Scotland's papers: Post office scandal deaths and A9 dualling
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Outdated River Leven pass to help eels migrate to be replaced
A passage to help eels navigate a river is being replaced with a more modern European eel population has declined dramatically in recent decades due to habitat loss, overfishing and barriers which disrupt its long migration passes, such as the one on the River Leven at Newby Bridge in Cumbria, act as ladders that allow the fish to swim up and over weirs and other Environment Agency (EA) said the current pass in the Leven no longer met modern standards for safety, remote monitoring, or water management. It is now being removed and a new one constructed, which is due to be fully operational by autumn, eels leave European rivers to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to breed for a single time, then the heart of the eel pass improvements is a float switch-controlled pump, which activates during low water flows to help eels move through, making sure they can continue to migrate even in challenging water levels rise, the float switch automatically stops the pump, which will allow migrating eels to use the natural river flow, the EA periods of high flow, the design allows for natural self-cleaning, reducing the need for manual maintenance and helping to maintain higher water quality standards. The EA's Francis Frimpong said: "This new eel pass is another step forward in improving river connectivity and enhancing biodiversity. "By enabling eels to navigate past man-made barriers, we're helping to restore their natural migratory routes and strengthen their numbers for the future." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
39 minutes ago
- BBC News
Plans gathered to save graves from coastal erosion in Happisburgh
Plans to exhume remains from a graveyard threatened by coastal erosion were being worked on, a council said. St Mary the Virgin Church in Happisburgh, Norfolk, is now 80m away from a cliff edge and officials believe the cemetery could be lost to the sea in less than 20 years. North Norfolk District Council, the Diocese of Norwich and Happisburgh Parish Council have started to consider what action needs to be taken to protect the graves. Harry Blathwayt, a Liberal Democrat councillor and the cabinet member for the coast on the district council, said: "We are working with the local community to identify possible solutions. "We need to get ready for the future. It is not something we would wish to be surprised by." The authorities have been working with a government-backed Coastwise scheme, which aims to prepare coastal communities threatened by has commissioned a report to investigate the relocation of bodies from cemeteries and graveyards at risk of being lost to the the threat was imminent in Happisburgh it has been treated as a test case, to establish how such a large-scale relocation of remains might be added: "This is a national worry and is going to become a problem in the future." Exposed to erosion While Happisburgh might be seen as a pilot project, it would not be the first church – or graveyard – to be lost to the churches at nearby Eccles and at Dunwich, Suffolk, fell victim to shifting coastlines, graves were left to be exposed by the erosion."We cannot allow that to happen," added fate of the 15th Century church and graveyard has been raised during meetings with villagers and the Diocese of Norwich, which has responsibility for the part of these talks, parishioners have considered decommissioning the graveyard so no more burials could take place there.A Diocese of Norwich spokeswoman said: "This is not a new problem in the Diocese of Norwich. At least nine churches and therefore graveyards were lost to coastal erosion during the Middle Ages."At Dunwich in Suffolk, which was in the Diocese of Norwich in the Middle Ages, an entire town with eight churches was washed away by coastal erosion." The church grounds is Happisburgh include the graves of 119 sailors who died on HMS Invincible in March 1801, when the ship ran into difficulties after leaving Great Yarmouth to fight in the Battle of it made its way along the coast, it got stuck on the Hammond's Knoll near Haisborough 200 sailors escaped the wreck but more than 400 drowned.A memorial was unveiled in 1998 after some of the sailors' remains were discovered during work to dig a trench a decade prior. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Kirsty Wark asked me to fetch her a cup of tea and a Penguin biscuit
Certainly, she can appear regal to the journalistic peasantry. I remember a packed press conference where she breenged in with her crew. Suddenly we – self-important, like everyone in our trade – all felt like minions. She asked me to fetch her a cup of tea and a Penguin biscuit ('one with a green wrapper'). Wow. What ingredients went into creating such an imperious personage? Well, being born was a useful start. This auspicious event occurred on 3 February 1955 in Dumfries. Kirsty's father, who earned a Military Cross for heroism at Normandy, was a solicitor. A convivial raconteur, he also liked spending time on his own fly-fishing. 