08/10/2013 Reporting Scotland

Tonight on Reporting Scotland, a rescue plan is launched for As many

as are of the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no" as the Scottish

government announces it is to take it into public ownership.

A Nobel prize for the Edinburgh University scientist, Professor

Peter Higgs much to the delight of his colleagues. You could not hear

what was being said because it was complete joy from everybody here who

had been waiting for this for such a long time. Also tonight, the Tibetan

monk who founded the UK's first Buddhist monastery in Eskdalemuir is

killed in China. A royal opening for the MS centre

with JK Rowling. And no punches pulled over the state of the current

Rangers board. Prestwick airport in Ayrshire is to be taken into public

ownership by the Scottish government. The owners have been

trying to sell it for the past 18 months and it has been losing £2

million a year. Our correspondent is at Prestwick Airport tonight for us.

This deal has thrown a lifeline to Prestwick Airport, with no private

investor willing to spend the millions needed to keep this airport

open. The threat of closure was looming. It has been given a fresh

lease of life with public money but a huge amount of work is required to

turn Prestwick Airport around. It is Scotland's largest commercial

airport and it has a runaway big enough for almost any plane,

civilian or military but that big scale has not shielded Prestwick

Airport from commercial pressures scale has not shielded Prestwick

and in recent years, it has struggled. Now the Scottish

government is stepping into by the airport. We want to secure the

future of Prestwick Airport and the businesses that depend on it, we

want to reassure staff that we will work with them and I can advise

Parliament that the Government has advised the current air port owners

towards a process of acquisition. APPLAUSE.

The for sale sign has been up for 18 months with no success. The New

Zealand firm which owns it has failed to find a buyer because

commercially, it is struggling. This airport handles a lot of freight.

12,000 tonnes last year but only one airline flies from here, a budget

carrier, Ryanair. Passenger numbers have been falling. In 2007, almost

2.5 million people were using Prestwick Airport. Five years on,

that number had fallen to just 1.1 million. That slide forced the

Government to step in. It is a moving the right direction. Either

that or the shuts. -- a movement in the right direction. It is not the

first airport to be bought or owned by the state. The Welsh government

bought Cardiff airport in March this year and the Highlands and Islands

airports are controlled by Scottish ministers and part funded by the

Government. Ministers aim to close the deal for Prestwick Airport

within six weeks and then with the hard work begins to return it to

strength and one day sell it off to a private company.

This is a pretty unusual move to nationalise an airport. Why is the

Scottish government doing this? Two very clear reasons, jobs and money.

There are about 300 people employed at the airport itself but this is

also an aeronautical hub here at Prestwick. Lots of businesses,

industry associated with the airport. The threat was that if the

airport itself were too close, those jobs would go anywhere between 3000

and 6000 links to the airport's future with the prospect of the

Scottish economy suffering to the tune of around £66 million a year so

potentially a devastating loss. But I think ministers are also aware

they have got a huge challenge on their hands because they will now

have to attract much more air freight to Prestwick Airport,

attract more airlines, not just Ryanair but other lines as well.

Critics say that the terminal building itself is in need of a

major make over. One MSP said that if you will do all that, let's go

the whole hog and rename the airport Robert Burns International. I am not

sure they will go that far but it is a sign that they were too radical

plan is required to make this place profitable again. It has got a good

ring to it! It was a long wait but worth it.

Professor Peter Higgs of Edinburgh It was a long wait but worth it.

University has won the Nobel Prize for physics. The 84-year-old shares

it with the Belgian, Francois Englert, for explaining how the

building blocks of the universe acquired their mass. They published

findings 50 years ago but were only proved right last year.

No computer, no calculator, just pen, paper and his intellect. That

is what Peter Higgs used to explain the universe we know. It was 1964

fast forward 49 years. Professor Peter Higgs, the University of

Edinburgh in Great Britain. Peter Higgs had theorised that I'm instant

after the big bang, some fundamental particles acquired their mass. With

that, their ability to come together into the matter that makes up our

universe has a roof that you would see a new particle, the Higgs boson.

This particle now at last has been observed last year by the

collaborations for experiments at the International Cern laboratory

outside Geneva. They had built the most complex machine in history

there, the large hadron Collider which accelerated two beams of

protons to almost the speed of light and smashed them together and there,

looking in the data, was the Higgs boson. I had never been in a

scientific meeting like that before. We all got up and cheered and

stamped. It was a completely new experience! But you must accept that

they were cheering you. It was not me they were cheering, I regarded it

as Cheers for the home team. Professor Peter Higgs has just won

the Nobel Prize! APPLAUSE.

