London, Nov 14 : London’s Metropolitan Police is to enter into negotiations for buying its headquarters, New Scotland Yard, after Land Securities puts the famous building up for sale.

The Metropolitan Police has decided to put in a bid to buy New Scotland Yard building, worth more than 100 million pound, which it currently rents.

Owner Land Securities put it on the market this week, saying it had generated “strong investor interest”.

The 20-storey building in Victoria Street, central London, has been home to the force since the 1960s. The decision to buy the site with taxpayers'' money was taken at a special Metropolitan Police Authority meeting.

Edinburgh, Oct 9 : Sharia courts, which have been operational in England for more than a year now, will soon be set up in Scottish cities, like Edinburgh and Glasgow. Secret talks are said to be underway to bring these courts to the neighbouring country.

The move is being opposed by several quarters of the Scottish society. Attempts to set up sharia courts in Canada in 2005 were abandoned after protests.

Qamar Bhatti, director of the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT), which runs the courts, admitted secret discussions were taking place with lawyers and Muslim community groups in Scotland, reported The Scotsman.

The Executives of the Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) are in Bangalore for a week to meet possible partners for doing their IT work. This step of out-sourcing has been taken by the HBOS to cut-down on its expenditure. However, a leading newspaper reveals that the trip of 11 Executives has cost the company 45,000 pounds. 

London- Scotland Yard chief Ian Blair resigned from his post Thursday following a series of allegations ranging from corruption to racism and the shooting of a Brazilian man mistaken for a terrorist.

Blair, 55, Britain's most senior policeman, said he had taken the "personal decision" to step down as commissioner of the Metropolitan Police long before his current contract ends in January 2010.

Blair has been severely criticized in connection with the killing by police of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes who was mistaken for a terrorist during a police hunt in July 2005.

Edinburgh, September 29 : Scotland has announced that it would build the world’s first tidal farms under the sea within three years, which would be a major step in marine renewable energy.

According to a report in The Scotsman, two tidal projects, each with up to 20 turbines, could be installed on the seabed in the Pentland Firth and the Sound of Islay. A third is planned off the North Antrim coast in Northern Ireland.

The aim is that all the underwater turbines would be constructed in Scotland, kickstarting the renewables industry in the country.