From our archives 25 years ago 50 years ago

5 years ago

Hundreds of people, including many from the French community, have attended a service in Edinburgh to remember the victims of the Paris terror attacks. The congregation at St Giles Cathedral, including Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Emmanuel Cocher, pictured, the consul general of France, observed a minute’s silence as they came together in solidarity.

Elsewhere, flowers were left outside the French Consulate in the New Town.

10 years ago

A meteor was seen streaking across the sky over central and northern Scotland early yesterday. People in Glasgow, Kinross and Durness, Sutherland, reported seeing a bright light flashing through the sky at around 5.40am. It then appeared to break up into a number of pieces, leaving streaks of white light behind it. Douglas Thornton, from Scotlandwell in Kinross, said: “It was an off-white light with a massive tail - a phenomenal sight.” It is thought the meteor was part of the annual Taurids shower. Post Office staff in Glasgow have intercepted a bomb addressed to shadow Scottish secretary Mr George Robertson. The package contained a home-made device, which, although crude and unsophisticated, might possibly have caused slight injury had it exploded. It was spotted at the St Rollox sorting office in Baird Street, Glasgow, where Labour Party-bound mail is being checked following two previous devices. Police and Army bomb disposal experts were called. John Murdoch, aged 60, who early yesterday fell from a rone pipe in an attempt to climb to his thirdfloor home at 5 Schipka Pass, near Glasgow Cross, lay for more than an hour before being discovered. He had a broken neck and leg, and lacerations to the wrists and forehead. He also suffered from exposure.

He was taken to the Royal Infirmary, where last night his condition was “fair”. A police official said:- “It appears that Mr Murdoch lost his key.”

100 years ago

A horse, belonging to a Rattray hawker and which was yoked to a cart, took fright at a motor car in Newton Street, Blairgowrie, and raced along George Street and Brown Street. The shafts of the cart having broken, the horse dashed into the Co-operative Society’s shop, smashing the glass panelled door and upsetting various groceries. Before it was quietened and led out the animal attempted to get over a counter at the back of the premises. Several customers were in the shop, but only one boy was slightly hurt.