It was greeted with applause at his old school and at Edinburgh

University. He came up with a theoretical explanation of the way

the world works, 50 years ago. And for that now to have been proven to

be true is really telling us that we are on the right track. This leaves

just one big question unanswered, where is the Higgs? Not the

particle, Peter Higgs. Apart from a short statement, he is nowhere to be

seen. I am not sure he yet knows, I hope he does! It took an

international effort to prove him right, and it look back to big -- it

looked back to the beginning of everything.

And Gordon Brewer will be discussing the significance of the Nobel Prize

on Newsnight Scotland tonight at 11 o'clock on BBC Two Scotland.

The founder of the UK's this Buddhist monastery has been killed

The founder of the UK's this in south-west China. Akong Rinpoche

set it up at Eskdalemuir in 1967. A statement from his brother says he

was killed along with another family member and a monk. We can cross now

to the monastery and our reporter. The building behind me is a Buddhist

symbol of peace but the piece of the monetary here at Eskdalemuir has

been shattered today by news of the murder in China of its founder,

Akong Rinpoche. Chinese police have issued a statement saying that he

was killed along with his nephew and driver in the city of Chengdu in

south-west China this morning. Apparently, by three other Tibetans

and apparently over a dispute about money. Those details have yet to be

confirmed. But news of his death was relayed to people here at around

four o'clock this morning and it was met with unbelievable shock and

disbelief. I think everyone here is in a state of shock. It seems such a

sudden cutting off of life that was incredible and with so many

different activities. He fled from his native Tibet in the 1960s,

walking out over the mountains to escape Chinese oppression. He ended

up here at Eskdalemuir in 1967 and has been developing the military and

the whole complex here ever since. He also founded the trust which is

in charity which has helped tens of thousands of people internationally

through humanitarian work around the world. He was a spiritual leader,

and educational leader, a Tibetan doctor and people here tonight as

saying he is simply irreplaceable. The defence secretary Philip Hammond

says the Scottish government's defence plans under Independents

remain insultingly vague. Speaking in Edinburgh, he claimed thousands

of Scottish jobs depended on Scotland remaining part of the

union. The SNP veterans Minister Keith Brown is challenging Mr

Hammonds to have what he called a proper debate on defence. -- Mr

Hammond. Independence is on the MoD's radar.

The Defence Secretary came to Edinburgh to meet workers making

military hardware. Launching his government's analysis of the defence

implications of independence, Philip Hammond says firms like this would

lose out if they voted yes. He said thousands of jobs relied on contract

is only awarded within the UK. The majority of those jobs are dependent

on the very large procurement budgets of the UK MoD and these

businesses owned industries are successful because they have

critical mass. If you take away a significant chunk of their demand,

it is far from certain that the rump of the demand would be able to

sustain business. The Scottish government insist that companies

will be able to bid for MOD business north of the border if they voted

yes. They say an unfair share of cuts, not independence, is the real

threat to defence jobs. We asked the question about where the defence

jobs will come from, but we must ask where they have gone. And Philip

Hammond contradicted those who said in the House of Commons that

Scotland has had a disproportionate share of the cuts, Philip Hammond

has now rubbished his readers is a was figures on this are the

important thing is we would increase the number of defence jobs from

around 11,000 up to 15,000. The SNP says defence budget of £2.5 billion

would detect jobs and give an independent Scotland the Armed

Forces it needs. Philip Hammond Corby plans insultingly vague today.

The arguments today are not just Corby plans insultingly vague today.

about the defence of the realm, they are about defending jobs. With so

many of them connected to the defence industry in Scotland, the

future has become a key independent issue with the battle lines now

drawn and that will only get harder fought as referendum day approaches.

You are watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC, still to come, the

Princess Royal opens a new love for research into multiple sclerosis

funded by the author, JK Rowling. In sport, the former Rangers manager

and chairman Walter Smith says the club needs to get rid of the

boardroom turmoil and make the team the top priority. And Ricky Burns is

talking to us about the broken jaw that made him question his future in

the ring. Join me for the sport coming soon. The children's minister

has been defending Government plans for every child to have a named

person. Catriona Renton reports. You will remember the faces of these

children. Brandon Muir, Carla Nicole Bone and Caleb Ness all died after

being neglected or abused. The idea behind having a named person for

every child could perhaps provide a safeguard not just in such extreme

and isolated cases but could give families who need help somewhere to

turn. From the moment a child is born in

Scotland, the Government would like them to have a named person as a

single point of contact for their welfare. This would probably be a

health visitor, or a teacher as the child gets older. For children and

their families and having someone who can work with them about any

help that they need. It could be as simple as signposting to repeat

service within the local area. In a school it could be around

identifying if there's a need assistance with homework or

identifying that that child need support. It could be as light such

as that. Where there is great in need, they will be a real bonus in

having the named person to coordinate services. Highland

Council has been running the scheme since 2010, and they say it works.

