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The Manx authorities have introduced a bye-law that effectively prevents large Scottish boats from fishing in their traditional scallop grounds around the island.Mr Lochhead said: “The Scottish Government believes the Isle of Man bye-law is unnecessary and unwarranted and I have been in contact with the Isle of Man fisheries minister – and UK ministers who gave the go-ahead – to make my concerns clear.” John Hermse, secretary of the Scallop Association in Scotland, said: “We had made it crystal clear to the Scottish Government right from the beginning in April that this regulation was all about walling out the Scottish fleet and not about stock sustainability.”Political action is now required at the highest level to restore access to those vessels with traditional rights. Even at this 11th hour, we reiterate our willingness to talk.” A TEN-year-old girl has given birth in southern Spain and authorities are evaluating whether to let her and her family retain custody of the baby. The baby was born last week in the city of Jerez de la Frontera.

Micaela Navarro, the Andalusia region’s social affairs minister, said the father of the baby is also a minor, and added that both the mother and the baby were in good health. Spanish newspapers said the mother is of Romanian origin. The daily Diario de Jerez quoted medical staff who treated the girl as saying they were told by her mother that giving birth at such a young age is common in their country.Medical experts warn that because young girls are still growing themselves, they are at higher risk during pregnancy. Studies have shown that teenage girls are more likely to give birth to premature babies and their infants have a higher chance of dying in the first year.A FAMILY were forced to flee their home after a firework set their porch ablaze. Police in Drymen, Stirlingshire, are questioning a 23-year-old man in connection with the incident on Sunday morning.

Chief Superintendent Davie Flynn condemned the “reckless” act, which he said put the family-of-five in danger.The parents and three children, who were asleep in their beds, evacuated the home after being woken by smoke alarms.Chief Supt Flynn, of Central Scotland Police, said: “It is beyond belief that someone would be so reckless as to set off a firework in the direction of a family home in the early hours of the morning while they slept.”We are currently questioning a 23-year-old man and our inquiries are continuing.”Last week the force launched Operation Alamo, an intiative aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour surrounding the use of fireworks.

The 31-year-old’s win came in spite of figures released last week that showed only 530,000 viewers were tuning in to watch her on the troubled breakfast show – a third of the audience for its BBC rival, Breakfast.Among the other winners at the star-studded Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year event at the Banqueting House in London, was Doctor Who beauty Karen Gillan, who took home the top actress award. Port of Leith Housing Association tenant and voluntary board member Robert McPherson has been named the community’s unsung hero. Despite being restricted by MS, he uses forehead movement and assistive technology to undertake most activities. Mr McPherson remains an active member of the board and is the lead member for housing management and property maintenance services.

PoLHA nominated Mr McPherson for the award in recognition of his dedication since joining the board a decade ago.Jack Hunter, chair of PoLHA, said: “Robert inspires us all by his refusal to let his difficulties stop him from making his significant contribution to the community of Leith. “His positive approach is underlined with a forceful good humour and intelligence, which impresses everyone.” Police are appealing for witnesses after a car with shotgun cartridges in the back seat was stolen from Leith. The silver Mercedes C Class 220 Sport was taken from a business property on North Leith Sands sometime between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on Monday, November 1.A number of shotgun cartridges were also taken, as they were in the back of the car among the owner’s hunting gear.

Police are asking the public to stay vigilant, as there is a possibility the car thief may have discarded these items.At around the same time, a man was seen acting suspiciously in the area. He is described as being white, between 24 and 30 years old, 5ft 4in to 5ft 6in tall, of thin build, with short black hair and a thin, pale face.Anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131-311 3131, or Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111.

The current generation of Royal Navy aviators have no experience of being fired off ships. PIZZA Hut is set to reduce its presence in the city centre to make way for an Italian restaurant and a shoe store. Two separate applications were lodged this week to turn the pizza chain’s restaurants on Castle Street and Frederick Street into a Strada restaurant and a Size? shoe store.The Strada chain, owned by Tragus Group which also owns Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge, has over 70 restaurants in England. Castle Street will be its first Scottish restaurant. It has applied to combine the Pizza Hut and upstairs Orchid Lodge Cantonese restaurant into a single restaurant.A spokesperson for Pizza Hut said: “We’re continually evaluating the location of our restaurants to ensure they are in the best areas to meet demand. “Our leases at Frederick Street and Castle Street are ending soon, and we have taken the decision to leave both sites.

THE row between the oil industry and renewable energy firms has intensified amid claims that wind farm companies building offshore risk having their leases terminated without compensation if oil and gas companies want the seabed for exploration, drilling or pipelines. WWF Scotland warned that the current leasing terms – which stipulate that any contract to use part of the seabed for renewables must include a clause saying all or part of its site would be given up if oil companies wanted access – could undermine plADVERTISEMENTans to tackle climate change and create green jobs.

