Fans of the Loch Ness Monster will be able to explore its "habitat" using Google Street View.
The US technology company has uploaded visuals taken on and beneath the loch's surface to its Street View website.
When searching the loch, users of the site will find Google's yellow Pegman icon changes to a Nessie "peg-monster".
The Loch Ness Street View has been launched on the same date a faked photograph of the monster was published in a newspaper in 1934.
Highly respected British surgeon, Col Robert Wilson, claimed he took his photograph days earlier while driving along the northern shore of Loch Ness.
It was later revealed to be a toy submarine outfitted with a sea-serpent head.

Loch Ness expert Adrian Shine spent a number of days with the Google Street View and Catlin Seaview Survey teams as they performed an operation to photograph above and below the waters.
Mr Shine said the project was "cloaked in secrecy", adding: "When people asked about the ripples in the Loch during the special diving expeditions for once I had no opinion.
"I'm so proud to have been part of this initiative and I hope people worldwide enjoy exploring Street View to have a look and then be inspired to travel to Scotland to discover this area of magical beauty and natural intrigue. "

Quelle: BBC

FOR more than half a century it was one of Scotland’s most spectacular and historic youth hostels until rising repair costs forced its closure.

Now the Scottish Youth Hostels Association (SYHA) is set for a windfall of more than half a million pounds after deciding to put Carbisdale Castle’s art collection up for sale.

A group of Victorian sculptures of goddesses and nymphs – collected by the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland for the castle she built after the death of her husband – are described by experts at Sotheby’s as “works of astonishing grace and beauty”.

They are coming on to the market for the first time in more than a century after the prospective new owners of the B-listed building, which overlooks the Kyle of Sutherland, declined the opportunity buy them from the SYHA.

The marble sculptures were one of the most popular features of the remote hostel near the village of Culrain in Sutherland, which attracted around 20,000 visitors a year.

The building was put up for sale with a £1.2 million price tag last year after the SYHA – which closed the site down after it suffered millions of pounds worth of water damage during a severe winter four years ago – said it could not afford the repair bill.
It is understood the castle, which was built between 1906 and 1917, is set to be turned into a luxury hotel if its sale goes through as expected at the end of this month.

The SYHA, which was left the castle by a Scots-Norwegian family in 1945, decided to put the site up for sale last summer after ruling out carrying out a major fundraising campaign and refurbishment project to get it operational as a hostel again.

The charitable body was given permission to sell the paintings and sculptures separately from the B-listed building by Historic Scotland.

It was built by Mary Caroline, the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland, using a settlement she won following a legal battle after the death of her husband and furnished it herself with works of art.


A total of 17 sculptures from the “Carbisdale Castle Collection” will be coming under the hammer at Sotheby’s next month, along with 36 Italian and Scottish 19th-century paintings, although the majority of the latter are said to be copies.

Keith Legge, chief executive of the SYHA, said the sell-off of the building and its art collection was “sad and difficult situation”.
Christopher Mason, European sculpture specialist at Sotheby’s, said: “This sale will bring to market a highly desirable group of Victorian marble sculptures that have been off the market for over a century.

“Encompassing the neoclassicism of the early part of the 19th century to the fantastical romanticism of the Belle Epoque years, the works on offer shine a light not only on collecting tastes at the height of the British Empire, but also on how sculptors of the period created works of astonishing beauty and grace through their masterful handling of ­marble.”

Quelle: The Scotsman

SUPPORT for the SNP has increased since the party’s stunning Westminster victory in Scotland on 7 May with the nationalists now on course to make gains in next year’s Holyrood elections.

The TNS poll of 1031 adults in Scotland aged over 16 showed that of those who expressed a party preference 60 per cent said they intended to support the SNP in the constituency section of the vote for the May 2016 elections to the Scottish Parliament.

This compares with the 50 per cent support the SNP received in Scotland in last month’s UK General Election and 45 per cent in the constituency vote in the 2011 Holyrood elections, when the nationalists won 53 of the 73 constituencies.

In the later TNS poll, Labour is second with 19 per cent, down from 32 per cent in 2011, while the Conservatives record 15 per cent (14 per cent) and the Liberal Democrats on 3 per pent (8 per cent).

