Tunes of Glory

Sean Connery headed the march of 7,820 pipes and drums (not a new world record - maybe next year?) through the streets of New York last Saturday, 6 April, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 and now recognised around the world as "Tartan Day". Manhattan was sunny but bitterly cold that day. Even so, thousands of spectators lined the sidewalks to see the colourful - and noisy - parade go past. Sean Connery was accompanied by his wife and many of Scotland's leading politicians including First Minister Jack McConnell, David Steele (Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament), John Swinney (leader of the Scottish National Party) and Winnie Ewing (a stalwart of the SNP and known in the European Union Parliament in Brussels as "Madame Ecosse"). The leading group was joined by New York city mayor, Michael Bloomberg. Of the 290 bands, at least 34 were from Scotland, with many of the others from across North America. But there were also pipe bands from Bermuda, Germany, Ghana, Holland, Pakistan, Denmark and Argentina - even one from China.

Graeme Smith, who was at the march through Manhattan, has a description of the event with scores (I lost count) of pictures taken on the way. He has put thumbnails of his pictures on a series of Web pages and is offering to supply larger versions for personal and private use in exchange for a contribution to one of the event charities. His Web site is: www.tunesofglory2002.com.

New Parliament Building "Big Enough"

Speculation that the new Scottish Parliament Building at Holyrood would not be big enough when MSPs eventually move there in 2003, have been denied by officials. There had been reports that secret negotiations had started to rent additional office space in nearby buildings. But it is now being claimed that it will be adequate for the 450-strong staff, with a 10% spare capacity. Including the cost of landscaping around the building, the total cost of the new building is estimated to be £280 million.
Photograph courtesy of the Scottish Parliament © Web site.

Brickies' Wages Build Up

The building boom in Scotland and a shortage of brick-layers and other tradesmen in the building trade is causing wage rates to soar. Contractors are being forced to pay huge wages, particularly in Edinburgh. Many tradesmen are self-employed and can move to work for the highest bidder. There are reports of some tradesmen earning as much as £80,000 a year. A survey by the Construction Industry Training Board shows that Scotland needs another 23,000 new builders in the next five years.

House Prices Soaring

House prices in Scotland leapt up in the first three months of this year. The quarterly increase was the highest since the first quarter of 1998, according to a report by Nationwide, a building society. Normally it is the south of England which sees prices rocketing with Scottish values lagging behind. But the Scottish market seems to be picking up. "Hot spots" such as Edinburgh have always seen strong growth in prices, especially since the arrival of the Scottish Parliament. The Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre, which sells more houses than anyone else in the capital, says that prices in the first quarter rose at the fastest rate for a decade.

25% of Trains Running Late

Even though Scotrail is running a reduced timetable of trains, due to an overtime ban by drivers, the company punctuality figures for last month show that nearly 25% of all trains were running late. The drivers are being balloted this week on whether to accept the offer of an immediate increase of 14% - which will rise to 22% in 18 months time. The company say that 11% of the increase will be self-financing from productivity improvements. But it will take four weeks to complete the ballot and even longer than that to get back to a normal timetable as there is a backlog of driver training. The priority is to resume a service between Glasgow and Edinburgh on a 15 minute frequency - that service has been cut to every 30 minutes since early January.

Clydesdale Bank Axes More Jobs

The National Australia Bank (NAB) has announced that it is to axe 500 back-office jobs at its UK subsidiaries - Clydesdale, Yorkshire, National Irish and Northern Banks. The job losses will be off-set by the creation of 300 new customer service posts. Across the UK, NAB employs 13,000 staff, with about 5,000 of these in Scotland. The bank is cutting 2,000 jobs across its global network to reduce costs.

Jobs Boost Across Scotland

The employment picture in Scotland brightened this week with not one but three companies announcing that they were taking on staff or had secured the future of others. 400 jobs were saved at the Hoover plant in Cambuslang, which has had the threat of closure hanging over it for some time. The factory has won a multi-million pound contract for a new generation of cylinder cleaner. Hoover has had a plant in the Lanarkshire town since 1946. It won the order despite competition from another Hoover plant in Portugal. Supermarket leader Tesco is to create another 900 new posts at its stores as part of expansion plans. And Internet Banking company Goldfish is netting 200 jobs in Glasgow's financial district, to handle increased Web business.

Second Runway for Edinburgh Airport?

