MOTORCYCLISTS heading out on Tayside roads this summer are being warned to abide by speed limits.

A father who fraudulently pocketed almost £80,000 of child tax credits by claiming he had 36 children was jailed for 13 months yesterday.

A former Olympic diving star was jailed for nine years yesterday for sexually abusing girls as young as six.

A new study aims to understand why Orkney and Shetland have some of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world.

A Dingwall man who has dedicated much of his life to choral and Gaelic music is to be made a Freeman of Ross and Cromarty.

Highland Council is being asked to explain proposed changes to the provision of services to people with learning disabilities to worried users and their carers.

AN AWARD-WINNING north-east brewery could see its beers blacklisted from outlets across the country after a national watchdog group said its promotions and packaging could encourage antisocial behaviour.

A DIAMOND jubilee charity is hoping to strike gold at a fundraising event this weekend.

A LIFEBOAT station miles from the sea was given a royal seal of approval yesterday during a visit by the Duke of Kent.

A VIOLENT criminal, deported from Australia to Scotland after serving time for a vicious attempted murder, was yesterday allowed back on the streets of Inverness.

A Western Isles girls football team look likely to miss out on playing in a national tournament because it is being held on a Sunday.

A TARGET shooting session resulted in a £225 fine for a Brechin man at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday.

A council is investigating a “breakdown of communication” after relatives of vulnerable old people at a care home were wrongly told it would have to close.

An Angus man who ran on to a dual carriageway in an attempt to kill himself was yesterday put on probation for 18 months at Forfar Sheriff Court.

THE universe is twice as bright as was previously thought, according to new research conducted by a team of astronomers.

SKYE’S tourism industry will receive a boost of more than £250,000 this summer, with the expected arrival of 10 cruise ships and record passenger numbers.

When it comes to food at most of Scotland’s big music festivals, revellers normally have to make do with burgers and chips.

HUNDREDS of special-needs pupils in Aberdeen could be left without learning support as city schools struggle to cope with budget cuts, it emerged last night.

Jobs have gone at an Argyll science laboratory after it lost a contract worth £1.2millon to a company in the south of England.

BOLD imagery and evocative finger painting can be seen in a series of artworks to be unveiled in Dundee.

EVIDENCE of an abandoned 18th-century settlement has been uncovered on the site of proposed plans for a water treatment plant near Aviemore.

RETAIL giant Somerfield will officially unveil a £600,000 refurbishment of one of its stores at Turriff next week.

The final countdown is under way for a new visual arts festival in the north-east that supporters hope will generate £2million for the local economy in future years.

Supporters of efforts to keep alive the old county name of Banffshire have welcomed moves by a local authority to put up road signs on the former boundaries.

Long-anticipated plans for a new £1.5million community centre at Mintlaw have finally been tabled – more than 15 years after fundraising began.

A WEEKEND of movies at a landmark museum at Fraserburgh is expected to reignite a local campaign for permanent, regular cinema nights.

The husband of an Emmy award-winning make-up artist was last night arrested, hours after human remains were found hidden in woodland.

Class A drugs with a street value of almost £25,000 have been seized in Aberdeenshire.

A skateboard park that was accomplished through the joint effort of older and younger residents in a Moray community will have a royal visit at the end of this month when the Duke of York officially opens the facility.

THE finalists have been announced for three school competitions being held at the north-east’s annual food and drink showcase.

A NORTH-EAST music student enjoyed a taste of success when she opened X-Factor winner Shayne Ward’s show in Aberdeen.

A WESTERN Isles artist has scooped a prestigious art award in Edinburgh.

A CAMPAIGNING roads group and a council were last night at odds over the UK’s only closed road cycling event.

Supporters of efforts to keep alive the old county name of Banffshire have welcomed moves by Moray Council to put up road signs on the former boundaries.

A DEESIDE man who became unconscious when he suffered a diabetic fit in the bath says he was saved from drowning by his quick-thinking son.

Scotland’s first commercial-scale biodiesel plant capable of turning oilseed rape into fuel for cars could be built in the north-east.

The under-fire political leader of Aberdeen City Council last night vowed to fight on despite claims she had failed the people.

Disappointed musicians will not be able to resume their practices at a music centre at Elgin after it was decided yesterday that funding will not be provided to instal soundproofing upgrades.

A record £1billion is to be spent on delivering services to Moray over the next four years, with improvements planned for schools and sports facilities.

The councils of Aberdeen and Stirling have emerged as the most successful in a national anti-fraud initiative, according to Scotland’s main public spending watchdog.

A MORAY woman who was held at gunpoint during a raid on a filling station more than four years ago last night broke her silence over the traumatic event.

An early start to the summer schedule helped to boost passenger numbers at Aberdeen Airport last month, its operator said yesterday.

The long arm of the law finally caught up with a young Inverness man yesterday – five years after he committed a catalogue of crimes in the city and absconded to Glasgow.

A dental unit in Moray has opened to the public with only one of its surgeries in operation.

A TOP Irish singer-songwriter is to perform at two north venues this week, as part of his European tour.

A north-east town has accused a housebuilder of “riding roughshod over planning laws” and “social irresponsibility”.

GAELIC courses will be back on the curriculum at Inverness College this autumn after an absence of two years, the Press and Journal can reveal.

Plans to convert an Inverness hotel into a private home and build three houses in its grounds have been rejected by the Scottish Government.