The survey also found that almost half of those polled - 49 per cent - said they would vote to stay in the European Union, with 19 per cent saying they would vote to leave and 26 per cent undecided about the UK governments In-Out referendum on Europe.

Tom Costley, head of TNS Scotland, speaking about the polling results, said: “Clearly there is a long way to go until the Scottish Parliament elections, so it is too early to tell whether the rise in support for the SNP represents a continuing trend, or whether it reflects a “honeymoon” period with the party’s new Westminster MPs.”

“The strong support for continuing EU membership may reflect both this factor and the strong advocacy by Nicola Sturgeon, who remains a popular figure: the case for the EU has yet to be tested in the full-blown political campaign that will precede the referendum.”

New TNS poll for next May’s Holyrood elections has constituency vote.

Quelle: The Scotsman

NICOLA Sturgeon has criticised the SNP Government’s former view of London as a threat to Scotland’s economy and promised to work more closely with the UK capital to promote business opportunities.

Alex Salmond, her predecessor as First Minister, described London as “the dark star of the economy, inexorably sucking in resources, people and energy” during last year’s referendum campaign while Ms Sturgeon was serving as his deputy.

However, in a speech to the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government has “for too long seen London as a threat”.

Opposition politicians said Ms Sturgeon’s remarks were “breathtaking” and an admission that the party had got it “all wrong” during the independence campaign.

The First Minister’s comments came as she announced a £78 million innovation fund to encourage businesses to come up with 1,000 new commercial products aimed at improving the wellbeing of the people of Scotland and around the world.

Ms Sturgeon said: “This is probably a self-criticism of the government as opposed to trying to suggest it has been a feature of businesses, but for too long we have seen London as a threat. We’ve seen London almost, in economic terms, as a rival.

“Of course we will want to compete and be competitive, but I think there is more in it for us to see London as an opportunity.”

Murdo Fraser, Scottish Conservative spokesman on the economy, said: “This is a breathtaking admission from Nicola Sturgeon that the SNP has been getting it all wrong in relation to the strength of the UK economy for many years.”


Quelle: The Scotsman

The former Leader of the House of Lords calls for a federal UK and attacks David Cameron’s plans for English votes for English laws (Evel) as “ill conceived and hurried”.

The United Kingdom is “hanging on halfway down a cliff” and needs a new federal constitution to prevent Scotland breaking away, the Marquess of Salisbury has warned.
The former Leader of the House of Lords said Unionists are spending all their energy “hanging on” and the point has been reached where “we have to go for a settlement”.
Speaking at a fringe event at the Labour conference in Brighton, the former Tory minister also attacked David Cameron’s plans for English votes for English laws (Evel) as “ill conceived and hurried”.
Arguing they were the result of “panic”, he said they would create two classes of MP and send an “invitation” to judges to interfere in the workings of parliament when there are challenges over which legislation is deemed to be English-only.
He claimed some Government ministers are sympathetic to his criticisms and call for a federal settlement but they needed to “step up to the plate and take this process over”.

The 7th Marquess was discussing a paper that calls for a constitutional convention and a new Act of Union that would wrest the political initiative back from the nationalists.
He has formed a constitution reform group with Peter Hain, the former Labour Work and Pensions Secretary, and John Denham, the former Communities and Local Government Secretary.
The trio are touring the party conferences discussing their ideas. Mr Hain said: “I think the bell is tolling for the UK. It’s a question of reform or die.”
The Tory grandee said belief in the United Kingdom should not be based on romanticism or “counter-Jacobitism”, instead arguing the “four of us are immeasurably weaker apart”.
He argued the Unionists have “lost the initiative” since their 11-point victory in last year’s referendum, with the SNP now threatening to stage a rerun.
“There comes a moment in any process of change when hanging on halfway down the cliff is a pretty difficult thing to do and you spend all your energy hanging on rather than actually doing the job,” he said.
Calling for a federal UK, he added: “I fear that we’ve now reached the point when we have to go for a settlement. What we would like to do is to start by saying ‘what should the centre do?’ If we can agree on what the centre does, it becomes much easier perhaps to decide what everybody else does.”
Mr Denham said Evel was an “invitation to separatism” but it was difficult to argue against on a political level.

