:00:19. > :00:24.Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight: As the excitement builds
:00:24. > :00:27.for the London Olympics, Andy Murray gets to carry the Torch on a
:00:27. > :00:31.day of double distinction for Scotland.
:00:31. > :00:41.Sir Chris Hoy will carry the flag for Team GB.
:00:41. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:48.To be able to lead your team out is a huge day. I have never been to an
:00:48. > :00:58.Opening Ceremony before. Later in the programme: Back behind bars -
:00:58. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:04.the naked rambler appears in court. Our rotten weather means rotten
:01:04. > :01:09.strawberries. I will be reporting from the
:01:09. > :01:17.Chinese city where one of Scotland's greatest Olympians was
:01:17. > :01:20.born. Sir Chris Hoy has been named as
:01:20. > :01:26.Team GB's flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.
:01:26. > :01:32.Four years ago, he carried the Union Jack at the Closing Ceremony.
:01:32. > :01:38.Our reporter is at the Olympic Stadium for us tonight. How was he
:01:38. > :01:48.chosen? Well, welcome to London 2012. This is the first time you
:01:48. > :01:51.
:01:51. > :02:01.will be seeing us. Sir Chris Hoy was joined by his peers. All 542
:02:01. > :02:09.
:02:09. > :02:13.team members of Team GB chose him. Scotland's greatest Olympian flying
:02:14. > :02:18.the flag for sporting excellence. Four years ago it was the Beijing
:02:18. > :02:22.Closing Ceremony. On Friday he has been chosen to lead the British
:02:22. > :02:26.team into London's Olympic Stadium. It's a huge honour. I was delighted
:02:26. > :02:35.when I heard yesterday and got the news. To billion able to lead your
:02:35. > :02:39.team at any -- to be able to lead your team at any Olympics is a huge
:02:39. > :02:46.deal. I have never been to an Olympic Opening Ceremony before.
:02:46. > :02:53.This is quite a way to do it. Hoy is the Olympic gold medallist!
:02:53. > :02:59.He's won three here and in three different races. Becoming the
:02:59. > :03:07.Olympic flag bearer is extra special as he was voted for by
:03:07. > :03:14.fellow athletes. The carry the flag is very emotional. It epitomises
:03:14. > :03:18.what it is to be British. His is an extraordinary career. Chris Hoy has
:03:18. > :03:24.competed in three Olympics from which he has brought home four
:03:24. > :03:31.golds and Britain's new flag bearer has won 11 world titles.
:03:31. > :03:39.fantastic choice. He helped us design the velodrome and hopefully
:03:39. > :03:43.disappearing with a sack of medals from here! His honours aren't
:03:44. > :03:48.confined to the cycling track. Knighted three years ago, it will
:03:48. > :03:56.be Sir Chris Hoy at the head of the British team hoping to inspire and
:03:56. > :04:01.lead by example. It wasn't just Chris Hoy who was
:04:01. > :04:06.making the news today. Also Andy Murray and he is looking forward to
:04:06. > :04:09.his second Olympic Games. Andy Murray was carrying the Olympic
:04:09. > :04:13.Torch around Centre Court at Wimbledon with Venus Williams.
:04:14. > :04:18.Murray is very much focused on taking part in his second Olympic
:04:18. > :04:25.Games. This is not his first return to Centre Court since being beaten
:04:25. > :04:28.in the Wimbledon final by Roger Federer. I went on a few days after
:04:29. > :04:38.the final, I sat on the court for a little bit. It was nice coming back.
:04:39. > :04:39.
:04:39. > :04:43.There was a good crowd there. very exciting. BBC Reporting
:04:43. > :04:47.Scotland will be there with you every step of the way. The whole
:04:48. > :04:51.team is coming down this week. We are looking forward to seeing Sir
:04:51. > :04:58.Chris Hoy on Friday night in front of 80,000 people carrying the flag
:04:58. > :05:07.for Team GB and we will be reporting all of the build-up until
:05:07. > :05:11.then. The man known as the naked rambler has appeared in court again.
