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      Church service for missing crew of sunk cargo ship Cemfjord

      A church service for the eight missing crew from a cargo ship which capsized and sank in the Pentland Firth is to be held later.

      The Cemfjord sank earlier this month while carrying cement.

      It is thought the bodies of the crew members - seven Polish nationals and one Filipino - could still be on board.

      The Mission to Seafarers Scotland said the service would be held at St John the Evangelist Church in Wick from 11:30.

      Wick is about 15 miles from where the ship is now lying on the seabed.

      No trace of the crew members was found despite an extensive search operation.

      Tim Tunley, chaplain of the Mission to Seafarers, said: "It will be a Eucharist service and in that service there will be a candle lit, one for each of the crew members, and we will say prayers for them and we will remember their families in our prayers as well."

      Quelle: BBC
      The managing director of the firm which operated the Cemfjord, Brise of Hamburg, is also due to travel to the service from Germany.


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      'Coldest night' of winter forecast in northern Scotland

      The coldest night of the winter so far is expected across many parts of Scotland with temperatures forecast to dip as low as -12C.

      Met Office yellow be aware warnings of snow and icy conditions are in place for large swathes of the country.

      BBC Weather said it could drop to -12C in rural parts of the north and across Scotland it could go down to -10C.

      At 02:00 GMT, it was below zero in many parts of the UK, with Drumnadrochit in the Highlands the coldest at -4C.

      Thomastown in Aberdeenshire had seen a temperature of -3C, while -2C was recorded in Cambridge, Frittenden in Kent, Sennybridge, Powys, and Leek, Staffordshire.

      "From northern Scotland to southern England temperatures are below freezing and will drop further," BBC Weather said in a tweet.

      Snowfalls and ice caused some problems on the roads in Scotland on Friday and Saturday.

      Some areas have already been experienced freezing conditions with the temperature dropping to -7C in Dalwhinnie in the Highlands on Saturday night, according to the Met Office.

      BBC Scotland weather presenter Judith Ralston said "a widespread sharp frost, with an ice risk on untreated surfaces" was expected on Sunday night.

      She said temperatures were due to be typically down to -5C or -6C in towns and cities, but could fall as low as -8C to -10C where snow continued to lie, possibly reaching -12C in some parts.

      Road operator Bear Scotland said precautionary salt treatments were being carried out on all routes at 15:00 and then at 03:00, with patrolling in between and through to 10:00.

      A spokesman urged motorists to "drive to the conditions".

      Scotland Transerv, which is responsible for maintaining roads in the south west, said it had 22 gritters and almost 350 tonnes of salt ready to head out on the roads on Sunday evening.

      Amey said 12 patrol gritters and 16 frontline vehicles would be covering roads in the south east of the country overnight into Monday morning.

      Check out the latest travel news for Scotland.

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      McDowall quits as Rangers manager

      Kenny McDowall has tendered his resignation as caretaker manager of Rangers for "personal reasons".
      The club say he will serve a 12-month notice period under the terms of his contract, as his predecessor Ally McCoist intended to.
      And a statement from Ibrox said the 51-year-old will "remain 100% committed to his normal duties".
      McDowall stepped up from his assistant's role when McCoist was placed on gardening leave last month.

      His reign opened with a 4-0 defeat away to Hibernian, with wins against Dumbarton and Alloa following before Friday's abandoned game against runaway Championship leaders Hearts.
      Rangers trail the Edinburgh side by 13 points.
      "The club respects Kenny's decision and he will continue to have the full support of everybody at Rangers," added the statement.
      McCoist, who had been in charge since the summer of 2011, was removed from his duties just nine days into his 12-month notice but remains on the pay roll.
      Former St Mirren striker McDowall joined Rangers as first-team coach under Walter Smith in 2007, helping the club win three top flight titles in a row from 2008-09 to 2010-11, and was promoted to the assistant's position when McCoist became manager.
      He had previously been working as a youth coach with Glasgow rivals Celtic.

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      Peterhead fish factory blaze 'destroyed' main areas

      A fire at a fish factory in Peterhead totally destroyed two main areas of the facility, according to its owners.