Quelle: the Telegraph

A father has been found guilty of killing his five-week-old daughter and attempting to murder another child.

Ian Ruddock, 34, had stood trial accused of murdering Olivia at his family's home in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, in 2011.

A jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found him guilty on a majority verdict of a reduced charge of culpable homicide against his daughter.

He was also convicted of the murder bid on the little boy in 2013. Ruddock repeatedly shook his daughter, causing her to suffer extensive rib and head injuries on various occasions between January and March in 2011.

He managed to evade justice and he attacked another child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at an address in Glasgow two years ago. He caused the boy to suffer a fractured skull and fractured ribs during an attack.

Ruddock, of Shawlands, Glasgow, was finally caught after police, tipped off by medics, launched an investigation shortly after the second infant's injuries were discovered.

They managed to bring together enough evidence which allowed prosecutors to bring him to court. Ruddock denied any wrong-doing and claimed to be a doting father who loved to be around children.

But following a seven-week long trial, a jury concluded that Ruddock killed his daughter. Judge Lord Bannatyne deferred sentence so the court could obtain reports about his background.

His estranged wife, Wendy Ruddock, earlier told the trial about her daughter's final moments. She told the court that Ruddock got up from bed in the early hours of March 6 to feed their daughter.

But during the feed, Olivia became unwell, prompting him to shout for her. Saying he sounded panicked, Mrs Ruddock told the court: "I knew something wasn't right.

"He shouted on me to phone an ambulance which I did immediately. The person on the other end of the phone was trying to talk us through CPR. But it was just panic stations."

Ms Ruddock, who also works in financial services, said her husband performed CPR on Olivia "as best he could."

Two years after the incident involving Olivia, Ruddock targeted another child at an address in Glasgow. The court heard how he seized the child and inflicted blunt force trauma to his head and body.

The little boy was rushed to hospital and medics found he had several injuries to his head and body. The youngster has since recovered from his ordeal.

The judge remanded Ruddock, who had been on bail, in custody. Lord Bannatyne told jurors: "A trial of the type which you have sat through must have been harrowing."

The judge said: "There are few circumstances more tragic than the death of a child."

He added that the jury had heard a case of "the utmost complexity".

During proceedings, Ruddock maintained that he was innocent of any wrong-doing. He was joined in court every day by members of his family who sat in the public benches of the High Court in Edinburgh.

Donald Findlay QC, defending, said that if the jurors were to convict Mr Ruddock on the evidence that they had heard, they would be reaching the wrong verdict.

Pointing to his client, the QC added: "You will leave this building having brought about a catastrophic miscarriage of justice and you will have ruined that young man's life."

However, a jury believed there was enough evidence to convict Mr Ruddock. Sentence was deferred on Ruddock until later this month at the High Court in Glasgow.

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Quelle: stv News

Cafe worker Claire Smith started her day in Aviemore in a puffa jacket, but by lunchtime, Maja Aas was soaking up the sun on a beach close to the Scottish ski resort.

But a remote village in the Highlands has achieved the unprecedented feat of being both the hottest and coldest place in Britain - in the same day.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, the temperature in the village of Aviemore was close to freezing, with the mercury showing just 1C.
But later in the day, the Cairngorms National Park tourist spot experienced weather that was hotter than Barcelona, Rome and Paris at 21C.

Due to a lingering fog that hangs in the mountains overnight, Aviemore endured freezing temperatures before the sun rose and the air pressure shot up, bathing the village in summer-like warmth.
The Met Office said that the two extreme recordings “go against normal atmospheric conditions".

Claire Smith, 35, the manager of the Mountain Cafe in Aviemore, said it was as if the seasons had gone into reverse.
"It was incredibly chilly coming in the morning with a coat, scarf and gloves on,” she said. “You could see the grass glistening and frost appearing on cars.
"But I have to carry all my clothes home later on because it will be far too warm.
"It's been really strange here because we're having a bit of an Indian summer but starting our day with winter - it's as if we've skipped autumn completely.
"You can definitely notice it throughout the day as people come in shivering looking for their morning coffee but then later on folk are coming in wearing their shorts and getting milkshakes."

