:00:24. > :00:30.Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight: the next owner of Rangers.
:00:30. > :00:34.American businessman, Bill Miller, given the go-ahead to buy the club.
:00:34. > :00:41.The administrators say that the deal secures the future and the
:00:41. > :00:51.past of the club. The club will continue the way it
:00:51. > :00:56.
:00:56. > :01:01.has 440 years. Importantly this There we will examine that claim.
:01:01. > :01:06.Also, a review says that dangerous offenders says -- should be tracked
:01:07. > :01:15.by satellite. And a drop in the number of Scottish beaches making
:01:15. > :01:23.it into the excellent category. And the newly released old films
:01:23. > :01:28.showing how we live and work in the The American businessman Bill
:01:28. > :01:33.Miller has been named as the preferred bidder for Rangers. The
:01:33. > :01:37.administrators say that his bed is unconditional and the hope he will
:01:37. > :01:42.complete the transaction by end of the season. Bill Miller said buying
:01:42. > :01:51.the club would be a great honour and privilege and he promised to
:01:51. > :01:54.end the culture of all spending at Ibrox. Finally some clarity.
:01:54. > :02:04.A we are delighted to announce that we have received an unconditional
:02:04. > :02:04.
:02:04. > :02:10.bid for the assets of the club. Shortly afterwards a statement from
:02:10. > :02:20.the man himself. He was trying to allay fears and criticising their
:02:20. > :02:30.
:02:30. > :02:32.During the victory over Dundee United last night some supporters
:02:32. > :02:40.protested against the administrators and the proposed
:02:40. > :02:44.takeover. Will they get Bind him now? It has not been too great for
:02:44. > :02:51.us from three months. We're hoping Bill Miller will get us back to
:02:51. > :02:59.where we used to be. I am not sure about this idea of moving assets in
:02:59. > :03:05.and out of a company. As long as we exist as Rangers, we do not want to
:03:05. > :03:12.lose the brand name. Ally McCoist said if we keep playing in blue at
:03:12. > :03:15.Ibrox then we will still be Rangers but we all want to keep the history.
:03:16. > :03:23.Brian Kennedy and Paul Murray said they are surprised and disappointed
:03:23. > :03:27.that their own attempt was knocked back. Why did it come up short?
:03:27. > :03:34.simple terms it was not as worthwhile for creditors and there
:03:34. > :03:38.were issues and conditions which meant that it was less deliverable.
:03:38. > :03:42.After weeks of uncertainty, a professor at a. The American has a
:03:42. > :03:49.chance to turn this club around. His biggest challenge will be to
:03:49. > :03:55.convince the supporters he has what it takes to keep the club alive.
:03:55. > :04:02.What do we know about Bell Miller and what are his plans for the
:04:02. > :04:09.clock? Our Football Correspondent compiled this report. Could this
:04:09. > :04:15.all soon be Bill Miller's? He has designs on Rangers football club.
:04:15. > :04:20.But what of the businessman? He is from Detroit and 65 years old. He
:04:20. > :04:27.is the chief executive of a touring company based in Tennessee. In the
:04:27. > :04:32.sport world he is best known for an unsuccessful interest in car racing.
:04:32. > :04:36.I cannot speak of his interest and Rangers. Although we did speak to
:04:36. > :04:40.one person today who said they had no idea he was even interested in
:04:40. > :04:44.soccer. He does have a knack for bringing companies that have been
:04:44. > :04:52.in the red and then bringing him out of the red, so to speak. And
:04:52. > :04:58.doing quite well out of that. plan was made public last month. It
:04:58. > :05:04.involves splitting up the current company. The beating heart, as Bill
:05:04. > :05:09.Miller called it, we go into a new company. Staying with the old
:05:10. > :05:13.company, or the ailing patient, would be the toxic debts. The
:05:13. > :05:18.administrators will tend to the patient buys -- seeking an
:05:18. > :05:22.agreement with creditors. All going well be Curate patient will be
:05:23. > :05:28.reunited with the beating heart. But that operation is not without
:05:28. > :05:38.its difficulties. Particularly if the club lose their battle with the
:05:38. > :05:40.
