Host of Scottish treasures unearthed at renovated National Library

By Rory Reynolds

A HANDWRITTEN Robert Burns poem worth £30,000 is to be displayed for the first time alongside some of Scotland’s most treasured artifacts.

The Battle of Sherramuir, a poem detailing the Jacobites’ fight against the king’s army at the height of the Jacobite rebellion, will be among the highlights of the Treasures exhibition in Edinburgh.

The Forlani Map – the first ever printed map of Scotland – and Sherlock Holmes tale The Adventure of the Illustrious Client, handwritten by Arthur Conan Doyle, are also expected to tempt the crowds out of the cold and into the renovated National Library of Scotland.

The map, which is the showpiece of the library’s collection of two million maps, dates back to 1546 and is derived from a document charting the British Isles.

Another highlight of the exhibition, which runs from this Thursday to the 8th January, is the signed order of the Massacre of Glencoe, a chilling document sanctioning the murder of senior members of the MacDonald clan by the Campbells.

Misdiagnosed Parkinson’s disease costing taxpayer £2.5 million

By Rory Reynolds

THOUSANDS of patients with Parkinson’s disease are being misdiagnosed, costing the taxpayer £2.5million every year in bungled medication, according to a new study by Scots doctors.

Researchers at the Southern General in Glasgow have revealed that up to 6,300 patients in the UK suffering from little more than stiffness or hand tremors could have been diagnosed wrongly by GPs.

The authors of the Institute of Neurological Science report have said that as well as the sheer cost of mistakes, patients are not being treated for their actual health disorders.

Dr Kieran Breen from the Parkinson’s Disease Society, and one of the authors of the study said: “Some GPs take tremors as the main indication but only 70 per cent of sufferers have tremors.

“The patients should be referred to neurologists with more expertise and they will make a much more accurate diagnosis.

AC/DC singer likes to hit the open road in Scotland

By Rory Reynolds

AC/DC front man Brian Johnson has revealed that when he’s not screaming out the band’s hits about women and whisky on tour, he enjoys a sedate drive along the A68 to Melrose.

The rock legend says he likes nothing more than to pull down his famous flat cap and hit the open road in Scotland.

The 62-year-old singer – whose band has sold 200 million albums – said that he comes to Scotland whenever he can to visit friends and unwind from their globe-spanning tours.

He said: “I love driving about up there, I used to go up a lot to Loch Lomond and Loch Ness, but you know my favourite place now? Melrose in the Borders.

“Driving around there is fabulous, it’s beautiful.”

Parents of slain Indian naval officer speak of their grief

By Rory Reynolds

GRIEVING parents of a young Indian naval officer who had his throat slashed in a horrific attack have spoken of their shock that his racist killer could be free in just 18 years.

Kunal Mohanty was viciously slain by thug Christopher Miller – who later boasted of having “done a Paki” – while on a night out with friends in Glasgow.

The 30-year-old was killed just three days before he was to take his final exam at the city’s nautical college and return home to be with his pregnant wife, who was expecting their first baby.

His wife later lost their child.

Kunal’s father Devender said that Miller, 25, who was unanimously found guilty by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow last week, got off too lightly.

Susan Boyle’s local pub owned by elderly brothel magnate

By Rory Reynolds

THE FAMOUS pub where singing sensation Susan Boyle sang karaoke is run by one of Scotland’s most successful sex-for-sale sauna bosses.

Susan used to meet friends and sing her heart out at the Happy Valley Hotel in Blackburn, West Lothian, before she achieved worldwide fame.

But now it has been revealed that the man behind the friendly local is sleaze magnate Felice Di Resta – who also owns an Edinburgh lap dancing club and sex sauna.

Di Resta, who runs the hotel through his firm The Old Coach Inn Ltd, also owns Edinburgh strip club Bottoms Up, as well as the Ambassador Sauna.

The £1million-a-year company director said: “Susan still drops in for a drink and a visit.

“I’m going to buy her CD when it comes out, it’ll be a storm across the globe.

Minature book of Robert Burns’ poetry to be launched into orbit

By Oliver Farrimond

A TINY book of Robert Burns’ poems is set to be blasted into SPACE.

The miniature book will dock with the International Space Station next year after being carried into orbit by an American astronaut.

A distant relative of Scotland’s Bard, Alan Archibald, donated the book to a space school after discovering he was distantly related to Burns last year.

Alan, an electronics engineer at the University of Strathclyde, said: ““As it’s the year of Homecoming I thought it would be nice to celebrate Burns and the Space School by sending the Bard’s words into space.

“Although the songs are very old, his words remain well-known and loved across the world.

Renowned historian angers Scottish World War II veterans

By Oliver Farrimond

FURIOUS Scottish World War Two veterans are demanding an apology from a renowned historical writer after he accused them of COWARDICE.

Anthony Beevor’s eagerly anticipated new work – titled “D-Day – The Battle for Normandy” – contends that Scottish troops failed in key objectives during the landing, badly letting down Allied forces.

And now livid vets are “disgusted” by the passages, and say that Beevor should have interviewed them rather than relying on secondary sources.

Quoting a Canadian major, Beevor wrote: “The thing that shocked me was the 51st Highland Division.

“The Scotties threw away their weapons and equipment and fled.”

Busy spell of business works magic for Harry Potter uniform-makers

By Oliver Farrimond

A SCOTS knitwear company has had to almost double its staff to cope with a new order of school uniforms – for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Lochaven International, based in Ayrshire, have supplied the iconic school uniforms for the Harry Potter film series since 2001, and have just finished producing 400 garments for the sixth instalment of the series.

However a 25,000-fold surge in internet traffic has meant that the firm have now had to bolster their staffing levels, after online Harry Potter fans found out that the movie’s woolly garments were made in Scotland.

Since then they have been bombarded with orders for Hogwarts outfits, and have had to double in size to cope with the demand as work has commenced on uniforms for the smash series’ dramatic final instalment.