THE parents of a Scots student swept out to sea off Ireland described losing their son as a “nightmare” and are coming to terms with the fact that he is probably dead.
Craig McIntyre was sunbathing with a friend on a secluded Irish beach when he was hit by a wave and swept in to the Atlantic on Saturday.
The 20-year-old, from the Colinton area of Edinburgh, was staying in a friends holiday home hear Baltimore, County Cork when he went down to the sea to watch the sunrise.
His parents David and Morag McIntyre travelled to Ireland as coastguard and Garda searched for their son, but with rescue efforts now into the fifth day they are losing hope.
A SCOTS council facing a nine billion pound black hole is splashing out more than £10,000 to send staff to the United States – to greet some sailors.
Edinburgh City Council are preparing to send a delegation to greet the city’s entry in the round-the-world yacht race.
The plans would involve a senior council official leading the group to San Francisco next month and to New York in June when the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital Clipper visits.
Bosses – who are hoping to gain sponsorship to cover some of the costs – claim that the move would boost tourism and business links.
But opposition politicians are furious at the timing when the council has to find more than £90 million worth of savings in the next three years to ward off the biggest financial crisis in its history.
THEY ARE supposed to make our lives easier, but end up trying to book us in to see a film at a cinema miles away.
Now scientists at Edinburgh University are hoping they can improve automatic phone booking lines after pinpointing the most common errors made by the computers.
Companies use the systems to cut out a call centre – using computers that can understand what customers are saying to book cinema tickets and taxis.
But it doesn’t always work, and can lead to a frustrating conversation with a computer.
A TODDLER who suffers from a rare form of cancer has returned from the States where he was undergoing life-saving treatment.
Two-year-old Ross Anterton was diagnosed with a muscle cancer called orbital rhabdomyosarcoma last August.
The condition is so rare that it affects fewer than 60 children a year in the UK.
The tots parents – Andrew Anterton and Lesley Lauder – were told that the best chance for him was a new treatment called Proton Beam Therapy, which is not yet available in the UK.
They started a fundraising appeal and when the NHS agreed to pay £120,500, the family flew to the US in December to start a course of therapy at the Florida Proton Therapy Institute.
SALES of Harris Tweed are soaring in India, but the famous Scottish wool still can’t crack America.
An unprecedented surge in demand has seen Scotland’s largest tweed producer appoint a dedicated agent in the sub-continent.
And now a promotion drive will see Lewis-based Harris Tweed Hebrides try to re-awaken interest in the USA.
The firm scooped three major orders from India by complete surprise and want to cash in on the country’s “burgeoning middle-class.” Continue reading →
AN ADVERT designed to create pride in Fifers has come under fire from residents of the Kingdom for being embarrassing.
Kingdom FM teamed up with Fife Council to produce the ad – which is broadcast on STV and shows traditional dancers, the Red Arrows, and Deep Sea World set to an upbeat tune.
But rather raising civic pride, the campaign has caused so much embarrassment for residents that they have set up a Facebook group mocking it.
With over 2,000 members, the group has attracted posts from residents and visitors alike – all criticising the video.
A WINDSWEPT Susan Boyle breezed back into Scotland yesterday (Wed) after making a flying visit to America to launch her debut album.
And with her first disc ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ already going down a storm in the charts, SuBo said the outlook had never looked sunnier.
Sheltering from rain and gales with her trademark hair protected by a hood, she wandered around her locals shops almost unnoticed at first back in her West Lothian hometown of Blackburn.
Sporting a bright red scarf – complete with a badge of her pet cat Pebbles – she was eventually stopped by overjoyed friends and school children keen to welcome the star back home.
SINGING sensation Susan Boyle today (fri) prepared for the launch of what is expected to be her multi-million selling debut album launch on Monday – by going shopping in Bathgate.
And showing the celebrity status hasn’t gone to her head she even travelled the short distance from Blackburn by bus, stopping off at her favourite store to buy a new outfit before her appearance on this weekend’s X-Factor.
Casually dressed in a rain coat and black trousers, and sporting her signature Burberry scarf and a splash of red lipstick, SuBo showed no sign of nerves as she wandered along the West Lothian town.
The star walked confidently from her house past the local primary school before being called over by a friend outside the newsagents.
The blonde bespeckled woman, in her 50s, shouted across the street to SuBo before walking over to have a chat.
Deadline Press & Picture Agency 