:00:00. > :00:00.A surprising intervention by President Obama
:00:07. > :00:11.He tells journalists it's up to the people of Scotland,
:00:12. > :00:23.but from the outside he thinks the UK works pretty well.
:00:24. > :00:31.We all face later a key in making sure that one of the closest allies
:00:32. > :00:34.that we will ever have remains strong, robust, United and
:00:35. > :00:37.effective. But
:00:38. > :00:39.the First minister says independence Our political editor assesses
:00:40. > :00:43.the significance of the President's Millions of pounds over budget
:00:44. > :00:47.and years late - now the Edinburgh trams project is
:00:48. > :00:53.to face a judge-led inquiry. Celtic's target
:00:54. > :00:55.for the manager's job. We'll have the latest from Celtic
:00:56. > :00:59.Park as negotiations continue. And we speak to a former Dundee
:01:00. > :01:03.nurse who cared for injured soldiers The President of the United States
:01:04. > :01:23.has appeared to back Scotland While saying the referendum was
:01:24. > :01:28.a matter for Scots, Barack Obama said America had
:01:29. > :01:31.a "deep interest" in the UK The First Minister, Alex Salmond,
:01:32. > :01:36.said that an independent Scotland would mean America had two great
:01:37. > :01:39.friends Here's our political editor
:01:40. > :01:53.Brian Taylor. The American President was with
:01:54. > :01:57.other world leaders at the summit in Brussels and he was asked to comment
:01:58. > :02:03.on the future of the united kingdom, under riffling and the membership of
:02:04. > :02:09.the European Union. He said it was noticed, but he favoured a strong
:02:10. > :02:16.United Kingdom. With respect to the future of the United Kingdom,
:02:17. > :02:19.ultimately this is to the people of people at and, in the case of
:02:20. > :02:26.Scotland, there is a riffling processing please. I would say that
:02:27. > :02:32.the United Kingdom has been an extraordinarily part two is, from
:02:33. > :02:41.the outside at least. It looks like things have worked pretty well. We
:02:42. > :02:49.obviously have 80 interlaced in making sure that one of the closest
:02:50. > :02:55.allies that we will ever have remains strong, robust, United and
:02:56. > :03:03.effective. Ultimately these are decisions that are due to be made by
:03:04. > :03:07.the people they are. Alex Salmond is a regular visitor to the United
:03:08. > :03:10.States novel has access to the administration has been limited
:03:11. > :03:12.recently. He denied that the intervention would harm his
:03:13. > :03:20.campaign, saying the people of Scotland would do so. As President
:03:21. > :03:25.Obama says, this is one for the people of Scotland. When Scotland
:03:26. > :03:33.becomes independent, America will have two allies rather than one. And
:03:34. > :03:36.rather more than 200 years ago, America fought for its independence
:03:37. > :03:41.and we are very fortunate that we have a democratic, and he is by
:03:42. > :03:46.which we can talk for our independence. In some ways, my
:03:47. > :03:55.message to President Obama is yes we can. Until now, the White House has
:03:56. > :03:58.stayed neutral, but even today, intervention is cautious. Supporters
:03:59. > :04:04.of the union say it is highly significant. When we need them
:04:05. > :04:08.decisions we tend to talk to our friends and in that since the views
:04:09. > :04:17.of people around the world will contribute to the study. But now the
:04:18. > :04:22.president's remarks sweet people in Scotland, people say it is an
:04:23. > :04:25.important moment in the campaign but supporters of independence say that
:04:26. > :04:33.people in Scotland will decide for themselves.
:04:34. > :04:36.Our political editor Brian Taylor is at the Parliament for us.
:04:37. > :04:39.what will Scottish voters here take from this intervention
:04:40. > :04:49.That depends on what side of the campaign you listen to. That frees,
:04:50. > :04:55.yes we can, a stunning round and election winning remark of President
:04:56. > :05:04.Obama's. It was the phrase used by President Obama, and he also used
:05:05. > :05:11.the word. They are going to turn this into a leaflet, and handed out
:05:12. > :05:16.tonight to hand to potential voters. The response from the other side is
:05:17. > :05:20.to say that some of this was orchestrated by UK government. A
:05:21. > :05:26.senior National Assembly were astonished by these remarks. They
:05:27. > :05:33.did not expect President Obama to have a say at the moment.
