Scotland to vote on independence in 2014

LONDON –- Scottish voters will go to the polls in 2014 to decide whether Scotland should end more than 300 years of union with England and Wales and become an independent nation.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond announced an agreement Monday on a referendum that could see the biggest political shakeup in the British Isles since Ireland threw off British rule in the previous century.

Though the exact wording on the ballot is to be decided, the people of Scotland will essentially be given the option to say yes or no to remaining part of the United Kingdom. A vote in favor of secession would dissolve the marriage of Scotland to England and Wales that has been on the books since 1707.

Signing the agreement in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, Cameron said a referendum would pave the way "so that the biggest question of all can be settled: a separate Scotland or a United Kingdom? I will be making a very positive argument for our United Kingdom. It is now up to the people of Scotland to make that historic decision. The very future of Scotland depends on their verdict."

The deal between Cameron and Salmond entailed compromises from both sides.

Britain heartbroken at Andy Murray's Wimbledon defeat

LONDON — There was hardly a dry eye at Wimbledon as Andy Murray fell short Sunday to tennis legend Roger Federer, who powered  his way to a seventh victory in the English grass-court, Grand Slam classic. 

Murray had the crowd and the country — from his homeland of Scotland down to London — holding its collective breath in hope of finally seeing one of their own win the Wimbledon men’s singles after 76 years. But it was not to be.

The Murray family was overcome with emotion, mother Judy Murray who coached her son in his early years, his girlfriend, Kim Sears, who broke down in tears, and Murray himself choking up as he paid tribute to Federer and to his own supporters. “Thanks to everyone who has supported me. You did a great job. It's always tough,” he managed to say.

Photos: Britain hit by 'Murray Mania'

Murray told a BBC interviewer later, “I was really upset at the end because ... when I play at Wimbledon I feel that support and I want to try and obviously win for the nation, and I was upset I couldn’t do it.”

But after the tears, Judy Murray tweeted, “Lots to celebrate…. Amazing day. Amazing tourney. Amazing son.”

“It would have been great for Britain if he’d won,” said tennis fan Miryam Dragonetti, 33, a mother of three. “But it was fantastic play, really exciting up to the last set, where I felt Murray was beginning to lose it.”  

The streets of Murray’s home town of Dunblane in Scotland emptied as townsfolk watched their local hero on TV screens at home, in bars and at the clubhouse where the young Murray took his first tennis lessons.  After the grueling three-hour, 20-minute court struggle ended in heartbreaking defeat to the pride of Switzerland, the small town filled with disappointed but supportive fans.

Photos: Wimbledon men's final: Federer vs. Murray

One of them, Ian Conway, vice president of Scotland's national tennis association and a longtime friend of the Murrays, told a BBC-TV interviewer that the tears were understandable after such a battle against a great player such as Federer who has now won 17 Grand Slam tourneys. At the same time, “Andy will have learned a lot from it, he’ll be back, please believe it — the nation will be behind him.”

ALSO:

Roger Federer wins record-tying seventh Wimbledon title

 Britain's got tennis fever with Scotland's Andy Murray in Wimbledon final

 Nazi letter protected Jewish man who once served with Hitler

— Janet Stobart

Photo: Andy Murray of Great Britain reacts after losing to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men's tennis finals Sunday in London. Credit: Paul Gilham / Getty Images.

Britain's got tennis fever with Scotland's Andy Murray in Wimbledon final

LONDON — Britain was seized by a fever Sunday.

"Murray Mania" spread through the nation as an estimated 20 million people prepared to watch Andy Murray from Scotland fight to become the first British winner of the men’s singles in the Wimbledon lawn tennis championship since 1936.

Murray faces Swiss champion Roger Federer, a six-time winner of the trophy striving to equal the score set by American Pete Sampras, a seven-time Wimbledon winner.

Photos: 'Murray Mania'

Britons woke to newspaper headlines: “Andy we’re praying for you,” on the front of the populist Daily Mail, and “Andy make our day” pleaded the left-wing, more intellectual Observer, and the Wimbledon final dominated TV and radio news.

