21/04/2017 Reporting Scotland

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

Two former Rangers managers give evidence in the trial

Hopes that drug-driving limits and new roadside

Carries the sadness of simply not making evening wear my dad was out

for his evening and was There's a big weekend of sport ahead

- we'll preview the cup semi-final The going is good for Scottish

racing on the EV of the Scottish Grand National.

And find out why this woman is dragging a 30-kilogram rock

The trial of the former owner of Rangers, Craig Whyte,

has been hearing evidence from two of the club's former managers.

Walter Smith and Ally McCoist told the High Court in Glasgow

about the first time they met Mr Whyte, shortly before he took

He's accused of acquiring Rangers by fraud.

Craig Whyte, arriving at High Court in Glasgow for a trial which will

focus on his takeover of Rangers six years ago. He faces two chargers,

accused of fraud by pretending he had the funds available to buy the

Ibrox club, and he is alleged to have breached the companies act. The

first witness in the trial, one of Scottish football's best-known

figures, former Rangers manager Walter Smith. As he celebrated

winning the league in May 2011, his reign at Ibrox was ending, just as

Craig Whyte acquired control of the club. But today in court, he

admitted that the Rangers finances were in a perilous state when club

was sold, with an overdraft of ?18 million and a lack of money for the

playing squad. Defence counsel Donald Findlay asked Walter Smith,

did you know by 2011 if the bank had had enough of bankrolling Rangers?

Mr Smith said, yes, we had had an indication of that before 2011, with

difficult cuts being made at Rangers to make the club more viable. Donald

Findlay asked him, it must have been very distressing to see the club in

a state like that. Yes, Mr Smith replied, it was, but we were trying

our best to handle the situation while it was there. Today's other

witness, former Rangers star Ally McCoist, who took over the manager's

role at Ibrox when Walter Smith stepped down. In the witness box, he

talked of his difficulty in getting the funds he needed to boost his

squad of players. He claimed offers being made by the club to sign

players were not realistic. The prosecutor, Alex Prentice, asked

Ally McCoist about the level of investment in the playing squad

Ally McCoist about the level of after Craig Whyte took charge at

Rangers. Ally McCoist replied, we got some players, just not players

that would have kept us at the same standard as we had. But Ally McCoist

acknowledged that new players were signed after Craig Whyte took over

at Ibrox, with Donald Findlay putting to him that more was being

spent on his squad than when Walter Smith had been in charge. Craig

Whyte denies both charges against him and his trial will continue on

Monday. Drug-driving limits and roadside

testing are to be introduced It follows moves by

the Scottish Government to cut Our correspondent

Lucy Adams reports. The footage is genuine, shot by a

member of the public. It shows how erratic some motorists are prepared

to be. The driver, impaired by alcohol and drugs, was later jailed.

Hendry Robertson runs a guest house in Inverness. His father died after

being hit by a car whose striver had taken cannabis, LSD and methadone.

My dad lived on a farm just outside Forfar. Every day in life, he would

go for a walk. He was out for his evening walk, as he had always been

doing. And he was struck by a car, driven by someone who was under the

influence of drugs. Kenneth Robertson was 92 at the time. He

died in hospital two weeks later. The driver was sent to prison for

eight years. It is long overdue that this facility should be in place,

and people should be tested if they are thought to be using drugs whilst

driving. It is suspected your committed an offence. Most people

don't know what the current impairment test involves, or how

long it takes. I volunteered to allow specially trained officers to

show us. The first test, I am going to examine the size of your pupils.

Currently, officers can stop drivers when they have reasonable cause.

It's already illegal to drive while impaired by drugs in Scotland but

the current test takes around 15 minutes and it means being taken

back to a police station if you are suspected of having taken drugs.

Then, there is a blood test that follows. In future, the idea would

be to do an instant roadside test by your car. Scotland is following

changes in England and Wales, where officers now use a saliva test which

detects cannabis and cocaine. They caught 8000 people in the first 12

months of using the test. Police Scotland welcomed the move and

warned people to avoid any thing which impairs their driving. This is

not just about illicit drugs but about all drugs. A drug is anything

that can impair your ability to drive, so people need to be mindful

that it is not just heroin and cocaine but also your prescribed

antidepressants. You have to be careful to follow the guidance from

your doctor, or on the medication. Road safety campaigners say the test

could have been introduced sooner, but ministers say Scotland will soon

be ahead of the rest of the UK. There are some drugs where will be a

zero tolerance approach, if you have the drug in your system you will be

committing offence while driving. For others it will be a specified

amount in the same way in which it is for alcohol. We will engage with

a range of stakeholders around what the limits should be. Nesters will

set out exactly which drugs will be the limits should be. Nesters will

limited and how in the next few months.

