Scotland's week in the news

BBC News Online Scotland looks back at the stories making the headlines over the last week.

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Media tycoons, the Barclay brothers - owners of the Scotsman newspaper - launched an official takeover big for the Daily Telegraph and sister Sunday paper on Sunday.

They are said to be prepared to pay more than £250m for the parent company Hollinger International.

On Monday it was claimed that Scotland could see significant changes to its railway services as a result of the transport secretary's UK review.

Sources close to Alistair Darling said there could be greater integration of tracks and trains.

A major expansion of Edinburgh's Waverley station may also be controlled by Holyrood.

Gillian Purvis, 33, died on Tuesday following a fire in the St George's Cross area of Glasgow.

The blaze started in a public house on the ground floor of a four-storey building which was extensively damaged.

One woman died following the blaze

People from a number of flats were being cared for by the social services.

On Wednesday Scottish National Party leader John Swinney said Labour was "softening up" Scotland for the eventual introduction of student top-up fees.

It followed a comment by former education minister Sam Galbraith that higher fees were inevitable.

Labour dismissed Mr Swinney's remarks.

Westminster was accused of almost criminal negligence following new complaints by Scots troops about equipment shortages in the Iraq war on Thursday.

Senior Black Watch officers said they were seriously let down by the lack of protective clothing against nuclear, biological or chemical attack.

CJD causes the brain to degenerate

Friday saw a judge give the go-ahead for a mother-of-two to receive experimental drug treatment for vCJD.

Her husband was at the Court of Session in Edinburgh to hear the decision.

A neurosurgeon will now operate to install a catheter to allow the drug PPS to be released into the 40-year-old woman's brain.