The Herald

Painting Votes Pour In

Morrison Sales Slump Under a 'Scottish Backlash'

WMMorrison, the supermarket chain which owns Safeway, has slumped from a 19per cent share in the Scottish market to 13.5per cent. City analysts believe it has fallen victim to a "consumer backlash" because of the loss of "Scottish Safeway" and the "loss of a perceived quality offer". Safeway was a strong number three in Scotland in January 2004, when it was acquired by Morrisons, with its 19per cent share of the market at that time only three percentage points behind Asda and seven behind Tesco.

80per Cent Say Keep Pub 'Happy Hours'

EIGHT out of 10 Scots are opposed to controversial proposals for tough curbs on drinks promotions, according to a new survey. Despite a wider agreement over the risks posed by alcohol, both to the individual and society, only 21per cent of people support an outright ban on irresponsible promotions such as happy hours.

All Four Captured Bomb Suspects Held After Police Raids in London and Rome

ALL four members of a suspected suicide bomb gang were in custody last night after dramatic armed raids in London and Rome. Anti-terror police captured Britain's three most wanted men in the space of a few hours after eight days on the run following the botched July 21 attacks on London's transport network.

Lessing Misses Book Festival Over Ill Health

DORIS Lessing, the veteran writer and frequent visitor to the Edinburgh International Book Festival, has cancelled her appearance this year. It was announced yesterday she could not make her planned appearance on Wednesday, August 17, because of ill health.

Smoke Signals

Forget Castles: Visit Fanny and Hugo Humpalot at National Trust 'Scandalous' Exhibition Shows Racy Side of Historic Building

IThas a reputation for having been reserved and oldfashioned since its creation almost 75 years ago. But now, to the horror of some of its 270,000-strong membership, the National Trust for Scotland, with the help of Hugo Humpalot and his wife Fanny, is exposing its racy side.

Breathe Easy for a While yet . . . Scottish Death Rate Is Lowest in 150 Years

THE number of deaths in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level since records began 150 years ago. Duncan Macniven, the registrar general, revealed the statistic yesterday during the 150th report of the registrar general of Scotland. The annual national report into demographic trends shows Scots are living almost twice as long as they did in the 1850s.

Last Days for Empire of the Son? Murdoch Heir Resigns Post As Deputy News Corp Chief

LACHLAN Murdoch, the man long expected to take over his billionaire father Rupert's media empire, has resigned from his position at News Corp. Mr Murdoch, 33, will leave his post as deputy chief operating officer at the end of next month, but he will remain on the board.

Faulty Forecourt Vehicles Included Fire-Hazard Daimler

CARS being sold by the Arnold Clark motor group accounted for almost three-quarters of vehicles found to be unroadworthy and below MoT safety standards during a random spot check on dealers' forecourts. The vehicles included a Daimler in Arnold Clark's classic cars collection, with fuel system faults that could have caused it to go on fire, according to consumer and trading standards officers.

Sparks Fly As Power Company Fails to Cut Blackouts

HUNDREDS of families face months of blackouts because of an electricity fault which ScottishPower is unable to locate. The company has come under growing pressure from local communities. It said there had been six power cuts lasting up to a day at time in recent weeks in the Borders, but it could offer only a vague timescale to solving the problem.

Dramatic Scenes As Police Descend On Flats Armed Officers Lay Siege to Two Houses of Suspects

THE race to capture Britain's three most wanted men ended in high drama yesterday as armed police swooped on two houses in London. In what could have been a scene from Lethal Weapon, the Hollywood blockbuster, elite plainclothes officers from the Metropolitan Police's anti-terrorist branch and firearms officers from its SO19 unit laid siege to a block of flats at Dalgarno Gardens, close to Wormwood Scrubs prison.

Business Deal Led to Family Slaughter Girl, 14, Only Shooting Survivor

A 14-YEAR-OLD girl was fighting for her life in a South African hospital last night, unaware that her Scottish parents and her sister have been murdered. Remarkably, Kelly Graham survived being shot nine times during the attack at the family home in the Farrarmere suburb of Benoni, near Johannesburg.

Paintings in the Frame for Nation's Favourite

VOTES for the nation's favourite painting began to pour into The Herald yesterday, with the emergence of some early contenders for the title. Christ of St John of the Cross by Salvador Dali, a much loved part of Glasgow Museums' collections, is a popular choice, as are several works by the Scottish Colourists.

Pupils to Scan Hands for Meals

Education officials want to bring in futuristic fingerprint technology for children to buy their school dinners. The system could spell the end for school dinner money as scanning technology is brought in to replace cash transactions.

Homeless Cup Player Vanishes

A Russian player in last week's Homeless World Cup in Scotland has gone missing. Andrej Vladimirovich Li, 29, was last seen leaving his room at Edinburgh University's Pollock Halls of Residence at 5am on Monday - the day his team was due to leave for London by bus.

Galleries Pick New Chief

Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland have chosen a new directorgeneral, but the public will not know his identity until late August. Interviews were undertaken last week by the galleries to find a replacement for Sir Timothy Clifford, who leaves in January 2006 after 21 years.

Parachute Scare As Stunt Fails

A parachutist was forced to cut away from his chute and freefall hundreds of feet when a stunt went wrong during a display at the Inverness military tattoo. Corporal Paul Naismith, of the army's Golden Lions team, was eventually able to open his reserve chute and fall to earth safely.

Buyers Rein in House Bids As Rural Homes Go Out of Reach Few Now Pay More Than 10per Cent Over Price

SCOTLAND'S housing hotspots have cooled over the last year, but property prices are deterring first-time buyers in rural areas, two surveys published today show. The number of people willing to pay more than 10per cent above the offers-over price for a property has dropped from 32per cent to 14per cent in a year, according to the Clydesdale Bank.

Bailiffs Threaten Girl, Six, Over Library Book

A SIX-YEAR-OLD has been threatened with debt collectors for failing to return a Sindy book to her school library. Breagh Hannan, from Rowardennan, Stirlingshire, borrowed the 2002 annual from a mobile library that visited her school in April.