Maja Aas, 19, a student on a school trip from Norway, had packed her luggage in preparation for a cold winter.
But, after seeing the sun shining, the student headed to the beach at nearby Loch Morlich to bask in the sun.

She said: "Everyone was telling me that Scotland was really rainy and cold in Scotland at this time of year so that's what I packed for.
"I'd brought my rain coat and warm sweatshirts but I don't think that was necessary.
"It's really nice and beautiful here so we're just hanging out on the beach now."

Quelle: the Telegraph

Robert Lewandowski scrambled the ball over the line as the hosts failed to clear a stoppage-time free-kick.
It had appeared Scotland's faint hopes of qualification were still alive as superb goals by Matt Ritchie and Steven Fletcher put them in front.
But Lewandowski, who had silenced the home crowd with an early opener, repeated that feat in the last seconds.

Quelle: BBC

Class sizes and the prospect of their child receiving a teacher’s undivided attention are, for most parents, the mark of a good school.
Others are prepared to pay hefty school fees to some of the country’s most expensive educational establishments to help their little ones rise to the top of the class.
Yet for Aron Anderson it is impossible for him not to.

The 10-year-old lives on the remote Scottish island of Out Skerries, where he is Skerries Community School’s sole pupil.
Aron, who wants to be a fisherman like his father Ewan, 43, when he grows up, admitted: “It is quite weird sometimes – not having anyone else at school.
“But I like this island. I can ride around and explore on my bike; in summer I can swim in the sea and jump off the pier.”
His exclusive education costs the local council £75,357 per year, more than double the price of a boarder’s place at Eton.
English, maths, science, cookery and crafts lessons take place in a single-storey, two-room modern building set close to the sea, as everywhere is on the tiny Shetland isle 386 miles north of Edinburgh.
PE lessons consist of a bracing one-mile daily walk with teacher Jean Harlow, picking up interesting objects en route.
As the only school-age child on the island Aron's best friends are his dog, some ducks and flocks of sheep.

Until recently the school had a number of pupils, including Aron’s brothers Ivan, 13, and Owen, 16, alongside friends Ethan, 12 and Scott Arthur, 16.
All have now left for secondary school on nearby Lerwick, two-and-a-half hours away by boat, returning only at weekends and for holidays, weather allowing.
And, where once there was a thriving community on the two-mile square North Sea speck, population 70, the closure of Out Skerries’ salmon farm and only secondary school has left Aron alone.
Aron’s mother Denise, 46, head of the parent-teacher council, said: “This is going to be his first winter as the only pupil so it’s hard to tell how it will be for him.
“I do feel sorry for Aron being all by himself at school – but he really is happy. Spending a lot of time with adults has made him quite grown-up, but he does enjoy trips to the mainland to meet other children.
Mrs Anderson said: ‘I just wish we could go back ten years. It would be lovely to have some more families here. And if any did decide to come, there is already a ten-year-old here for their children to play with."

Quelle: The Telegraph

The Forth Road Bridge has been completely closed to traffic to allow repairs to structural faults.
The total closure came into force at midnight with the crossing likely to remain shut for at least 24 hours - and possibly much longer.
The southbound carriageway had been shut since the discovery of steelwork defects during inspections on Tuesday.
Since then engineers have identified eight other parts of the bridge where similar problems could be encountered.
The closure decision was taken late on Thursday after the latest reports indicated the faults were more serious than had earlier been thought.
No timescale has been given for when the crossing will reopen but an update will be given on Friday.

'Precautionary measure'

Scotland's Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: "In light of the latest information and expert advice we've been recommended to close the Forth Road Bridge.
"The reason for that is that further traffic could cause further damage, having identified a fault. Therefore the bridge has to be closed.
"I know that causes significant disruption and I thank travellers and drivers for their patience but we have to close the bridge for reasons of safety, to undertake investigation and repairs.
"Therefore I would advise the travelling public to avoid travelling if they were going to use the Forth Road Bridge tomorrow."
Officials had earlier spoken of putting a "temporary fix" in place before longer term repairs were undertaken.
However, concern grew that allowing traffic to flow on one side of the bridge only could lead to more damage and ultimately result in a much longer closure, possibly lasting several months.
A spokesman stressed there was no immediate danger of a major structural failure and the closure was a precautionary action.

