Category: news

The economic impact of Scotland’s year-long Homecoming celebrations has been “substantially” overestimated, an evaluation of the event has said.

Economist Dr Geoff Riddington said the 2009 initiative probably generated 900 jobs, rather than 1,536.

Homecoming marked the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth and aimed to attract Scots from around the world.

The government previously said the celebrations brought in £53.7m, exceeding the £44m target by 22%.

Dr Riddington’s report, which was presented to the Scottish Parliament’s economy committee, said the model which had been used to evaluate Homecoming Scotland was “out of date and incorrect and and substantially overestimates the actual impact”.

Gathering event

Scotland will stage a second year of Homecoming in 2014 to coincide with the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup, as well as the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn.

First Minister Alex Salmond recently defended a government loan to the failed private company which hosted last year’s Edinburgh clan gathering event.

The Gathering 2009 Ltd – the showpiece event in the Homecoming calendar – went bust after receiving £670,500 in taxpayers’ cash, including an £180,000 interest-free loan not disclosed at the time.

Opposition leaders expressed anger that funds were written off and companies involved had to lay off staff, but Mr Salmond said the action saved an event worth £10m to the economy.

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Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi is to team up with Speed director Jan de Bont to make an English-language version of the Chinese legend Mulan.

The ancient folk story of a woman who replaces her father in battle, was made famous worldwide by an animated Disney film in 1998.

A Chinese-language version of the tale was released last year.

Producer Christopher Brough told The Associated Press that filming will begin this year in eastern China.

Ziyi shot to stardom after starring in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and has since gone on to appear in several high profile Hollywood movies, including Rush Hour 2 and Memoirs of a Geisha.

The actress will undergo bow and arrow and combat training for her latest role.

Her manager Ling Lucas said: “She has complete trust in Jan de Bont to turn Mulan into a memorable screen legend.”

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A driver is found guilty of causing death by careless driving after his van rolled down a slope in the City of London and killed two people.

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David Cameron will miss prime minister’s questions on Wednesday after his father suffered a stroke.

“The Prime Minister was informed this morning that his father Ian is seriously ill after suffering a stroke and heart complications while on holiday in France,” No 10 said.

After talking to doctors at the hospital the PM has decided to fly to be with his father and mother Mary.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will deputise for Mr Cameron.

Wednesday’s session is the first time that prime minister’s has been held since the end of July when Parliament rose for the summer recess.

In Mr Cameron’s absence, it is likely that acting Labour leader Harriet Harman will also miss the half-hour session.

When Mr Clegg stood in for Mr Cameron in July – during the prime minister’s trip to the US – he was faced across the dispatch box by shadow justice secretary Jack Straw.

The BBC’s Political Correspondent Laura Kuenssberg said the prime minister had often spoken of the close bond between him and his parents and his father’s condition would be of real concern to him.

It had been expected that PM’s questions would be dominated by questions about No 10’s director of communications Andy Coulson following allegations of phone hacking by journalists while he was editor of the News of the World.

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Weeks of heavy rain have brought widespread flooding to wide swathes of eastern and southern Mexico.

Hundreds of thousands of people have seen rapidly rising rivers break their banks and inundate their communities.

Authorities have been trying to evacuate the worst-hit areas but some people are refusing to leave, seeking refuge on the roofs of their houses.

Among the most severely affected areas is Tlacotalpan, a colonial-era town declared a world heritage site.

Most of Tlacotalpan’s residents have left the town to seek shelter elsewhere in the state of Veracruz, Mexican officials said.

Over the past few weeks, some 200,000 people in Veracruz have been forced to abandon their homes.

The torrential rains and subsequent flooding have also affected the states of Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca.

In Tabasco, more than 124,000 people have been affected but many have opted to stay.

“They are refusing to leave their homes and they don’t want to go to shelters because they have a culture of living with water,” said Tabasco Governor Andres Granier.

“What worries me is that the worst is yet to come for Tabasco. The state and these people cannot keep suffering these problems each year, or live in permanent uncertainty.”

