The Herald

Swinney Pleads with Drinks Giant to Save Jobs 900 Posts Go Across West of Scotland Diageo Chiefs Meet Ministers Today

ONE of the world's biggest drinks companies is being urged to reconsider its decision to axe nearly a thousand jobs which will see it sever historic ties with the west of Scotland. Drinks giant Diageo dealt "a hammer blow" to Kilmarnock with its plan to close a major packaging plant and make 700 staff redundant, ending the town's 189-year association with Johnnie Walker whisky.

Murray's Titanic Victory

FAMOUS FANS: With A-list stars such as Kate Winslet watching, Andy Murray crashed his way into unchartered waters of the semi- finals of Wimbledon yesterday, with a straight-sets crushing of Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero. The 22-year-old Scot swatted aside the former world number one in one hour and 45 minutes in yesterday's quarter final, treating a capacity crowd to a decisive display to come as close as he has ever been to ending Britain's 73-year wait for a men's champion.

Railway Turmoil As Line Is Nationalised

THE government faced calls to re-examine its system for awarding rail franchises after signalling it would temporarily renationalise passenger services run by National Express on the East Coast Main Line. Its emergency intervention followed an announcement by National Express that it could no longer afford GBP1.4bn premium payments due over eight years to the Department for Transport, because of falling passenger growth, potentially leaving taxpayers to shoulder the GBP20m cost of the downtu...

Sea Centre's Prize for Catch of the Day

Appeal to Identify Dead Man in Flat

Woman Killed in Car Park Is Named

Trade Unionist Dies Aged 86

Police Confirm Identity of Body

Relatives of Those Killed in Duty to Receive Queen's Award Elizabeth Cross to Be Given to Personnel's Next of Kin

RELATIVES of nearly 8000 British military personnel killed on active duty or in terrorist attacks are to be honoured by the Queen with a new bravery award. Her Majesty has given her personal backing to the Elizabeth Cross, which will be given to the next of kin of those killed since Second World War in various conflicts globally.

Love Handle

Factory Blast Findings to Be Published

THE findings of an inquiry into a factory blast that killed nine workers will be published later this month, the Scottish Government has announced. Former employees of ICL plastics gave evidence at last year's hearing into the explosion at the Glasgow plant on May 11, 2004.

Mandelson Blames the Economy As He Shelves Plans to Sell Off Royal Mail

LORD Mandelson yesterday all but killed off the prospect of the Royal Mail being partprivatised before the General Election after he shelved the contentious plan, a move described by opponents as a "humiliating climbdown". The Business Secretary told the Lords there was "no prospect" of the sale going ahead in the current economic circumstances.

Cool Murray the Perfect Tonic for a Blistering Day at Sw19 Scot Is Now Firmly in Wimbledon's Affections

IT was the kind of day when it was too hot to play tennis. It was almost too hot to sit on a hill and watch people play tennis. But sit on the hill they did. Two days ago they had been sitting in the pitch darkness, as the clock ticked ever closer to 11pm. Yesterday they sat in the sweltering mid-afternoon SW19 sun on one of the hottest days of the year.

Closure Could Turn Kilmarnock Into a 'Ghost Town'

THE loss of 700 jobs at Diageo, which produces Johnnie Walker whisky, is far more than a death blow to Kilmarnock - a town already beaten down by years of closures. For many of the workers at the plant, which packaged the famous brand, it is a symbolic loss of one of the community's last remaining beacons of industry. The workers were sent home yesterday morning after the news was broken to them, but those that lingered later in the day were unequivocal in their contempt. One furious couple ...

Sting in a Sad, Scottish Tale About How Commercial Control Was Lost Little Room for Sentiment in Global Whisky Trade Little Room for Sentiment in Global Whisky Trade Analysis

DIAGEO is one of those corporate identities dreamt up in the exuberant 1990s which tells us little or nothing about what the business actually does. The two roots conjoined in its name hint at time and place. At any time of day, all over this world, lots of people are consuming Diageo's brands. That's what makes it the world's leading premium drinks producer. But after the group's latest restructuring announcement yesterday, lots of people in places that have featured in the group's heritage ...

Hebrides Consultation Extension Is Denied

HOPES that the islanders on South Uist and Benbecula would be given significantly more time to make their case for the retention of 125 jobs at the Hebrides rocket range have been dashed. If implemented, the Ministry of Defence plan would mean that one in six jobs in the southern isles would be lost as Qinetiq, the private contractor running Range Hebrides, moves the command and control centre for missile firing to its base at Aberporth in South Wales in an effort to save GBP50m.

Warning of Job Cuts at Private School Loss of 20per Cent of Pupils Blamed On Recession and Results

A PRIVATE school in Scotland has warned staff they could lose their jobs as a result of financial difficulties brought about by a sharp drop in pupil numbers. Nine members of the school's administrative and finance team are currently in talks about their future and one member of staff has already been made redundant. However, the school said none of the teaching staff was affected.

Heroin Addict Murdered for Tricking Killer Out of Money

A MAN who murdered a heroin addict who tricked him out of money meant to buy drugs was yesterday jailed for life. Paul Clark, 33, was told by Lord Brailsford that, due to the ferocity of the attack, he would serve a minimum of 11 years and three months before he could be considered for release.

Brown Claims He has 'Always Told the Truth' About Spending

GORDON Brown last night insisted he had "always told the truth" as the heated row over public spending increased a few degrees more with the Prime Minister being accused of deceit. After another stormy Prime Minister's Questions, dominated by the continuing expenditure row and with David Cameron again accusing Mr Brown of not being straight with people, the PM insisted he had indeed been honest and truthful.

Zero Sum Game From the Human Enigma Machine Sketch

THE standard script for Prime Minister's Questions for the last three weeks is an argument over figures which Mr Cameron says are red and Mr Brown insists are black, so there. It's repetitive, but Mr Brown enjoys reciting figures. He's like one of those wartime Enigma code machines - one vast lot of numbers on government spending gets typed in, then gets deciphered by the Prime Minister as meaning something completely different.