Forecasters have issued warnings of wintry weather over the weekend, with the risk of travel disruption and hazardous driving conditions.

The Met Office said snow could settle to lower levels in northwest Scotland by mid-morning on Saturday.

Elsewhere, snow is most likely on higher roads.

Further wintry showers and winds gusting to 50mph could lead to blizzard conditions on Sunday on high level routes.

A yellow warning has also been issued for Monday, covering Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and the Midlands.

This anticipates more widespread snow, with accumulations of up to 3in (8cm) even at lower levels.

Quelle: BBC

Weather forecasters are warning of hazardous driving conditions on Monday and Tuesday as frequent sleet, snow and hail showers sweep across Scotland.

The Met Office has issued a yellow 'be aware' warning for snow and ice across Scotland until Tuesday night.

Up to an inch (2.5cm) of snow is possible over low ground and 4in on ground above 200m, the Met Office said.

It said icy patches were possible at times on untreated surfaces, especially on Monday night.

Winds will be generally strong, with gusts of 60mph or more likely at times, especially on coasts and hills.

Quelle: BBC

She spoke out after after the Talksport pundit said he we was vindicated after reports from Ireland claimed one Chelsea fan hunted for pushing a black man off the Paris underground was a former Royal Ulster Constabulary officer and had been a Rangers fan.

Collymore is not expected to work for BT Sport again after the channel withdrew his invitation to appear on their Friday night coverage of the Raith Rovers v Rangers match as a row exploded over his call for a boycott of the club over some fans' sectarian singing.

The row began after he commented on Twitter about the racist incident in Paris, where a black man was pushed off a train by a group of what appeared to be Chelsea supporters travelling to the Parc des Princes stadium for a Champions League match against Paris St Germain.

Collymore, who is also a Talksport analyst, tweeted: "As I said a couple of weeks ago, Rangers and Chelsea, aka 'The Blues Brothers', made for each other. Quelle surprise.#NF #BNP #C18."

Amy Macdonald entered the fray after Collymore remarked: "So the ex RUC officer who #CFC want info on and pushed the guy off the train is indeed a Rangers & Chelsea fan. Vindication complete."

He added: "Got to be honest, from a journalistic point of view right now, I'm smug as f..."

Macdonald hit back: "What utter crap. I support Rangers. I'm not racist or sectarian. I have no interest in Chelsea and I'm NOT an anomaly."

Collymore responded to Macdonald, saying: "Find a tweet where i suggested all Rangers fans are racists or bigots.

"I was asked specific Q about a specific link between 2 clubs supporters which yesterday i was proved right on."

Macdonald added: "" I... condemn tarring vast swathes of people with the same brush. It's not the way to solve any of these issues.

"Tarring everyone with the same brush, imo, is not going solve any of these problems.??"

Her comments were welcomed by the Rangers Supporters Trust which tweeted: "Great to see @Amy__Macdonald stand up to @StanCollymore 's lies today. Rangers fans are a diverse group so to tar us all is ridiculous."

A petition calling for the BT Sport football pundit to be ditched claimed a victory after reaching 8456 signatures.

Collymore's countered with his own online protest petition and saying sponsors and TV schedulers should boycott Rangers matches as long as supporters continue to sing sectarian songs. It had a 8881 signatures on Sunday night.

BT Sport withdrew him from Friday's Rangers match coverage after fans lambasted Collymore on Twitter, saying it was unfair to single out the club fans for bigotry.

Collymore responding to being axed by posting footage to his 700,000 followers taken at Hampden of fans singing the sectarian Billy Boys loyalist song which contains the reference "up to our knees in fenian blood".

Collymore also stated: "Disgusted by the lack of support from journalists, broadcasters and pros, current and ex. The threats, slurs, racism is there for all."

Last week the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) said it would take no action over the singing of offensive songs and the display of a banner at the League Cup semi-final between Rangers and Celtic. The match at Hampden saw 12 arrests for sectarian offences.

