Liquor giant Diageo said a Scottish government task force has failed to find a plan that would rescue 900 jobs at two historic beverage facilities. A company restructuring plan calls for the closure of a Johnny Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock and a grain distillery in Glasgow, The Scotsman reported Wednesday. The plan provoked a protest march in Kilmarnock with 20,000 people participating.

A GBP700MILLION coal supply deal, believed to be the biggest ever in Scotland, has been announced. The fi ve-year agreement between ScottishPower and Scottish Coal will lead to the creation of more than 100 jobs.

By DOUGLAS FRASER SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR RENEWABLE heat generation plants linking workplaces and homes to improve energy efficiency are being given serious consideration by the Scottish Government.

A New demand for an assurance that changes to local authority financing will not hit plans for a new rail halt at Dalcross came last night from MP Danny Alexander.

ONLY one in four people who took part in public consultations about a new Forth crossing were in favour of a bridge, according to a Transport Scotland survey.