News

A POLICE officer could be prosecuted after two dogs died when they were left in a car, it emerged yesterday.

Company bosses across the north-east are being urged to draw up plans for keeping their businesses going if large numbers of staff become ill with swine flu later this summer.

Gordon Brown yesterday denounced the use of “crude” personal attacks after weeks in which the Tories have tried to focus the debate on the issue of the prime minister’s own honesty.

Chancellor Alistair Darling yesterday promised tighter regulation of the financial system as he warned that bankers who return to excessive risk-taking will be “brought back to Earth”.

The UK Government yesterday set out wide-ranging reforms for the credit card industry in a bid to reduce the number of people struggling with unsustainable debts.

The mother of Michael Jackson’s two eldest children indicated yesterday that she would fight for custody.

The most senior British serviceman to be killed in action in Afghanistan was last night described as “a superb commanding officer” who was “destined for greatness”.

A massive US military operation aimed at driving the Taliban out of southern Afghanistan and winning the trust of locals swung into action yesterday.

Thousands of post offices are struggling to survive, with some sub-postmasters having to rely on their savings because they are not making any money, a new report warned today.

The North-east had its hottest day since 2006 yesterday but, while many were soaking up the sunshine, thunderstorms put a dark cloud over some parts of the country.

The UK transport minister is to consider the case for an experimental ban in Scotland on vehicles overtaking when pupils are boarding or leaving school buses.

THE Scottish Government was last night urged to ban prisoners from voting, should it succeed in prising election powers from Westminster.

Profits at Gordon Ramsay’s UK restaurants plunged nearly 90% in a “turbulent” year in which the celebrity chef was forced to pump his own money into the business.

AN AGREEMENT to be signed within weeks will help ensure some defence work for the Clyde for the next 15 years, the Scottish Secretary said yesterday.

Aberdeen Airport is expecting its busiest day of the year so far today as the summer holiday season officially begins.

A pygmy hippopotamus has been born to a new breeding pair at a zoo, it was revealed yesterday.

Grampian Police want to urge the Scottish Government to reimburse some of the £250,000 cost of dealing with the fatal North Sea helicopter crash.

A hotel manager has been warned he could be jailed after he helped stage a robbery and stole nearly £13,000 from the Aberdeenshire hotel where he worked.

The family of an eight-year-old boy who died of leukaemia have vowed to fight Aberdeenshire Council’s new rules on cemetery ornaments, and not to give up a battle to keep the solar light on their “wee soldier’s” grave.

An Aberdeenshire estate owner is appealing to planners not to disregard his hopes for shaping the future of the region with a 6,000-home development.

A hillwalker has been badly injured after breaking both legs and suffering heavy bleeding in a fall on a Skye mountain.

Residents of a Highland community were evacuated from their homes yesterday after a gas leak at a village shop.

A man who emigrated to Australia after his teenage daughter was killed in a car crash yesterday revealed that the strain of her death had led to the break-up of his marriage.

Finance Minister John Swinney has reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s backing of a mission which is battling to save 125 precious Western Isles jobs.

The heartbroken parents of Moray toddler Logan Main, who lost his brave battle with cancer, have said their son was a miracle whose inspiration will continue to live on.

The future of an alcohol support centre in Aberdeen has been secured for at least a year thanks to a £194,000 grant from Grampian Police, it emerged yesterday.

A bid to gain World Heritage status for Loch Ness and the Great Glen could be delayed because of a review of potential sites by the UK Government.

Moray Council’s finance boss yesterday forecast a gloomy future for the local authority’s finances, saying a proposed £8million budget reduction was merely the tip of the iceberg.

PRESSURE is mounting on the Scottish Government to deliver its long-awaited verdict on the 2007 public inquiry into plans for replacing many of the pylons between Beauly and Denny, Stirlingshire with structures twice the size.

Highland Council is endangering the safety of road-users by allegedly failing to enforce planning conditions regarding HGV access for the construction of a 20-turbine windfarm in Ross-shire, according to an objector.

A north-east meat factory has denied claims that local residents are being plagued by an unpleasant smell.

Cut-price Caley Thistle season tickets are selling well but fewer hospitality packages will be taken up as the club prepares for life in the First Division.

A SHERIFF hit out yesterday after court action to recoup cash from a north-east woman caught with thousands of pounds of fake designer clothes was hit by further delays.

A 25-year-old man used a van stolen from a prestigious Aberdeen hotel to pick up drugs.

A WOMAN has been taken to hospital with back injuries after the car she was in and a tractor collided on a busy north-east trunk road.

A MOTORCYCLIST was in a critical condition in hospital this morning after an accident on a north-east road.

A draft management plan to help protect the River South Esk in Angus has been completed after a 12-month consultation.

Inverness College chiefs have released previously unseen images of the two options on the table for a new £60million campus.

A Moray school has employed a “security guard” over the summer holidays after a spate of vandalism.

Property owners at Brechin are being asked by Angus Council if they will consider selling their rundown buildings for renovation.

Organisers of the Scottish Game Fair are offering advice to save motorists misery as they travel to the Perthshire venue.

A leading British scientist will kick off the celebrations to mark an Aberdeen concert hall’s 150th anniversary.

A bird’s-eye view of revellers at T in the Park will continue after dark for the first time.

Sunshine and soaring temperatures greeted visitors yesterday at the start of a four-day maritime celebration on the Moray Firth coast.

The organisers of an annual equestrian event have decided to donate all the money they raise to the charity which rescued 25 neglected horses from a farm in the north-east.

MEMBERS of a Christian church group in the north-east will tomorrow celebrate the opening of a new building for worship and community work.

AN INVERNESS bridge will be turned technicolour to mark special events under plans proposed by Highland Council.

An Inverness community council is seeking the views of residents on work going on at a local park, including plans for a youth shelter.

The manager of an Aberdeen farm that has been saved from closure has told of his plans to revamp the popular visitor attraction.

A MONGOLIAN yurt in a remote Moray location was the unusual venue for a business seminar yesterday.

POLICE are investigating the theft of a tortoise from a home at Buckie.

THE roles played by two north-east men in the abolition of the African slave trade is put in the spotlight at a new exhibition.

THE first photograph of Mull's famous sea eagle chicks has been taken by Forestry Commission Scotland rangers during the birds' ringing.

A GLITTERING mosaic has been unveiled in a Moray village after three months of handiwork by the whole community.

A FORMER editor of the Aberdeen Herald and Post and a founder member of a city ski club has died.

THE completion of a £700,000 project to restore the RRS Discovery was celebrated in Dundee yesterday.

AN ANGUS author has published a second book based on his experiences of the Scottish countryside.

CHILDREN at an Aberdeenshire primary school have helped design a wall mural for their playground.

AN ABERDEEN playgroup which provides care for special needs and mainstream children has received a glowing report from inspectors.