      Northbay Pelagic said its main processing and packing lines had been lost along with an office and administration block.

      The blaze broke out on Saturday afternoon and burned for more than 10 hours.

      The company, one of the town's biggest employers, said it would continue to meet customer needs.

      An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way.

      A statement on Northbay Pelagic's website said: "Key strategic areas of our facility remain fully operational and we continue to service our business and customer needs.

      "We are currently looking at all of our options going forward and we will hopefully announce our plan of action soon.

      "In the meantime, we are sourcing temporary accommodation for our administration and management staff and re-establishing daily communications with all of our customers and suppliers."

      The fire was brought under control overnight into Sunday.

      Nearby flats were evacuated but no-one was believed to have been in the factory at the time.

      A rest centre was set up at Peterhead Academy for people evacuated from their homes in Errol Street and road closures were expected to remain in place for some time.

      Northbay Pelagic is reported to employ about 300 people in Peterhead, one of Europe's busiest fish landing ports.

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      Glasgow Film Festival: Noah Baumbach film announced as opening gala

      The European premiere of the new Noah Baumbach film, While We're Young, will be the opening gala at the Glasgow Film Festival, it has been announced.

      The 11th edition of the festival will consist of 174 events, including 11 world premieres, and will run from 18 February to 1 March.

      It will kick off with US writer and director Baumbach's latest film, starring Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts.

      Force Majeure, which won the jury prize at Cannes, will be the closing gala.

      For the first time the festival will introduce a feature film award.

      The Audience Award will ask the ticket-buyers to vote on a selection of 10 films by first and second-time directors.

      The main film festival programme includes fewer events than last year due to the refurbishment of Cineworld in Renfrew Street.

      But it still contains 33 UK premieres; 11 are world premieres and 10 European premieres as well as a range of special screenings and pop-up cinema in unusual locations for which the festival has become well-known.

      These include the first ever film screening at Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Queen's Cross church.

      As the former church, the only one designed by the famous architect, is a popular wedding venue, the festival will screen Love is All, a history of love in the movies. Soprano Layla Brown will sing modern and classic love songs associated with cinema.

      The city's Drygate brewery will be the venue for a number of events including becoming a 1970s roller disco for a be-wheeled screening of Dazed and Confused.

      There will also be a murder mystery party to accompany a showing of Murder on the Orient Express, starring Ingrid Bergman, at the historic Trades Hall and the Gallery of Modern Art will host the Scottish premiere of the Internet Cat Video Festival.

      Other highlights include indie rock band British Sea Power's live score for From The Sea To The Land Beyond which will be performed at the O2 ABC which used to be a cinema.

      Among the guests expected at the festival are improv comedy legend Paul Merton who teams up with pianist Neil Brand, paying a musical tribute to silent film legend Buster Keaton.

      Among the new films to be shown at the festival is Wim Wenders' Oscar-nominated documentary The Salt of the Earth.

      There is also the UK premiere of Still Alice, starring Julianne Moore in an Oscar-nominated performance.

      Scottish premieres showing at the festival include Rosewater, which stars Gael Garcia Bernal stars in Daily Show legend Jon Stewart's directorial debut and A Little Chaos, actor Alan Rickman's second outing as a director.

      Festival co-director Allan Hunter said: "It is a festival filled with people and places close to home but also one that embraces a diverse, wonderful world of cinema, perfectly illustrated by our opening and closing galas.

      "It's a huge honour for GFF to be chosen for the European Premiere of Noah Baumbach's bittersweet delight While We're Young, and Ruben Ostlund's Force Majeure is an utterly brilliant film. Home and away, this is a festival for everyone who loves the movies."

      His fellow co-director Allison Gardner added that the shortlist for the Audience Award for films from new directors had, by accident, achieved a 50/50 gender-balance.

      She said: "But the fact that it happened anyway speaks to the increasingly large number of female directors finding ways to make brilliant, innovative cinema, and is we hope a really positive sign that the historic imbalance in the industry is changing."