:05:11. > :05:17.Stephen Gough was arrested on Friday by Fife Police and appeared
:05:17. > :05:22.in the dock today - naked - and pleaded not guilty to a breach of
:05:22. > :05:27.the peace. He is known for baring all but there was barely a glimpse
:05:27. > :05:31.of the naked rambler as he arrived at court draped in a blanket and
:05:31. > :05:35.waving to the media. He is accused of breach of the peace in
:05:35. > :05:39.Dunfermline on Friday. It's claimed police received three public
:05:39. > :05:46.complaints. When they approached Mr Gough he refused to cover himself
:05:46. > :05:54.or to move on. He walked into Court 1 naked today. He appeared before
:05:54. > :06:04.the Acting Sheriff. Mr Gough represented himself and he made no
:06:04. > :06:05.
:06:05. > :06:15.plea for bail. Mr Gough was freed from Perth prison last week. Police
:06:15. > :06:18.
:06:18. > :06:24.opted not to re-arrest him. The authorities must now find a new
:06:24. > :06:33.approach. You are watching Reporting Scotland.
:06:33. > :06:40.Still to come: The smouldering recycling dump that's been burning
:06:40. > :06:43.for weeks. Why our strawberry farmers say the
:06:43. > :06:48.bad weather has cost them over �10 million.
:06:48. > :06:58.It is another day at Ibrox. We hear from one of Scotland's
:06:58. > :07:02.Olympic gold medal hopes. A political row has broken out over
:07:02. > :07:06.how much renewable energy will end up costing consumers. UK Government
:07:06. > :07:09.plans to promote renewables have been criticised by a committee of
:07:09. > :07:15.MPs. They warn that long-term contracts aimed at reducing the
:07:15. > :07:22.risk for investors in wind, wave and tidal power will mean costs may
:07:22. > :07:32.be passed on to householders. This village was one of the first
:07:32. > :07:34.
:07:34. > :07:40.in the UK to run its own wind turbine to cut energy bills.
:07:40. > :07:46.have put in a biomass heating system in the sports club. We have
:07:46. > :07:50.provided free insulation for householders in the village. A
:07:50. > :08:00.whole variety of different things to do with energy. On a day like
:08:00. > :08:00.
:08:00. > :08:06.today, I don't need to remind you that Scotland has an abundance of
:08:06. > :08:09.renewables. For renewables to realise potential on a large scale
:08:09. > :08:14.is going to require massive investment and persuading energy
:08:14. > :08:22.companies to do this hasn't proven easy. The UK's Business Secretary
:08:22. > :08:27.was on a tour of a renewable plant this morning. He is proposing a
:08:27. > :08:31.system of subsidies to reduce risk for investors. There are more
:08:31. > :08:34.turbines in the North Sea than in any other parts of the world
:08:34. > :08:40.developing wind technology. This can happen on a big scale. With it,
:08:40. > :08:45.thousands of highly-skilled jobs in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
:08:45. > :08:49.But the House of Commons Energy Committee says proposals for a new
:08:49. > :08:53.Energy Bill are in danger of botching these plans because,
:08:53. > :08:58.without Treasury backing, companies are unlikely to commit to the
:08:58. > :09:03.levels of investment needed. Consumers are the ones who will be
:09:03. > :09:06.suffering the most because what we don't know is there is a partner in
:09:06. > :09:09.this somewhere. We don't know who this partner is. It should be the
:09:09. > :09:19.Government. The Treasury have been particularly backwards in telling
:09:19. > :09:21.
:09:21. > :09:31.us what they are doing. Most consumers face spiralling energy
:09:31. > :09:31.
:09:32. > :09:39.bills. The annual bill is around �1,310 compared to �1,105 in 2010.
:09:39. > :09:46.This is an increase of �205 or 18.6% over the last two years. The
:09:46. > :09:50.Energy Committee says the Energy Bill needs a major rethink. The
:09:50. > :09:56.Scottish Government says its priority is to work with the UK
:09:56. > :09:59.Government to ensure energy reforms continue to support Scotland's
:09:59. > :10:05.climate change targets. Tributes have been paid to a
:10:05. > :10:10.grandmother killed in a crash in Aberdeenshire. Muriel Duffy, 73,
:10:10. > :10:13.died after the collision on the A90 near Blackdog yesterday. One man
:10:13. > :10:20.has been treated for life- threatening injuries.
:10:20. > :10:26.Now, nothing says summer quite like strawberries and cream. Hand in
:10:26. > :10:33.hand with our rotten summer is rotten fruit! The bad weather has
:10:33. > :10:36.cost farmers up to �10 million. Our reporter is in Perthshire for us.
:10:36. > :10:45.Not quite the bumper crop the fruit growers would have been hoping for?