The charity’s criticism came as Alex Salmond revealed plans for a summit between the oil and gas and renewables industry in Aberdeen next month, chaired by oil industry giant Sir Ian Wood alongside Ian Marchant, chief executive of Scottish & Southern Energy.Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, warned that the “bias” towards the oil and gas sector could damage chances of growing the renewables sector.”Businesses hate uncertainty, and Scotland’s young offshore renewable industry could be stalled before it really gets going unless these pro-oil and gas clauses are removed from all existing and future leases,” he said.

However, Oil & Gas UK, which represents companies working in the industry, insisted it was looking for co-operation with green energy firms.David Odling, Oil & Gas UK’s energy policy manager, said Oil & Gas UK held a “helpful” joint workshop last month with RenewableUK. PUPILS at Castlebrae Community High School have helped to restore a memorial garden for Diana, Princess of Wales. The pupils were brought in to restore the garden at the former Craigmillar Primary School, which has been turned into a development of 83 houses and flats. Castle Rock Edinvar, the company behind the shared ownership scheme, has already sold a third of the first batch of completed homes. And teenagers from Castlebrae volunteered to help clear litter, repair walls and paving and cut back overgrown plants at the memorial garden.

The work has revealed a stone plaque, a mosaic and a totem pole bearing the names of the children involved in the making of the original garden. However, the totem pole is beyond repair.Under Castle Rock’s scheme, purchasers can buy 25 per cent, 50 per cent or 75 per cent of their home, with the developer paying an occupancy charge for the part they don’t own. It means lower income households, unable to raise a deposit, can still own their own home. DESPITE the Scottish Government putting 1,000 extra bobbies on the beat, people were not happy with the number of police seen patrolling communities. More than a third of respondents said the police did not patrol their community regularly, while 56 per cent said they would like to see more police officers on the streets.

That contrasted with their satisfaction with police performance when they diADVERTISEMENTd come into contact with them, which was up across the board. Police forces face difficult cuts when finance secretary John Swinney, pictured, announces his budget, later this month.All forces in Scotland continue to be committed to putting officers on the street, however, in the current financial climate this may be a challenge.Chief Constable Stephen House, Acpos lead on crime, said: “The fact the public want more police officers on the beat is not surprising and has been the cornerstone of our push to get more officers out on the beat.

In an article entitled: “Is parliament at the centre of affairs or not?”, the magazine, Payam-e Enghelab (Message of the Revolution), asked: “Does being on top justify whatever action the government thinks is right, disregarding the law?”Re-elected in June 2009, Ahmadinejad faced down huge demonstrations from an opposition movement which says the vote was rigged, something he denies. Divisions among the hardliners have become more apparent in the months since the protests were put down.The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has a navy, an air force and a command structure separate from the regular armed forces. Along with its voluntary militia, the Basij, it played a key role in quelling the post-election unrest which was the worst seen since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The rifts prompted Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to call for all branches of government to support the president, whose government he has hailed as extremely successful.”National unity is very important and must be strengthened with every passing day …and by that I am addressing both officials and ordinary people,” Khamenei said.However, Payam-e Enghelab’s criticisms were similar to those voiced by parliament, the judiciary and clerics. THOUSANDS of bereaved parents across the UK are not finding out why their baby died because of overstretched pathology services, campaigners have warned. Every day in the UK, 17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth.

However, the perinatal post-mortem examination rate in the UK remains low at about 39 per cent, with little effort being made to improve up-take since the organ retention scandaADVERTISEMENTls in the late 1990s, according to campaigners.Stillbirth charity Sands and the Royal College of Pathologists are calling for resources to allow more post-mortem examinations to take place, which can help parents going through future pregnancies.The charity said there were several reasons why rates of post-mortem examinations remained so low.Sands chief executive Neal Long said: “There is significant variation in the quality of care after a baby has died throughout the UK, particularly the availability of perinatal pathology services and the lack of standardisation in the post-mortem (examination] consent form.”

Earlier this year, the Scottish Enterprise National Renewable Infrastructure Plan picked out Leith as the ideal site for manufacturing and construction of wind turbines.Ms Somerville said the new fund would help ensure the infrastructure required for new offshore wind farms will create manufacturing jobs in Scotland, including in Leith. She said: “Off-shore wind power is going to be pivotal to our ambition of creating a low-carbon economy.”Recent reports suggest that tens of thousands of jobs can be created through developing offshore wind. Leith is perfectly placed to benefit, having already been identified as the ideal location for the building of off-shore wind turbines”. A MAN has been jailed for 22 months for throwing a bag of heroin and a mobile phone into Edinburgh’s Saughton Prison.

