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Scottish Borders
Latest News for the Scottish Borders
One of the largest wind farms proposed in Scotland is the subject of a new complaint to the United Nations,following on the landmark case taken by a community councillor.
Textiles: win & lose
The Innerleithen-based luxury cashmere Caerlee Mill recently placed in liquidation with KPMG after a reduction of orders hit the business is to be closed with the loss of 33 jobs and three staff retained temporarily to wind down the business. In contrast Langholm-based Reid &Taylor have secured a new £375,000 contract to supply 15,000 sq.metres of some of its highest quality fabric to Yeliya, in Shandong Province, China.
Lovely Borders Council backs staff
Scottish Borders Council has defended its staff after they logged on to lingerie and swimsuit websites 38,000 times in a year. Employees browsed Debenhams site, and River Island received almost 230,000 hits from council computers. Other notable online services used by SBC staff included Twitter (1.05 million), Facebook (633,656), dating provider Meetic (38,878) and Job Seekers (37,715).
Geophysics backs consultants
When consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers announce that Shale oil is the next energy revolution, the cynical might be tempted to wonder how many of its clients are involved in the shale oil and franking business business? But as geophysicists from the august Royal Astronomical Society's British Geophysical Association claim that decisions about future energy challenges are too often hindered by propaganda, half-truths and limited grasp of the science that informs the choice and use of hydrocarbon and other resources, it is probably time to ponder the issue very carefully.
2013 Scotland's year for Big Data?
A decade-long campaign to bring the booming "big data" processing industry to Scotland has wavered, but might actually achieve fruition in 2013 when a Polish entrepreneur tries to kick-start a "radically new" data centre model near again near Ecclefechan in Dumfries and Galloway.
Southern & border wind farms
E.ON is to begin early engagement with the local community for three onshore wind farms in south west Scotland and is sending details of its proposals to all residents within 15kms of the sites. It will also be hosting a series of information sessions in the coming weeks. Meantime Scottish Power Renewables starts construction on the £160m Harestanes farm in Jedburgh, south Scotland.
Borders child safety sessions
LOTHIAN and Borders Police are to run a series of Internet safety sessions for parents in the Scottish Borders. Officers in Kelso, Hawick, Eyemouth, Peebles, Galashiels and Melrose will hold one-hour seminars over the next six months to offer advice and guidance on keeping children safe while online.
Bitter opposition to key wind farms
As Donald Trump with his Balmenie course development violently contests the plan for an offshore 11-turbine test farm in view of the Menie resort, saying private assurances were made that it would not get permission, the stooshie is being spread by Tiree Array campaigners desperately protesting "death by 180 to 300 turbines" for Tiree, and drawing the proposed Methil site into the action with some (below) turbine height graphics
Turbines: Samsung Fife base, Borders buy
As multi-million pound wind energy deal between Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and UK firm David Brown Gear Systems is to be followed by more high-profile business partnerships, the British ambassador to Korea has said. Simultaneously the Borders Fallago Rig has been bought by EDF Energy Renewable Ltd from North British Wind Power.
Software and council savings
Dunfermline-based Exactive is urging that MicsoftLync used by Scottish councils could save tens of millions of pounds in operating costs each year by implementing systems that vastly improves efficiency in their computer and telephone networks.
Computer flock management
Adoption of new technology, including electronic ID tags (EID) and software has helped sheep farmer Fenwick Jackson manage a flock of 2,500 ewes and 950 hoggs single handed at Kersheugh, Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders, with assistance of one self-employed shepherd for 21 days at lambing.
Borders plan Flodden 2013
Celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden in 2013 are beginning to be planned. The group leading the project has organised a series of workshops to update people on the progress so far as well as giving them the opportunity to add their ideas.
More Borders broadband: let's hear it for Barra
BT's Race to Infinity has closed deciding the five areas which will be rewarded with a free superfast broadband upgrade. The current top performers are Innerleithen in the Scottish Border, Whitechurch, Hampshire, Baschurch, Shropshire, Caxton and Madingley, Cambridgeshire and Blewbury in Oxfordshire.
Some broadband for Berwickshire
Thanks to Rural Broadband Challenge Fund, launched on July 1, surfing the net should be a lot easier four Berwickshire communities that will receive £294,075 to provide households and businesses in in Cranshaws, Ellemford, Longformacus, Whitsome, Cardrona and Upper Ettrick with a reliable, high speed connection.
Hawick pupils without network
Hawick High School pupils have been forced to work without computers for eight days.Technical problems came as the school tried to implement the much vaunted Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) programme. And chairman of the school board Rory Bannerman has branded the whole situation "unacceptable".
Pathé presents: Scottish history on film
Gaberlunzie can remember when he would sit happily for an hour (warm and dry) in a the smallish news cinema where Pathé films showed a timed, repeating cycle of news stories. Hence his vast curiousity to try out the archive footage of British Pathé's relaunch on-line on its website covering events in Edinburgh and St Andrews dating as far back as to before World War One.
Combinatorial approaches to cancer and antibiotics
A Scottish 'virtual' pharmaceuticals firm EctoPharma hopes to be able to develop a pioneering treatment for pancreatic cancer after signing deals that will allow it to combine the technologies developed by using the the School of Pharmacy and by the Medical Research Council. In England, work at the John Innes Centre discloses an antibiotic that binds to a well-established target in a novel and unexpected way could be the inspiration for designing new, more potent antibacterial drugs.
Rocket Solutions looks to Brawn in business
A Newcastle IT specialist says his region's businesses should take a leaf out of Formula 1 title winning manufacturer Brawn and its star driver Jenson Button as examples of decision-making.
The paedophilic face behind the internet
Three full-time civilian staff at Lothian and Borders Police headquarters spend almost their entire working day viewing some of the most vile pornography imaginable write John Bynorth and Helen McArdle of The Herald. The force’s computer “boffins” delve into the hard drives and memory cards of computer equipment seized from suspected paedophiles. When they find images of abuse, they must grade them according to how extreme they are. They then pass them on to the police before the Crown Office makes a decision on whether to prosecute.
ProStrakan heads for breakeven
ProStrakan the Galashiels based pharmaceuticals group expects to reach monthly break even later this year, with its first reported profit in 2010, revealing a 40% rise in sales in the first half of the year. It has reported revenues of £37m in the six months to end June, with pre-tax loss falling 20% to £9.4m.
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