:10:45. > :10:48.No, that's right. It's been another miserable day here. For the fruit
:10:48. > :10:52.growers, the bad weather has serious consequences. You would
:10:52. > :10:57.expect people to be out there picking strawberries. Instead, the
:10:57. > :11:07.only work that's been going on here has been the dismantling of the
:11:07. > :11:07.
:11:07. > :11:15.poly-tunnels. The farmer has chosen to cut his losses for this field.
:11:15. > :11:19.They are the taste of summer. Unfortunately, summer hasn't
:11:19. > :11:29.arrived. Peter Thomson would expect these poly-tunnels to be full of
:11:29. > :11:30.
:11:30. > :11:34.strawberry pickers. It is very depressing. We have put all the
:11:34. > :11:40.work in over three years to get to this stage and we are not able to
:11:40. > :11:48.pick it now we have done the work. There will be some people deciding
:11:48. > :11:54.it is not worth carrying on growing strawberries. It is estimated that
:11:55. > :11:58.the bad weather has cost the industry in Scotland �10 million
:11:58. > :12:02.and there's a straightforward explanation. On a day like this,
:12:02. > :12:11.when it is pouring with rain, it is difficult to sell soft fruit. When
:12:11. > :12:18.the sun is shining, it is easy. People want strawberries. They sell
:12:18. > :12:22.themselves. It has been hard going this summer. On a day when the
:12:22. > :12:26.dispute over milk prices was near the top of the political agenda,
:12:26. > :12:31.there was sympathy from soft fruit growers but also some exasperation.
:12:31. > :12:41.At the moment, we are getting 30% less for our strawberries than we
:12:41. > :12:41.
:12:41. > :12:48.were a year ago. I think that that figure has been in decline.
:12:48. > :12:53.they can do is cut their costs for the lean times ahead and hope for
:12:53. > :12:56.better weather. What can be done to improve the situation? People could
:12:56. > :13:00.buy more strawberries. Perhaps understandably, the farmer I spoke
:13:01. > :13:05.to today said that given the low price of strawberries they are
:13:05. > :13:08.getting a particularly good deal. There is no doubt that the weather
:13:08. > :13:13.plays a crucial part. This is the third or fourth bad summer the
:13:13. > :13:23.fruit growers have had to face. Hopefully, there will be better
:13:23. > :13:28.
:13:28. > :13:32.news for them when we get the forecast later.
:13:32. > :13:35.The The eight regional forces have being merged to cut costs. The new
:13:35. > :13:41.Chief Constable will take charge of what will be the second largest
:13:41. > :13:49.force in the UK with more than 17,000 officers when it gets up and
:13:49. > :13:59.running next April. ScotRail will launch a half-hourly
:13:59. > :14:04.
:14:04. > :14:12.Sunday service on the Edinburgh- Glasgow route from September.
:14:12. > :14:18.A distillery has been bought by a French drinks giant. It was re-
:14:18. > :14:23.opened 12 years ago by a group of private investors.
:14:23. > :14:33.The transport group Stagecoach has completed the purchase of parts of
:14:33. > :14:37.
:14:37. > :14:43.the bus firm Coach America. A famous carved stone has been
:14:43. > :14:53.returned to its traditional home in a graveyard on Mull. Historic
:14:53. > :14:57.Scotland had removed the 500-year- old from the parish church due to
:14:57. > :15:00.erosion. A new genetic test is being
:15:00. > :15:06.developed which could help save the Scottish wildcat from extinction.
:15:06. > :15:10.The blood test will allow the number of pure-bred wildcats to be
:15:10. > :15:15.counted and inthro deuced into the breeding programme -- introduced
:15:15. > :15:21.into the breeding programme. The opening day for Scotland's
:15:21. > :15:24.newest entertainment venue has been announced. The Hydro will open for
:15:24. > :15:30.business on September 2nd next year. It will be used for concerts and
:15:30. > :15:40.other live shows and will seat 12,000 people.
:15:40. > :15:41.
:15:41. > :15:45.There are more stories from your area on BBC Scotland's website.
:15:45. > :15:55.Police investigating the theft of up to 50 laptop computers from
:15:55. > :16:01.