The role of named person reduces bureaucracy. It allows things to

happen more quickly. Previously, if a headteacher thought the child

needed a bit of extra support they might have to contact a whole range

of agencies. They might have to go to a meeting, submit a new

assessment. Now they simply say, I know this chore, I have spoken to

the family, they need more support. And it happens. However, the plans

are being criticised by those who feel they could lead into

unnecessary intrusion. I concern that this is for every child

irrespective of whether there are any problems within the family.

Their phallic up to us by the Faculty of Advocates -- we have had

it put to us by the Faculty of Advocates that this is

inappropriate. Implementation would be a massive task. There are more

than 1 million under 18 to in Scotland and there are concerns

about this whole system could work in practice, with teachers and

others were worried about the knock-on effects.

Police Scotland want to trace a 15-year-old girl from Dumbarton who

was last seen on Thursday October three. Emma McDonald travelled to

Perth to stay with her boyfriend and his family and was reported missing

last Monday after efforts to contact her failed. Emma, was last seen she

was wearing red jeans and a pink top.

Multiple sclerosis is a condition that has touched many lives in

Scotland, including Harry Potter author J K Rowling, whose mother

died of the disease. Today she saw the Princess Royal open the research

centre at Edinburgh University which she has funded, and which she hopes

will provide hope to thousands of MS sufferers.

It was the Princess Royal that hope and the new clinic but beside her

was the woman who funded it. None of this happened without support and

have such exceptional support is quite astonishing. A £10 million by

JK Rowling, the Saint is named after her mother, who died of MS aged just

45. In the past he has spoken of white is so close to her heart. It

was awful to watch. I started writing Harry six months before she

died, which is obviously real regret, because I never told her I

was even writing it. She knew I wanted to write, I'm not sure how

seriously she took it, so she never knew anything about Harry Potter. It

is patients like Chris Shaw who will be at the heart of research

undertaken here will stop he was diagnosed with MS at the age of 24.

It is not going to go away, you know from the moment you wake up how

you're going to be feeling for the rest of the day. Because I have good

days and bad days. Patients will be involved in clinical trials.

Presently, all these neurological diseases are without treatment,

effective treatment, and what patients want our treatment. The

challenge for the research community is to deliver treatments that will

make a difference. Chris hopes that he will be part of that. It may be

too late for me, I do not know, but he will be part of that. It may be

if I can help somebody else who's coming along behind, it may even

have MS at the moment but does not know it, I can then help towards

finding a cure for finding to make life easier.

Other stories from across Scotland life easier.

this Tuesday. Cineworld has been ordered to sell

one of its cinemas in Aberdeen. The Competition Commission says its

takeover of the Picturehouse chain could drive up prices for

film-goers. Cineworld, which currently owns three of Aberdeen's

four cinemas, says it intends to sell the Belmont Picturehouse as a

going concern. Tram testing has started in the

capital between the depot at Gogar and Edinburgh Park Station. It will

continue until the service begins next year. Pedestrians and drivers

are being warned to take extra care on the roads at the points where the

trams will cross. The test programme will build up gradually, but

eventually there will be more than 150 tram journeys a day along the

line. The world-renowned school of textile

design at Heriot Watt University is teaming up with the makers of Harris

Tweed. The project aims to introduce new technology to the world-famous

fabric. That could lead to new products in fashion and interior

design. Moray Council looks set to be the first local authority in

Scotland to double council tax rates on long-term empty properties to try

to bring them back into use. Councillors have agreed to increase

council tax on such homes by 50% next year and then by 100% in April

2015. There are believed to be over 600 properties in Moray that have

been left empty for over a year. And there are more stories from your

area - and all the latest news, 24 hours a day, on BBC Scotland's

website. The former Rangers chairman Walter

Smith is urging the club to return to making the football team the

priority. Smith says there's "an obvious suspicion" that that's not

the case the way it's currently being run. He wants rid of what he

calls the "boardroom turmoil" and hopes the upcoming AGM will settle

any arguments. Kheredine Idessane has more.