The Herald

The UK offshore oil and gas industry has reported its worst annual performance for four decades.

Industry body Oil & Gas UK said falling oil prices and rising costs meant the sector spent and invested £5.3bn more than it earned from sales during 2014.

That outflow of cash was the biggest since massive investment in platforms in the 1970s preceded the flow of oil.

The body's annual survey also indicated that investment in the industry is set to fall this year, as well as drilling.

Although drilling of 25 wells was expected last year, only 14 took place, continuing a downward trend. Only 50 million barrels of viable reserves of oil or its gas equivalent were discovered.

This year, Oil & Gas UK members expect between eight and 14 exploratory wells to be drilled, and only five wells to appraise initial discoveries.

This points to a steep drop in investment in developing new reserves and extending current offshore fields.


The price of oil has halved over the past eight months - but what's the real cost of cheap oil? The BBC's correspondents around the world look at who's benefiting and who's hurting from the shock fall in oil prices. Follow their reports on TV, on radio and online.


Investment last year reached £14.8bn, which was higher than expected due to cost and project over-runs.

It is forecast to fall to between £9.5bn and £11.3bn during this year. Feedback from offshore operators suggests very little new investment is expected to be given the go-ahead during 2015.

Annual investment could fall as low as £2.5bn within three years, once the current wave of large projects enters production.

Production of oil and gas fell by only 1% during 2014, following sharp falls over the previous three years. Due to recent high investment levels, it is expected to rise by 1% during this year.

Operating costs continued to rise during last year, up by 8% to £9.6bn.

'Bleak' findings
The cost per barrel extracted has risen to a record high of £18.50. That is expected to fall as the industry cuts back on its costs, including a controversial move to change rota patterns for offshore workers.

It is claimed that cost and efficiency measures need to improve by up to 40% per barrel of oil if there is to be a sustainable future for the UK's offshore sector.

Oil & Gas UK said the "bleak" findings of its annual survey emphasised the urgency of government action to secure the industry's long-term future.

Chief executive Malcolm Webb said: "Even at $110 per barrel, the ability of the industry to realise the full potential of the UK's oil and gas resource was hamstrung by escalating costs, an unsustainably heavy tax burden and inappropriate regulation.

"At current oil prices, we now see the consequences only too clearly.

"Without sustained investment in new and existing fields, critical infrastructure will disappear, taking with it important North Sea hubs, effectively sterilising areas of the basin and leaving oil and gas in the ground."

Quelle: BBC

Local people, businesses, landowners and historians are being asked how best to promote Dumbarton Rock as a tourist destination.

A consultation gets under way in the town later and will focus on the future of the rock and the surrounding waterfront area.

It has been organised by the Scottish government with workshops taking place over the next four days.

The aim is to create an action plan and shape future strategy.

Dumbarton Rock has a long history. It formed part of a volcano that was active 350 million years ago and in more recent times - the 1500s - Mary Queen of Scots stayed in the castle built on it.

The Scottish government selected the Rock and its surroundings for a design "charrette".

Future vision
A charrette is an interactive design workshop, in which the public, local professionals and stakeholders work directly with a specialised design team to generate a specific community masterplan.

Organisations taking part include West Dunbartonshire Council and Historic Scotland, as well as planners and tourism experts.

Workshops will be held at Dumbarton Football Club and Dumbarton Burgh Hall.

Councillor Patrick McGlinchey, convener for infrastructure, regeneration and economic development, said: "This event will see the public, designers and specialists working together, 'hands on', to prepare a long-term vision for Dumbarton Rock and its surroundings, with the ideas translated into plans and drawings.

"We want to prepare a future vision that will have the support of local people, and will establish a bright future for the Rock as a first-class tourist destination."