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      British Rail's Galloway landscape returns to Kirkcudbright



      A Scottish landscape used in an iconic British Railways poster has been donated to a Galloway museum.

      The Galloway Dee was one of a series of paintings of the region by Charles Oppenheimer while he lived in Kirkcudbright.

      It became symbolic of south-west Scotland when it featured in the cult advertisements during the 1950s.

      Now the original watercolour has been donated to Kirkcudbright's Stewartry Museum by the Railway Heritage Trust.

      The donation follows the purchase of an authentic Galloway Dee British Rail poster by the museum several years ago.

      Both works will be displayed side-by-side in Kirkcudbright later this year.

      Anne Ramsbottom, Dumfries and Galloway Council's museum curator for the west, said they are important additions to the museum's collection.

      "Charles Oppenheimer painted some beautiful landscapes, of which we have a few, but he was also part of the British Rail campaign where he painted landscapes of certain areas British Rail wanted to publicise and they turned them into posters," she added.

      "The Galloway Dee is a very significant piece because it's a good example of his work.

      "It's also that link between the artistic element and the commercial element that all professional artists have to show. He produced this work especially for British Rail posters yet it's a standalone piece of work in itself.

      "It's a lovely piece to have."

      Charles Oppenheimer was born in 1875 and he lived in Manchester, before moving to Kirkcudbright in 1908.

      He was one of a number of artists who lived in the town, who became known as part of the "Kirkcudbright School" of painters.

      The Galloway Dee, which is on display at the Tolbooth Art Centre in Kirkcudbright, is thought to be worth several thousand pounds.

      In 2013 an Oppenheimer oil painting sold at auction for £17,500.

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      Smith Commission: ‘More powers’ vow delivered - PM

      DAVID Cameron pledged to press ahead with his plans to strip ­powers from Scottish MPs when he came to Scotland to say his pre-­referendum vow on more powers for Holyrood had been delivered.

      The Prime Minister said the pro-UK parties’ promise to strengthen the Scottish Parliament had been kept when the UK government yesterday published draft legislation to transfer new powers north of the Border.

      On a visit to Edinburgh, Mr Cameron said the new powers were “the right resting place” for devolution but added there would be no let-up on his plans to prevent Scottish MPs from voting on English matters at Westminster.

      Quelle: The Scotsman


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths arrested over pub incident

      Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths has been arrested in connection with an incident at a pub.

      The 24-year-old Scotland international was charged and cautioned with an offence under the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act.

      The charge relates to an incident at a pub in Edinburgh last year.

      A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We can confirm that a 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged."

      The arrest came before Griffiths played for Celtic in their SPFL match against Ross County in Dingwall on Saturday afternoon.

      The club declined to comment.

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      SNP will fight Westminster veto over welfare changes, says Nicola Sturgeon

      A fresh constitutional settlement to create a “resting place” for Scotland in the UK has run into trouble on the day of its launch after David Cameron pledged to prevent the SNP from flexing its muscles at Westminster by taking part in English-only votes.

      In a sign that the uncertainty over Scotland’s status within the UK will reach long into the next parliament, the prime minister pledged in Edinburgh to introduce changes at Westminster to block Scottish MPs voting on the NHS and on some budget matters related to England.

      Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, hit back by making clear that the SNP was prepared for a fight as she called for an “urgent rethink” of separate proposals by the UK government as it delivers its referendum “vow” of “extensive new powers” to Edinburgh.

      In a Guardian article, the first minister accused Westminster of reneging on its commitment to give Holyrood a decisive say over welfare policy: “David Cameron’s trip to Scotland saw him claim that the pre-referendum ‘vow’ to Scotland was being delivered in full. Sadly, the reality falls a long way short of that boast.”

      The ‘vow’, an attempt to present a united front by the UK government in the final days of September’s referendum campaign, was also under strain as the prime minister’s coalition partners immediately shot down his plans to curb the rights of Scottish MPs.

      Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat Scotland secretary, said “English votes for English laws” could only be introduced in the most exceptional of circumstances. “The prime minister has identified the right problem – if he thinks the sole answer to it is some system of English votes for English laws then, in that respect, we disagree,” Carmichael told the Guardian.