In Murray’s native Scotland the national paper, the Scotsman, reported Scottish flags flying in his hometown of Dunblane, where both his grandmothers were suffering from pre-match nerves.

“Andy has worked so hard and he deserves to win… We wish him all the best. We’ll say a wee prayer for him,” said 78-year-old Ellen Murray, who was 2 years old when Fred Perry became Britain's last men’s singles winner at Wimbledon.

Thousands braved rainswept conditions to reach the Wimbledon grounds in southwest London in  time to watch the match.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, were among the spectators along with a huge Scottish crowd ready to cheer from the stands and watch the giant screen from "Murray Mound," the newly christened hill inside the Wimbledon grounds.

Both leaders sent good-luck wishes to Murray.

“It’s a unique moment for any Scot,” said Salmond in media coverage. Over at the prime minister’s residence on Downing Street, the British flag was replaced by Scotland’s blue-and-white national flag for the occasion.

Around the country people spent Sunday afternoon in front of TV screens.

Philip Tomlin, a 35-year-old financier and keen tennis watcher in north London, said he couldn’t join his pals in front of the big screen set up outside London’s riverside Tate Modern art gallery.

“I’ll be watching at home. Murray’s got a good chance, I reckon — he’s got a new coach who's helped him with the mental side of the game, which was his weakness.”

Lilian del Gaudio from Brazil, watching at home in London, is a new tennis aficionado. “I don’t watch tennis, but I realize how important Wimbledon is in this country and how [the final] has changed the atmosphere of the place in the last few days. If he wins it would be a great day for Britain,” said the 31-year-old teacher.

In the Warwickshire village of Long Compton in West England, 82-year-old Susan Gladstone couldn’t wait to settle in front of the TV. “I haven’t got time to see you today,” she told a visitor, “I’ve got to watch the tennis.”

The Daily Telegraphy collected comments from Murray-watchers across the ocean. “We keep in touch with streaming mobile broadband on our Mac and we predict a win for Andy!!!” messaged John Quarterman and family from the Indian Ocean off western Australia.

Murray himself is geared for a challenge, he told interviewers. “The one thing I can guarantee is that I'll fight my absolute heart out. I need to give everything I have from the first point to the last.”

Photos: Serena Williams earns fifth Wimbledon singles title

One of the most coveted prizes of tennis' Grand Slam events, the Wimbledon trophy has long eluded British players. After Fred Perry’s victory of 1936, the next British winner was Virginia Wade in the ladies’ singles in 1977. But this year may be a turning point. Murray’s fight for victory follows the surprise men’s doubles’ win Saturday by unknown Briton Jonathan Marray partnered by Danish Frederik Nielsen.

ALSO:

Pressure is on both Roger Federer, Andy Murray in Wimbledon final

France,Germany reportedly agree to share euro chairmanship

'Poetry of the Taliban' elicits both anger, astonishment

— Janet Stobart

Photo: A shop window display in Dunblane, Scotland shows support for Andy Murray ahead of his Wimbledon tennis final against Roger Federer. Credit: Scott Heppell / Associated Press.

A taste of censorship for a wee food blogger in Scotland

The Coronation Chicken "tastes a lot better than it sounds." A bit of shortbread "is really nice because it's covered in sugar."

But at times, the ordering system can go awry.

"I ordered an enchilada but I got a sausage and bean pita pocket," Martha Payne wrote of her school lunch, giving it an iffy 5 out of 10 on the "food-o-meter."

Take note, Jonathan Gold. The Scottish 9-year-old may be the youngest food critic to have become an international sensation, thrust in the middle of a debate over free speech, fairness and why they call it "mince pasta."

Her blog, "NeverSeconds," includes photos of her school meals, ratings for tastiness and health, how many mouthfuls it took to down it, even the number of hairs. It also raises money to combat hunger. Children from around the world have shared their own snapshots of lunch from Israel and Japan.

But her latest post Thursday struck a very different note than her usual musings on sweet corn and where the chicken in her fajitas comes from.