Project director Karen Anderson, from architects Anderson Bell Christie, said: "I'd encourage anyone who is interested in Dumbarton Rock to come along to one of the workshops, where they will get the chance to share and develop ideas to make more of the Rock and the waterfront, and to better link the Rock to the town centre."

Quelle: BBC

A climber has been rescued after falling about 200m (650ft) on Ben Nevis.

The climber was one of four who got lost in white out conditions and strayed too close to the edge of a corrie.

The other three have also been helped to safety by Lochaber Mountain Rescue team.

The condition of the injured climber is not yet known.

Quelle: BBC

A review is being sought for a rejected residential development on the site of a historic mansion near Dumfries which has fallen into disrepair.

Proposals have been lodged to convert Carnsalloch House and build a number of new homes.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has ruled that the project is not in keeping with the A-listed building.

Developers said all technical issues had been resolved and that design concerns were a "subjective issue".

The Palladian mansion house at Kirkton was built in the middle of the 18th Century with a number of extensions over the years.

From the late 1960s until about 2000 it was owned by the Leonard Cheshire foundation.

However, in recent years it has been empty and fallen into such a state of disrepair that it has been placed on the Buildings at Risk Register.

Developers said they wanted to "work together" to save the property which they said had been targeted by vandals, fireraisers and drug-users.


The project secured more than £350,000 of Scottish government support nearly three years ago but has been unable to secure planning permission.

Consent was granted in 2010 to convert the mansion into six homes but the applicants want permission to build an "enabling development" of four terraced houses and four detached properties in order to raise funds.

Problems with flood risk, road safety and natural heritage have now been addressed.

But the council remains of the view that the new homes being proposed would not "achieve the high standard of design required" in proximity to a listed building.

Planners said it would produce an "unsatisfactory modern development" near the historic property.

A review meeting is now planned to see if a way forward can be found.

The first female Guizer Jarl - or chief Viking - in the 130-year history of Shetland's world famous fire festivals is preparing to don her armour.

Lesley Simpson will lead a mixed-sex procession of Viking warriors in the South Mainland Up Helly Aa festival.

The event is one of several Viking-themed torchlit processions held on Shetland every year.

Only men are allowed to take part in the main Up Helly Aa festival in the capital, Lerwick.

Women have been playing a more prominent role in many of the similar fire festivals that have spread to smaller communities around the islands.

But Ms Simpson, from Bigton, will be the first woman to ever play the honoured role of the Guizer Jarl, around whom the whole festival revolves.

The primary school head teacher will lead the procession on Friday night while dressed as a Viking warrior complete with axe, shield and armour, before helping to burn a replica Viking galley.

Speaking ahead of the event, she told BBC Scotland: "It is really important to me. It has been a long build up, five years of knowing that this was going to happen, five years of people talking to me about it and wishing me the best with it and it is going to be a wonderful day.

"I'm really looking forward to visiting all the different places, the different schools and especially for our procession at night time."

Quelle: BBC

A TEENAGE lottery winner had told how she got a job in a chippy because she was “bored spending money”.

Jane Park started work at the Marmaris Fry in Edinburgh after deciding she preferred a “working routine” to a life of leisure.

The 19-year-old faced criticism online from some of her 2600 Twitter followers for taking the job after her £1 million win.

Jane insists she does not need the cash and enjoys being part of her local community.

She said: “I’ve had a few people on Twitter saying, ‘Why are working when you’re a millionaire?’, but it’s not been too bad.

“This shop is in my community so I know everyone who comes in. I’ve always got folk to speak to and say hello.

“It’s got me back in a working routine.

“It’s not that the money has run out - I’ve still got plenty - it’s just because it gets boring spending money.”

Jane started work in the Duddingston chip shop on Thursday and finds dishing out fish suppers a welcome change.

She added: “I’m enjoying it so far. The job can be quite sore on my feet and legs. I used to work in an office and that was more laid back.

“It’s not that the money has run out - I’ve still got plenty - it’s just because it gets boring spending money.”