The city’s sheriff court heard Steven McIvor, 26, had been told to carry out the crime by another prison resident when he was last in jail.Fiscal depute Gerard Drugan said McIvor was spotted buying items to prepare for the drug being thrown over the wall. He was then seen lobbing an item over the wall which was found to be heroin and a phone.Mr Drugan said the drugs would have been worth around ￡300 on the streets but could reach more inside the prison. He added the phone would also have been valuable.McIvor, of Edinburgh Prison, admitted carrying out the offence on August 2 this year at HMP Edinburgh, Stenhouse Road, Edinburgh.Sheriff Neil MacKinnon told McIvor custody was the only option to reflect the seriousness of the crime.

He added that the sentence had been reduced to reflect his guilty plea.Mr Dicketts told the Court of Session in Edinburgh: “The plane should not have been up in the air. You expect the equipment they are given to be useable and correct.”The couple’s counsel, Andrew MacMillan, told jurors that liability for the accident had been admitted. The jury will have to decide the level of damages awarded to the couple from Brenchley Road, Horsmonden, in Kent.Mr MacMillan said: “This plane did not fall from the sky as a result of enemy fire.”The hearing before Lady Dorrian continues.

The organisation in charge of introducing drugs and treatments to Scottish hospitals has announced it wants medical professionals in different fields to work closer together. ARTEFACTS charting the history of Scotland’s lighthouses are being showcased at special exhibition in the Capital. Showing in the National Museum of Scotland, the Shining Light exhibition chronicles the journey lighthouses have taken since their inception and features relics dating as far back at the 17th century.Among the items on view will be some that have been unseen for two decades, including giant optics, models, photographs and charts. The exhibition runs until April 3, 2011. Officers found the body of Mohammed Nadeem Siddique, 38, from Kirkcaldy, when they arrived at a house in the Fife town on 24 October.

Tencho Hristov Andonov, 27, from Livingston, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, the Crown Office said. He was charged with murder, attempted murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice.The Crown Office said that no plea or declaration was made and Andonov was remanded in custody.NEW guidelines in the care of a painful skin disease have been welcomed by a city charity that took on the main lobbying for the cause. A MAN has appeared in court charged with the murder of a businessman in Fife last week. Tencho Andonov, 27, made no plea nor declaration when he appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court yesterday.Mohammed Nadeen Siddique, 38, was found dead at a property on Forres Drive in Glenrothes on October 24. Another injured man was taken to hospital following the incident described as a shooting.

Andonov, from Livingston, is charged with the murder of Mr Siddique and with the attempted murder of the second man.AN action plan to reduce the numbers of undiagnosed hepatitis C has won a top award. NHS Scotland wants to raise awareness of the disease, which has a recorded 3000 sufferers in the Lothians.As part of its work, it introduced new treatment tools, making it less traumatic and more available to patients.OFFICERS from Lothian and Borders Police took part in more than 15,000 training courses in the last year, new figures have shown.

They narrowed the Democratic majority in the Senate, but fell short of winning control.The Republican gains usher in an era of divided government for the United States.Mr Obama will have to deal with a more conservative Congress, which will iADVERTISEMENTnclude members of the anti-establishment tea party movement. The results reflected Americans’ frustrations with the weak US economy and disillusionment with Mr Obama, who was swept into office two years ago on a message of hope and change.Republican John Boehner, destined to replace Nancy Pelosi as House speaker, called the results “a repudiation of Washington, a repudiation of big government and a repudiation of politicians who refuse to listen to the people”.

Mr Obama monitored returns at the White House, then telephoned Mr Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell with congratulations in a call that underscored the power shift.In the Senate, Republicans won at least six Senate seats now held by Democrats. Among them was Mr Obama’s old seat in Illinois, captured by a congressman, Representative Mark Kirk.But Democrats won the biggest single race, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid defeating Sharron Angle, a favourite of the tea party movement. Democrats also retained seats targeted by Republicans in West Virginia and California, where liberal incumbent Barbara Boxer defeated former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina.Republicans needed to pick up 10 seats to take control of the 100-seat Senate. In the House, Republicans had a net gain of 57 seats and were leading in another eight Democratic-held districts.

