Scottish news bulletin - 17th April 2009
- Reform Scotland
- 17 April 2009
All newspaper references refer to Scottish editions. Where there is a link to a newspaper’s website, the relevant page reference is blue and underlined.
Economy
Tourism: Philip Riddle, the chief executive of VisitScotland, is urging the UK and Scottish governments to create a tourism investment bank to pump cash into the recession hit sector. (Scotsman page 33)
Aggreko: Glasgow-based temporary power provider, Aggreko, yesterday warned that demand is softening in many of its key markets, but assured investors they remain on track to report stronger profits later this year, due to a boost in large international projects. (Scotsman page 38, Herald page 33, Daily Express page 64, Press and Journal page 16)
Budget: Bill Jamieson comments in the Scotsman about expectations of next week’s budget from the Chancellor, Alastair Darling. (Scotsman page 26, page 27)
Transport
Scotland’s Railways: The Herald reports on their week long test of Scotland’s railway services. They comment that while trains tested ‘overwhelmingly ran on time [...] passengers reported a daily routine of standing room only, expensive tickets and poor facilities’ (Herald page 1, page 2, page 6, page 7)
Health
Patient Power: Director of Reform Scotland, Geoff Mawdsley, comments in the Scotsman about the response to the latest report, ‘Patient Power’. (Scotsman page 28)
Hospital Cleaning Jobs: Scotland’s health secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, is set to announce 600 new hospital cleaning jobs, intended to aid the ongoing battle against hospital acquired infections. (Scotsman page 2, Herald page 9, Daily Telegraph page 1,Daily Mail page 10, Daily Express page 9, Press and Journal page 10, Courier page 1, Daily Record page 2)
MS Charity: Multiple Sclerosis sufferers are calling for an emergency meeting to discuss the future of MS Society Scotland, amid growing calls for the body to break away from its UK parent charity. (Scotsman page 9)
Education
Chinese School: One of Scotland’s leading Chinese language and cultural schools is under threat due to proposed changes to funding arrangements. The Glasgow Chinese School at Stow College in Glasgow currently receives funding from the Scottish Funding Council, however these arrangements have been questioned by officials in a recent review. (Herald page 1, Scotsman page 22)
Politics
Lord Mandelson’s Remarks: The UK business secretary, Lord Mandelson, was condemned last night after he berated Scots for being ‘so darned pessimistic’ about the recession. (Scotsman page 1, page 5, Daily Telegraph page 2, Daily Mail page 4, Daily Express page 4, Press and Journal page 10, Courier page 13, Daily Mirror page 7, Sun page 2)
Prime Minister Apologises: During his visit to Glasgow yesterday, the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, finally apologised over the smearing e-mails sent by his former special advisor, Damien McBride. (Scotsman page 4, page 5, Herald page 1, Times page 1, page 2, page 6, page 7, Guardian page 4, Daily Telegraph page 10, Daily Mail page 12, Daily Express page 5, Press and Journal page 1, Courier page 13, Daily Record page 9, Daily Mirror page 9, Sun page 1, page 7)
Cabinet Meeting: There is wide coverage in the press of yesterday’s meeting of the UK Cabinet in Glasgow. This was the first time the Cabinet had met in Scotland, in 88 years. (Scotsman page 6, page 7, Herald page 8, Daily Mail page 4, Press and Journal page 1, Courier page 1, Daily Record page 8, page 9)
Sir Clement Freud: Tributes have been paid to the celebrated writer, broadcaster and former Liberal MP, Sir Clement Freud, who died at his home in London, yesterday. (Scotsman page 15, page 51, Herald page 13, Times page 1, page 2, page 4, page 65, Guardian page 11, page 36, Daily Telegraph page 3, page 29, Daily Mail page 22, page23, Courier page 15, Daily Record page 28, Sun page 16)