The Daily: October 3

Military Wives win Single of the Year at Classical Brit Awards
Gareth Malone and his choir of Military Wives won Single of the Year at the Classical Brit Awards last night for their single Wherever You Are. Voted for by the public, it beat Nessun Dorma and the award was described by Malone as being "the candle on the icing of a very large cake". The Wives later performed the Diamond Jubilee anthem Sing, accompanied by Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Gary Barlow, both on grand pianos, who composed the song. Other winners included Sir John Williams, who was given a lifetime achievement award and Best Composer, and Benjamin Grosvenor who, at only 20 years old, became the youngest male winner at the awards winning the Critics' Choice prize.

Last fluent speaker of Cromarty dies
The last native speaker of the fisherfolk dialect Cromarty has died aged 92. Bobby Hogg, a retired engineer, was the last known speaker after his brother Gordon died last year. The language is thought to have arrived with families of Norse and Dutch descent and was used in the north of Scotland around the Black Isles area. A book of dialect words was compiled in 2009 by researcher Janine Donald for the Highland Council's Am Baile project, but that is all that remains now. Conversations between the Hogg brothers were recorded as part of the project and the Council has pledged to preserve and recognise the region's dialects.

Woman uses 17 umbrellas to propose to partner in Central Park
To onlookers it may have looked like a scene from a film but in reality it was a very real event. A New York woman proposed to her partner using 17 members of her family and friends holding umbrellas in Central Park. With an array of colours, they were lined up on Bow Bridge and as the couple approached in a boat, the umbrellas were lowered to reveal the proposal written along them. They were celebrating their fifth anniversary in New York where they met. With the proposal accepted, the couple are hoping to spend a few months enjoying their time before beginning to plan a wedding.

Highland village plans to twin with a spot on Mars
It may be millions of miles away from the planet but the community of Glenelg in west Scotland is making plans to hold a twinning ceremony as it shares the same name as a spot on Mars. With NASA's Curiosity rover set to arrive in the area on the 20th October, the town is planning the ceremony for the same day. American astronaut Bonnie Dunbar will visit the town and the celebrations will include a traditional ceilidh. The Community Development Trust officer, Emma McLean, told the Scotsman that, "the nameplace connection with Mars is a great thing for Glenelg, but also for Scotland."

Dog travels the world to raise awareness for abandoned dogs
Oscar was a day away from being put down when Joanne Lefson adopted him and started taking him around the world. Having seen more sights than most dogs ever will, he surely is one of the best travelled dogs on the planet. He's been travelling since 2009, has travelled twice the circumference of the Earth and is doing it to raise awareness for abandoned dogs. Pictures have popped up with him in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and next to the Eiffel Tower. Joanne said, "Travel remains in our bloodstream as does the case for dog adoption. An estimated half a billion dogs on the planet are homeless."