That was more than the 40 needed to capture control.It also eclipsed their so-called “revolution” that claimed the House in 1994 during Bill Clinton’s presidency, ending decades of Democratic control.The Republican gains will complicate Mr Obama’s ability to enact his proposals during the last two years of his term and possibly force him to fight off attacks on health care legislation and other bills.Although international affairs had little role in the campaign, Mr Obama’s global agenda also would be affected in areas such as arms control and climate change.The elections were the biggest test yet for the tea party, a series of groups angered by what they see as the excessive growth of government.A SCOTTISH council had one of the worst records for sick day rates in the UK at the same time as it spent taxpayers’ cash on overseas trips, a new study has found.

FRINGE impresario Karen Koren is to open a rival festive ice rink at Ocean Terminal after she was dumped from running the Princes Street Gardens attraction. While Ms Koren insists her new venture is not a direct challenge to Winter Wonderland, which is now under new management after she lost the contract this year, she said the new venue would benefit from a warmer indoor location and a promotional tie-iADVERTISEMENTn with the latest Chronicles of Narnia Christmas blockbuster movie.Last month, it was reported that Ms Koren’s Gilded Balloon firm owes the city council more than ￡200,000 after Winter Wonderland made a huge loss over the last two years. The council is about to start legal proceedings against Ms Koren, who launched the ice rink in 1998 after taking inspiration from the famous attraction in New York’s Central Park.Ms Koren had already secured planning permission for a large outdoor ice rink at Ocean Terminal but she abandoned the plan in favour of the smaller indoor rink.

She said: “The outdoor rink was going to be too expensive but we’re still going to create a bit of wintery magic at Ocean Terminal.”It’s a completely different animal from Winter Wonderland, which takes place outdoors in the city centre, whereas the new rink is indoors in a shopping centre, but it means we’ll benefit from a bit of warmth, which will be lovely.”Ms Koren said she had yet to hear from the council about the pending court action, but a council spokeswoman confirmed that proceedings were due to begin in the coming weeks. The council insists the contractual wrangles will not dampen its own winter programme, which will be officially launched tomorrow.Council festivals and events champion Steve Cardownie said: “This year’s Edinburgh’s Christmas programme will boast an enhanced ice rink, complete with an entertainment stage to get skaters and shoppers into the festive spirit. ”

The popular Christmas funfair will delight kids and adults alike, while shoppers can sample delicious produce and find beautiful artisan crafts and gifts in the Highland Village and Traditional German Christmas markets. Children can come and meet Santa Claus too – he’ll be popping into East Princes Street Gardens every day to collect his letters from 4 December up until Christmas Eve.”Ocean Terminal manager Dennis Jones said he was looking forward to the opening of the centre’s new Narnia rink on December 3.Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has dismissed calls to resign over reports he helped a 17-year-old girl who attended parties at his house, saying it was “better to like beautiful girls than to be gay”.

It had been leasing the building from EUS at “really good rates” and its staff fear that any new owners could potentially price them out of the market by hiking up the rent. Volunteer Jane Flett said: “It’s really sad that the building is up for sale because we do something really popular for Edinburgh and want to continue.”We thought the best way to do that would be by owning the building ourselves.”The EUS has always given us really good rates on the property and we don’t know that that would happen if someone else bought the property.”I think we definitely can raise the money.Staff at the Roxy Art House may start a similar campaign to save the now-defunct venue, though Rupert Thomson, former artistic director, said it was still too early to say exactly what will happen to it in future.

He said: “I really support the Forest’s campaign because it’s a great, unique space, but the Roxy is a different beast and, because this has been so sudden, it’s worth thinking about what’s best. AN AMBULANCE technician has been suspended after he took a tea break and refused to respond to an emergency call in which a woman died of a heart attack just 800yd from the depot where he was stationed.The devastated family of Mandy Mathieson have demanded an end to ambulance crews being allowed to opt out of responding to 999 calls.Owen McLauchlan, the suspended technician, had been providing ambulance cover in the remote Speyside village of ADVERTISEMENTTomintoul while the local full-time members of the ambulance crew – Ms Mathieson’s sister and brother-in-law – were on holiday.

Ms Mathieson’s sister, Michelle Fernie, 39, is the full-time ambulance technician in Tomintoul, and her husband Keith Fernie, 41, is the village’s paramedic.Ms Mathieson, 33, an accounts technician, is understood to have been pronounced dead after an ambulance finally arrived at her home in the village’s Stewart Place from Grantown-on-Spey, 19 miles away, after her partner, Bobby Taylor, dialled 999 on Saturday, 16 October. Her brother, Charles Mathieson, 40, an Aberdeen-based firefighter, said yesterday that the family was outraged at the failure of the ambulance technician to respond to the emergency.He said “Our reaction is one of pure disbelief. We just can’t believe that, after being told what was happening, he refused to answer the emergency call.