:16:01. > :16:08.Glasgow City Council, some of which were used by elected members. Of
:16:08. > :16:10.the 50 machines taken, 26 were used by councillors with all but three
:16:10. > :16:14.encrypted. A fire at an Aberdeenshire
:16:14. > :16:18.recycling plant is causing a headache for locals. It is still
:16:18. > :16:23.smouldering more than four weeks on. Some locals say they are worried
:16:23. > :16:27.about their health and one family is wearing protective face masks
:16:27. > :16:32.when the smoke blows in their direction.
:16:32. > :16:38.Hardly an inferno, but this fire involving around 500 tonnes of
:16:38. > :16:42.woodchipings at a recycling plant has been burning for 29 days now.
:16:42. > :16:49.The smell of smoke in the air is pun gent all around, but tests say
:16:49. > :16:55.it is not dangerous. This man lives nearby. The smoke has been so bad
:16:55. > :17:02.at times that he and his wife and daughter have donned face masks.
:17:02. > :17:08.When it is blowing over here and we are surrounded by smoke, when it
:17:08. > :17:14.turns wet, it turns into a thick smog. I felt it would be better to
:17:14. > :17:21.make myself and my family put these masks on. These pictures were taken
:17:21. > :17:28.several weeks ago. The owner of the plant tried to tackle the fire but
:17:28. > :17:32.it was estimated one million gallons of water would be needed.
:17:33. > :17:42.We regret any inconvenience to the neighbours. We are sorry there is a
:17:43. > :17:45.
:17:45. > :17:55.smell of burning of woody material. It is under control. I think to let
:17:55. > :18:04.
:18:04. > :18:09.it burn out has been a sound decision. The Environment Agency is
:18:09. > :18:18.happy to let this smouldering pile of woodchips burn itself out. The
:18:18. > :18:23.only problem is no-one knows how long that will take.
:18:23. > :18:28.The Scottish Olympic hero Eric Liddell, who inspired Chariots of
:18:28. > :18:33.Fire, is to be honoured in China. The city of Weifang is planning a
:18:33. > :18:41.new museum featuring his story. Liddell, who won gold at the Paris
:18:41. > :18:47.Games, spent most of his life in China.
:18:47. > :18:57.In the city where Eric Liddell was born, his influence can still be
:18:57. > :19:05.traced. This former pupil, now 86, has paid tribute by writing the
:19:05. > :19:11.first biography of Liddell in Chinese. He was a nice teacher. He
:19:11. > :19:21.was very kind to the people. He was very, very good teacher for me. He
:19:21. > :19:23.
:19:23. > :19:29.was very, very - nobody can compare my former teacher. Liddell found
:19:29. > :19:33.time for the sport that made him famous. Eric Liddell helped design
:19:33. > :19:39.this athletics stadium and won one of his last gold medals on this
:19:39. > :19:45.track. They are taking this place apart piece by piece to make way
:19:45. > :19:52.for a commercial development in fast-changing China. When the
:19:52. > :19:56.stadium's gone, Liddell will not be forgotten. The children of another
:19:56. > :20:02.city, Weifang, are taught about Liddell in the school built on the
:20:02. > :20:12.site of the camp where he was held prisoner in World War Two. He was a
:20:12. > :20:13.
:20:13. > :20:21.good guy? He was a good guy. He is remembered for making internment
:20:21. > :20:31.bearable for many. Liddell taught the children to live with spirit,
:20:31. > :20:31.
:20:31. > :20:37.live with passion. There is an exhibition telling Liddell's story
:20:37. > :20:44.and the building where he died is to become a larger museum including
:20:44. > :20:52.a reconstruction of his prison room. It's Weifang's way of honouring the
:20:52. > :20:58.Scottish Olympian who dedicated his life to helping others in China.
:20:58. > :21:08.You can see more in Eric Liddell: A Champion's Life on BBC Two Scotland
:21:08. > :21:21.
:21:21. > :21:24.at 10.00pm tonight. Alasdair has the latest sport now.
:21:24. > :21:30.Brian Kennedy released a statement this morning. In that statement he
:21:30. > :21:35.said he has made a bid of �5.6 million for a controlling stake at
:21:35. > :21:43.Rangers, a bid that he said was rejected back in June and he said
:21:43. > :21:47.he has been in negotiations with people at Ibrox. Charles Green
:21:47. > :21:52.released a statement a few hours ago saying he has never received
:21:53. > :21:59.any offer from Brian Kennedy and he's not interested in selling a
:21:59. > :22:04.controlling stake. Kennedy was last seen when his bid was rejected back
:22:04. > :22:11.when Charles Green's bid was favoured by the administrators Duff
:22:12. > :22:17.& Phelps. Rangers were still in negotiations with the SFA for
:22:18. > :22:23.membership and the Stan-off between them and the SPL continues. SPL are
:22:23. > :22:32.looking for Rangers' media rights and Rangers are looking for the SPL
:22:32. > :22:37.to drop their investigation into dual contracts.
