9am Briefing: 'White Knights' could help save school

A consortium set up by ten sets of parents to prevent the Capital school from closing within weeks is understood to have received "significant" pledges of help in the last two days, it was reported today.

And they are now pressing ahead with plans to buy-out the 110-year old institution, saying the reaction of liquidators KPMG had given them the "confidence" to proceed.

Connery unveils MP bust

EDINBURGH-BORN movie legend Sir Sean Connery has unveiled a commemorative bust of SNP former MP, MEP and MSP Winnie Ewing.

Sir Sean endorsed Dr Ewing as the Nationalist candidate in the 1967 Hamilton by-election, which put the SNP on the political map, and has been an avid supporter throughout her career.

Unveiling the bust, he said: "Winnie Ewing is an icon for the SNP and for Scotland."

The bust, designed and sculpted by David Annand, will be displayed at SNP headquarters.

Bremner fear

IMPRESSIONIST Rory Bremner has admitted he fears the "chilling" effect religious fundamentalism is having on satire.

Speaking in the forthcoming TV documentary Frost on Satire, the Edinburgh-born comedian admitted that he had asked himself whether he was writing his "own death warrant" when tackling Islam in sketches.

And he believes the issues around religion pose "the greatest danger" for comedians.

McAveety blunder

A SENIOR MSP has apologised after being caught describing a female audience member as having "that Filipino look" at a Holyrood committee.

Former Labour minister Frank McAveety's unguarded comments were picked up by microphone as he convened Holyrood's public petitions committee yesterday.

Turning to a committee clerk as witnesses changed places, Mr McAveety could be heard to say: "There's a very attractive girl in the second row. Dark and dusky."

Slump hits high streets

A LACK of consumer confidence affected the Scottish high street, retail experts said today, as the latest sales figures showed another slump.

Like-for-like sales in May were down by 0.8% on the same month last year according to the Scottish Retail Consortium KPMG Scottish Retail Sales Monitor.

The performance in Scotland was worse than the UK as a whole, where overall like-for-like sales rose by 0.8% last month.