The Herald

Scotland's Tank Regiment Sent Back to Iraq As Foot Soldiers

SCOTLAND'S only tank regiment is to be sent to Iraq to fight as light infantry because the army is running out of foot soldiers. The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (RSDG), which helped spearhead the armoured assault on Basra in 2003, is to swop most of its 68-tonne Challenger 2 tanks for rifles when it deploys back to Iraq's second city in October, as part of 7th Armoured Brigade, the Desert Rats.

Faster Bail Reforms After Rory Killing Mcconnell to Review System

REFORMS to the justice system will be speeded up in the wake of lessons learned from the murder of Rory Blackhall, the first minister promised yesterday. The issues of court bureaucracy, bail conditions, and treatment of sex offenders are becoming highly politicised after the murder of the 11-yearold boy, who vanished after being dropped off near his school by his mother on Thursday August 18. His body was found in woodland three days later covered by a tattered tent.

Council Rejects Prison Plan

PLANS for a large new prison near Glasgow were last night rejected by the local planning authority. The move heightens the overcrowding crisis and risks confrontation with the Scottish Executive.

Former Roller to Deny Drug Charge

LES McKeown, former lead singer of The Bay City Rollers, is to deny an allegation that he conspired to supply cocaine, a court heard yesterday. Mr McKeown, 49, of Goulton Road, London, spoke only to confirm his personal details. Lucy Luttman, prosecutor, told Chelmsford Crown Court:

Pupils Campaign to Prevent Deportation of Second Family Letter- Writing Drive in Support of Kosovan Asylum Seekers

PUPILS who intervened to prevent the deportation of young asylum seekers are appealing for another family to be allowed to stay in Scotland. Children and teachers at Drumchapel High School have initiated a letter-writing campaign in support of a Kosovan family whose request for asylum has been turned down.

Pictures of Fateful Scott Expedition to Fetch Gbp25,000

IT is a historic picture which, at once, captures glory and defeat. Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his four intrepid companions stand proudly before the camera just moments after they reached the South Pole on January 17, 1912. They were too late to claim the victory they so bravely strived to achieve. When they arrived at their ice-covered destination they discovered that the rival Norwegian expedition, under explorer Roald Amundsen, had beaten them by a month.

Health Concern As Hundreds of Rotting Salmon Found in Clyde Near Treatment Plant

DOZENS of salmon have been found dead on the River Clyde, sparking an investigation by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). George Parsonage, of the Glasgow Humane Society, yesterday said he had lifted more than 100 dead salmon, up to three feet in length, from a mile-long stretch of the river between the tidal weir at Glasgow Green and Rutherglen Bridge.

Family to Appeal On Court Decision to Let Father Die

A SCOTTISH family will hear later this week if their 86-yearold father can be kept alive. Doctors want to withdraw lifesaving treatment from Raja Barkat Ahmed despite the fact that he has told his family he wants to live.

Setback in Hunt for Killer of Nairn Banker After Gun Tests Fail to Produce Dna Evidence

POLICE yesterday suffered a setback in the hunt for the killer of Nairn banker Alistair Wilson. Detectives leading the inquiry, which has run for nine months, revealed that tests on the gun used in the murder have produced no traces of DNA.

Online Addicts Left Children to Live in Filth Couple Jailed for Three Months for Neglect

A COUPLE yesterday admitted the "appalling" neglect of their four young children after becoming addicted to internet games. Police and social workers said the case, in which the starving siblings, aged from eight to 18 months, were left to fend for themselves as their parents played online, was one of the worst they had ever witnessed.

Theatre Agent 'Freddie' Young Dies at 82

WINIFRED "Freddie" Young, one of Scotland's leading and longest- serving theatrical agents, has died after a long illness. She was 82. For more than 40 years, Mrs Young nurtured, nudged and negotiated the careers of many of the country's leading actors.

Island Migrants 'Never Accepted'

Incomers do not feel fully accepted even decades after embarking on island life, a new study has found. Andy McKinlay from Edinburgh University and Chris McVittie of the city's Queen Margaret University College, interviewed 14 people, from England and mainland Scotland, who had been settled on an unidentified Scottish island between 14 months and 20 years.

Great Scottish Runs Up Record

A record number of almost 19,000 runners are set to take part in Sunday's Great Scottish Run in Glasgow. Last year's entry of 15,067 set a new record for the race, which was founded in 1982 as a half-marathon.

'Wicked, Depraved and Deliberate': Infant's Airgun Killer Jailed for Life Parents Attack Sniper's Sentence As a 'Joke' After Judge Orders at Least 13 Years in Prison

THE parents of a child shot dead by an airgun sniper yesterday branded his sentence "a joke" for the "wicked, depraved, and deliberate" murder. Mark Bonini, 27, was jailed for life and ordered to spend at least 13 years behind bars for the murder of Andrew Morton.

Relaunch Plan Abandoned After Loch Lomond Steamer Destroyed

PLANS to restore a Victorian steamer and return it to Loch Lomond have been abandoned after it was destroyed in a fire. The Powan was built in the 1860s for Sir James Lumsden, then lord provost of Glasgow.

Texstyle World Closes Eight Scottish Stores

TEXSTYLE World, the home furnishings retail chain, is to close eight stores in Scotland - three years after the company came out of receivership. The remaining eight stores in the chain have been acquired by the Manchester-based retail group Strategic Retail.

Danger Warning As Rare Eagle Escapes

A RARE and potentially dangerous eagle has escaped from its owner and is on the loose, police warned yesterday. The eagle was being trained in Dechmont woods in the Deans area of Livingston, West Lothian, at around 10am on Monday.

Gbp26m Will Bring 250 Homes to Penilee

A GBP26M regeneration project was launched on a brownfield site in the south-west of Glasgow yesterday. The area in Penilee, which used to consist of tenement blocks and a school, is being upgraded as part of a five-year programme.

Dungavel Hunger Striker to Be Treated in Hospital

A UGANDAN hunger striker in Dungavel detention centre who has gone without food for nearly five weeks is to be treated in hospital on the orders of the Home Office. Charity Mutewba, who has not eaten for 34 days, has said she is prepared to starve to death rather than be deported to Uganda, where she claims she had been tortured and raped over her membership of an opposition political party.

Student Leaders Denounce Fees