The Herald

Champion Returns Uninjured After Crash

Formula One The world drivers' champion, Michael Schumacher, escaped unhurt yesterday after a heavy crash in testing at Monza, just days after he won an unprece-dented seventh F1 crown. The German's spokes-woman, Sabine Kehm, said Schumacher spun and hit the barriers while approaching one of the fastest parts of the track at around 190mph.

Scottish Couple Held in Ireland After Body Is Found in Boot; Victim Had Been Carrying Large Sum in Cash

A SCOTTISH couple have been arrested in connection with the death of a 54-year-old mother of two whose body was found in the boot of her car in Ireland. Samuel Jennings, 58, and his wife Chantelle, 33, who lived in Rosneath, near Helensburgh, until two years ago, have been detained by police in connection with the death of Mary Walsh, who had two grown-up daughters.

Rail Passengers Face More Waits As Upgrades Continue

SCOTTISH rail users face another 15 months of weekend misery on the west coast main line, despite the launch of faster trains at the end of this month. Virgin Rail confirmed yesterday that there will be major disruptions to services between Scotland and London "almost every weekend" until December next year because of engineering works.

A Man On Song

Former Priest Must Wait to Dance an Apologetic Jig for Marathon Runner

THE man who assaulted the leader in the Olympic men's marathon during the race in Athens said yesterday that he still hoped to travel to Brazil to apologise to the runner despite his plans being scuppered by a judge. Neil Horan, 57, a former Roman Catholic priest who will stand trial next month accused of two charges of indecency with a child, said he wanted to do an Irish dance for Vanderlei de Lima in the same flamboyant outfit he wore to stage the Athens stunt, as well as hug and kiss the ...

Smoking Health Risk Affects Two Million Workers

MORE than two million people in Britain are routinely exposed to tobacco smoke at work, according to campaigners today. Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) report that another 10 million work in places where smoking is permitted somewhere on the premises.

Cot Deaths Linked to Protein in Womb; Nutrition Levels in Placenta May Affect Risk of Syndrome

MARTYN McLAUGHLIN MORE than half of all babies who die of cot death could have suffered a lack of oxygen and nutrients while in the womb, research has suggested.

Fire Flight

Salmond Promises to Lead Snp to 10,000 Members

ROBBIE DINWOODIE and Tom Gordon THE SNP membership would be declared quarterly under Alex Salmond's leadership, and he has pledged to sign up the party's 10,000th member at its annual conference in three weeks' time if he is today named as national convener.

Off and Running with the Reforming Baton

AFTER four days breathing in the Olympic spirit in Athens, Jack McConnell has burst out of the starting blocks of the new political term at a startling pace. This month is to be the turning point for devolution, the first minister says, and so it is that a flurry of announcements have him in Edinburgh revolutionising secondary schools, in Dublin banning workplace smoking, in the Financial Times signalling tough times ahead for public sector reform, and in East Kilbride setting the economy to ...

Mcconnell Puts the Squeeze On Public Service Workers; First Minister Outlines Plans for Economic Efficiency

PUBLIC service workers face a tightened squeeze on efficiency and jobs under proposals being drawn up by the Scottish Executive. The reforms are intended to go even further than the sharp job cuts planned in Whitehall.

Howard Under Fire From Tories

INFIGHTING in the Tory party spilled into the open yesterday when Steve Norris, its London mayoral candidate and a former Tory minister, fired a broadside at Michael Howard's leadership. Only hours before Mr Howard visited Kent to attack the government's failure to eradicate MRSA, the hospital superbug, Mr Norris complained that the party's summer offensive had failed to make an impact.

Jet Drama Travellers Finally Fly to Malta; Safe Landing After Emergency

PASSENGERS on board an Air Malta flight from Scotland that was forced to turn back finally reached their destination yesterday, some 15 hours behind schedule. A back-up plane sent from the Mediterranean island flew off with the holidaymakers and business travellers, including seven priests, most of whom had spent the night in hotels near Glasgow airport.

Ryanair Sets Up Four More Euro-Flights

Ryanair, the Dublin-based budget airline, has introduced four new flights to Europe. The routes, from Prestwick to Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Pisa and Murcia, near Alicante in Spain, will run daily, starting with Dusseldorf in November and the others next March.

Turning Back the Highland Clearances; Global Hunt Revives Crofting Community

THEY were found in Turkey, the United States, Australia, Canada and even Surrey: absentee crofters who had been away from their Highland homes for generations. The hunt was carried out over the past six years by the Crofters Commission. It has now resolved more than 1000 cases of absenteeism, leading to an additional 600 people living back in the relevant townships, either by the absentees returning themselves or by releasing their crofts to others.

Landowner Cuts Down Trees and Says He Will Poison More in Walkway Row

A LANDOWNER was yesterday facing a fine of more than (pounds) 20,000 after felling trees at a beauty spot in central Scotland. Will Charlton defied a court order and used a chainsaw earlier this week to fell around 20 trees at Carfin Wood in the Clyde Valley, Lanarkshire.

New Locum Appointed to Troubled Hospital

NHS Highland yesterday confirmed the appointment of a locum consultant obstetrician from Poland to work in Wick, less than a month after it sacked two other Poles because of concern over their professional competence. The maternity unit at Caithness General Hospital in Wick is at the centre of a fierce debate as NHS Highland conducts a public consultation over its future.

Could You Change a Visionary Career On a Whim?; England Rugby Chief Faces the Challenge of a Football Career

IMAGINE you had carved a career as a visionary in your field. You develop a winning formula to eclipse all rivals, revolutionise the way your game is played, and ultimately take your team to World Cup glory. What next? If you happen to be Sir Clive Woodward, the England rugby coach who formally resigned yesterday, you turn to a different sport altogether.

Military Funeral Held for Soldier Killed in Basra

A British soldier killed in Iraq was buried with full military honours yesterday. Lance Corporal Paul "Taff" Thomas, 29, of Second Battalion the Light Infantry, died in Basra last month when his platoon was ambushed by 50 Iraqi insurgents.

Straw Says Un Must Respond to Change

JACK Straw yesterday urged the United Nations to act faster to tackle emerging problems such as the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. The foreign secretary called on the UN to adapt to new challenges, saying it had the global reach and international standing to act on the threat posed to world security by international terrorism.