The Herald

Staffing Level Worsens at Ailing Nhs 24 Helpline Met Only Four of 12 Key Targets

STAFFING levels at NHS 24, the crisis-hit helpline, are worsening and the number of serious breaches of clinical standards is five times the target. Latest figures reveal there are 118 full-time nursing posts vacant, up from 102 in February, and an average of five "adverse clinical events" were recorded in January, February and April. The target is for no more than one a month.

Viewers Vote with Their Remotes and Show Politics the Red Card

ITwas billed as the must-see event of the general election campaign. The party leaders had all agreed for the first time to appear in the BBC TV Question Time bearpit and face a hostile audience of voters. Echoes of US presidential debates were invoked, and most commentators yesterday highlighted the beads of sweat on Tony Blair's face while he endured his 30-minute grilling.

Children 'Are Deported Before Their Cases Heard' Accusations of Fast- Tracking Over Dungavel

CHILDREN held at Dungavel detention centre are being deported when efforts are made to have their cases taken up under Scotland's child protection laws. Critics are now claiming that referring young people held at the controversial former prison to the children's reporter system appears to result in deportations being fast-tracked.

The Artist As a Young Man

Why Scots Have Less Spending Power

THE north-south financial divide is growing, with Scots falling behind every other area of Britain. A report published yesterday said the amount of disposable income was increasing more slowly in Scotland than England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In practical terms, people in Glasgow had on average pounds-5000 less a year than Londoners.

Gang Quartet Guilty Ofmurder, Drugs and Firearms Offences

THE leader of a drugs gang who terrorised broad swaths of Glasgow was found guilty of murder and a series of other crimes yesterday. Three cohorts were also convicted after a six-week trial at the High Court in Dunfermline.

Helpline Opened As Hospital Care Worker Is Charged

A HEALTH board which runs a hospital at the centre of a police inquiry into the alleged assault of a patient last night launched a helpline for concerned families. NHS Lothian has suspended a male care assistant while detectives investigate the allegations surrounding Liberton Hospital in Edinburgh.

Man Charged for Murder Near Flats

AMAN was yesterday charged with the murder of a man found dying behind a block of flats. James Differ, 42, of Border Way, Kirkintilloch, was found with serious injuries on Gartloch Road in Garthamlock on April 21, and later died in hospital.

Further 420 Rover Workers Axed

Glasgow's Art Fair

Thirty Years On, Vietnam Squares Up for a New War Against Poverty Anniversary Brings Good Tidings of Pounds-3m Debt Relief

HE is thin and frail, his steps shaky, and his hair has tufts of white. But at 93, Vietnam's legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap, who ousted the French and later the Americans, remains sharp and poised 30 years after the Vietnam war ended. His eyes still light up when he talks about old battles, but now Giap is campaigning in a different kind of war - against poverty and the need to elevate the developing country to one that can compete internationally.

High Prices Fuel Hauliers' Anger in Demonstration at Bp Oil Refinery

LORRY drivers staged a demonstration outside a BP oil refinery yesterday in protest at soaring fuel prices and strict working regulations. About 150 drivers converged on the energy giant's Scottish headquarters at Grangemouth, to raise the profile of their campaign ahead of the general election.

Jail for Charity Box Thief

Tories Unable to Break 34-Per Cent Poll Barrier

POLLING across the UK has continued to stress the problems Michael Howard has had in pushing Conservative party support through a 34-per cent barrier, which holds across all the surveying organisations throughout the campaign. Over the same period, Labour has never fallen below that level. So while the gap between the two lead parties has varied between 3- per cent and 10-per cent over the past week, the Tory campaign has struggled to break through what appears to be a ceiling of public support.

Scots the Poor Relations As the Wealth Gap with South Grows a Londoner has Pounds-5000 More to Spend Than a Glaswegian

THE wealth gap between Scots and people living in the rest of Britain is growing, with new figures showing households here lagging behind every other part of the United Kingdom. The average Londoner has more than pounds-5000 to spend on his or herself each year than a typical Glaswegian, an official report revealed.

What's the Story in Balamory?Bbc Decides the Axe Must Fall On Its Worldwide Hit

NOW it's the story of Balanomory. After four phenomenally successful years, the BBC yesterday surprised fans, actors and the Scottish tourist industry by confirming the hit children's programme Balamory was being axed. The BBC has brought an end to the tales of Miss Hoolie, Suzie Sweet and PC Plum after more than 250 episodes all filmed in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.

Brown Joins Blair in Appeal for a 'Voting Majority ' Parties Try to Dismiss Iraq From Campaign

TONY Blair and Gordon Brown yesterday appealed for a "voting majority" to put them back in Downing Street as all parties tried to steer the election agenda away from Iraq. The two maintained their united front, urging Labour voters not to desert the party, while Michael Howard said "wider issues" were now at the forefront of voters' minds.

Concert Cancelled As Director Resigns

Labour's New Peers Could Form Majority in Lords

TONY Blair is set to face down charges of cronyism and make Labour the largest party in the House of Lords for the first time in history. The prime minister is expected to announce 16 new Labour peers when the dissolution honours list is published after the election, meaning Labour will overtake the Conservatives.

Two-Minute Briefing 5 Days to Go

YESTERDAY Tony Blair tried to put the Goldsmith affair behind him by lauding Gordon Brown as his successor Michael Howard said it was time to move on from Iraq and focus on "the wider choices" faced by the electorate. Charles Kennedy came under attack from a radio phone-in caller who said Saddam Hussein would still be in power if the LibDems had got their way on Iraq Nicola Sturgeon described the LibDems as "a bunch of con artists".