The SNP have launched their local government election manifesto,

saying they'll protect services from Conservative cuts.

With a general election just a month after the council poll,

the party leader Nicola Sturgeon insisted the local government

campaign was not about independence, but about local services.

Our political correspondent Andrew Kerr was at the launch.

Cute babies, adorable dogs, jokes with journalists. There is certainly

an election in the air. Not just one, but two, as politicians embrace

voters. Launching the SNP's local election campaign at a community

arts centre in Edinburgh, the party leader insisted this wasn't about

national politics. The local government elections are not about

independence. There was a mandate for Scottish independence in the

local government elections last year. The local government elections

are about local services and there is an important message for anybody

who might be thinking about voting for other reasons, that we have got

to take care not to allow local services to slip into the hands of

the Conservatives. With the manifesto they have published their

pledges full council candidates, closely tied in with the SNP

government's priorities. They want a transformation in nursery provision,

a doubling by 2020 of free childcare, they want more powers and

resources sent directly to schools, and cash for communities, devolving

1% of council spending for citizens projects. Although the SNP warning

is about the Conservatives, the biggest battle is with Labour, as

is about the Conservatives, the they try to end decades of rule in

Glasgow. The mood is positive. The Westminster election of 2015

delivered a record number of MPs to Westminster from the SNP. 2016, we

were the party of devolution, 1 million votes the first time ever

achieved in Scotland. The people are with us and if they all vote on May

the 4th, they will deliver another record result. Campaigning is well

underway. Two dates for the diaries. Not just the 4th of May for the

local government election but Not just the 4th of May for the

perhaps more importantly, June the 8th, the general election.

One of the key roles that councils play is the delivery of home

But with tight budgets, staff shortages and an ageing

population it's becoming increasingly difficult

For the elderly, for the vulnerable, it is basic yet vital support. And

for the carers who provide it, difficult choices are increasingly

part of the routine. It takes 45 minutes to cook a meal. You have to

preheat the oven. You are only allocated 15 minutes. They have also

soiled themselves. You have to make the decision, do I take them to the

toilet, or do they just have toast for dinner? Last year, 60,000 people

in Scotland received home visits from a carer. The majority work for

independent care companies, contracted by local authorities.

Budgets are tight and only a handful of councils avoid a time-based

approach. Appointments are often as short as 15 minutes, with penalties

for staying too long. Patients can ask for more time, but often, say

these carers, that depends on having family to fight for it. It is

heartbreaking, having to say, I don't have the time. Because they

think it is you that is not willing to spend that time with them, so you

walk away feeling sad. You come home at night, deflated, feeling you have

not done enough. Yes, definitely. There is nothing you can do about

it. With councils playing a key role in the delivery of care, could the

it. With councils playing a key role upcoming local elections make a

difference? Social care features prominently in all the party

manifestos, and there are recurring themes, better pay and more support

for carers, and a consensus that where possible, people are best

treated at home. The Scottish Government are reviewing national

care standards, and point to an increase in the number of services

providing good quality care. But the problem, according to some in

independent care, they argue the system needs to be changed. The

local elections offer a chance to look again at how we buy and

commission care. Moving from time and tasked to a relationship -based

model would help individuals working in the care sector, but most

importantly it would help give the dignified quality of care that we

all of us want for our older citizens. With an ageing population,

the demand for social care is set to rise. Priorities, and how to pay for

them, are questions that will endure.

200 jobs are set to be created in the West Highlands

after a contract was signed this morning to build parts for floating

The dry dock there was last used to work on the Skye Bridge

In the 1970s the yard, which was built to construct

North Sea oil platforms, employed more than 3000 people.

You're watching BBC Reporting Scotland.

The trial of former Rangers owner Craig Whyte hears evidence

from the club's ex-managers Walter Smith and Ally McCoist

The woman who's dragging a heavy stone 1300 miles to promote

Last night we previewed tomorrow's Scottish Cup semifinal

On Sunday, the Rangers manager, Pedro Caixinha, takes charge

of his first match against Celtic, when the Glasgow giants meet

Since Caixinha took over last month, his side haven't lost.