:05:34. > :05:36.And Scotland 2014 will be discussing that Obama intervention tonight,
:05:37. > :05:44.Yes, we'll be discussing whether President Obama's intervention will
:05:45. > :05:47.change any minds in Scotland with the directors of both the Better
:05:48. > :05:52.We are talking to some of the country's youngest voters
:05:53. > :05:55.as we take an exclusive look at new research into how under 18s intend
:05:56. > :06:00.And is it boom time for the second tier of Scottish football?
:06:01. > :06:03.With three of the biggest clubs - Rangers, Hearts and Hibs -
:06:04. > :06:07.now in the championship, crowd sizes could double next season.
:06:08. > :06:09.It's being claimed that Ministers pressured the only man convicted
:06:10. > :06:12.of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing to drop his appeal,
:06:13. > :06:15.as a condition of him being allowed to return home to Libya.
:06:16. > :06:18.Lawyers for the family of Abdelbaset al Megrahi's say they have evidence
:06:19. > :06:21.they want to use in a third appeal against his conviction.
:06:22. > :06:23.The Scottish government categorically denies the claims.
:06:24. > :06:25.Here's our Home Affairs correspondent, Reevel Alderson.
:06:26. > :06:30.The familiar pictures of the convicted Lockerbie Ballmer on his
:06:31. > :06:39.way back to Libya. He had area dropped his appeal against his
:06:40. > :06:42.conviction. Just a fortnight area, Kenny MacAskill has visited
:06:43. > :06:51.Abdelbaset al Megrahi in present. It was an unprecedented meeting.
:06:52. > :06:56.Cheating people welcomed as Raton. The Scottish government has always
:06:57. > :07:06.denied that he was under pressure to drop his case but lawyers say that
:07:07. > :07:10.this fundamentally untrue. We are providing details, names, statements
:07:11. > :07:16.of individuals, who claim that aren't you play shop was put on
:07:17. > :07:22.Abdelbaset al Megrahi. That is why he went back to Libya. The Scottish
:07:23. > :07:23.government said it categorically denied pressurising Abdelbaset al
:07:24. > :07:39.Megrahi. The Scottish criminal cases review
:07:40. > :07:43.commission took almost four years before it said in an 800 page report
:07:44. > :07:47.that Abdelbaset al Megrahi and his conviction may have been a
:07:48. > :07:51.miscarriage of justice. Now they are being asked to investigate Aydin. A
:07:52. > :07:55.number of relatives of those killed in the atrocity applied to the
:07:56. > :08:03.commission for another review. The accepted will not be a quick
:08:04. > :08:07.process. It might have been a miscarriage of justice. They need to
:08:08. > :08:19.get up to speed in terms of what they do. It may take time? Of
:08:20. > :08:23.course. It has been revealed that Abdelbaset al Megrahi's family is
:08:24. > :08:25.involved, and it made safer than it will go to the appeal court will be
:08:26. > :08:30.taken quickly. You're watching Reporting Scotland
:08:31. > :08:32.from the BBC. Still to come
:08:33. > :08:33.on tonight's programme: As the D-day commemorations get
:08:34. > :08:35.underway, we speak to the former Dundee nurse
:08:36. > :08:42.who cared for soldiers in Normandy. In sport, it's all eyes on Celtic,
:08:43. > :08:45.who could be close to naming The Scottish Champions are talking
:08:46. > :08:49.to the Norwegian club Stromsgodset We'll have the latest news
:08:50. > :09:00.from Celtic Park coming soon. There will be a judge-led public
:09:01. > :09:03.inquiry into the cost The First Minister Alex Salmond made
:09:04. > :09:07.the announcement to Parliament The trams started last Saturday,
:09:08. > :09:27.but the whole project has not been Why is there a public enquiry now?