'I'm sure he was reflecting on the horrors of war, ' Kirsty told the I newspaper recently. Her mother was a teacher who, after one early Newsnight interview, phoned to complain that she'd split an infinitive. Poor Kirsty must have been tempted to tell her mother where to boldly go. She spent her early years in Castle Douglas before moving to Kilmarnock. After attending all-girl, 'independent' Wellington School in Ayr, she studied history, specifically Scottish Studies, at Embra Yoonie. In 1976, aged 21, Wark joined the BBC as a graduate researcher and soon became a producer for Radio Scotland, displaying enthusiasm and a willingness to make things happen. Wish I'd tried that. (Image: Jamie Simpson) BOXING CLEVER WARK switched to television in 1982, producing Reporting Scotland, Agenda and Current Account. She then moved into presenting various Scottish political programmes before moving to UK network television as part of the Breakfast Time brigade. In 1988, she reported on the Lockerbie bombing and, in 1990, made her mark as an interviewer when she confronted, so to say, Margaret Thatcher. The Iron Lady was incensed with her abrasive questions about the poll tax, and complained afterwards that she'd 'interrupted me more than I've ever been interrupted'. Later, it emerged that Wark had just learned she was pregnant with her first baby, and so was determined to remain 'preternaturally calm' for both their sakes. In 1993, she joined Newsnight, BBC 2's mumphing aboot politics show, in a role that was to last three decades. She stood down last summer, a week after the General Election. In her time, she has faced accusations of being too close to Labour. Donald Dewar, former Labour First Minister and a close friend, appointed her to a panel choosing the design for the new Scottish Parliament – with hilarious consequences! Later, the independent production company she co-owned was an awarded a BBC contract to make programmes about … construction of the Scottish Parliament building. Whoopsie. In 2005, she invited another Labour First Minister and long-time friend, Jack McConnell, now Lord McConnell of Proletariat, and his family to stay at her Majorcan holiday home over New Year. Doubt was cast on Wark's neutrality and suitability to anchor political programmes, with respected quality newspaper the Daily Mail dubbing the episode 'Villagate'. Importantly, it added that she had a 'big, almost masculine voice that belies a worked-on slim figure and good legs often hidden by trousers'. Trousers, ye say? However, several observers considered the 'scandal' overblown, with Newsnight's editor pointing out that many media peeps had old pals who went on to hold office. 'The important issue is your ability to ask tough questions and that is not a problem with Kirsty Wark …' READ MORE Rab McNeil: Get your Boots on, we're going shopping for unicorn hair gel Rab McNeil: No wonder the whole Scottish nation loves Nicola (no, not that one) Scottish Icons: William McGonagall - The poet who right bad verses wrote still floats some folk's vessel or boat Scottish Icons: There is a lot of tripe talked about haggis – so here's the truth ECK OF AN ATTITUDE ALEX Salmond was a problem for Kirsty Wark. In 2007, after an interview with then First Mniister, the BBC received 120 complaints from entirely disinterested individuals, and issued a public apology regretting Wark's 'rude and dismissive' tone. In 2020, after she presented a programme about Salmond's sexual assault trial – in which he was acquitted – more than 900 complaints of bias were made. Wark responded: 'Alex Salmond was found innocent, not guilty, there is no disputing that in any way. What we were doing was giving background to the whole thing, and we did that fairly.' Politically, she has described herself as 'soft left', with pals in all parties. Late Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy called her a 'fierce foe when the studio lights go on, great fun in the bar'. Late Labour MP Robin Cook MP said at least she let folk answer the question, 'unlike those from the Paxman and Humphrys school'. She herself describes her approach as 'forensic' – certainly leaves blood on the floor sometimes – and contends that she's professional enough to 'leave my own views at the door when I come to work'. Forby politics, she's right arty and, indeed, has written two novels. She presented BBC Two's Late Show from 1990 to 1993 and, in 2006, interviewed playwright Harold Pinter, resisting the temptation to get back at the old scrote by leaving long silences. She made cameo appearances in Doctor Who and Absolutely Fabulous. In 2013, she appeared on the inexplicably popular Great British Bake Off, but has resisted 'many times' invitations to do Strictly Come Dancing, another programme that has sapped the nation's morale. More consequentially, she has highlighted problems of the menopause, believing people are reluctant to discuss it. Moving swiftly on, two months ago she bagged a BAFTA Fellowship, with BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip praising her 'enormous charm and wit'. GA-GA FOR RADIO ALWAYS based in Glasgow, Wark has lately been appearing in BBC Scotland's Good For Her, in a running sketch that follows a woman who can't stop speaking as if she's delivering the news. Kirsty Wark misses the buzz of Newsnight, but is content for the moment presenting arts magazine show Front Row and history series The Reunion on BBC Radio 4. She likes claes and, in 2013, was deemed one of the 50 best-dressed over-50s by fashion magazine, the Guardian. In other news, we can reveal she loves gardening and homemade jam, having spent several years in recovery from an addiction to banana cake. Meanwhile, in the interests of truth, that currently under-rated concept in which she takes such a great interest, I should clarify that, at the start of this authoritative exposé, I was only joking about the cup of tea and a Penguin. It was a Twix.