But Sunday at Hampden looks to be his toughest test yet.

Here's our senior football reporter, Chris McLaughlin.

He is the suave looking Portuguese son of able fighter, fiercely proud

of his past, and by the looks of things, bursting with passion for

the present and the future. For now, the plan is winning with Rangers.

Just ask a man who was interviewed recently with the prospect of

joining the team. Him and his backroom team are very passionate

and you can see that. Then the third goal went in at Aberdeen, he was on

his knees, Portuguese style. We saw that with Mourinho many years ago.

You look at the characteristics. It is about keeping it in check and

getting the message across to the players on the day because the

intensity and the atmosphere can be daunting. He was in the stands the

last time the sides met. This was Clint Hill burning Rangers A1-one

draw in the league last month. So Clint Hill burning Rangers A1-one

the fans. What pressure on the new man on Sunday? My view on new

the fans. What pressure on the new managers is give them time. He has

tend the season. He does not have to beat Celtic in this game. He seems

brave. I think he will handle it well. Hopefully a win for Rangers,

but a draw would be good for me. At the Celtic training base, you detect

an air of quiet confidence. But on the subject of the new manager, he

offered to show his Celtic counterpart his team the Sunday

People to reciprocate. So? Are you tempted? Listen, if that is how

Pedro does it, fine. Let's see if he is right. He has made a good start,

good results, more direct in their game. But like I say, there is no

right or wrong way. You set up your team to get a result. And whoever

gets that result on Sunday will take not only the all-important bragging

rights, but more importantly a place in the Scottish cup final.

Meanwhile, Rangers say they're "shocked and saddened" at the death

of their former player Ugo Ehiogu at the age of 44.

He suffered a heart attack yesterday at Tottenham's training ground,

Ehiogu played for Rangers ten years ago and is often remembered

for this winning goal against Celtic in an Old Firm match.

Staying with sport, it's a big weekend in the racing calendar.

The Scottish Grand National festival at Ayr is under way,

and our sport reporter David Currie joins us from the course now.

Plenty to attract the punters, David.

Yes, a beautiful sunny evening here in Ayr, organisers will be hoping

for similar conditions tomorrow for the Scottish Grand National itself,

the big race, and it takes place as Scottish racing is enjoying a bit of

a boom. The going at Ayr today, in racing

speak, good to soft. The current state of racing in Scotland -

perhaps simply good. According to Scottish Racing, the umbrella body

that looks after the country's five courses, the sport was worth about

?200 million to the economy last year, attracting more than 300,000

racegoers, a quarter of them from outwith Scotland. Scottish racing

say that makes of the second most popular spectator sport in the

country - after football. Or people go racing than watch rugby and

Gough, which often surprises a lot of people. We are seeing about

300,000 people going racing every year, and that is because you do not

have to know anything about it to enjoy it, you can go with your

family, with your girlfriends, it is pretty good fun. The on course

family, with your girlfriends, it is bookmakers are cashing in. You

family, with your girlfriends, it is been a bookmaker for a long time.

Over 50 years. What is the state of racing just now? Scottish racing is

very good, good crowds, the meetings are busy. The Scots trained winner

of the Aintree Grand National isn't running in the big event here

tomorrow but is putting in a personal appearance. It is different

to the Aintree Grand National, which we were lucky enough to win, but the

racing community and the Scottish people, this really does feel a very

special festival. Early days, but what you think the impact of your

win at Aintree will be on Scottish racing and its profile? It is only

one race, I think, the impact of Scottish racing, Scottish racing

needs successful trainers, on top of winning the Grand National. One race

doesn't do it. There is not only big money to be won at Ayr. The best

stress lady wins a trip to Venice. stress lady wins a trip to Venice.

-- best dressed. Place your bets now!

As I mentioned, Sally, One For Authur is not taking part in the big

race tomorrow, but the man who rode into victory in the Aintree National

is, the jockey will be on the only Scottish runner in the field, Seldom

Inn. As for race date itself, I'm afraid it is a sell-out, so if you

haven't got a ticket, bad luck. An artist from Wales is taking part

in a 1300-mile round trip dragging a stone that weighs

half her bodyweight. in the form of an ancient

Pictish footprint stone, and she's encouraging people

to stand on it Her journey comes as the island

celebrates the 900th anniversary of its patron saint, St Magnus.