"This morning in maths I got taken out of class by my head teacher and taken to her office," Martha wrote. "I was told that I could not take any more photos of my school dinners because of a headline in a newspaper today."

School officials told Martha to stop blogging after Scotland's Daily Record reportedly ran the headline "Time to Fire the Dinner Ladies" over her photo, fretting that cafeteria workers could be at risk.

The decision to ban photographs in the cafeteria was handed down by the area Argyll and Bute Council, her father, Dave Payne, wrote on the blog. The council argued that the photos "represent only a fraction of the choices available to pupils," giving an unfair picture of their school lunches.

"It is a shame that a blog that today went through 2 million hits, which has inspired debates at home and abroad and raised nearly £2,000 for charity is forced to end," Payne wrote Thursday.

Former aide to British Prime Minister David Cameron arrested

LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron's former press aide was arrested and charged Wednesday with committing perjury during a 2010 trial related to Britain's phone hacking scandal.

Scottish police said Andy Coulson had been arrested and charged, but gave no additional information. Earlier, police said officers had “detained a 44-year-old male in London this morning … on suspicion of committing perjury before the High Court in Glasgow.” The suspect was widely identified by British news reports as Coulson.

The arrest was reportedly related to testimony Coulson gave in the trial of Tommy Sheridan, a former Scottish lawmaker who was convicted of lying during a legal hearing.

Coulson was editor from 2003 to ’07 of the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, which was closed down last year by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch amid revelations that the newspaper had been involved in phone hacking.

In a 2006 civil case, Sheridan successfully sued the News of the World for libel over stories about adulterous conduct in swingers clubs. He was awarded about $300,000 but was later convicted of committing perjury over the tabloid’s charges and sentenced to three years in jail. He served one year.

During his time as Cameron’s press officer, Coulson testified in Sheridan’s perjury trial. In that case, the former lawmaker claimed he had been targeted by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, known to have carried out phone interceptions for the News of the World. Coulson denied knowledge of phone hacking during his tenure as editor.

On Wednesday, Coulson was taken by Scottish police from his London home for questioning in Glasgow, Scotland. Unlike in England, Scottish law decrees that suspects are not arrested but detained when under suspicion. Police said later that Coulson had been arrested and charged.

ALSO:

Rupert Murdoch sorry about phone hacking but is also defiant

Rebekah Brooks, five others to be charged in phone-hacking case

News Corp. revelations rock U.K. gov't: Special advisor to media minister ankles

-- Janet Stobart

Photo: Andy Coulson in London on May 10, 2012. Credit: Facundo Arrizabalaga / European Pressphoto Agency

Andy Coulson, former aide to Britain's leader, detained by police

LONDON -- Prime Minister David Cameron's former press aide was taken into custody by Scottish police Wednesday on suspicion of perjury during a 2010 trial related to Britain's phone hacking scandal.

Scottish police gave no details on the arrest beyond the customary statement that officers had "detained a 44-year-old male in London this morning ... on suspicion of committing perjury before the High Court in Glasgow.” However, he was widely identified by British media as Andy Coulson, Cameron's former aide.

The detention was related to testimony Coulson gave in the trial of Tommy Sheridan, a former Scottish member of the European Parliament who was convicted of lying during a legal hearing.

Coulson was editor from 2003 to 2007 of the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, which was closed down last year by media owner Rupert Murdoch amid revelations that the newspaper had been involved in phone hacking.

In a 2006 civil case, Sheridan had successfully sued the News of the World for libel over stories of his  adulterous conduct in swinging clubs. Although awarded about $300,000, Sheridan was later convicted of perjury and sentenced to three years in jail.

During his time as Cameron’s press officer, Coulson took the witness stand in Sheridan’s perjury trial in which Sheridan claimed he had been targeted by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, known to have carried out phone interceptions for the News of the World. Coulson denied knowledge of phone hacking during his term as editor.

On Wednesday, Coulson was taken by Scottish police from his London home for questioning in Glasgow, Scotland.  Unlike in England, Scottish law decrees that suspects are not arrested but detained when under suspicion.