For the second successive month, Edinburgh Airport handled more passengers than Glasgow. For some years now, Edinburgh has been growing at a faster rate than the air terminal 60 miles further west. Although only Glasgow handles trans-Atlantic flights and there is a greater number of people living within easy reach of the airport, Edinburgh's burgeoning business traffic and the number of low-cost airlines using its facilities has resulted in faster passenger growth. In March this year, passenger figures at Edinburgh were 22% up on March 2001. The British Airport's Authority did point out, however, that the growth was partly due to two major rugby matches. Over the last year, however, Edinburgh passenger numbers have grown at 11.6%, compared with 5.3% in Glasgow. Now a government consultation document, looking at the long-term development of the industry, is understood to be suggesting that consideration should be given to adding a second runway to the capital's airport.

Major Reform for National Trust for Scotland

The organisation which looks after 120 historic properties and 200,000 acres of land in Scotland, has agreed a major shake-up to try to balance its budget and increase visitor numbers - while still emphasising its conservation role. But the National Trust for Scotland has denied that it was going to convert a number of its historic properties into rented accommodation or hotels. The National Trust for Scotland has seen the number of visitors fall substantially in recent years. In 1997, there were 1.8 million people passing through their gates. This has fallen to 1.35 million in 2000 - and 2001 will be even lower. Some properties have seen an even greater decline - Brodick Castle and Gardens on Arran attracted 66,945 visitors in 1997 but only 27,867 last year, a drop of 58%. Souter Johnnie's Cottage in Ayrshire has seen numbers decline from 4,094 in 1997 to 2,254 in 2001- an average of seven a day. The one major success of the Trust has been the growth in paying members - now standing at 246,000, an increase of 18,000 on three years ago. The Trust has also much improved its Web site in recent years - at one time there were no illustrations for the properties and this has now been rectified. The illustration here was taken in March at Culzean Castle, the "jewel in the crown" of the National Trust for Scotland.

Sharp Rise in Hotel Bookings

The struggling tourist industry in Scotland got a welcome boost this week with reports that hotel bookings were well up on last year. One of Scotland's leading hotel operators reported that room bookings had increased by 17%. Conference bookings continue to be a major source of customers, particularly in Glasgow. 3,000 Rotarians from across Britain and Ireland have arrived in the city for a three day conference. Bank of Scotland was named this week as the main sponsor for the World Federation of Tourist Guides which will be held in Dunblane in January next year.

Rise in University Applications

The number of applications from Scottish students wanting to study in Scotland has risen for the fourth successive year. The number this year is up by 5.6%, which is due in part to greater numbers of Scots entering higher education. But another factor is that payment of fees in Scotland is postponed until graduates are earning enough to allow them to start paying back the cash. This has also led to fewer Scots applying to English universities (where fees are paid up-front). Applicants to Scottish universities from outside of the European Union are up 19% on last year.

Upgrade for One of Europe's Greatest Public Libraries

The Mitchell Library in Glasgow, which was endowed by a tobacco baron in 1874, is to have a £3 million makeover to bring it into the 21st century and make it more attractive to tourists as well as local Glaswegians. Most of the changes will take place internally and the distinctive domed roof, which is a city landmark, will be unchanged. There are also plans to expand on the "Virtual Mitchell" and provide digital access via the Web. While the National Library of Scotland has a larger collection than the 1.2 million in the Mitchell, the Glasgow building is the largest in Scotland and probably in the UK which offers free public access. The Mitchell also has a vast collection of Robert Burns first editions and manuscripts.

Major Upgrade for M&S

Six of the Scottish stores owned by major clothing and food retailer Marks & Spencers (M&S) are to be upgraded this year at a cost of £4.2 million. That will bring the total investment by the company in Scotland over the last two years to £29 million. The stores are in Dunfermline, Glasgow's Argyle Street (which was enlarged only a few years ago), Hamilton, Falkirk, Milngavie (pictured here - it opened only last year) and Newton Mearns are all involved. M&S have over a million square feet of retail space in Scotland.

Train Station for Edinburgh Park

A planning application has been lodged for permission to build a new railway station at the southern end of the Edinburgh Business Park. The developers had to agree to the construction of the station before they could get permission for the latest phase of the large office development on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Construction of a further two million square feet of office space is planned for the next 10 to 15 years. The Scottish Executive are keen to see at least some of the staff employed there travelling by public transport rather than by car. The railway line connects with Glasgow, Fife and Dundee. It is hoped to start work on the station in the autumn this year and be completed next year.