n a statement Transport Scotland said: "A full closure of the bridge is being put into effect after midnight on Thursday December 3, 2015.
"The Forth Road Bridge is to shut following the discovery of defective steelwork earlier this week.
"The decision has been taken as a precautionary step after inspections carried out earlier this week showed a fault in the bridge steelwork.
"The results of earlier inspections will continue to be analysed overnight."
Since Tuesday vehicles have been using the northbound carriageway only with a contraflow system in place.
The restrictions on one of Scotland's major transport routes led to major disruption with long tailbacks affecting commuters on Wednesday and Thursday.

Quelle: BBC

SEVERE weather has forced the closure of Glasgow’s Christmas attractions with Storm Desmond sweeping in across the Atlantic expected to bring fierce winds and flooding across the country this weekend.

The Met Office has issued an amber alert for rain and a yellow “be aware” for winds, with gusts of up to 80 miles per hour expected to hit exposed areas in the west of Scotland.

Last night four flood warnings, meaning flooding is possible and immediate action is required, were issued for Tayside by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The agency also had 11 flood alerts in place across much of Scotland including Edinburgh and the Lothians, Scottish Borders, Aberdeenshire, central, Dundee and Angus, and Argyll and Bute.

Marc Becker, SEPA’s hydrology duty manager, said: “Rainfall will be heaviest over central and southern areas of Scotland during Friday evening and throughout Saturday which will cause river levels to rise.

Snow is also expected on higher grounds across Scotland.

Travellers are being advised to check timetables and road conditions before setting out as severe weather restrictions are likely to be in place, especially following the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.

Last night the Tay Road Bridge was closed to double-decker, high-sided vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

The chief forecaster for the Met Office said the public should be prepared for the likelihood of flooding, with rainfall totals of between 60-100mm (2-4 ins) across many parts of the country.

A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “People wishing to travel should consider the conditions, listen to radio reports, visit the Traffic Scotland website or twitter feed and take note of the latest police advice before starting their journeys. There may be some difficult driving conditions and motorists should take extra care.

“People in the Lothian and Fife area should take special care when planning their journeys due to extra pressures being placed on the network by the closure of the Forth Road Bridge, and consider whether journeys are necessary.”

Cal Mac reported disruption to 25 out of 26 services yesterday including the Ardrossan to Brodick, Ullapool to Stornoway and the Barra to Eriskay crossings.

Glasgow Life, organisers of Glasgow Loves Christmas, who closed events including ice-skating and fair ground rides, are monitoring the situation but said events may not re-open over the weekend.

Meanwhile unexpected heavy snow showers across Midlothian led to all major routes through the Borders, the A1, A7 and the A68, being badly hit.

Quelle: The Scotsman

SCOTLAND is set to be battered by snow with temperatures set to drop below -10.

After the country was hit by floods over recent weeks, warnings are now in place about freezing temperatures and snowfall.

Leon Brown, forecaster for The Weather Channel UK, said after another week of torrential downpours Britain will be plunged into the freezer.

He said: "There is some proper winter weather for a change so get the de-icer ready.

"More very wet weather is forecast this week with some heavy snowfalls for higher parts of Scotland.

"It is turning quite a bit colder next week with temperatures below minus 10C over the Scottish Highlands and widespread frosts in the south.

"A wide band of rain will move slowly eastwards on Wednesday night into Thursday giving 10 to 25mm [one inch] in many areas of the UK, and falling on saturated ground will bring yet again a high flood risk.

"Heavy snowfalls are expected over the Scottish highlands during Thursday with more than 50cm [1.2 ins] over the higher mountains."

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for Scotland and Northern Ireland tomorrow and Thursday where more than three inches is expected to fall.

Spokesman Grahame Madge said Britain is braced for another bout of strong winds and rain on Thursday after a slightly calmer mid-week spell.

He said: "There are further warnings in place for Thursday with heavy rain, especially in the north bringing a further risk of flooding.

"It is going to fee quite cold with strong winds associated with the new front which moves slowly across the country.

Quelle: Scotland Now