Jane started work in the Duddingston chip shop on Thursday and finds dishing out fish suppers a welcome change.

She added: “I’m enjoying it so far. The job can be quite sore on my feet and legs. I used to work in an office and that was more laid back.

Quelle: BBC

Zum Video



THOUSANDS of tourists flock to Loch Ness every year hoping to see the elusive monster - or even better - get a photograph of it.

So when a black hump emerged from the dark waters of Britain's biggest loch, as Connie Ross and her daughter Reyshell Avellanoza were taking pictures, the opportunity was too good to miss.

But the pair were so mesmerised for those vital few seconds, their chance of capturing a rare close-up image of the Nessie phenomenon, was gone.

Instead, they filmed the aftermath as the mysterious object sank to just below the surface and moved away into the loch, leaving behind a perfect circle of disturbed water.

It was 29 year old Reyshell's first visit to Scotland, having flown over from the Philipines with her five year old daughter, Heather Elizabeth, to visit her stepfather, 73 year old retired architect Campbell Ross and her mother and Campbell's wife, Consuela (50).

Quelle: Daily Record

A PRIEST has been removed from his parish while police investigate allegations of historic sex abuse.

A complaint was made to the Diocese of Motherwell about Father Richard Rodgers, priest at St Mary's church in Cleland, North Lanarkshire.

It was passed to police earlier this month and the diocese said the 79-year-old "will not be in active parish ministry for an unspecified period of time".

He is said to have agreed to the suspension and priests from nearby churches will look after St Mary's.

Fr Rodgers has moved out of the parish house while the allegations are investigated.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Motherwell said: "Following a complaint received by the Diocese of Motherwell and passed to Police Scotland, Fr Richard Rodgers, Parish Priest of St Mary's, Cleland, will not be in active Parish ministry for an unspecified period of time.

The Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Toal, and a local priest led masses at St Mary's on the weekend of March 7 and 8, and priests from St Brigid's in Newmains, and the Holy Ghost Fathers from Carfin, are to act as administrators of St Mary's while the investigation continues.

The statement added: "While the Diocese of Motherwell await the outcome of the police investigation, no further statements will be made."

Police Scotland said it is investigating the case.

A spokesman said: "We can confirm that we have received a report in connection with alleged historical sexual abuse and the matter is currently being investigated."

Quelle: Daily Record

Millions of people could witness the best solar eclipse in years seen from the UK and northern Europe later.

A path across the Earth's surface will be plunged into darkness as the Moon covers up the Sun.

The event's geometry means that in the UK the Sun will be between 83% and 98% covered, from about 09:23 GMT onwards. The weather will determine visibility.

Experts are warning people not to look directly at the Sun because it could cause serious harm.

The deep shadow forms first in the North Atlantic, before sweeping up into the Arctic Circle and ending at the North Pole.

The UK will not see a solar eclipse on this scale again until 2026, but the British forecast is not particularly encouraging.

Nonetheless, all parts of the UK are in line to see at least 83% of the Sun's disc obscured by the Moon.

The eclipse is a morning show.

The exact moment of greatest darkness for UK skywatchers will be dependent on the location.

Penzance, in Cornwall, for example, has this moment at 09:23 GMT, whereas for Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, it happens at 09:43 GMT.

For the Shetlands, the eclipse is very nearly total at 97%.

To experience totality requires going further north, still.

Ocean darkness

However, few land areas fall directly in the path of the Moon's deepest shadow - its so-called umbra, and seabirds will probably get the best eclipse experience.

The longest period of darkness - nearly three minutes - will occur over a spot in the Arctic Ocean at 09:46 GMT.

Many professional and amateur astronomers have positioned themselves in the Faroe Islands, where the capital city of Torshavn gets totality for a full two minutes, beginning just before 09:41 GMT.

And those who could not book a flight or a hotel for the Faroes have gone to Svalbard, where the capital city of Longyearbyen witnesses two-and-a-half minutes of totality, starting shortly after 10:10 GMT.