:05:40. > :05:44.taxman. It is 6 million to be shared in the region of 150
:05:44. > :05:50.creditors. Not hugely attractive. The Inland Revenue will be key as
:05:50. > :05:57.to whether that is acceptable. We think it is unlikely to be
:05:57. > :06:00.acceptable to age MRC. This man still owns over 80% of the club's
:06:00. > :06:07.shares. He could still have a significant role to play in the
:06:07. > :06:14.future of the club. If the CBA is agreed, how do they get money for
:06:14. > :06:19.the shares? Craig White does not even be too self. He could get
:06:19. > :06:24.shares in the new, or combined company. -- he does not need to
:06:24. > :06:34.sell. So yes, it is possible that he does not get a penny, but I
:06:34. > :06:35.
:06:35. > :06:40.would say, unlikely. Our reporter joins us now from Ibrox. What is
:06:40. > :06:50.also unclear is whether the club will face a further sanctions. What
:06:50. > :06:50.
:06:50. > :06:56.do the SPL say? They are saying nothing on the record this evening.
:06:56. > :07:00.The simple answer is that they are facing sanctions. The initial bed
:07:00. > :07:04.from Bill Miller was conditional on him receive income from the
:07:04. > :07:10.footballing authorities about the possibility of taking it Rangers
:07:10. > :07:15.into the SPL as an new company. The administrators today said that he
:07:15. > :07:18.had asked -- received does assumes us. But then a source at the SPL
:07:18. > :07:27.said to me they have given absolutely no assumes as to the
:07:27. > :07:31.team of Bill Miller. -- no assurances. Regards HMI see, one of
:07:31. > :07:38.the administrators said that they are aware and supportive of the bed.
:07:38. > :07:43.But they responded this evening contradicting that. Today, plenty
:07:43. > :07:53.of answers, but you get a feeling, plenty of questions remain
:07:53. > :07:54.
:07:54. > :08:02.Still to come: the 100 and 50th Anniversary of the last woman
:08:02. > :08:06.hanged in public in Scotland. In the sport, more punishment from the
:08:06. > :08:16.SFA for Neil Lennon. And Champions League football is coming to
:08:16. > :08:20.
:08:20. > :08:25.Motherwell. We will be speaking to A report into the case of an
:08:25. > :08:29.Aberdeen man who tried to kill a Women in 2009 so that he could rape
:08:30. > :08:34.her granddaughter's has recommended that satellite tracking be
:08:34. > :08:39.introduced for serious sex offenders. Ryan Yates attacked the
:08:39. > :08:44.women in a park with a knife as she attempted to protect the two girls.
:08:44. > :08:48.The incident came just days after he was released from prison. He is
:08:48. > :08:52.currently serving a ten-year sentence. He had been out of prison
:08:52. > :08:57.less than one week when he attacked a woman with an knifed in this
:08:57. > :09:02.Aberdeen Park. He was trying to get to have grandchildren. It prompted
:09:02. > :09:06.a major review which has now criticised the police, council, and
:09:07. > :09:11.a range of others. What happened here shocked the community. The
:09:11. > :09:15.Independent report has highlighted a series of failures and made
:09:15. > :09:19.independent recommendations to, amongst others, social workers, the
:09:19. > :09:25.police, and the Prison Service. Chief amongst those recommendations,
:09:25. > :09:29.satellite tracking for high risk offenders. There is a higher risk
:09:29. > :09:34.related to the release of Serial sex offenders and the need for more
:09:34. > :09:40.or pre-release planning. I am delighted to hear it that a
:09:40. > :09:43.Scottish Government a car looking at such proposals. We spoke today
:09:43. > :09:48.to the grandmother attacked. She welcomed the findings and hoped
:09:48. > :09:54.they would prevent anything similar happening again. This neighbour
:09:54. > :09:59.keen to her aid. It needs to be better policed. This disaster could
:09:59. > :10:05.have been stopped before it started. They do have to monitor and these
:10:05. > :10:09.types of people. The Scottish Government say that they will give
:10:09. > :10:12.careful consideration to the findings. A spokesperson for the
:10:12. > :10:17.agencies involved said it was not possible to monitor an individual
:10:17. > :10:24.at all times but procedures would be kept under constant review to
:10:24. > :10:28.keep communities three from harm. Polls have been open all day for
:10:28. > :10:31.the council elections and close at 10pm tonight. It is the first time
:10:31. > :10:34.since devolution that the council elections have not been held on the
:10:34. > :10:41.same day as elections to the Scottish Parliament. Counting
:10:41. > :10:46.begins tomorrow morning. A farmer from Elgin has told a High Court
:10:46. > :10:54.that he did not tell Arlene Fraser. Hector Dick was giving evidence at
:10:54. > :10:57.the trial of the husband accused of her murder. The prosecution claimed
:10:58. > :11:03.that the obvious conclusion was that Hector Dick was responsible
:11:03. > :11:07.for the killing but he denied the claim. The trial continues.