:09:28. > :09:31.The trams are running at the moment but many people in Edinburgh
:09:32. > :09:36.thoughtlessly would never conference in was hit by delays, disruption and
:09:37. > :09:45.dispute by the councils and the contractors. The costs spiralled to
:09:46. > :09:48.?776 million. That is double the initial cost for a much shorter
:09:49. > :09:56.line, and it took twice as long as expected. So while the enquiry? The
:09:57. > :10:01.first minister says that people and business deserve an explanation. He
:10:02. > :10:05.also says that lessons should be learned from the mistakes. I have
:10:06. > :10:15.been speaking to people here in Edinburgh and opinions are divided.
:10:16. > :10:18.I have been on them and they are fantastic but I do not know weather
:10:19. > :10:26.we should have spent the money on something else. It is truly no. It
:10:27. > :10:29.is on now. I think it is good there is going to be an enquiry because it
:10:30. > :10:36.cost much more money. But things happen. An enquiry would be good, to
:10:37. > :10:41.find out why we have lost so much money that could go to schools and
:10:42. > :10:54.other things in the area. I have been on them twice and they are
:10:55. > :10:57.good. It is quite. That last reaction pretty much sums up the
:10:58. > :11:02.views of many people here in Edinburgh. It has taken a lot of
:11:03. > :11:10.time to get here but the results seem to be what that.
:11:11. > :11:12.Pope Francis will be coming to Scotland -
:11:13. > :11:15.if he accepts an invitation from the Archbishop of Glasgow.
:11:16. > :11:18.Philip Tartaglia has written to the Vatican requesting a Papal visit
:11:19. > :11:21.in March next year to mark the feast day and 400th anniversary
:11:22. > :11:30.North Sea oil and gas has been central to the Scottish
:11:31. > :11:33.Now, with the referendum just months away,
:11:34. > :11:38.In a major survey, most companies say they're unfazed by the prospect.
:11:39. > :11:40.18% believe independence would be a positive move,
:11:41. > :11:44.while 12% of those asked said it would have a negative impact.
:11:45. > :11:47.But the remaining 70% said leaving the UK would either make
:11:48. > :11:49.little difference or it's too difficult to form a clear view.
:11:50. > :12:08.Aberdeen Harbour, as busy as ever. It is still the hall for oil and gas
:12:09. > :12:13.exportation. More and more companies are looking beyond the North Sea,
:12:14. > :12:16.and with skills and expertise and technology being exported from
:12:17. > :12:22.there, Scotland has become a base for oil and gas companies to do
:12:23. > :12:26.business around the world. With this global perspective, the attitude of
:12:27. > :12:31.many farms to the independence referendum appears to be that what
:12:32. > :12:36.ever will be will be. We see an interesting sport. Some larger
:12:37. > :12:41.companies are more confident that people get with things, small
:12:42. > :12:53.companies are more what about the impact. It was a political football
:12:54. > :12:58.before this had even begun, and independent Scotland may have some
:12:59. > :13:01.companies on fees but 45% of farms say that the riffling them is having
:13:02. > :13:06.an impact under plans for investment. I think the evidence
:13:07. > :13:11.flies in the face of that, over the last year has been the highest level
:13:12. > :13:17.of investment in North Sea oil. That is set to continue. The UK Business
:13:18. > :13:23.Secretary was in Glasgow today, picking up on uncertainty. We work
:13:24. > :13:30.with the Scottish government very well, and oil and gas, at a UK
:13:31. > :13:40.level, to develop the supply chain, we want to help those companies.
