Blast Inquest Targets MoD

The Ministry of Defence is to be 'in the dock' as an inquest has begun into the deaths of four UK soldiers, including the only UK female soldier to die in Afghanistan. Cpl Sarah Bryant, 26, of Cumbria, died while on patrol in June 2008 with three SAS reservists - Cpl Sean Reeve, L/Cpl Richard Larkin and Pte Paul Stout. Coroner David Masters said the six-day inquest would look at their equipment, training and mine detection drills. The four were in a Snatch Land Rover, a light vehicle in which 37 UK soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lottery Backs History

A Welsh history museum is looking forward to a bid for an £8.7m lottery grant. St Fagans: National History Museum in Cardiff applied for the money from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as part of a £20.75m redevelopment of the site. The open-air museum has been awarded a "first round pass", which means it has up to two years to submit full plans. Funding of £450,000 has been awarded to develop the proposals.

Blue Peter Sails Amazon

Childrens' TV personality Helen Skelton has become the first woman to kayak the entire length of the Amazon. The Blue Peter presenter was greeted by cheering children and celebratory gunfire as she crossed the finish line after kayaking 2,000 miles. Skelton set off on January 20 near Nauta in Peru, and finished 2,010 miles downstream at Almerim in Brazil.

Dumfries Attack Probed

Police are seeking witnesses after a 14-year-old girl was injured in an attack near a McDonald's restaurant in the south of Scotland. The incident took place at about 11.30pm on Friday on the Lochside Road in Dumfries with the victim suffering a number of cuts and bruises as a result of the attack. Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary are trying to trace two young women who carried out the assault and have issued brief descriptions of the duo. The first is about 22 years old with blonde hair with dark streaks in it. The second is described only as having dark hair.

Engineering Industry Maintains Lead

The improvements in order intake and output volumes reported by the engineering manufacturing sector in the final quarter of 2009 have been maintained into 2010. That's according to the latest review of the industry by Scottish Engineering, the industry support group. However, as order intake within the engineering sector as a whole remains negative, large companies are bucking that trend and have returned positive results. Dr Peter Hughes, Chief Executive of Scottish Engineering said: "While we are disappointed that our sector has failed to break through into the positive area on all fronts, the signs are at least indicating that we are heading in the right direction."

(BMcC/GK)