When this man dons the clubs, expect him to pack a punch. Arguably

Rangers greatest ever manager, he is still an Ibrox heavyweight and he

has aimed a blow at some of the current custodians who have resided

over £40 million loss, questioning whether they are all acting in the

club 's best interest. There is an obvious suspicion that the club is

not the main reason why people are running it. I think after the AGM,

if we get back to the fact that Rangers is a football club and it

should be run for the football club and for the football team. I think

that would be a massive step. Some supporters and the shareholders want

big boardroom changes at the upcoming annual general meeting.

Smith simply longs for a return to normality. We have to get rid of the

boardroom turmoil. The football side will look after itself. We have to

settle down the boardroom, which may happen after the AGM. Former

director Dave King has been speaking to Rangers in South Africa about

renewing his arrangement with the club. It is a move Walter Smith says

he would welcome. The Aberdeen manager, Derek McInnes,

may be the manager of the month for September, but he knows his team are

far from the finished article. Aberdeen were unbeaten last month

and lie fourth in the Premiership. McInnes, though, says their start to

the season has been no better than decent and he's keen for that to

improve. If we can get a level of consistency, as other teams have

shown in recent years and get involved in European sports, then

that is right for us. Evra course of the season you have to do well

enough. We have not shown anything to suggest that yet. We have done is

get off a decent start. Ricky Burns says he questioned his

boxing future after suffering a broken jaw in his last fight but

he's now raring to get back in the ring. The WBO World Lightweight

champion expects to fight again in February. Talks are under way for a

re-match in Glasgow with the man who broke his jaw, the Mexican Raymundo

Beltran. Burns has been speaking to our reporter Phil Goodlad. Four

weeks ago, the career of Ricky Burns looking real danger. Now the world

champion is planning his ring return. I'm hoping the jaw is going

to hear back to the way it was, which the surgeon said it would.

Once I start sparring, I will be more confident. The broken jaw

required metal plate inserted into his face. The injury and the pain

made him question his future in boxing. At the time I thought about

what is going to happen with my boxing career. It was just a couple

of days after the injury had happened. When they took me to

hospital odyssey they gave me painkillers and nothing was

working, not even the strongest ones. He expects to get the all

clear from doctors next month and by then he should know who he will face

in his comeback fight next year. But he wants only one man. Raymundo

Beltran has got to get his rematch. I know they have spoken to him about

it and whether he wants to come over here for it. I think it makes sense

to have the fight over here. There is still much to D4 Ricky Burns

before he re-enters the ring but the prognosis looks a lot healthier than

it did for weeks ago. It's been a successful year for

Scotland's female athletes, which has been reflected in the

nominations for Scottish athlete of the year. Eilidh Child is one of the

nominees along with Eilish McColgan, Laura Muir, Libby Clegg and Sunday's

Great Scottish Run women's winner, Susan Partridge. Chris O'Hare is the

only male on the short list. A bit of girl power there the

athletes. Just like in here! And spray much! This week,

temperatures are taking a bit of a dive. Certainly by Thursday,

reaching for the heating, I think. On Wednesday the showers will be

increasing and the wind strengthening. A dry and cloudy

start to the night for most. To the far north, a band of showers.

Certainly a cold at night and of late. Tomorrow we have this area of

hype treasure act to the West and the strong winds tracking down cold

air from the Arctic. Temperatures taking a plunge, certainly compared

to the last few days. Tomorrow, there will be a rational showers

across the north and north-west. Fairly cloudy with showers elsewhere

through the morning. As we head to the afternoon the central belt

writing up. A different story in the North. Showers will be frequent

across the Northern Ireland and the north of the mainland. Winds around

60 mph. Pretty raw in the wind as well. That is also snow over the

hills, above around 600 metres. Further south, temperatures not that

much higher, but given a bit of sunshine and the wind a bit lighter,

eating much better can add with further north. The rest of the

evening and overnight, the showers tending to clear away at staying

windy. It will be a cold night. High pressure starts to establish itself

as we head towards Thursday. Settling things down. It is dry and

bright but still cold. Still windy down the East Coast.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news in brief. Prestwick Airport in

Ayrshire is to be taken into public ownership by the Scottish

Government. The airport's owners have been trying to sell it for the

past 18 months and it's been losing £2 million a year. Professor Peter

Higgs of Edinburgh University has won the Nobel Prize for Physics. The

84-year-old shares the prize with the Belgian Francois Englert for

explaining how the building blocks of the universe acquired their mass.

And that's Reporting Scotland. From everyone on the team here in Glasgow

and around the country, have a very good evening.