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/ 9 March 2008

Brilliant Paterson steals show from Wilkinson

On the day Jonny Wilkinson set a world points record, the England flyhalf was upstaged by opposite number Chris Paterson in Scotland’s upset 15-9 victory at Murrayfield on Saturday. Paterson, a metronome-like place kicker, is on a remarkable run of 30 successful penalties and conversions in a row dating back to the 2007 World Cup.

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/ 24 September 2007

Henry gives half-term assessment


In the measured tones of the schoolmaster he once was, New Zealand coach Graham Henry gave his half-term assessment of the All Blacks on Sunday evening. ”We are pretty happy really,” Henry told a news conference after his team had defeated Scotland 40-0 at Murrayfield.

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/ 23 September 2007

All Blacks stroll past Scotland

Doug Howlett became the leading try-scorer in All Blacks history as New Zealand strolled into the World Cup quarterfinals with a 40-0 demolition of Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday. The 29-year-old wing claimed two of the six tries scored by the tournament favourites.

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/ 18 September 2007

Hogg stars as Scots down Romania

Scotland sidestepped a potential banana skin with a clinical 42-0 victory over Romania in their World Cup Pool C match at Murrayfield on Tuesday. The Scots executed their game plan to near-perfection and largely kept the ball away from the Romanians’ ferocious pack.

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/ 25 August 2007

Boks send out World Cup warning

South Africa ran in three first-half tries on their way to a morale-boosting 27-3 World Cup warm-up win over Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday. The Scots had dominated in the opening quarter only to be floored by a burst of three Springbok tries in six dramatic minutes.

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/ 24 August 2007

Scots prepared for Bok onslaught

Scotland coach Frank Hadden has told his World Cup aspirants to prepare for the most physically taxing match of their careers when they square up to the Springboks at Murrayfield on Saturday in the final tournament warm-up outing for both sides. The encounter is billed as a ”friendly”, however Hadden laughed off the notion that the teams would merely be going through the motions.

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/ 7 June 2007

University strips Mugabe of degree

Edinburgh University stripped Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday of his honourary degree after reviewing evidence of a tribal massacre soon after he took power. The decision by the university’s Senate comes after years of campaigning by students and Scottish lawmakers.

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/ 31 May 2007

Loch Ness monster caught on film

She’s as much an emblem — and a tourist draw — as tartan, bagpipes and shortbread. And now Nessie’s back. An amateur scientist has captured what Loch Ness monster watchers say is among the finest footage taken to date of the elusive mythical creature reputed to swim beneath the waters of Scotland’s most mysterious lake.

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/ 11 March 2007

Choking row mars Ireland win

Ireland’s 19-18 win over Scotland, their third Triple Crown triumph, in four years was overshadowed on Saturday by a row over an alleged choking assault on flyhalf Ronan O’Gara. Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan claimed after the match that an unidentified Scots player had left O’Gara blue in the face and close to losing consciousness.

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/ 19 November 2006

No party mood for victors Scotland

Scotland outgunned the Pacific Islanders 34-22 at Murrayfield on Saturday but they weren’t in any mood for a party at the final whistle. The triumph was soured by two more serious-looking injuries in the build-up to the Six Nations Championship and the World Cup.

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/ 7 August 2006

Iraqi woman’s blog taken on stage

”Is it time to wash our hands of the country and find a stable life somewhere else?” The question in Girl Blog from Iraq was posted only last weekend by an anonymous young Iraqi woman whose weblog has now been adapted into a theatrical documentary at the Edinburgh Fringe arts festival.

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/ 30 May 2006

Stop patronising Africa, Mlambo-Ngcuka tells press

Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka told Western newspaper editors on Monday to stop generalising about Africa and concentrate more on the continent’s success stories. Issues of real concern, such as Western poaching of Africa’s best and brightest talent, were being overlooked as the world’s media focused on wars and poverty, she told the annual world congress of the International Press Institute.

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/ 25 November 2005

Scots hoping All Blacks catch a cold

With the weather forecasters anticipating the coldest weekend in Edinburgh in a decade, Scotland must hope the All Blacks also freeze at Murrayfield on Saturday. A 3-0 series win over the British and Irish Lions in June and July and a Tri-Nations title had established Graham Henry’s squad as the pre-eminent force in world rugby long before they touched down in Cardiff at the end of last month.

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/ 8 July 2005

G8 wraps up summit with aid pledge

Leaders of the world’s Group of Eight (G8) top industrial nations on Friday wrapped up three days of talks overshadowed by the London terror attacks with a joint vow to fight terrorism. G8 leaders also made pledges on extra development aid and urgent measures to combat global warming.

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/ 5 July 2005

G8: ‘Don’t get your hopes up’

Live 8 organiser Bob Geldof, heading to Scotland on Tuesday, said it would be ”grotesquely irresponsible” for politicians to back down from promises of aid for Africa. But Britain’s Treasury chief Gordon Brown warned that anti-poverty campaigners may be disappointed when G8 leaders announce their package of aid to Africa.