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				The passing of another age AS the Queen Mother's coffin emerged into the fading light of a spring afternoon in Windsor, borne by six pallbearers and draped in her own Royal Standard, it was not just the demise of a remarkable woman which the nation mourned, but the passing of another age. April 1, 2002
				Doubts grow over truth behind army pictures THE pictures were genuinely shocking: a British soldier urinating on a hooded Iraqi captive, another picture of a rifle butt smashing into the man's groin, another of a kick aimed at his head. For the Daily Mirror, a paper that had made a virtue of its anti-war stance, they seemed almost too good to be true. Yesterday, it seemed they that they really could be too good to be true. May 4, 2004
				Stalked by flames through the warren Even as they began the search for the source of the smoke, the fire was spreading, working its way up old ventilation shafts and outwards in all directions as it sped through long-forgotten rooms in the heart of the block, heading towards the roof. In the end, it was the fire that found them December 9, 2002
				A time to remember and say thank you IT IS the unexpected tear forming in the corner of the eye, the catch in the throat when it comes to speaking the words "we will remember them" that catches out the unguarded. October 11, 2003
				Gone - but not forgiven MOORS murderer Myra Hindley died yesterday, just weeks before a legal challenge in the House of Lords was expected to pave the way for her to walk free from jail after 36 years behind bars. For much of that time in captivity, the woman whose name had become synonymous with evil fought for the right to end her days outwith the walls of a prison. Yesterday, her wish was finally granted, but it was too late for the killer with the blood of at least five children on her hands to enjoy that freedom. November 16, 2002
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				Quango kings and queens who profit as 'bonfire' threat turns into a damp squib THE Scottish Executive is pouring GBP 1.68 billion a year more into unelected public bodies than it did four years ago - despite repeated promises by senior Labour politicians to light a bonfire of the quangos. June 13, 2005
				'Every step has been with divine help' IT WAS the greatest slaughter of the First World War; an assault so bloody that Britain suffered 60,000 casualties in the first day, including 20,000 dead; an assault intended to turn the course of the war but which eventually ground to a halt six months later with just five miles of ground taken. The first Battle of the Somme left historians split on the legacy of Earl Haig, who, as General Douglas Haig, oversaw the ill-fated campaign. Now, personal letters written to his wife on the eve of the battle offer a fascinating insight into the mind of the most controversial British officer of the 20th century. January 3, 2004
				Scandal of BA security lapses BRITISH Airways is at the centre of a security scandal after it admitted that flight-crew members are allowed to fly on board passenger aircraft without the required checks being carried out on their background, The Scotsman can reveal. April 10, 2004-
				One thing you didn't need to know about Blair FIRST Tony Blair had to put up with the indignity of Germaine Greer passing comment on his love life, and now James Naughtie, the broadcaster, has pitched in to divulge more insights into those parts of the Prime Minister's life he would rather keep to himself. 15-8-2002 Scotsman
				Defence report: British forces can stand alone no longer IT RAN to 28 pages - 64 if the supporting essays were included - of dense civil service double-speak. Long on words, short on detail, yesterday's long -awaited defence white paper (Delivering Security in a Changing World) appeared intent on shedding as little light as possible on the nuts and bolts of defence planning, other than to reveal that for Britain's armed forces, medium-sized is the new big. December 12, 2003
				Oldest veteran's tribute to fallen THE leaves on the trees of Perthshire are turning red and orange and yellow, just as they were on that morning, 85 years ago, when the guns fell silent and the First World War came to an end. It had been four years since Alfred Anderson marched off to war with the rest of his friends in the Black Watch, four years in which millions died in the fields of Flanders and France. When the firing finally came to an end, most of his friends were gone and Alfred had been invalided back to Scotland. November 8, 2003
				Rory was murdered within 24hrs MURDERED schoolboy Rory Blackhall was killed within 24 hours of going missing, police believe. There are suggestions that the 11-year-old may already have been dead by the time the alarm was raised over his disappearance. Police are still waiting for results of forensic tests but they are now understood to be working on the theory that Rory was seized shortly after his mother Michelle dropped him off at a bus stop 300yd from Meldrum Primary school in Livingston - where he was a pupil - on 18 August. A police source said: "It is not yet clear, but it looks like it happened early on." 26-08-2005 Scotsman
				Police follow new leads in hunt for Rory's murderer SCHOOLBOY Rory Blackhall might be alive today if his school had raised the alarm about his disappearance when he failed to turn up for classes, one of the officers leading the murder hunt said yesterday. Detective Inspector Tom Martin said if schools contacted parents when children did not turn up, it would give police a crucial head-start in any subsequent investigation. 25-08-2005 Scotsman
				Remember Rory for his life, not death There were about a hundred people outside the Howden Park Centre in the middle of the little park near the centre of Livingston where the funeral ceremony was taking place; perhaps another 200 inside the plain room with its grey brick and white painted walls, pine floor and harsh fluorescent lights. A lectern stood at the front, to the right of the white clad trestles set up to hold the Saltire-draped coffin. 17-09-2005 Scotsman
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