      The three-way battle between the Tories, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP over the future role of Scottish MPs erupted as the prime minister travelled to Edinburgh in an attempt to show Westminster was meeting its commitments which played a key role in defeating independence in last September’s referendum.

      “Scotland spoke, we listened and now here we are delivering,” the prime minister said after the launch of the draft clauses of a proposed parliamentary bill implementing the findings of the Smith commission on the devolution of further powers to Scotland. Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband had pledged in the “vow”, published in the Daily Record two days before the referendum, to publish the clauses by Burns Night which falls on Sunday.

      The prime minister, who was speaking at the Dynamic Earth science museum in Edinburgh where yes supporters drowned their sorrows on the referendum night, added: “This is absolutely the vow fulfilled with every dot and comma in place.”

      Cameron, who showed during the referendum that he was acutely sensitive to charges that the Tories remained a toxic brand in Scotland, left the formal launch of the draft clauses of the parliamentary bill to Carmichael and his fellow Scottish Lib Dem cabinet colleague Danny Alexander.

      Cameron tried to uphold his so-called respect agenda with the UK’s devolved administrations by meeting Sturgeon in the Scottish parliament where they began by discussing the terror threat.

      But he made clear that he would fight Sturgeon’s plans to play a major role in a hung parliament after the election by voting on the NHS at Westminster even though health is devolved entirely to Scotland. An Ipsos Mori/STV poll this week, which placed the SNP 28 points ahead of Labour, suggested that the SNP could capture 55 of Scotland’s 59 Westminster seats.

      Speaking to Scottish journalists after his speech, the prime minister said: “To argue that MPs from Scotland should be able to vote on the minutiae of health or education in the future, I just think she is wrong. If I win the election, the government I lead will put in place the measures necessary to make sure that that key element of English votes for English laws is delivered.”

      The new draft parliamentary clauses were “the right resting place,” he said, “because we have now got a very strong Scottish parliament raising a majority of its revenue with more powers than most other devolved parliaments in the developed world. I certainly don’t want to spend the next five years debating: is that the right balance of powers? I want to spend the next five years debating how we help make the Scottish economy stronger.”

      Sturgeon, who raised her concerns about the new constitutional settlement in her talks with Cameron, insisted that the UK government was guilty of a “significant watering down” of the Smith commission’s proposals to give Holyrood a greater say over welfare policy. The first minister said that, if implemented, the draft parliamentary clauses would hand the Scotland secretary in the UK cabinet a veto over any proposals by the Scottish government to change welfare by, for example, scrapping the bedroom tax.

      The Scottish government pointed to the section in the draft clauses which says that Scottish ministers may not exercise their rights on setting regulations on the rental costs of universal credit claimants “unless they have consulted the secretary of state”. Sturgeon wrote: “That means an urgent rethink is required on several of the legislative clauses outlined by the prime minister if both the letter and the spirit of the Smith commission are to be delivered.”

      The prime minister dismissed Sturgeon’s claims. “What Robert Smith [chairman of all-party Smith commission] found was that universal credit should remain as a reserved issue [at Westminster] because it was something for the whole of the UK. He quite rightly recognised that there were elements that it would be appropriate for the Scottish parliament to be able to adjust and particularly this issue over housing and of course the spare room subsidy [the bedroom tax]. I want to put it beyond any doubt that Scottish ministers and the Scottish parliament will have the absolute ability to change that aspect of the universal credit should they wish to.”

      Alexander, the Treasury chief secretary,dismissed the SNP’s criticisms. “It is total nonsense,” he calimed. “It is the sort of pathetic, dispiriting attitude you expect from the nationalists. We have delivered the Smith commission in full, delivered on the vow in full – the spirit and the letter.

      Quelle: The Guardian


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      Holocaust Memorial Day: Events held across Scotland

      Candles will be lit across Scotland later as part of events to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

      The victims of the Nazis and people killed in genocides since World War Two will be remembered.

      Events are taking place from Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides to Langholm in Dumfriesshire.