:22:37. > :22:41.The only Scottish boxer heading to London 2012 says gold would make up
:22:41. > :22:47.for the disappointment of winning silver at the Commonwealth Games.
:22:47. > :22:52.Josh Taylor was reduced to tears after missing out on the top prize
:22:52. > :23:02.in deli two years ago. Last time it was silver, it wasn't
:23:02. > :23:07.
:23:07. > :23:17.good enough. This time it has to be gold. Josh Taylor is on a mission.
:23:17. > :23:24.I want to win. He is one of British boxing's brightest prospects and he
:23:24. > :23:34.hates losing. If I got beat as a kid, I would throw the board.
:23:34. > :23:36.
:23:36. > :23:40.Taylor won silver in deli two years ago. -- Delhi two years ago.
:23:40. > :23:46.don't want to feel that disappointment again. I don't want
:23:46. > :23:50.to feel like a loser again. I want to be a winner. It is more than 50
:23:50. > :23:56.years since a Scottish boxer medalled at the Olympics. Josh
:23:56. > :24:00.Taylor is pulling out all the stops to change that. I have a taste for
:24:00. > :24:09.it. Josh Taylor, World Champion, Josh Taylor, European Champion, on
:24:09. > :24:14.a bit of paper. Josh Taylor Olympic Champion... We will find out soon
:24:14. > :24:19.enough whether Josh's notes are accurate.
:24:19. > :24:23.The London Olympics dominate the sporting horizon. But it is two
:24:23. > :24:27.years until Glasgow hosts the 2014 Commonwealth Games. To mark the
:24:27. > :24:32.occasion, competitors past and present got a first glimpse of the
:24:32. > :24:35.developing athletes' village in the city's East End and a former
:24:35. > :24:41.Olympic hockey star is certain Glasgow will host a Games to
:24:41. > :24:45.remember. As soon as the Closing Ceremony finishes, the athletes'
:24:45. > :24:54.attention will turn towards Glasgow. It is a massive event for the
:24:54. > :25:04.athletes. To have it on the home turf will be a big experience.
:25:04. > :25:06.
:25:06. > :25:10.is all the sport tonight. Here, it couldn't get any worse,
:25:10. > :25:13.could it? Today has probably been could it? Today has probably been
:25:13. > :25:18.the wettest day of the week! Good evening. That July sunshine was
:25:18. > :25:24.pretty hard to come by north of the border today. We have had a band of
:25:24. > :25:32.rain draped across the country. The picture for this evening is that
:25:32. > :25:42.rain will sink southwards. That does mean a decent end to the day.
:25:42. > :25:47.For central and southern Scotland, it stays cloudy and damp.
:25:47. > :25:53.Temperature-wise, we stay on the mild side. Winds will ease down,
:25:53. > :25:58.too. Tomorrow, it is a decent start to the day for the northern half of
:25:58. > :26:08.the country. From the central belt southwards, it is a different story
:26:08. > :26:10.
:26:10. > :26:19.- cloudy with outbreaks of rain once again.
:26:20. > :26:29.Once again, the best of the drier and brighter conditions will be
:26:29. > :26:35.over the Northern And west rn Isles. Light -- and Western Isles. Light
:26:35. > :26:43.winds tomorrow. Through the rest of the afternoon, that rain sinks
:26:43. > :26:46.southwards once again. So that rain retreats and on Wednesday high
:26:46. > :26:52.pressure builds in across the country. It is looking like the
:26:52. > :27:02.Pick of the Week in terms of drier and brighter weather. On the whole,
:27:02. > :27:09.it is looking fine and dry. For Thursday, rain returns to
:27:09. > :27:14.southern Scotland. For the bulk of southern Scotland. For the bulk of
:27:14. > :27:19.the country, it is looking decent. Thank you. Now, a summary of the
:27:19. > :27:27.top stories: Jacques Rogge, the President of the International
:27:27. > :27:33.Olympic Committee, said he had a simple message - he is confident