Tabasco was the scene of devastating floods three years ago.

During a visit to the state on Tuesday Mexican President Felipe Calderon said the rains in the region during July and August were three and a half times more than usual.

The rainy season does not officially end until November.

The government has pursued flood-control measures in recent years. Mr Calderon said these had helped to avoid a wider disaster but he accepted that more needed to be done.

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All the action, reaction and analysis as Nick Clegg stood in for David Cameron at prime minister’s questions.

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A top rugby referee who took an overdose as he struggled with his sexuality is backing a campaign to reduce suicides amongst men.

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The Scottish FA apologises to Liechtenstein for the “disgraceful” booing of their national anthem before the Euro 2012 qualifier.

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Two oil workers are missing and more than 30 have been rescued from a rig off China’s north-east coast, which was damaged in a storm, state media says.

Helicopters and rescue boats are searching for two people who fell from the platform, which is listing at a 45-degree angle in the Shengli oil field.

The oil field, operated by Sinopec, is the second-largest in China.

Sinopec said no oil has been spilled, and said powerful waves generated by Typhoon Malou were the likely cause.

Rescue workers in helicopters saved 34 people from the rig about five nautical miles (9km) off Dongying in Shandong province, China’s transport ministry said.

The rescue took place at 0600 local time (2200 GMT Tuesday) after the incident was reported late on Tuesday,

The accident comes just weeks after China’s worst oil spill, after a fire at an oil depot caused crude oil to leak into the sea for several days.

A massive clean-up operation was launched in July in the area around the port of Dalian, one of China’s most important strategic oil reserves.

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The DUP MP for North Belfast Nigel Dodds is to step down from the assembly within days, the BBC has learned.

While the DUP is phasing out dual mandates for MPs, it has emerged the SDLP’s MP Alasdair McDonnell plans to contest next year’s assembly poll.

During the general election DUP leader Peter Robinson promised his party would end dual mandates, with one exception.

Sammy Wilson, the finance minister, is likely to remain at least until the Executive spending plans are in place.

Over the summer, five of the party’s MPs including William McCrea and Jeffrey Donaldson resigned their assembly posts.

Gregory Campbell, the DUP MP for East Londonderry, is expected to follow suit, though no date has been given.

Meanwhile, the SDLP MP for Foyle Mark Durkan will stand down from the assembly within weeks.

His successor will be chosen shortly from the candidates who have applied to stand in Foyle in next year’s assembly election.

Sinn Fein, which has five double jobbing MPs, has no intention of phasing out the dual mandates before 2015, the date recommended following a review at Westminster.

The Alliance Party’s East Belfast MP Naomi Long has already resigned as an assembly member.

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Health officials are trying to find the source of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak which has been linked to the death of a 64-year-old woman.

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Six people have died in a US missile strike targeting militants in Pakistan’s tribal district on the Afghan border, security officials say.

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Sir Paul McCartney is to be presented with a Kennedy Center honour at the White House in Washington in December.

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As preparations are made for the eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing, Radio 1 Newsbeat’s Natalie Jamieson has a look behind the scenes.

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Gunmen armed with assault rifles stormed a shoe factory in Honduras, killing at least 15 people and wounding eight others, police said.

At least four men burst into the factory in the northern coastal city of San Pedro Sula and opened fire on workers, officers said.

Thirteen people died at the scene and two later died in hospital.

Police spokesman Leonel Sauceda said the motive was unclear but he did not rule out a link to drug trafficking.

San Pedro Sula has suffered frequent gunbattles between drug traffickers and also among the country’s notorious street gangs.

All the victims were said to be young men, aged between 17 and 24.

The factory is in the south-west of San Pedro Sula, which is about 245km (150 miles) north of the capital, Tegucigalpa.

“We hope that soon – tonight or in the early morning – we will have a clearer picture of what has happened,” said the city’s police chief, Hector Mejia.

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