:13:41. > :13:43.This is the UK problem, AUT issue. Political and economic arguments
:13:44. > :14:02.will continue until September but it seems that whatever the result, for
:14:03. > :14:07.the companies, business is business. Our reporter has been
:14:08. > :14:09.Our reporter Andrew Anderson's been hearing the story
:14:10. > :14:12.of 93-year-old Phyllis Heninger - she was one of the army
:14:13. > :14:34.hearing recalling the memories of 70 years ago. A newly qualified nurse
:14:35. > :14:46.in 1944 he joined the Army shortly before D-Day. We used to rely on the
:14:47. > :14:53.grass and watch the planes going over and saying to each other, I
:14:54. > :14:59.wondered if they will come back. As the Allies fought to retake Normandy
:15:00. > :15:02.from the German forces, she found herself on a boat leaving
:15:03. > :15:09.Southampton in the dead of night for France. We knew we were going to a
:15:10. > :15:15.hospital and it was any field but that was about all. Nearly half a
:15:16. > :15:19.million Allied and German troops are believed to have been killed,
:15:20. > :15:24.injured or missing in the bloody battle, and for the nurses there
:15:25. > :15:33.seems to be an endless queue of casualties. Sometimes we didn't have
:15:34. > :15:38.enough beds and we had to put the patients on the ground in between
:15:39. > :15:46.the beds. That made it a bit tricky for doing dressings and getting
:15:47. > :15:50.injections and things. Phyllis Henninger spent 18 months in
:15:51. > :15:55.Europe, a journey which took her to Paris and eventually Brussels. 70
:15:56. > :16:01.years on she dismisses any thought that she was a hero. It was just a
:16:02. > :16:08.job, really. Work. And an 89-year-old Scots D-Day
:16:09. > :16:11.veteran parachuted into France today, 70 years
:16:12. > :16:13.after he took part in the invasion. Jock Hutton took part in a tandem
:16:14. > :16:17.jump with the Red Devils from around 5,000 feet in the skies of Normandy
:16:18. > :16:22.in front of the Prince of Wales. This was his reaction,
:16:23. > :16:37.moments after his safe landing. Once I stuck my head out the door I
:16:38. > :16:42.was away. I trained for months and months and we landed with one
:16:43. > :16:45.purpose in mind, deliberate Normandy, and we did that before
:16:46. > :16:47.first light. A look at other stories
:16:48. > :16:50.from the across the country. Firefighters called to
:16:51. > :16:52.an were early morning on board one of blaze the Queen
:16:53. > :16:55.Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, It's believed a small fire had
:16:56. > :17:00.started in one of the vessel's hull The ship is to be launched
:17:01. > :17:07.by the Queen, next month. Plans to set up a Super GP Practice
:17:08. > :17:10.covering Ardnamurchan, Mallaig and the Small Isles are still no
:17:11. > :17:15.further forward 18 months on. NHS Highland is still trying to fill
:17:16. > :17:19.five GP posts and in the meantime is relying on locums to fill
:17:20. > :17:24.the gaps at significant extra cost. The West Lochaber Medical Practice
:17:25. > :17:27.was hailed as a flagship model, which could be rolled out to other
:17:28. > :17:31.rural areas. Inverness Castle houses
:17:32. > :17:33.the city's civil and criminal courts, but there is growing support
:17:34. > :17:37.to turn it into a tourist centre. The Scottish Courts Service aren't
:17:38. > :17:41.opposing the change of use, but they point out that funding for a new
:17:42. > :17:44.location for them would be necessary Fewer than half
:17:45. > :17:50.of the 20,000 tickets for one of this year's major homecoming
:17:51. > :17:53.events in Scotland have sold so far, Around 7,000 of the 20,000 tickets
:17:54. > :17:59.for Bannockburn Live at the end However, organisers VisitScotland
:18:00. > :18:07.say sales are on target. Scotland's biggest arts festival has
:18:08. > :18:09.become even bigger - the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has
:18:10. > :18:12.unveiled a programme which it's The Fringe is also unveiling
:18:13. > :18:17.a new ticketing system, which allows audience members to
:18:18. > :18:23.post reviews of shows. Police are investigating the theft
:18:24. > :18:26.of four cylinders of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, from
:18:27. > :18:31.Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride. Two men drove
:18:32. > :18:33.off with the cylinders, after forcing entry to a store area
:18:34. > :18:36.at the hospital on Monday morning. Health officials say misuse
:18:37. > :18:39.of the nitrous oxide can lead to All eyes are on Celtic Park tonight,
:18:40. > :18:54.awaiting the arrival of the new The name most prominently
:18:55. > :19:07.in the frame is Ronny Deila David Currie has been
:19:08. > :19:20.following the story for us today It has been widely reported in
:19:21. > :19:24.Norway that Ronny Deila is on his way to Scotland where he will be
:19:25. > :19:29.presented to the media tomorrow as the new Celtic manager, but it is my
:19:30. > :19:38.understanding that the deal has not yet been completed. One or two
:19:39. > :19:40.issues to be sorted out. Most likely one of compensation between the
:19:41. > :19:49.Scottish and Norwegian champions because Ronny Deila is contracted to
:19:50. > :19:56.Stromsgodset until 2016. If the deal goes through, what kind of man would
:19:57. > :19:59.the begetting? They would be getting a man with a reputation for
:20:00. > :20:03.developing young players and playing attacking football, the kind of
:20:04. > :20:09.football that Celtic fans have enjoyed over the years. They will
:20:10. > :20:15.also be getting a man who is a bit of an eccentric, as you can see.