Tomos Morgan reports. A 1300 mile journey from Scotland to

Scandinavia carrying a 30 kilograms rock. Artist Beatrice Searle carved

this inauguration stone after being inspired by Orkney's beauty, and she

will be travelling with it as part of an artistic project to Norway in

the year that the Scottish islands celebrate the 900 anniversary of the

patron saint, St Magnus. For the Picts, stones like this were

associated with kinship, so the king would stand on its to celebrate his

connection with the land that he ruled. The stone was selected from a

beach on Orkney, and its voyage has only just begun. We are seeing a

huge mass migration, and being able to carry part of the beloved

landscape takes on another kind of important resonance. As I do so, I

will repeatedly stand and invite people that I encounter to stand in

it and draw strength from their people that I encounter to stand in

connection to it. Beatrice's journey will continue along the headland of

the Orkney mainland, through the centre of island towards the

capital, the seaside town of Kirkwall. Then she will travel

across the North Sea by boat to Norway, and then the longest leg of

the journey begins as she travels all the way from Oslo to Trondheim,

following the historical pilgrim path. Norway chosen as part of this

voyage as St Magnus's route. What do Orcadian is make of the stone?

Anything we can do to St Magnus's history or story, the better. I feel

a warmth coming up through the stone, it gives you a good feeling,

yes. At the moment, clean and refreshing, very refreshed. The trip

is being funded by arts grants and crowdfunding, and the stone will be

laid to rest in a rural location on Orkney towards the end of summer at

journey's end. It is difficult, tiring! More tiring than expected.

One leg down, and there is still a fair distance to go, all in the name

of art. Tomos Morgan, Reporting Scotland, Orkney.

Let's see what we can expect from the weather this weekend.

The weekend looks all right, but next week something quite wintry in

the forecast, perhaps wintry showers to contend with. But let's get

through Saturday and Sunday first. Lovely afternoon for many of us once

through Saturday and Sunday first. the cold front cleared, sunshine,

blue skies, lovely picture from one of our Weather Watchers taken

earlier. Tonight, dry, fairly chilly compared with nights we have at this

week, that Northwest breeze still feeding in showers across the far

north and the Northern Isles. Temperatures in towns and cities,

1-4. Zero or just below in the countryside. Tomorrow morning,

plenty of sunshine to wake up to for most of us, a bit more cloud further

north, and the Northwest breeze feeding in a rash of showers for

northern parts of the mainland. Elsewhere, dry, but the cloud

building through the day. Still dry, 10-12 Celsius, light winds from the

Northwest. Further north, the wind is stronger, showers more frequent.

And on the tops, it could be wintry. For Orkney and Shetland, the showers

easing by this point, but still quite chilly, 4-5 in Lerwick. For

the horse racing in Ayr, not bad at all, a sparkling start, cloud

building through the day, remaining dry with winds from the Northwest,

light to moderate. If you are hill walking or climbing, you can see no

showers, likely to be falling as rain during the day. It will be cold

on the tops, so with that wind, and temperatures below freezing, perhaps

one or two showers making their way down towards parts of Highland

Perthshire. Now, for the football on Saturday, dry, probably a little

brighter than indicated there, and the winds light. Coverage across the

BBC, television, radio and online. A lovely end to the day for many,

still the showers in the north, quite a cold night. Then Sunday,

high pressure still with us for most of the country, a low across the far

north will bring wet and windy weather. For the far north of the

mainland, probably late on Sunday, elsewhere dry, some brightness,

temperatures probably up a notch on Saturday. And for the second

football game this weekend, in the Scottish Cup semifinal, very similar

conditions to Saturday, dry and cloudy. As we head through Sunday

night into Monday, the low pressure clears, we open the floodgates to

really bitter Arctic air, and that will introduce some fairly frequent

wintry showers, almost anywhere across the country.

That is the forecast, Sally. Snow!

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news:

The UK Government says no to cuts in foreign aid

but stops short of promising to keep pensions rising as they do now.

And the trial of former Rangers owner Craig Whyte hears evidence

from ex-managers Walter Smith and Ally McCoist.

I'll be back with the headlines at eight and the late bulletin

Until then, from everyone on the team,

right across the country, have a very good evening.