Space to Rent on Loch Lomondside

The £60 million Lomond Shores retail development at Balloch on the southern end of the "Bonnie Banks" is due to open in September this year. Edinburgh store Jenners, the oldest independent department store in the world" (it was established in 1838) has taken half of the 60,000 sq ft of the available space. The remainder will be occupied by another 12 shops. There is parking space for 1,200 cars and there is also a large-screen cinema, restaurants and the Maid of the Loch steamer (built in 1953) is berthed there too. It is currently being refurbished and it is hoped that it will sail again on Loch Lomond next year. Research shows that up to five million visitors a year come to Loch Lomond, but many just pass through the area.

Harry Potter Author Gives Away Her House

J K Rowling, the multi-millionaire author of the Harry Potter books, has gifted her Edinburgh flat to a friend. Their close association began eight years ago when they were both single mothers, struggling to make a living in Edinburgh. Now estimated to be worth £225 million, Ms Rowling (who married Dr Neil Murray last December) has continued her friendship with Fiona Wilson, who has not been quite as successful as the author of the best-selling children's books. But now she has been gifted the £150,000 flat in a desirable area of Edinburgh. Ms Rowling and her husband now have a new secluded home near Aberfeldy, Perthshire.

Bridge Closes Again

The Kingston Bridge across the Clyde in Glasgow, the busiest river crossing in Europe, is to close yet again for repairs. Engineers are replacing the bearings on the 30-year-old bridge which carries 180,000 vehicles a day. Traffic will be diverted for an entire weekend but other closures over the next few months are being scheduled for during the night. On the last occasion the bridge was closed it clashed with a busy football weekend and the World Pipe Band Championships on Glasgow Green. Officials insist that this time they will avoid any dates when there are major events in the city.

Nature Reserve Safeguarded

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has taken over ownership of another large section of the St Cyrus nature reserve on Montrose Bay in Kincardineshire, securing the future of an area which hosts 190 species of birds and a large variety of wild flowers, insects and animals. It is an area of unimproved grassland, sand dunes, saltmarsh, tidal sandflats and cliffs. The reserve is in a secluded, out-of-the-way spot which is great for conservation but SNH want to make the public aware of its existence so that they can enjoy its biodiversity.

Scotland's First Off-shore Wind Power Project

The consultation process has begun on a giant offshore wind-powered electricity generator project by American utility giant TXU. It is to be built on a shallow sandbank in the Solway Firth, between Scotland and the Cumbrian coast of England. The proposal is for 60, 130 metre tall wind turbines, which would be clearly visible from both shores. The development would generate 180 megawatts of electricity, about 25% of Scotland's renewable energy target under the Kyoto agreement. The turbines would be in Scottish waters and so require the agreement of the Scottish Executive. However, the electricity generated would be taken by undersea cable to the electricity grid in England.

Golden Eagles for Skye

Scottish Natural Heritage has been asked by the Scottish government to begin consultations on establishing a special protection area (SPA) for the population of golden eagles in the Red and Black Cuillins in the Isle of Skye. There are around 420 pairs of the bird in the UK, most of them in Scotland. The Skye eagles have been breeding successfully at a time when the species is under threat across Europe. Designation as an SPA would lead to encouraging the restoration of heather moorland which provides the habitat for eagle prey, notably grouse, hares and rabbits.

Black Swan on River Tay

White swans on Scotland's rivers and lochs are a common enough sight, but a black swan is a distinct rarity. However, a stately black swan has been spotted on the river Tay at Perth Bridge by passers-by. Black swans are native to Western Australia and it is thought that the bird may have escaped from a private collection. Even so, there were 12 separate sightings of black swans in Scotland in 1999/2000 according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Buttery Back in Business

The prestigious Buttery Restaurant in Argyle Street, Glasgow, is to reopen under new ownership. The award-winning hostelry, which dates back to 1869, has been purchased by top Scots restaurateur Ian Fleming. The well known eating place closed in January when its English owners said they could not make it viable. But Mr Fleming, who is behind the award-winning Auchterarder House in Perthshire, is to reopen it on May 9. He says that he aims to make it a culinary icon - as it once was. The new chef will be Willie Deans, a past-winner of Chef of the Year title who worked at the Buttery in 1997 and is currently at Auchterarder House.

