The Herald

Why Cheap Trainers Are As Good for the Feet As Dear Ones

Expensive trainers are no better for your feet than cheap ones, new research reveals. The study, by Dundee University, could help revolutionise the lucrative footwear industry.

Saddam Will Have His Day in Court; Former Dictator Faces Raft of Crimes Against Humanity; the Dozen Detainees

AFTER his 24-year reign of terror as Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein will tomorrow be charged with a raft of crimes against humanity, from the atrocities of the Iran-Iraq war and the gassing of the Kurds at Halabja in the 1980s to the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. He will be joined by 11 other leading former Ba'athist rulers including Tariq Aziz, the ex-deputy prime minister, Ali Hassan al Majid, better known as "Chemical Ali" for his part in the gassing of the Kurds, Taha Yassin Ramadan, the for...

The Buy Word

Square deal It was a genuine, full-blown, bona fide craze that set the gold standard for crazes everywhere. Rubik's Cube, invented by the Hungarian academic, Professor Erno Rubik, sold more than 300 million units in the 1980s, setting a record for toy sales that remains unbroken. Now it's back. Games specialist Drumond Park is selling Rubik's Cube again, at a price of (pounds) 9.99. The original cubes were hardly biodegradable, but, as they are now mainly to be found stuffed in attics alongsi...

Retail Therapy : Cat Mcqueen, Tv Presenter

Cat McQueen, tv presenter Q. What's your best buy ever? A. I go through phases of wearing things all the time then not at all.

Holyrood: Soaring Costs with No-One in Control; Report Attacks Managers

THE most senior official at the Scottish Parliament was under growing pressure last night after his Holyrood building team was criticised for failing to set a budget and take a grip on contractors and costs. The project's management under Paul Grice, the chief executive of the parliament, was attacked in a key report on the (pounds) 431m fiasco by Robert Black, the country's auditor general, who highlighted the lack of leadership.

Anonymous Donor Settles Mckie's (Pounds) 13,000 Legal Bill

AN anonymous donor has given (pounds) 13,000 to Shirley McKie, the former police officer, allowing her to pay legal expenses and stop Strathclyde Police from freezing her assets. Miss McKie's lawyers sent the money to Strathclyde joint police board yesterday after she was served with an inhibition order which prohibited her from selling her house.

Saddam Will Face an Iraqi Court in 24 Hours

SADDAM Hussein will be hauled before Iraqi judges tomorrow to face charges of war crimes, genocide and torture. Today, two days after sovereignty was returned to the Iraqis, the former dictator will be handed over, joined by 11 others, including Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister, and Ali Hassan al Majid, better known as "Chemical Ali" for his role in the gas attacks on the Kurds in 1987.

Faith, Hope and Chastity

WITH THIS RING: A convert to the Silver Ring Thing group, an American evangelical organisation visiting Scotland to promote sexual abstinence, has a ring put on her finger as a pledge that she will not have sex before marriage. The vow has been taken by 22,000 people in America who say the ring, inscribed with a biblical reference, helps them not to succumb to temptation.

Fcuk Owner Sells (Pounds) 40m of Shares 'to Pay for Divorce'

STEPHEN Marks, founder of the French Connection fashion chain, put almost (pounds) 40m worth of shares up for sale yesterday in a move which is believed to be intended to fund his divorce settlement. The company, notorious for its fcuk logo, declined to comment on the reason for his sale of nine million shares which will reduce his stake in the firm from 52% to about 42%, saying only it was for "personal requirements". He sold (pounds) 1.3m of shares last month.

More Local News As Bbc Sets Out Its Big Picture; Charter Pledges an End to 'Cynical' Programmes

THE BBC has unveiled plans for ultra-local news services and more interactive programmes as part of its radical vision of how it should operate in the twenty-first century. Michael Grade, the BBC's new chairman, and Mark Thompson, director general, announced that (pounds) 1bn would be spent in the nations and regions during the next 10-year charter period - 2007 to 2016 - an increase of about 35%.

Civil Service Strike Threat Over Cuts

THE country's biggest civil service union threatened strike action last night over a benefits offices shake-up that could cost 3000 Scottish jobs. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said government plans to transfer the processing of benefits, such as jobseekers' allowance and income support, from 650 sites to 100 centres would have a devastating impact on communities. It is feared that about 55 offices in Scotland could close, as well as pension centres in York, Liverpool, Derby,...

Scots House Prices Continue Climb While Uk Market Cools

HOUSE prices in Scotland are continuing to rise strongly, despite interest rate increases taking their toll on the rest of the UK property market. A survey published yesterday by the Nationwide Building Society showed slower growth in house prices except for in Scotland, the north of England, and Wales.

Record Low for Primary Class Sizes

MINISTERS yesterday acclaimed efforts in getting average primary class sizes in Scotland to an all time low. Pupil census figures for 2003 released yesterday showed the average class had 23.7 pupils, down from 24 in 2002. In 1997, a typical class had 24.7 pupils.

'They Didn't Even Take the Trouble to Pick Up the Phone to Say Sorry'; Mother's Anguish As Son Becomes 60th British Soldier Killed in Iraq

HE arrived in Iraq on his mother's birthday; weeks later he was dead. Yesterday, Fusilier Gordon Gentle's mother said that her son was treated as just "a bit of meat" to be sacrificed in the government's interests.

The Cheapest Area for Car Insurance

Boy's Body Had 200 Injuries

A SCOTTISH mother and the boyfriend she met in an internet chatroom pled guilty to child cruelty yesterday following the death of her 21-month-old son in March last year. John Gray suffered a series of attacks over a three-month period during 2003 and died from a ruptured liver.

Why Books Are Back in Fashion . . . Thanks to Television

MORE adults are reading than 25 years ago, with two-thirds now choosing to pick up a book in their leisure time, a government study has found. The steady rise has been put down to greater recognition of popular British writers, a broader interest in literature, improved marketing by publishers and a greater need for sedate escapism.

Child Killed in Ayrshire Crash

Secretary, 18, Falls to Her Death

Forklift Driver Killed Near Farm