:20:16. > :20:21.This is him celebrating an important victory a few years ago for his
:20:22. > :20:27.current employers. I'm not too sure he will be reprising that act at
:20:28. > :20:32.Celtic Park. I am so convinced that he will be the new Celtic manager
:20:33. > :20:38.that if he is not I will come back here on Saturday morning and do
:20:39. > :20:44.press ups in my undergarments. One other item of news. His first
:20:45. > :20:50.signing could well be the former Scotland international goalkeeper
:20:51. > :20:53.Craig Gordon. He is having talks with Celtic about coming year the
:20:54. > :21:01.Celtic Park to join the Scottish champions. He has been out of action
:21:02. > :21:02.for two years with injury. Try not to think of him and his
:21:03. > :21:04.undergarments. New Scotland head coach Vern Cotter
:21:05. > :21:07.will give three players their first starts when they take
:21:08. > :21:10.on the USA on Saturday. Forwards Blair Cowan and Gordon Reid
:21:11. > :21:15.are also named. Stuart Hogg starts at full back
:21:16. > :21:18.despite losing his place at Glasgow And Edinburgh winger Tim Visser
:21:19. > :21:33.is back after a broken ankle. My goal for the end of the season
:21:34. > :21:37.was try to get onto this tour. If I had not done that most of the season
:21:38. > :21:43.would have been a waste but at the same time it was not to the elastic
:21:44. > :21:47.so I am delighted and honoured to be given another chance to represent
:21:48. > :21:48.Scotland, and for me it is all about staking a claim again and playing a
:21:49. > :21:51.few games. Andy Murray says he will draw on his
:21:52. > :21:55.experience of being a Grand Slam champion in his bid to beat Rafa
:21:56. > :21:58.Nadal in the French Open semi final. The Spaniard has an incredible
:21:59. > :22:01.record at Roland Garros, But after beating Gael Monfis
:22:02. > :22:05.in the quarter finals, Wimbledon champion Murray says he's not in
:22:06. > :22:28.Paris just to make the last four. The numbers tell the story. Through
:22:29. > :22:32.to the last format but far from satisfied. Definitely a big
:22:33. > :22:38.achievement but that is not what I came here to do. He wants to be
:22:39. > :22:45.crowned French Open champion. Early on against Gillman feasts he was
:22:46. > :22:55.majestic. Bat-mac Gael Monfils. In front of the home fans, Gael Monfils
:22:56. > :23:01.fought back. This seemed to inspire Andy Murray, marauding back to when
:23:02. > :23:09.they decide are 6-0. -- the decider. I put a lot of pressure on
:23:10. > :23:14.myself to perform well at these events and thankfully I have done or
:23:15. > :23:19.keys so far. Still hopefully a long way to go. To progress to the final
:23:20. > :23:27.Andy Murray has to do something few have managed. Beating Rafael Nadal
:23:28. > :23:32.at Roland Garros. He is on track for a fifth consecutive title. Andy
:23:33. > :23:34.Murray is through to the last format but the big test comes tomorrow.
