criticised Over Allegations of Whistleblowing

SCOTLAND'S largest social landlord yesterday was criticised by two of its leading figures, who claimed they had been suspended over alleged "whistleblowing". Colin Deans and Billy McAllister, elected members of Glasgow Housing Association's management committee, said they had been gagged by the organisation, which administers the city's 80,000 former council houses.

Nursery Nurses Union Resumes Pay Talks with Cosla

TALKS are to resume into the long-running nursery nurses' dispute after the union accepted an invitation from council leaders to get back round the table. It is understood there is no firm offer involved and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is still resisting a national deal, having seen the union forced to concede local settlements in 12 of the 32 local authorities.

Keepers' Protest Angers Ramblers; Rent-a Mob Claim in Deer Row

PROTESTING gamekeepers at a Highland estate behaved like a "rural rent-a-mob", the Ramblers Association Scot-land claimed yesterday. The group also alleged that the demonstration by scores of gamekeepers proved that many estates could not be trusted to control deer numbers and called on the Scottish Executive to transfer the responsibility from landowners to the public sector.

Victims to Be Told of Convict Leave

FAMILIES of murder victims are to be told when the convicted criminals are out of prison on home leave. The Scottish Executive said yesterday it would make provisions so that victims of serious crimes or bereaved families were informed when a prisoner is back on the streets.

Dounreay Wind-Down 50 Years Ahead of Schedule

The (pounds) 4bn decommissioning of Dounreay will be completed more than 50 years ahead of schedule, it was announced yesterday. The programme of work at the Caithness plant should be finished by 2047. However, the UK Atomic Energy Authority is hoping that the timescale can be even shorter. This was confirmed yesterday as the UKAEA announced its works schedule over the next two years, which is worth (pounds) 313m.

Freud Exhibition Will Impress with Its Prints

THE first major exhibition of the printmaking talent of Lucian Freud, the artist, opens at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh today. Freud, 81, whose work is noted for its intensity - in particular his nudes - has been as frank about charting his own physical change on canvas as he has been faithful to other familiar subjects, such as girlfriends, daughters and dogs, and has recently produced a new self-portrait.

Google to Challenge E-Mail's Big Two; Internet Battle Brewing

GOOGLE, the internet search engine provider, is planning to launch a free e-mail service to compete with market leaders Microsoft and Yahoo!, it announced yesterday. The service, called Gmail, will have between 250 and 500 times more storage space than its two biggest rivals. However, less attractively, it will scan the contents of e-mails to deliver targeted advertising to its users.

New Show Fleshes Out Perceptions of an Unflinching, Unsparing Artist

HE is known best for his unflinching paintings of naked flesh, but a new exhibition of etchings by Britain's greatest figurative painter which opens in Edinburgh today also will reveal Lucian Freud's more mysterious side. An early masterpiece, Ill in Paris, dating from 1947, is one of more than 60 etchings on show at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. It shows Kitty Garman, whom the artist would later marry, in bed in a Paris hotel room, gazing with one wide eye at an elegant, yet t...

Four Banned After Rugby Match Brawl

A MASS brawl during a rugby match at RAF Kinloss has led to four suspensions. The match, between RAF Kinloss and Waid Academy, Anstruther, had to be stopped after 62 minutes as players exchanged blows. The fighting began after a high tackle on an RAF player dislocated his shoulder.