:11:07. > :11:12.There has been a drop in the number of Scottish beaches recommended in
:11:12. > :11:22.this year's excellent beach guide. Our reporter spent the day in the
:11:22. > :11:23.
:11:23. > :11:28.seaside town of larks which failed to make the list. -- Largs. Not
:11:28. > :11:32.only is this water cold, it has failed to make the grade. But there
:11:32. > :11:39.might be a good excuse. The beaches on the west coast were battered in
:11:39. > :11:44.the winter months by wind and waves. That could have made a difference.
:11:44. > :11:50.Heavier rainfall can lead to sources of bacteria being washed
:11:50. > :11:59.into sources of bacteria -- from our been areas. It can also create
:11:59. > :12:04.overflows of a fraud piloted -- raw and undiluted sewage. Only 41% of
:12:04. > :12:08.Scottish beaches where recommended for their excellent water quality.
:12:08. > :12:14.Add to drop from last year. Those who spend their days on these
:12:14. > :12:19.waters accept it has been a difficult year. They have been lots
:12:19. > :12:23.of short downpour, heavy rain over short periods. I suspect that has
:12:23. > :12:27.contributed to the water quality issues. We want to welcome
:12:27. > :12:32.international sales to these water so it is critical to offer the best
:12:32. > :12:39.facilities and conditions. Those relying on the tourist trade say
:12:39. > :12:43.there is no room for complacency. People don't want to come somewhere
:12:43. > :12:49.or if there is a risk of their children becoming ill or the it
:12:49. > :12:52.being unable to do what they plan on a day out. This is usually a
:12:52. > :13:00.beautiful place with at great beach normally, but it is disappointing
:13:00. > :13:03.to hear this. Scotland is the only place in the UK where our beach
:13:03. > :13:08.standards are failing to make the grade. The Marine Conservation
:13:08. > :13:11.Society hope that by launching this guide they can keep pressure on
:13:11. > :13:20.water companies and local authorities to tackle the source of
:13:20. > :13:25.I look now at what else has been happening across the country. A man
:13:25. > :13:30.has been charged in connection with two fires in Dundee eight days ago.
:13:30. > :13:36.15 people were evacuated in the first. Several there was were
:13:36. > :13:39.trapped by smoke falling another tenement fire elsewhere. The
:13:39. > :13:44.world's First experiment to test the impact of carbon Storage is
:13:44. > :13:49.being held in a gale. Carbon- dioxide Gas has been pumped into
:13:49. > :13:55.the sea bed. Scientists want to understand the large-scale
:13:55. > :14:00.implications of storage. Pumping it underground, there will it stay
:14:00. > :14:05.there? How will we know? Saw the results of this experiment will
:14:05. > :14:15.hours to see the actual effects if any of the sea or teat leaked out
:14:15. > :14:19.