Coulson had previously been arrested but released on bail on suspicion of illegal phone hacking and illegal payments to police officers in the London-based investigations into the widespread phone hacking and surveillance carried out over the last decade by News International and other papers in search of scoops. He is one of more than 40 people to have been arrested in the scandal by British police.

The revelations that the News of the World had hacked into the phone of teenage murder victim Milly Dowler last summer triggered public outrage and led to the paper’s closure, several civil and police inquiries and compensation payments by the Murdoch empire amounting so far to millions of dollars.

 RELATED:

Rupert Murdoch sorry about phone hacking but is also defiant

 Rebekah Brooks, five others to be charged in phone-hacking case

 

News Corp. revelations rock U.K. gov't: Special advisor to media minister ankles

-- Janet Stobart

Photo: Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson leaves the High Court in central London where he gave evidence at an inquiry into press ethics on May 10. Credit: Miguel Medina / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images.

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi dies in Libya

 

CAIRO -- Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi, convicted in the 1988 bombing of an American airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, died at home in Tripoli on Sunday nearly three years after passions around the case were reawakened when he was freed on compassionate grounds due to what was reported as advanced prostate cancer.

Megrahi, 60, a former intelligence officer, became an icon of state-sponsored terrorism under the rule of the late Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi. Megrahi repeatedly denied he had a role in the downing of Pan Am 103, which killed 270 people, including 189 Americans, and led to Libya’s further isolation as a rogue state.

PHOTOS: The Lockerbie bombing

Diminished and purportedly close to death, Megrahi was released from custody in Scotland in 2009 on humanitarian grounds. The gesture was immediately scorned by the families of victims and condemned by Western leaders, including President Obama.The release was widely seen as a backroom deal for Kadafi to provide oil and gas contracts to benefit Great Britain. British and Scottish officials denied the accusation.

Megrahi returned to Tripoli to a hero’s welcome, allowing Kadafi, a master of intrigue and theatrics, to use the homecoming as a propaganda ploy.

Must Reads: Scottish secession, Brazilian poverty, a wall in Jerusalem

From Scottish stirrings of secession to the razing of a Brazilian settlement, here are the five stories you shouldn't miss from this week's news from around the globe:

Scotland likely to hold a vote on independence from Britain

Brazil's poor seem left behind in growth spurt, observers say

Neighborhood pays price of being on wrong side of Israel's wall

Afghan chief Karzai arises as obstacle to U.S. talks with Taliban

India group's prosthetic device a boon for thousands of amputees

-- Emily Alpert in Los Angeles

Scots aren't the only ones considering independence

Scotland could take steps toward seceding from Britain, The Times' Henry Chu reports. It isn’t the only place in the world with an independence movement. Click on our photo gallery to see other places and people with strong or vocal pushes for autonomy -- or just browse through them here on the blog:

Tibet -- The Himalayan region is ruled by China. A Harvard academic was elected prime minister of its government-in-exile, which contends that Tibet was colonized by China. Monks say about 30 Tibetans were injured this month when Chinese police fired into a crowd of protesters.

Puerto Rico --The Caribbean island has debated whether to remain a U.S. protectorate or become a U.S. state. The Puerto Rican Independence Party wants it to become independent.

The Basques -- The Basques live in a region straddling the border of Spain and France. The Basque separatist group ETA, which is classified as a terrorist group by Spain, declared an end to violence in October.

Video: The iPhone's Siri vs. accents

Bad news for brogues: The Times' Henry Chu reports that Scots who rushed to buy the iPhone have found the "smart" gadget can't understand them. Just watch:

Apparently it isn't just Scots: Stuff, a British technology magazine, tried out other accents on Siri and found that Slovaks, Nigerians, Lithuanians and South Africans also get lost in translation:

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Scotland can stop painting its Forth Rail bridge 

The iPhone's Siri doesn't seem so smart in Scotland

Apple halts iPhone 4S sales in China after near-riot

-- Emily Alpert in Los Angeles