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A potent Orcadian beer called ‘Skull Splitter’ could be withdrawn from sale following claims its Viking-branded bottles have too aggressive a theme.
The Orkney Brewery, which has produced the award-winning 8.5 per cent proof ale for two decades, said it was ’stunned’ by the threat, which follows a report commissioned by the alcohol watchdog the Portman [...]

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The bodies of two men have been found in the hold of a ship docked at Ayr harbour, police have said.
Officers were alerted by a shipping company to the discovery on the 90m-long, Antigua-registered cargo ship, The Pascal, at about 1440 BST.
Strathclyde Police said inquiries had begun to establish how the bodies came to be [...]

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The European beaver is to be reintroduced to Scotland for the first time in more than 400 years, the Scottish Government has announced.
Environment Minister Michael Russell has given the go-ahead for up to four beaver families to be released in Knapdale, Argyll, on a trial basis.
The beavers will be caught in Norway and released in [...]

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Two Lithuanian men have been arrested in connection with the discovery of a woman’s head and hands on a beach.
Police have identified the dead woman as Jolanta Bledaite, 35, from Alytus, Lithuania.
Her head was found on the beach at Arbroath by two young sisters on Tuesday morning. Her hands were later discovered by police.
Read [...]

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GLASGOW health chiefs are desperately trying to trace anyone who had contact with a man suffering a drug-resistant form of TB.
The man, from overseas, is being treated in an isolation ward in the city’s Gartnavel Hospital.
It’s thought to be the first-ever Scottish case of XDRTB, an extreme strain of the disease.
It is prevalent in other [...]

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The Scottish Premier League has agreed to pay the wages of Gretna’s unpaid players - helping the club to stay in business until the end of the season.
The league has given the club a six-figure advance of money due to them at the end of the current campaign.
The club’s administrator told the SPL they are [...]

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[This wil just allow thousands more to swamp Scotland-ed]
A major survey into the demand for a new direct air service linking Aberdeen and Poland is drawing to a close - and has attracted thousands of responses.
The BBC Scotland news website revealed the research last month.
More than 2,500 people have so far responded online and also [...]

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A day of action by farmers and hauliers is set to take place on Saturday in protest at the rising cost of fuel.
The Road Haulage Association said a convoy of 30 lorries and heavy goods vehicles would make its way from Hamilton to Stirling along major roads.
A group calling itself Transaction2007 has also said it [...]

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ALMOST 150,000 migrants have come to Scotland in search of work over the last five years.
Huge numbers are coming from Eastern Europe, but we are still attracting thousands of people every year from countries including India and Pakistan.
And there are significant numbers of in comers from Australia, Ireland, America and New Zealand.
That’s good news, given [...]

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Glasgow has been chosen to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
There were celebrations in the Scottish city as the decision of the 71 voting nations was announced in Sri Lanka, with Glasgow winning by 47 votes to 24.
The city had been competing against Nigerian capital Abuja for the right to host the games.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex [...]

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Islamic footballers in the Scottish Premier League have had special prayer rooms set up for them at every stadium in the league.
All twelve clubs volunteered to set aside the rooms so two Moroccan players from Edinburgh team Hibernian can pray before and after games.
Players Merouane Zemmama and Abdessalam Benjelloun are pleased with the move.
Humza Yousaf, [...]

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Worshippers at an Edinburgh mosque have refuted suggestions it is promoting extremism after a study claimed to have found “hate literature” there.
Researchers claimed to have found a booklet which indicated it was permissible to kill lapsed Muslims.
The material was said to be found at the Islamic Centre of Edinburgh, which is attached to the King [...]

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Fifteen asylum seekers have taken up the chance to go to university following a controversial decision by the Scottish government to wave their tuition fees.
It was feared that young refugees, who are not allowed to work and who get an allowance of just £30 a week, were being deprived of the chance of further education [...]

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Almost two thirds of inmates re-offend within two years of their release from prison, according to latest figures.
Statistics published by the Scottish Government showed the reconviction rate was almost as high for those who had been sentenced to probation.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill described the figures as unacceptable.
He said there were also too many people re-offending [...]

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A 78-YEAR-OLD football fan was beaten senseless by a young thug.
Norman Goldie needed treatment in hospital for three broken ribs after he was punched to the ground during the late-night incident near his home.
Police described the beating as “cowardly and callous” and are hunting for a man in his 20s.
Well-known Aberdeen supporter Norman, who celebrates [...]

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A SERIAL sex offender who tried to rape a pregnant woman at knifepoint was jailed for life yesterday.
Gordon Melrose, 60, was told he must serve at least 12 years and was also banned for life from approaching women.
Melrose grabbed market researcher Joy Bagasina, 33, when she called at his flat, the High Court in Edinburgh [...]

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A Ballymena man accused of explosives offences has had his bail conditions altered so he can attend Celtic’s Champions League football match.
Liam Lyness, 23, of Fisherwick Crescent, denies possessing three incendiary devices with intent to endanger life or damage property.
Belfast Crown Court suspended a condition that Mr Lyness has to report to police on a [...]

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ONE of Poland’s top politicians was in Scotland yesterday to begin the hunt for votes ahead of his country’s general election on October 21.
Donald Tusk, 50, leader of the main opposition party Platforma Obywatelska, visited Kirkcaldy, Fife, for a Polish cultural event.
Maciej Dokurno, chairman of the Fife Polish Association, said: “By coming to visit us, [...]

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FOREIGN criminals will be prevented from securing taxi licences under plans to tighten background checks.
East Renfrewshire Council will become the first Scots local authority to demand all applicants produce a five year “good behaviour” report from their country of origin.
The move follows concern licensing bosses were voting on applications using information solely from UK police [...]

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