:14:19. > :14:22.Radioactive fuel rods had been taken to Sellafield and Cumbria for
:14:22. > :14:28.reprocessing. Thousands of cyclists will be
:14:28. > :14:32.heading to Aberfeldy of a the next week for the 4th sickling Festival.
:14:32. > :14:42.The centrepiece is the road race next Sunday in which 5500 will take
:14:42. > :14:42.
:14:42. > :14:46.part. The idea for the festival is to get people involved in cycling.
:14:46. > :14:55.We have been trying to encourage visitors to stay longer and to
:14:55. > :15:03.enjoy the benefits of Perthshire. More stories from Urania other on
:15:03. > :15:08.BBC News's website 24 hours a day. Up -- EU area up.
:15:08. > :15:11.A unique snapshot of how people in Scotland lived and worked in the
:15:11. > :15:15.1940s has been made available to the public. Short films made by the
:15:15. > :15:23.British Council can now be seen and downloaded from the Organisation's
:15:23. > :15:29.website. Sir Walter Scott called Scotland
:15:29. > :15:33.stern and wild. The tones typical of a bygone age,
:15:33. > :15:37.but this 1941 documentary project Scotland and the world as a land of
:15:37. > :15:41.invention. It is part of a collection as originally
:15:41. > :15:46.commissioned by the British Council and has now been digitised ready to
:15:46. > :15:56.download. Among them, short films that offer a rose-tinted vision of
:15:56. > :15:57.
:15:57. > :15:59.life north of the border. It shows Scotland in its glory, it
:16:00. > :16:05.has never looked more beautiful especially in the technicolour
:16:05. > :16:12.films. Jack Cardiff was the cinematographer and started out
:16:12. > :16:22.making these films. This is the toll booth where wrongdoers were
:16:22. > :16:23.
:16:23. > :16:27.once imprisoned. Whenever these films were set, they never sold
:16:27. > :16:30.short by the land they showcased. They were aimed at a global
:16:30. > :16:35.audience of millions and a commissioned in the knowledge they
:16:35. > :16:38.were anything but neutral. Back then, we been involved in a bit of
:16:38. > :16:46.propaganda. These films were at a time when there was a critical war
:16:46. > :16:50.effort going on and we were told, or we decided, that they should be
:16:50. > :16:58.positive - an image of Britain to portray to the world.
:16:58. > :17:08.Within one year, 120 films will be available to download. Fact or
:17:08. > :17:15.fiction, it's a chance to see ourselves as others used to see us.
:17:15. > :17:17.In case you ask, I wasn't there. I thought that was you at the end!
:17:17. > :17:21.Champions League football was heading to Motherwell. They have
:17:21. > :17:26.qualified for European club football's which is competition for
:17:26. > :17:34.the first time. They have qualified for the qualifiers but it is still
:17:34. > :17:38.a big deal. They may still need to make budget cuts next season.
:17:38. > :17:42.The fairy tale is Miller reality. Motherwell are in the Champions
:17:42. > :17:47.League which means the likes of Lionel Messi could be coming
:17:47. > :17:50.through the tunnel here next season. First of all, the need to negotiate
:17:50. > :17:59.the qualifiers. How realistic is it they could
:17:59. > :18:02.reach the group stages? I am normally an optimist but it will
:18:02. > :18:07.require some outstanding performances because the teams we
:18:07. > :18:13.could get a decent teams and far stronger than we are likely to face.
:18:13. > :18:18.How many clubs will enjoy coming to this tight little ground? We will
:18:18. > :18:23.see, it is a dream. Rangers's defeat of Dundee United
:18:23. > :18:29.last night guaranteed Champions League that offer Motherwell.
:18:29. > :18:34.is something special. While it is through the default of Rangers, we
:18:34. > :18:40.do not care. It is unbelievable for a club like Mother will to get into
:18:40. > :18:44.the Champions League. Despite the achievement, mother well expect to
:18:44. > :18:48.have to trim their budget next season. It is not like a Scottish
:18:48. > :18:53.Cup final which enabled us last season to keep the same budget. The
:18:53. > :18:58.budget is going to get reduced and I think that is true for every
:18:58. > :19:05.Scottish Premier League club next season. The last big Heidi had was
:19:05. > :19:08.against Borussia Dortmund at back in 1984. To reach the financial
:19:08. > :19:16.nirvana of the Champions League group stages, they will have to
:19:16. > :19:19.navigate the likes of Dynamo Kiev with Chelsea lying in wait.