      Pupils at Kyle Academy in Ayr will hear from a Nazi holocaust survivor and a man who escaped the massacre by Bosnian Serbs at Srebrenica.

      There will also be a presentation by pupils who have visited Auschwitz.
      Ela Weissberger, 84, who survived the holocaust, will light a candle designed to mark the 70th anniversary of the death camp's liberation.

      At another event in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, pupils from Grove Academy will unveil a memorial plaque to holocaust victims during a ceremony attended by civic leaders.

      First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is due to attend a Holocaust Memorial Day service at Ayr Town Hall on Tuesday evening.

      Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on 27 January each year to mark the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

      Organisers said the aim was to honour the millions who were murdered, and challenge communities now to work to keep everyone safe from discrimination, prejudice and hatred.

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      Irvine Welsh to tour Scotland with new book

      IRVINE Welsh will go on a four-date tour of Scotland in April to promote the release of his latest novel in the same month.

      A Decent Ride is Welsh’s 10th novel, and tells the story sex-obsessed taxi driver, ‘Juice’ Terry Lawson, as he tries to missing woman Jinty Magdalen while trying to keep her lover Wee Jonty McKay - described by the publishers as a “man with the genitals and brain of a donkey” - out of trouble.

      The 56-year-old, who lives in Chicago, will kick off the tour in Dundee before visiting Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh to promote the book.

      Trainspotting author Welsh told the Daily Record that he hoped the book would heal divisions caused by the Scottish independence referendum.

      “It’s been a time of great turbulence, excitement and a little discord in Scotland lately,” he said.

      “But one thing we should all be agreeing on is our love of a decent ride. I’ll be offering that soon and I’m fervently hoping that the country can unite in saying Yes to a Decent Ride.”

      The novel will be published on April 16.

      Irvine Welsh tour dates

      • Dundee, Gardyne Theatre, April 12

      • Glasgow, Aye Write! festival, April 17

      • Aberdeen, Aberdeen Performing Arts, April 18

      • Edinburgh, The Royal Lyceum Theatre, April 19

      Quelle: The Scotsman


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      Snow warning issued for Scotland

      Yellow "be aware" warnings have been issued by the Met Office for frequent snow showers across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.

      The warnings are in place across the whole of Scotland from 08:00 on Wednesday to 23:55 on Thursday.

      About 5-10cm (1-3in) is expected at lower levels with 10cm (5in) over higher ground.

      BBC Weather's Chris Blanchett said: "By Wednesday morning, there will be snow across the northwest Highlands."

      He added: "During the day that snow level will come down, and we'll see snow showers across central and southern Scotland as well.

      "The heaviest showers are likely to be Wednesday evening and overnight, and that of course will have implications for Thursday morning's rush hour.

      "Of course, because they are showers they are hit and miss, so not everyone will see them."

      Jet stream

      Weather presenter Kawser Quamer said the expected wintry weather was linked to the snowstorm which has hit New York and the surrounding states in America.

      She said: "Juno, is being labelled as one of the worst winter storms the east coast of the states has ever seen, with severe disruption from New Jersey right up to Maine.

      "The driver responsible for this storm is the jet stream. The contrast of very mild air meeting very cold air drives a strong jet stream and created this snow storm in the states to rapidly deepen and intensify.

      "But we're on the other side of the same jet stream.

      "That means our air is coming from Greenland and Iceland - cold arctic air, but without that ferocious snow storm. What it does give us however is frequent snow showers, together with very strong winds - it will feel bitterly cold."

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      Falling oil price a curse, not a tax cut, for British economy?