Where Does the Great Glen Start?

The geological fault line which created the 70 mile trench which runs between Fort William and Inverness is known as the "Great Glen". In 1822, the Caledonian Canal was built, connecting Loch Linnhe (a sea loch) in the south and the Moray Firth in the north, via Lochs Lochy, Oich and Ness. To take advantage of the spectacular scenery along the Great Glen, a walkway has been recently marked out, at a cost of £500,000. Named the Great Glen Way, it is to be officially opened on 30 April and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, has been invited to cut the tape. But he is coming to Inverness for the ceremony - much to the annoyance of the councillors in Fort William who claim that "the Great Glen Way starts in Fort William, not Inverness." It is argued that the Great Glen Way is a continuation, from the south, of the West Highland Way - which starts in Milngavie, outside Glasgow. Whatever end you start from, the Great Glen Way is great - using old drove roads, former railway lines, canal tow paths and routes through Forestry Commission land.

Weather in Scotland This Week

The started with a fair amount of sunshine (Glasgow and Edinburgh had a total of over 32 hours of sun recorded on Saturday to Monday. It is not often that there is no rain at all across Scotland at this time of year but not even a millimetre of rain fell at any of the weather stations on Sunday and Monday. It became cloudier later in the week, before brightening again on Friday and Saturday, except in the far north-west. Temperatures were on the cool side, mainly around 11/12C (52/54F) although Edinburgh reached 14C (57F) on Sunday and Monday. But the thermometer dipped at the end of the week with Edinburgh and Glasgow recording 8/9C (46/48F) on Thursday.

This picture of sloe blossom was taken in the countryside near Glasgow earlier this week. Sloe is also known as blackthorn.

Declaration of Arbroath

The National Archives of Scotland holds a copy of the Declaration of Arbroath which was made in 1320 (the original was sent to the Pope in Rome, asking him, in rousing terms, to acknowledge Scotland as an independent nation and to reject the claims of the English king). The National Archives have produced a limited edition print of the document, showing it as it was before parts of the text were damaged in the 1800s. One of the prints is being presented to the Scottish Parliament and another was presented to Arbroath Abbey this week - on 6 April. It is thought that the Declaration was drafted by Bernard, the Abbot of Arbroath and the Chancellor of Scotland.

Remembrance of 51st Highlanders by French

A casket of soil, from the bloody First World war battlefield of the Somme, was taken to Perth this week to be buried beside the memorial to the men of the 51st Highland Division who gave their lives fighting in the battle for France. The event took place on the same day as the funeral of the Queen Mother, whose family had such strong links with the division. The earth was brought from the Somme, near the main war memorial to the 51st Highlanders in France, as a reminder to today's generation in France of the Scots who helped to secure their freedom. The bronze monument in Perth depicts a young French girl presenting a flower to a Highland piper after the liberation of her village. One veteran at the ceremony this week served with the 5th Battalion of the Black Watch in France in WW2. He recalled fighting at that time in the Somme, over the same ground as the battle in WW1.

"James Watt Was Incompetent"

A new biography of James Watt, one of Scotland's most celebrated inventors, claims that he was incompetent and was involved in a string of failed business projects. Watt is revered as the scientist responsible for perfecting the steam engine, which ushered in the Industrial Revolution. But the author of the new book claims that his invention of the separate condenser for his steam engine took years to perfect and was not the "instant revelation" which he claimed to business associates and investors. The book is based, for the first time, on a large number of Watt's private papers and letters. It shows that a shop which he ran in Glasgow collapsed with huge debts, he produced inaccurate navigation maps of the Clyde and he mis-calculated the level of a planned canal by four feet.

Psychic to Solve Battle Mystery?

The battle of Falkirk took place near that town in central Scotland, on July 22, 1298. William Wallace was defeated by King Edward I of England and although Wallace fought a guerilla war for a number years after Falkirk, it brought to an end Wallace's role as Guardian of Scotland. But historians have argued over the precise location of the battle, with a number of sites being put forward. Now the psychic Uri Geller, more celebrated for bending spoons, has been asked by a local historian to try to establish the precise site of the battle. Apart from the graves of two knights in a nearby churchyard, archaeologists have never found any artefacts or other signs from the bloody battle. Geller has apparently been able to find the site of a wrecked prototype submarine and he is now to embark on a helicopter survey of the possible sites. Since conventional methods have failed, it is argued that historians have "nothing to lose" by using Geller.