:19:19. > :19:24.Neil Lennon has been given a three- match ban for confronting the
:19:24. > :19:29.referee after Celtic's semi-final defeat by Hearts. They have also
:19:29. > :19:32.given him a suspended three-match ban for the incident. He escaped
:19:32. > :19:35.sanction for tweeting that he thought decisions against his team
:19:35. > :19:40.were personal because it was found he was not responsible for posting
:19:40. > :19:44.the tweets. Heads have edged closer to Premier
:19:44. > :19:54.League survival. There are five points ahead of Dunfermline with
:19:54. > :19:55.
:19:55. > :20:00.two matches to play. -- Hibs. They beat Aberdeen 2-1. Their second
:20:00. > :20:07.goal was scored by Sean O'Hanlon. Despite their point advantage, they
:20:07. > :20:13.are not taking survival for granted. Unfair one can still catch us. We
:20:13. > :20:19.have a big game against them on Monday. That. They got last night
:20:19. > :20:25.was a valuable point. We have to take confidence out of last night's
:20:25. > :20:28.resort. You will have your own opinion over
:20:29. > :20:31.whether the new Rangers would be able to play it in the Premier
:20:31. > :20:36.League if they emerge from administration but this man has no
:20:36. > :20:39.doubt. Former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan was back in Scotland as an
:20:39. > :20:43.ambassador for our youth football. He says the Scottish game,
:20:43. > :20:47.especially the top level and especially Celtic, the dangers.
:20:47. > :20:52.There has to be punishment but you cannot Kalla club of the history
:20:52. > :20:56.like that. So many players and so many managers and coaches have put
:20:56. > :21:06.so much into the club and two white that away, that is not right. That
:21:06. > :21:10.cannot be right. Celtic will enjoy winning anything if Rangers are
:21:10. > :21:14.there and vice versa. After knocking the seven-times
:21:14. > :21:18.world champion Stephen Hendry at of the World Championships, Stephen
:21:18. > :21:25.Maguire is up against it in his semi-final against Ali Carter.
:21:25. > :21:30.Carter has been in fine form leading 5-3 and just watch the shot.
:21:30. > :21:33.Lovely. Maguire can afford that smile as it is the first to 17
:21:33. > :21:41.frames and the match resumes tomorrow.
:21:41. > :21:45.More details on that tomorrow. 150 years ago this week, a 27-year-
:21:46. > :21:50.old mother of four was hanged in Dumfries. She had been convicted of
:21:50. > :21:54.murdering her neighbour in the remote Gallwey community where they
:21:54. > :21:57.both lived. The hanging of Mary Timney was to make history such was
:21:57. > :22:01.the revulsion at the spectacle of have a death and it was the last
:22:01. > :22:08.time a woman would be hanged in public in Scotland.
:22:09. > :22:18.-- of her death. If Walls Could Talk, what a story
:22:19. > :22:27.
:22:27. > :22:32.this would be. The victim of the murder - a 40-year-old spinster.
:22:32. > :22:42.This modest two-bedroom house and many town the's tiny cottage were
:22:42. > :22:43.
