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Catch up on the most popular stories on the BBC Scotland news website.

SUNDAY 19 JULY

Sunday ferry makes first sailing

The controversial first scheduled Sunday ferry sailing from Stornoway on Lewis to mainland Scotland has gone ahead as planned.

Mental health patients go missing

Police are searching for two patients who have been missing from a mental health hospital in Perth since Friday afternoon.

Train hits man at level crossing

A man was taken to hospital after being hit by a train at a level crossing in Dingwall, Ross-shire, on Saturday afternoon.

SATURDAY 18 JULY

Europe's oldest puffin, 34, found

Ornithologists say they have found the oldest known puffin in Europe on an island off the west coast of Scotland.

Rescuers refuse hoaxer's donation

Rescuers in the Highlands have declined a £2,000 donation from a climber who stamped the word "help" in snow on a mountainside.

Huge drop in Corn Bunting numbers

Conservationists have called for more work to be done to save a once common farm bird whose numbers have declined by an estimated 83%.

FRIDAY 17 JULY

Rescuers refuse hoaxer's donation

Rescuers in the Highlands have declined a £2,000 donation from a climber who stamped the word "help" in snow on a mountainside.

Two teenagers die after car crash

An 18-year-old driver and his 15-year-old passenger have died following a crash on an unclassified road in Aberdeenshire.

Body found during platform hunt

Rescuers searching for a man who went missing from a North Sea oil platform have found a body after a major operation was launched.

THURSDAY 16 JULY

Comedian traces Clearances link

Actor and comedian David Mitchell has traced his paternal Scottish roots back to Sutherland sheep farmers living at the time of the Highland Clearances.

Fatal factory blast 'avoidable'

The explosion at the Stockline plastics factory in Glasgow was an "avoidable disaster", according to a public inquiry into the tragedy.

Chance to avoid Puma crash missed

A chance to prevent the North Sea helicopter crash in which 16 men died was missed, experts investigating the accident have revealed.

WEDNESDAY 15 JULY

Anger at 'war graves picnickers'

Signs are to be erected at Culloden Battlefield asking visitors to respect the site as a war grave following a complaint about picnickers.

Commons row over new Forth bridge

Ministers in the House of Commons have been urged to "stand firm" and resist a Scottish Government plea for extra money for the new Forth Bridge.

Four years for crystal meth maker

The man behind what is believed to be Scotland's first illicit crystal meth laboratory has been jailed for four years.

TUESDAY 14 JULY

Old Firm 'in talks' over TV deal

Celtic and Rangers may be set to mount a bid to take on the broadcasting rights to the Scottish Premier League, following the collapse of Setanta.

Uefa police attack fans charged

Two Rangers fans have been charged over attacks on police officers after last year's Uefa Cup Final in Manchester.

Nearly naked riders' midge fears

Two men cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats in only their underwear are bracing themselves for encounters with the Scottish midge.

MONDAY 13 JULY

Sheridan denies perjury charges

Former Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan and his wife Gail have pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury during a preliminary hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Fatal fireman working on day off

The fireman killed as he helped save more than 20 people from a burning Edinburgh tenement was working overtime on his day off.

'Whistling' deer spark searches

A mountain rescue team called out twice to investigate shrill whistling suspect it was the call of deer and not walkers in distress.