This Week in History

• April 14 1582 - University of Edinburgh founded.
• April 15 1512 - King James V born.
• April 15 1710 - Physicist William Cullen born.
• April 15 1799 - Prof Joseph Black chemist, researcher, teacher, first to identify carbon dioxide, died.
• April 16 1746 - Charles Edward Stewart defeated at Battle of Culloden.
• April 16 1953 - Royal yacht "Britannia" launched at John Brown's shipyard, Clydebank.
• April 17 1341 - Edinburgh Castle captured from the English.
• April 17 1766 - James Craig's winning entry for development of Edinburgh New Town was approved.
• April 17 1882 - Battle of the Braes in which crofters in Skye fought 50 policemen during a dispute over land rights.
• April 17 1895 - Scotland's first cremation at Glasgow's Western Necropolis.
• April 17 1909 - Riot by fans after replay of Scottish Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park.
• April 19 1390 - Robert II, grandson of Robert the Bruce, died at Dundonald Castle.
• April 19 1825 - Robert Byron (later Lord Byron) died at Missolinghi, Greece.
• April 20 1809 - James David Forbes, physicist who devised first form of seismograph, born.
• April 20 1934 - Scottish National Party founded.

Glasgow Star Wars First

Movie-goers in Glasgow could be amongst the first in the world to see the new Star Wars film. There will be a series of midnight screenings of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones on May 16 at Odeon cinemas in the city. The special screening will mean that the film is shown in Glasgow five hours ahead of the first public screening in North America. The film stars Ewan McGregor as Ob-Wan-Kenobi. The premiere is being held at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London, on May 14.

Contemporary Art Hits George Square

The 7th annual Glasgow Art Fair is taking place in the city's George Square in marquees set up specially built for the display. 41 galleries from across the UK are exhibiting and selling a wide range of work by successful contemporary Scottish artists. Elsewhere in the city the "Real Art Weekend" or "RAW" will be on display at other venues. But some of the exhibits here are opening up again the perennial debate on "what is art?" Lisa Watt's performance art exhibition at the Tramway Theatre, for example, features an actress crying for 30 minutes, while she reads an academic lecture.

Boost For Glasgow Art

Although 30% of the one million items in Glasgow's museum's and art galleries are judged to be of "international importance," the city council receives no direct contribution from central government towards the running costs and maintenance of the collection. The nine most popular museums in Glasgow attract two million visitors a year. In contrast, the museums and art galleries in Edinburgh, which receive substantial funding from the government, attract fewer than 500,000 visitors. Glasgow has campaigned strongly in recent years for the financial imbalance to be rectified and now it appears that the Scottish Executive is to award £3 million to support the Glasgow venues. While this is being described as a "one off" allocation, the city will continue to argue that its collections are of national importance and should be supported accordingly.

Barra Fly-In Hits the Beach

The scheduled air service to the western isle of Barra is the only one in the world which is "subject to weather and tides" - the runway is the beach, which is covered by the sea at high tides. But next Friday and Saturday the island airport is going to be busier than usual when more than 40 private aircraft arrive for the "Barra Fly In." The event was publicised in aircraft magazines and although most of the participants will be flying in from other UK airfields, two will be coming from Holland and one from Belgium.

Sunday Football Results

Rangers 2 Hearts 0

Scottish Premier League Results - 13 April 2002

Aberdeen 2 Hearts 3
Celtic 5 Dunfermline 0
Dundee United 1 Motherwell 0
Kilmarnock 1 Hibernian 0
Livingston 2 Rangers 1
St Johnstone 0 Dundee 1

Scottish First Division Results - 13 April 2002

Arbroath 1 Ross County 1
Ayr United 0 Falkirk 0
Inverness 1 Clyde 1
Raith Rovers 2 Airdrie 1
St Mirren 0 Partick Thistle 2

League Tables

Celtic, who had already won the Scottish Premier League, moved even further ahead of Rangers as a result of their surprise defeat by Livingston. The gap is now 16 points. Livingston's win and Aberdeen's loss has put both teams neck and neck for third place in the SPL - and a place in European football next season. Both teams have 52 points and both teams have a goal difference of 2. St Johnstone's relegation from the SPL was finalised last Saturday.

In the First Division, Partick Thistle sealed the title and promotion to the Premier League next season - they are 10 points ahead of 2nd place Airdrie. Falkirk will join Raith Rovers in dropping to the Second Division.

