The Herald

All 309 On Board Escape From Airbus Fireball Crash Jet Skids Off Runway and Smashes Into Gully

ALL 309 people aboard an Air France passenger jet had a miraculous escape last night when the plane erupted in flames after skidding off a runway while trying to land in a thunderstorm at Toronto's Pearson airport. An airport authority official confirmed there were "no known fatalities" among the 297 passengers and 12 crew aboard the packed plane. All were evacuated before the fire took hold, and there were only 22 cases of minor injuries.

A Mere Victory Is Not Enough for Celtic

CELTIC last night came agonisingly close to a famous European triumph when they almost pulled back a 5-0 deficit against Artmedia Bratislava at Parkhead. Self-belief among fans, players and management returned when first-half goals from Alan Thompson and John Hartson gave hope of overturning last week's humiliation in Slovakia.

Surge in Racist Attacks After Tube Bombings

MUSLIM leaders warned last night that a wave of hate crimes was sweeping across Scotland as police hunted a hammerwielding gang of 10 men who yelled abuse about the London bombings as they attacked two young Asians. Anecdotal evidence suggests that crimes including verbal racist abuse have increased in Glasgow, Edinburgh and elsewhere north of the border since the July 7 terror attacks.

Charities Launch Appeal to Save Lives in Niger Fund Says It Needs Pounds -8m

SCOTS charities joined forces yesterday to launch an appeal to save millions of lives in West Africa. The Niger Crisis Appeal was mounted in response to the humanitarian disaster currently affecting some of the world's poorest countries.

Registrars Refuse to Conduct Gay 'Wedding' Ceremonies When New Laws Come Into Force

REGISTRARS across Scotland are refusing to conduct gay "marriage" ceremonies despite new legislation which comes into force later this year. The Civil Partnership Act permits same-sex couples to register their unions. However, registrars are being allowed to opt out of officiating at ceremonies to accompany the registrations.

Lord Advocate to Appeal Against 'Unduly Lenient' Sentence for Car Boot Sale Killer

A WOMAN who killed a grandmother during an argument over a parking space at a car boot sale is facing an appeal against her sentence. The lord advocate said yesterday an appeal was being lodged against the sentence imposed on Carol McMillan, of Holytown, Lanarkshire, who was convicted last August of the culpable homicide of Ann Whittle.

Dramatic Guilty Plea to Airgun Killing of Boy Is Rejected Court Hears of Shooting Attacks On Taxi Driver and Firefighter

THE man accused of murdering a two-year-old boy by shooting him in the head with an airgun pellet yesterday offered to plead guilty to culpable homicide. Mark Bonini, 27, made the plea to the lesser charge of killing Andrew Morton at the start of his High Court trial in Glasgow, through Paul McBride, his QC.

North Korean Leader Defies All the Odds to Card 11 Holes in One

ITwas a claim that would have made even TigerWoods blush. Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea, has casually suggested that, during the first round of golf he ever played, he notched up a mere 11 holes in one.

Fireball Crash As Airbus Skids Off Runway 200 Passengers On Board

AN Air France passenger jet with about 200 people on board skidded off a runway and burst into flames while attempting to land at Toronto's Pearson airport last night. There was no immediate word on casualties or the number of passengers and crew involved, but Leah Walker, a radio reporter in Toronto, said she saw a third of the plane fall and the rest became a fireball.

Celtic Heartbreak As Spirited Fightback Fails so Near, yet so Far

CELTIC last night won back considerable pride while just failing to complete a feat never yet managed in European football - overturning a 5-0 deficit. Gordon Strachan got what he initially wanted, a 2-0 halftime lead against Artmedia Bratislava but, despite two second-half goals, Celtic were just unable to score the vital fifth that would have taken the Champions League secondround qualifier into extra time.

Fears for the Future of Traditional Pubs

SCOTLAND'S traditional village pubs are closing at a rate of three per month to make way for lucrative housing developments. A nationwide survey of local authorities, carried out by the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra), has found that 26 pubs are closed permanently in the UK each month. Eight out of 10 are either demolished or converted into houses.

Regiments to Be Merged by March

Blears: Police Will Not Target Muslims Minister Discusses Fears

HAZEL Blears, the Home Office minister, yesterday met representatives of Britain's Muslim community to discuss concerns about police stopand-search operations in the wake of the London bombings. The first of a series of meetings was held as new figures from Scotland Yard showed that crimes motivated by religious hatred have soared by nearly 600- percent since the July 7 bombings.

British Resident Claims He Was 'Ghost Detainee' Tortured by Us

A BRITISH resident being held as a terror suspect by American forces has claimed he was tortured, beaten and cut with a knife under a secret US policy of "torture by proxy". Benyam Mohammed, 26, who is accused of planning al Qaeda attacks, said it occurred over a 30-month period while he was a "ghost detainee" at prisons in Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan, before being taken to Guantanamo Bay.

Passengers Jump From Burning Bus in Fresh London Terror Scare

PASSENGERS jumped from the top-deck window of a bus in London yesterday after its engine caught fire. Fearing a terrorist attack, six people were taken to hospital after being injured in the scramble to escape when the bus began filling with smoke near King's Cross station.

5000 Performers Arrive for the Not so Traditional Piping Live Festival

PIPERS representing Tokyo, New York State, Washington DC, Calgary and Galicia all will be performing in Glasgow's not so traditional piping festival, Piping Live, next week. With only days to go until George Square becomes the centre of the world piping stage, the organisers of Piping Live today unveil the festival's final line-up, which will include more than 5000 pipers from across the world.

Scotland's Favourite Painting

The Herald has begun a search to discover Scotland's favourite painting. Over the next month, readers are being invited to cast their vote by post, e-mail or text message for a work held in a public collection in Scotland. Each day we will feature one of the possible candidates and take a closer look at what makes it special. Today's picture is one you may recognise, but not know its artist or where it hangs.

Scotland has Driest July in 50 Years . . . But It's Nothing to Sweat About Temperatures Stayed Around Average with Warmer Nights

SCOTLAND has experienced its driest July for 50 years, according to weather experts. Last month also boasted the third driest July north of the border since the start of the First World War.

1955: When Climate Conditions Changed People's Daily Routines

IT was the year Disneyland opened in California and the European Union was born. And it was dry, very dry. In July 1955, the climate changed people's daily routines.

Slopping Out Cash for Prisoners Increases to Pounds -44m

PRISON chiefs increased to pounds -44m their immediate budget for compensating prisoners forced to slop out, but there are signs the overall legal bill will be lower than previously feared. Although the budget provision for compensation is up from the pounds -26m set aside last year, fears that the eventual cost to the taxpayer of compensation for breaches of prisoners' human rights could reach a further pounds -136m have been drastically scaled back.