The Herald

Dyslexic Teenager Warns Local Authority to Review Her Exam Results or Face Legal Action

ASTUDENT is threatening to sue a local council for damages over claims her former teachers failed to diagnose her dyslexia. In only the second case of its kind in Scotland, Laura Moodley believes her education was hampered because staff failed to act on her concerns that she suffered from the condition.

Artist's Key Work Banned Despite Being Up to Scratch

ASELF-STYLED artist has had his exhibition banned after questions about its merits: does it come up to scratch, or is it, in fact, mere vandalism? Mark McGowan, 37, randomly vandalised nearly 50 cars for the show, due this week, and could face criminal charges.

Police Name Hanged Youth

Ateenage boy found hanging from a tree in woods in a Highland market town was named by police yesterday. Michael Cairney, 16, who was originally from Glasgow, was discovered dead at around 6.45am on Saturday in the Millbank area of Dingwall, in Ross-shire.

Delighted Gays of the V Illage: Two Golds That Make Little Britain Large Comedy Show Goes From Cult to Established Favourite

ITestablished "I'm the only gay in the village" as one of the nation's most quoted catchphrases. Last night, Little Britain cemented its place in the UK's comedy hall of fame by taking both gongs it had been nominated for in the British Academy Television Awards.

Man Killed in Road Accident

Amotorcyclist was killed and his pillion passenger left fighting for her life after they collided with a car in Aberdeenshire. The crash happened on the A90 Aberdeen to Ellon road at Bridgend, Tipperty.

Regiments Shortfall in Recruits Is Almost a Battalion

THE number of soldiers in Scotland's six infantry regiments fell by more than 100 in the first two months of this year, The Herald can reveal. The shortfall in February was 426, up on 325 in December, and the equivalent of almost a full battalion, adding weight to predictions by campaigners fighting to save the merger-threatened units that restructuring would have a devastating effect on recruitment.

Snp Ready to Battle Executive Tuition Fee Proposals

THE bill empowering Scottish ministers to raise tuition fees for students from south of the border will be fiercely contested at Holyrood this week. In a bid to offset an expected inf lux of students seeking to escape top-up fees in England, the law would see students from south of the border pay higher fees in Scotland - particularly for medical schools.

Funds Breakthrough for Gaelic Tv

THE deadlock over funding for a separate digital channel for Gaelic broadcasting appears to have been broken with a [pounds]250,000 contribution from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Last night it emerged that Tessa Jowell, UK culture secretary, was involved in a lastminute effort to lockWhitehall into a financial commitment before parliament was dissolved this month.

3200 Jobs to Go After Catalogue Stores Axed

THE struggling catalogue business Index has been axed by Littlewoods stores in a move that is expected to trigger about 3200 job cuts across the UK. The plans by Littlewoods involve the closure of 126 Index outlets and the [pounds]44m sale of the 33 remaining stores to rival retailer Argos. The proposals could affect about 230 employees in Scotland, where the loss-making business has 23 stores, including outlets within Littlewoods stores.

Scottish Opera to Stop Touring Major Productions Outside Central Belt

SCOTTISH Opera will not take major opera productions north of Glasgow and Edinburgh for the foreseeable future, its chief executive has admitted. Christopher Barron said that the national company, which this week started the search for a new artistic director, cannot afford to take its "main scale" operas north of the central belt.

Doctors Fill in for Nurses at Crisis Hotline [Pounds]80-an-Hour to Aid Nhs 24

DOCTORS are having to fill in for nurses to bail out Scotland's crisis-hit health service telephone line, routinely earning up to [pounds]80 per hour. GPs are being recruited across the country every weekend to phone patients who are waiting for a response from NHS 24.

Rover Chairman Defends Salary and Pension

THE chairman of MG Rover's owners Phoenix Venture Holdings yesterday claimed he was the victim of a "character assassination" as he defended his [pounds]200,000 salary and [pounds]105,000 pension. John Towers said he earned less than other company bosses and that his pension was smaller than the average for the car industry.

Kate Fulton Dies

BELOVED PARTNERS: Kate Fulton, the wife of the late comedian, Rikki, has died. She was 68. The announcement, accompanied by the message, "Please no mourning - we're happy we're together again", came little over a year after her husband's death. Mrs Fulton said in a recent interview that her greatest wish was to be reunited with the comic actor, who called her "the great and unsurpassed love of my life". The pair had been together for 37 years.

The Forgotten Risk: One Fifth of All Suicides Middle-Aged Group Left Off Executive Priority List

MIDDLE-AGED men and women are being forgotten in the national fight to prevent suicide, a charity warned yesterday after it found that a Scot aged 55 or over takes their own life every three days. The age group accounts for more than a fifth of all suicides in Scotland yet is not named by the Scottish Executive as one of the seven priority groups in its anti-suicide action plan.

Tories Promise [Pounds]1.7bn Tax Aid to Beat Pension 'Timebomb'

MICHAEL Howard yesterday promised a [pounds]1.7bn tax break to encourage and reward people to put money into their pensions, with a Tory government putting in an extra [pounds]10 for every [pounds]100 saved. The Tory leader, facing the prospect of a third Labour landslide if weekend opinion polls are accurate, said the country was facing a pensions timebomb if radical action were not taken to help people to save.

Sundays Can Be a Blast

DOWN TO EARTH: AN eyesore tower-block was razed yesterday in front of almost 2000 spectators. The 16-storey building in Oxgangs, Edinburgh, was blown up in a controlled explosion which went without a hitch.

The New G8 Police: Locals On Mobiles Residents to Report Suspicions

THE residents of Auchterarder are to be sent regular police updates about the G8 summit on their mobile phones in return for reporting suspicious activity in the area. Members of the community will be sent automated messages to their mobiles or landlines about road closures or plans to deploy additional officers on particular days.

Parties Are Urged to Defend Human Rights

LEGAL bodies and consumer groups today called on all political parties to defend human rights and the rule of law. A coalition of eight organisations has drawn up a "Manifesto for Justice" which also insists everyone should be able to win access to justice through systems such as legal aid.

Taylor Made for Being a One-Man Rebel Band As Sir Teddy Retires, He Tells the Herald's Uk Political Editor Catherine Macleod of Highs and Lows

HIS parliamentary career spanned four full decades and two countries, so his views should be worth listening to. Sir Teddy Taylor, 65 today, is unashamedly looking forward to retirement: travelling, taking long walks, losing weight, and writing to the Daily Telegraph, criticising its articles on Iran.

Howard's [Pounds]1.7bn Tax Break Plan Over Pensions Is 'Unaffordable' Attack On Tory Leader's Proposals to Help People Save

MICHAEL Howard's decision to allocate a [pounds]1.7bn tax break to encourage people to save towards their pensions, rather than raise the tax threshold for low paid workers, came under fierce scrutiny from opposition parties yesterday. Alistair Darling, one of Labour's economic Rottweilers, immediately claimed the scheme was unaffordable.