Queen of the South have won the Second Division Championship and will be promoted to the First Division for the first time for 13 years. Alloa are within a point of joining them on being promoted.

Premier League TV Deal Collapses

Despite warnings from the Bank of Scotland, sponsors of the Scottish Premier League (SPL), the 12 member football teams failed to agree to go ahead with their own proposed pay-to-view TV service. Rangers and Celtic caused consternation when they joined forces to block the proposals. They claimed that the assumptions about the number of subscribers were optimistic, risks and liabilities had not been fully addressed and there is a lack of clarity in the SPL proposals for the management and control of the new channel's operation. The two clubs refute the allegation that these issues were raised at the 11th hour, saying that they had consistently raised the issues at an earlier stage. Rangers and Celtic also deny that they have some "secret motive" for their action. With Sky TV no longer willing to bid for the TV rights, there will be a significant loss of income for all the SPL clubs unless some alternative arrangement can be found.

European Champions League Cup on Display

German football legend Franz Beckenbauer was in Glasgow this week when the European Champions Cup was handed back to Uefa by last year's champions, Bayern Munich. It was handed to Lord Provost Alex Mossan for safe keeping until the final on May 15. It will be displayed in the Kelvingrove Art Galleries from April 12-21 and in the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden from April 22 until the day before the final.

Blow to Hosting 2008 European Championships

The joint bid by Scotland and Ireland to host the 2008 European Championships was dealt a severe blow on Saturday when the Gaelic Athletics Association turned down a motion to allow "foreign" sports to be played at the their stadium at Croke Park. Ireland are now struggling to provide the two major stadia required to fulfil their part of the bid. However, a Scottish Executive spokesman said the bid was still on course. The Irish agreed to provide two stadia and these were never specifically identified. Other options include a renovated Lansdowne Road and a purpose-built stadium on the outskirts of Dublin. Both grounds would involve additional costs for the Irish government - a new stadium could cost hundreds of millions of pounds (or Euros).

48-Hour Football Marathon

There used to be areas of grass in Glasgow's George Square and for a few days this week even more of the central area turned green as artificial turf was laid for a 48-hour football marathon which ran night and day. The "Starball" tournament was not in quite the same class as the European Champions League, but all those taking part - even at 3am in the morning - said it was a great idea.

Scottish Curlers Turn Up the Heat

After the gold medal by the women's team at the Winter Olympics, there was more media interest in the performance of the Scottish team at the world championships in Bismarck, North Dakota, this week. Scotland's men's team, with Warwick Smith as skip, started well, with wins over reigning champions Sweden and also over Canada. At the end of the 9th round, the Scottish men's team led the rankings with 7 wins and 2 losses and go forward to the semi-finals against Norway. Canada play USA in the other semi. The women's team did just as well, with 7 wins and 2 losses and play the winner of a tie-break (involving Switzerland, Denmark and Canada) in the semi-finals.

Baseball Youth Development in Scotland

Major League baseball, the governing body for the sport in North America, is joining forces with the British Baseball and Softball Federation to create youth development schemes in the UK. One of the new programmes which is being funded will be in Paisley. Budding baseball stars will participate in a youth league, receive expert coaching and be visited by top American coaches. Additional resources are also being allocated to Glasgow's existing youth programme for baseball - which has introduced more than 250,000 children to the sport since 1996.

Baxter Lodges Appeal

Skier Alain Baxter lodged an official appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in an attempt to recover his Olympic bronze medal. He says he is determined to clear his name after a blood test turned up a banned substance. Baxter claims that the methamphetamine found in the post-race test originated in a Vicks inhaler bought over the counter in the US. The skier's main sponsors, car maker Peugeot and drinks company Drambuie, are both continuing to support him until the outcome of the appeal is known.

Bomb Denies Team Victory

Edinburgh Asians Football (Soccer) Club were 20 minutes away from their first win of the season in their Lothian and Edinburgh Amateurs League last Saturday. But then a resident in a nearby house found an unexploded WW2 bomb under his garden shed. The match had to be abandoned when bomb disposal experts decided to move it to the nearest open area - which just happened to be the football pitch. Edinburgh Asians couldn't believe it when the police arrived - they thought it was a late April Fool's Day joke. They had been playing for nearly two years and had never won a match. They are hoping that they will be awarded victory and not have to play the match again.