:23:35. > :23:37.Now, a look at what else is happening across Scottish sport.
:23:38. > :23:40.Kenny Miller says he is thrilled to return to Rangers
:23:41. > :23:45.for a third time and wants to play his part as the club try to get back
:23:46. > :23:49.The 34-year-old has agreed a one-year deal with the option
:23:50. > :23:53.The arrival of Hearts, Hibs and Rangers in the Scottish Championship
:23:54. > :23:55.means average gates for the League could double next season.
:23:56. > :23:58.That's according to a football finance expert who says
:23:59. > :24:06.Championship grounds could be more full than those in the Premiership.
:24:07. > :24:16.There is only about 700 or 800 difference so it just needs a small
:24:17. > :24:21.increment or decline in the premiership and it is likely the
:24:22. > :24:23.championship will exceed the current level which is the average for the
:24:24. > :24:24.premiership. A Scots joint leader on day one
:24:25. > :24:28.of the Lioness Open in Austria. Scott Henry
:24:29. > :24:30.of Mar Hall carded a three under par Henry is chasing his European Tour
:24:31. > :24:36.card after losing it last year. And there are more sports stories
:24:37. > :24:40.plus all the latest news, 24 hours a Let's see how the web that is
:24:41. > :25:04.shaping up, if we must! -- whether. A cloudy end to the date were still
:25:05. > :25:07.a few sharp showers down the spine of the country back into this
:25:08. > :25:14.evening and overnight, the shower rest will fade away and it is
:25:15. > :25:18.largely dry and cloudy. Some low cloud and mist around but largely
:25:19. > :25:24.dry and cloudy foremost and certainly not a night, around about
:25:25. > :25:33.11 Celsius. Friday gets off to a great start but it improves through
:25:34. > :25:39.the morning with the cloud thinning and breaking with the sun shining
:25:40. > :25:44.through. On top of that, feeling quite warm so by mid-afternoon
:25:45. > :25:55.temperatures around 18 Celsius. Cool or around the cause but with winds
:25:56. > :25:59.it will be feeling pleasant. Again, feel a warm at around 19 Celsius
:26:00. > :26:06.with some low cloud lingering around the Banff and Buchan coast. Some
:26:07. > :26:13.late evening sunshine is coming to cloud across the South West. It will
:26:14. > :26:20.be getting warmer, this coming in from the near continent so hot and
:26:21. > :26:25.humid, but this area of low pressure it in the Atlantic feeds them to
:26:26. > :26:28.some rather unstable moist air and we are less meats we will see some
:26:29. > :26:33.heavy and potentially thundery downpourss, and because of that we
:26:34. > :26:41.have a yellow early warning in place. At times, we could see some
:26:42. > :26:46.torrential downpours with difficult conditions on the roads. North of
:26:47. > :26:52.the central belt it is largely dry and bright and up to 23 Celsius.
:26:53. > :27:00.Rain across the far north than behind it a scattering of showers
:27:01. > :27:03.and highs of around 20 Celsius. A reminder of tonight's menus.
:27:04. > :27:07.and highs of around 20 Celsius. A reminder The president of the United
:27:08. > :27:14.States has appeared to back Scotland remaining inside the UK while saying
:27:15. > :27:18.that it is a matter for Scots. The first minister said an independent
:27:19. > :27:23.Scotland would mean America had two great friends and allies.
:27:24. > :27:29.Hundreds of the last surviving British veterans of D-Day have been
:27:30. > :27:32.gathering in France. The Queen has arrived in Paris with the Duke of
:27:33. > :27:38.Edinburgh at the start of a state visit. She will join veterans and
:27:39. > :27:40.world leaders for events tomorrow. I will be back with the headlines at
:27:41. > :28:04.eight p.m.. Goodbye. and then it's delivered
:28:05. > :28:07.straight to you.