      Hurray for falling oil prices in the UK. Cheaper petrol, lower heating bills and effectively a tax cut handed to the British people courtesy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its benevolent oil sheikhs: Not quite.
      Dig a little deeper and Britain’s economy is among the most vulnerable of all developed industrialised European economies to the negative effects of falling oil prices. The reason for this is that British investors and pension fund holders are amongst the most exposed to the energy industry with the North Sea as its beating heart.
      The industry around Aberdeen is vital to the overall health of the UK economy providing one of the few reliable sources of revenue for the Government since drilling began around the North east coast of Scotland in the early 70s. Around 450,000 people are employed in the oil and gas industry across the UK and in the financial year ending 2013 the Government earned £6.5bn in taxes from petroleum producers.
      But that was during a period when oil prices ticking along at above $100 per barrel appeared to be the new normal. The North Sea now finds itself caught in no man’s land between a vicious battle being fought by Saudi Arabia, Russia and shale oil drillers in the wastelands of North Dakota.
      After years of slowly losing market share Saudi Arabia – the world’s largest exporter and cheapest producer – has finally woken up to the danger and allowed oil markets to remain oversupplied in a bid to knockout its rivals who have higher production costs and require higher oil prices to remain profitable. Although as a region the North Sea is in general decline, production costs are high with many fields losing money when then cost of oil falls below $50 per barrel.#

      In aiming their oil weapon at Russia and US shale, the Saudis are also inadvertently pointing it at us.
      Oil companies have already started to cut thousands of jobs in Aberdeen and more losses are expected over the next six months. Contractors who still have work are being hit in some cases by 30pc reductions in pay, or if they’re lucky and freeze on salaries. Although the Chancellor George Osborne is widely expected to provide a significant tax relief package for the North Sea in the March budget that money will have to come from somewhere and a lot can change in an election year.
      The Treasury is already facing a giant black hole in lost tax revenue from the North Sea and Mr Osborne has pledged not to subsidies oil companies by adding more tax onto the price of petrol before the election. This begs the question how will the Chancellor replace billions of pounds of lost revenue from the oil industry?
      Investors and people about to retire could also take a big hit from Saudi Arabia’s oil price war. Resource companies including Royal Dutch Shell, BP and BHP Billiton account for 15pc of the weighting of the FTSE-100. Combined these corporate titans account for billions of pounds worth of shareholder value, hundreds of thousands of jobs and significant tax revenue for the Treasury.
      Share prices across the sector are down on average about 40pc over the last six months as the price of Brent crude has plummeted by 60pc, which amounts to a catastrophic wipe out of asset value for investors over the period. Should the oil price war unleashed by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) in November intensify then companies such as Shell and BP may even struggle to maintain their dividend, further eroding shareholder returns.
      Finally, oil-rich petrodollar states in the Persian Gulf are themselves tightening their belts. Saudi, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar depend on oil export earnings to fund the lavish lifestyles of princes and sheikhs who like to spend their money in the UK. Britain is among the world’s biggest recipients of foreign direct investment from the region and British exporters such as Rolls-Royce, Jaguar Land Rover and BAE Systems depend on Arabia’s sheikhdoms to keep buying their kit.
      However, those purchases will soon go on hold as the region battens down hatches for a prolonged period of lower oil prices.
      Although $49 per barrel – the current price of Brent crude – sounds like a tax cut for hard-up Britons it could actually be a curse.

      Quelle: The Telegraph


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."

      More snow and ice forecast for Scotland

      The Met Office has issued yellow "be aware" warnings for snow and ice across Scotland on Friday morning.

      The warnings will also remain in place for northern and western regions of the country for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

      Showers of sleet and hail are also expected, with between 1-3cm of further snow at lower levels.

      Wintry weather caused hazardous driving conditions across parts of Scotland on Thursday.

      Heavy snow affected routes across the country, including the main motorways, after the Met Office issued an amber "be prepared" warning for much of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

      The conditions also led to more than 100 school closures.

      Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire saw the deepest snow in Scotland with 23cm (9ins) while there was 9cm (3ins) in Aviemore.

      Out of the 122 schools in Dumfries and Galloway, 80 were closed because of the weather.

      Ch Supt Iain Murray, from Police Scotland, urged motorists to carefully plan their journeys and said localised conditions could make driving difficult.

      "If you do decide to travel, ensure your vehicle is well prepared before setting off; make sure your windscreens are completely free of snow and ice, and your lights are working and clean," he said.

      Quelle: BBC


      “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”



      "I wanted ye from the first moment I saw ye. But I loved ye when ye wept in my arms that first night at Leoch. But now...I wake up every day, and I find that I love you more than I did the day before."