Quelle: BBC

NICOLA Sturgeon has admitted the SNP was “wrong” about its claims over Scotland’s future oil wealth during the referendum campaign.

The First Minister came under fire yesterday from political opponents at Holyrood who warned that the Nationalists’ economic plans would leave Scotland facing billions of pounds more in cuts.

It came as the Office for Budget responsibility (OBR) slashed its estimates for the tax take from the North Sea in coming years after the recent collapse in the oil price. The OBR now says about £600 million will be generated by the sector in 2016-17 – less then 10 per cent of the £6.8-7.9 billion predicted by the SNP.


Chancellor George Osborne unveiled a series of tax breaks in his Budget this week aimed at reviving the beleaguered industry.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs at First Ministers Questions yesterday: “When the Scottish Government was projecting an oil price of $110 a barrel, the OBR was projecting a price of $100 a barrel and the UK government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change was projecting a price of upwards of $120 a barrel.

“I think it’s fair to say everybody’s projections about oil were wrong.”

Her predecessor Alex Salmond famously claimed that the North Sea was on the verge of a “second oil boom” during the referendum campaign. He missed First Minister’s Questions in parliament yesterday as he was signing copies of his new book in Glasgow.

Ms Sturgeon accused Labour of “gleefully pouncing” on bad news about Scotland’s economy.

She added: “The fact is that the projected decline in oil revenues for the next few years is dwarfed in every single one of these years by the projected onshore non-oil revenues.

“In other words, our revenues as a country are increasing, our public finances are improving.”

Energy giants have announced hundreds of job losses in Scotland’s crucial North Sea gas sector, after the price of oil plunged from $110 a barrel to about $60 now. And as firms cut costs, it has placed grave doubts over future investment and production levels which were already under threat.

Labour deputy leader Kezia Dugdale said even the revised OBR oil figures mean the SNP’s plan for full fiscal autonomy would result in public spending cuts in Scotland worth £7.6bn, exposing the “dodgy sums” at the heart of the SNP’s general election economic strategy.

“The SNP’s plan for full fiscal autonomy within the UK would be devastating for Scotland,” Ms Dugdale said.

“Last week their own figures exposed the £6.5bn worth of cuts that would be needed because of the SNP’s plan to scrap Barnett and rely on oil revenues. Now we know the figure is even higher at £7.6bn.

“Scots appreciate straight talking. What we can’t stand is when our government tries to cover up the truth about the impact of its policies.”

Public cash is currently distributed across the UK using the Barnett Formula, but the SNP wants Scotland to have full fiscal autonomy – meaning it would have to raise enough in taxes and borrowing to cover all its spending.

Ms Sturgeon told Holyrood the Scottish Government would publish a new bulletin setting out its latest forecasts for oil revenues “as soon as possible”.

She said the Scottish Government would “take the time to analyse the fiscal changes” for the oil and gas industry that Mr Osborne announced as part of Wednesday’s Budget.

BP announced 300 North Sea job losses earlier this year, following on from Shell and Chevron, which last year unveiled plans to axe hundreds of jobs.

The oil and gas industry is worth £35bn annually to the UK economy, but a recent Scottish Parliament ­report suggested the current crisis could see the axe fall on 15,000 of the 200,000 jobs north of the Border.

The Chancellor unveiled measures aimed at delivering a £1.3bn boost to the North Sea oil industry in his Budget.

Conservative leader Ruth Davidson attacked Ms Sturgeon over her advice this week for English voters to vote Green in the election. The Tory chief quoted the Green Party south of the Border describing the £1.3bn support for the oil and gas industry as “huge tax breaks for the fossil fuel dinosaurs”.

Ms Davidson said: “When she’s in London she urges people to vote for a party that says that we should stop drilling altogether and give hundreds of thousands of North Sea oil workers the sack.”

Quelle: The Scotsman