:22:43. > :22:47.only a few yards apart. In one of them, police found Anne Hannah
:22:47. > :22:55.lying in a pool of blood with terrible injuries. Mary Timney was
:22:55. > :23:03.found with blood on her pet a court. This writer dramatised the episode
:23:03. > :23:11.for radio and found the judgment. To be hanged by the neck up on a
:23:11. > :23:15.gibbet until she be dead. Humphreys was angry about executing a ought -
:23:15. > :23:19.- a young woman in public. There was a petition for mercy but none
:23:19. > :23:24.was given. This was the sight of the prison where Mary was brought
:23:24. > :23:28.to await execution. Where the gallows did, a rusting fire escape
:23:28. > :23:34.offers a flavour of her last walk. She had to be assisted to the
:23:34. > :23:38.scaffold. She was in a state of despair. She gave a piercing shriek
:23:38. > :23:44.when she witnessed the scaffold, the sort of sound that would have
:23:44. > :23:52.wanted onlookers. 3000 came to bear witness and not to gloat. They
:23:52. > :23:56.prayed and sang Psalms. The crowd's sympathy with some consolation for
:23:56. > :24:00.her descendants. It showed that people and the local area showed
:24:00. > :24:06.sympathy towards arrant perhaps they felt that she had done it
:24:06. > :24:11.because her children were starving. A short time later, the public
:24:11. > :24:17.hanging of women in Scotland was banned in Scotland ensuring Mary
:24:17. > :24:21.Timney her place in history. A fascinating story. Before the
:24:21. > :24:25.weather, our money expect Fergus Muirhead will be back next
:24:25. > :24:35.Wednesday on the lunchtime programme. He will be answering
:24:35. > :24:38.
:24:38. > :24:41.questions on tax and any problems What's of sunshine today, I believe.
:24:41. > :24:45.We will see some sunshine for the course of this evening and over the
:24:45. > :24:51.weekend but there will be some slight changes. Some warm sunshine
:24:51. > :24:59.today with high temperatures. Glasgow saw 20 Celsius but there
:24:59. > :25:02.was some cloud on the north-east coast. Quite a sharp contrast.
:25:02. > :25:08.Change on the cards tonight as this cold front pitches across Scotland
:25:08. > :25:12.bringing cloud and rain. It introduces colder northern winds so
:25:12. > :25:16.it will turn significantly colder. Plenty of sunshine on offer this
:25:17. > :25:26.evening and it will be lovely for most places. Rain across more
:25:27. > :25:28.
:25:28. > :25:34.northern areas and cloud will sink set words. Diet clear conditions. -
:25:34. > :25:38.- dry and clear. Five or six Celsius under the cloud.
:25:38. > :25:42.Tomorrow starts off rather dull with outbreaks of rain but it will
:25:42. > :25:50.improve and brighten up. Some wintery showers in the North
:25:50. > :25:55.particularly in the north-east. The south-west corner see some lovely
:25:55. > :26:04.sunshine. Noticeably colder tomorrow with temperatures of 10
:26:04. > :26:07.Celsius. Sunshine for the outer Hebrides. We should see some
:26:07. > :26:12.brightness and as I mentioned, the main focus of the showers tomorrow
:26:12. > :26:15.will be across the North-East with perhaps some sleet. Much of the
:26:15. > :26:22.East of Scotland hold on to drier conditions with some brightness
:26:22. > :26:27.breaking through. A few showers towards the eastern borders.
:26:27. > :26:32.Predominantly dry for the rest of the day and be showers in the North
:26:32. > :26:37.will continue for some time before becoming confined to the north. The
:26:37. > :26:46.weekend will be largely dry and bright and southern Scotland. It
:26:46. > :26:50.will be that bit cooler and that is A summary of the top stories:
:26:50. > :26:54.documents released today reveal that Osama Bin Laden was carrying
:26:54. > :26:59.out -- planning to carry it terrorist plot right up until he
:26:59. > :27:04.died. The American businessman Bill
:27:04. > :27:08.Miller has been named as the preferred bidder for Rangers. The
:27:08. > :27:12.club's administrators say his bet is unconditional and he ought to
:27:12. > :27:15.completed by the end of the season. I read you into the case of Ryan
:27:16. > :27:20.Yates who attacked a woman to try to get to his granddaughter's
:27:20. > :27:23.recommended that satellite tracking should be used for serious sex
:27:23. > :27:28.offenders. It happened just days after he was released from prison.
:27:28. > :27:30.Up a steady and slow economic recovery is on the way according to