The Herald

'Alex Is a Good Man, an Honest Man, I Want to Stick with Him' Mcleish Stays As Rangers Manager, Says Murray

THE longest survival drama in Scottish football finally reached some sort of conclusion last night. Following months of speculation about his imminent sacking, David Murray announced that Alex McLeish would be remaining as manager of Rangers. The Rangers chairman held court with the media at his HQ in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, and finally put everyone out of theirmisery - particularly McLeish himself - by announcing that "Big Eck" would be staying at Ibrox.

Family's Toxic Waste Victory

Torture Ruling Hailed As a Victory for Human Rights Law Lords Ban Use of Forced Evidence

HUMAN-rights campaigners last night hailed a law lords ruling that bans evidence obtained by torture. Liberty, one of 13 human- rights organisations which intervened in the case, said the judgment sent "an important message about what distinguishes us from dictators and terrorists". The government, which denied using evidence suspected of being obtained through torture, said the ruling would have no effect on its efforts to prevent terrorism.

How Using Dummy Can Cut Risk of Cot Death

FURTHER evidence emerged yesterday that using a dummy appears to reduce the risk of a baby dying from sudden infant death syndrome (Sids). A study in California questioned the mothers or carers of 185 infants who died and 312 other parents, asking about factors such as dummy use and environmental factors which increase the risk of cot death.

Parents Aim to Prove Steel Town's Waste Dumps Caused Birth Defects Group Action Blames Mismanagement of Toxic Disposal in 'Little Scotland'

A COUPLE from Aberdeenshire are among a group of parents who have won the right to bring a multi-million-pound legal action against a local authority to try to prove a link between the mismanagement of toxic waste dumps and birth defects in their children. Fiona Taylor and her husband, Brian, have been given permission to sue Corby Borough Council over a claim that during pregnancy Mrs Taylor was exposed to contamination from waste sites left over from the clean-up of Northamptonshire's forme...

Nearly 600 Pupils Off School with Mystery Illness

A MYSTERY illness has affected hundreds of pupils at Highland schools. More than 420 of the 992 pupils at Thurso Academy have been struck down while 155 of the 850 pupils from Wick High School - about 21 miles away - have also been ill.

Angolan Preacher and Family Win Fight to Stay in Uk

AN African preacher and his family facing deportation from Scotland were granted bail yesterday. PastorMakielokele Nzelengi Daly, his wife and their four children were arrested in Glasgow on Saturday and taken to Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre in England, pending their removal from the UK.

Two in Court Over Hamster On Rocket

Labour Holds Seat in by-Election

Ex-Dewar Aide Joins Tories As He Praises Cameron

A FORMER aide to Donald Dewar has turned his back on Scottish politics and become a potential candidate for the Conservatives south of the border. Tim Luckhurst, who worked for the late first minister while he was still a Labour MP, was also once a Labour candidate himself. However, he said he had recently joined the Tories because of David Cameron's potential to lead the party in a new direction.

In the Land of Her Grandmothers Warm Reception in Scotland for Us Peace Activist Sheehan

IT was a whistle-stop appearance, but there was time enough for the tall figure, all in black save for the white peace poppy on her lapel, to create a stir. The minute Cindy Sheehan stepped from the car outside the Scottish Parliament, the 60strong group of anti-war campaigners, including two other mothers who lost children in Iraq, surged towards her.

29 Jobs Cut As Scottish Mirror Scales Down

THE Daily Mirror is to cut almost 30 jobs as the Scottish edition of the newspaper is scaled down. Journalists were informed of the redundancies at a series of meetings in the newspaper's office in Glasgow yesterday.

Ordered a Sofa? You'll Have Towait Sixweeks

SIX weeks will always be the delivery time given for your new sofa, regardless of where it is made. As part of research into logistics, academics at Derby University asked more than 70 furniture firms how long it would take to deliver a suite. Every firm gave the 42-day period, the mathematicians said in their findings, published yesterday.

Schoolboy Told to Pipe Down or Face Action Teenager Is Warned of Noise Order After Complaints

THEY may be our national instrument, but they are not to everyone's taste. So a teenage bagpiper has been told to stop practising outside his home because the noise is upsetting some of his neighbours. Andrew Caulfield, 13, and his mother, Elaine, have been warned they face a noise abatement order because his skirl scores two decibels above the accepted limit.

Unfit Judges Warned: You Could Soon Be Struck Off Ministers Considering Judiciary Changes

JUDGES and sheriffs who fail to turn up to work on time or behave inappropriately could be struck off under new proposals being considered by Scottish ministers. A consultation paper due to be released later this month will outline plans to change the structure of the judiciary, including statutory measures to reprimand judges.

Dvt Ruling Prompts Calls for Change in the Law

CAMPAIGNERS for air passengers who have suffered socalled "economy class syndrome" are demanding changes in the law after a House of Lords ruling yesterday that they cannot claim compensation from airlines. John Smith, a Labour MP who leads a pressure group on behalf of flight-related deep vein thrombosis (DVT) sufferers and the families of those who have died from the illness, said the law lords had missed an opportunity to "apply some common sense".

Big Names Grab Their Domains to Thwart the Internet Squatters Firms Fight for Web Space

JKROWLING moved smartly for hers. David Beckham took just 10 minutes to snap up his. They were joined by hundreds of Scottish businesses and public bodies racing to file applications for the new . eu internet domain names after the starting gun was fired this week. Celtic FC, the Bank of Scotland, and visitscotland were among the earliest to apply, hoping to secure their sites before opportunistic web squatter companies homed in on what is rightfully theirs.

Online Grocery Shopping Soars

THE number of Scots shopping online for food has soared in the past three months. The rise has been put down to hectic modern lifestyles, with more people buying meals over the internet for convenience.

Fears for Area Hospital Serv Ices As Debt-Ridden Health Board Is Split Up Msps Seek Reassurances for Staff and Patients

CAMPAIGNERS yesterday promised to fight for hospital services after a debt-ridden health board was divided in two. Andy Kerr, health minister, announced NHS Argyll and Clyde would be abolished next March and the area split along local-authority boundaries.

Complaints Soar As Nhs Helpline Is Rolled Out in Scotland

COMPLAINTS about the NHS 24 telephone helpline soared as the service was rolled out across the country, it has been revealed. There were 88 complaints about the service in 2003-4, a period which began when NHS 24 was available in only two health board areas. But as it was expanded across Scotland last year, 378 formal written complaints were lodged.