The two favourites for the Lions fullback slot face off
Stuart Hogg has had an eye catching start to the Six Nations. Another strong performance this afternoon could book his ticket to Australia
Harris Tweed makes a classic comeback
Once associated with the hunting, shooting, fishing set, Harris Tweed is enjoying a global surge in popularity.
Celebrities support campaign for more blood donors
Hollyoaks stars and designer Wayne Hemingway MBE are supporting NHS Blood and Transplant's appeal to recruit vital new blood donors.
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Cyclists look forward to Scottish stages
Some of the top riders from across the UK and Europe visited Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire today, to launch the Scottish leg of the 2013 Tour of Britain.
These two cyclists competed in the event last year and are looking forward to returning in September:
Top cyclists visit Dumfriesshire castle
A group of top riders from across Britain are visiting Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire for the Scottish launch of the 2013 Tour of Britain.
Cyclists from the leading British Team UK Youth will join Olympic and Commonwealth medalist and Race Directos Mick Bennet, along with representatives from EventScotland, Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Borders Council.
The riders will visit the Scottish Cycle Museum at the castle, where staff will show them the huge comparisons between the build and speed of vintage bikes and modern race bikes.
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Alcohol price challenge thrown out
A legal challenge to the Scottish Government's plans to introduce minimum pricing per unit of alcohol has failed.
A petition led by the Scotch Whisky Assosiation was refused at Scotland's highest civil court.
It was argued that the law breaches the UK's European Union treaty obligations because it would restrain trade.
The ruling clears the way for the introduction of the minimum pricing policy.
Under the plans, the cheapest bottle of wine would be £4.69 and a four-pack of lager would cost at least £3.52.
Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil said:
"We welcome today's favourable opinion from the Court of Session on minimum unit pricing of alcohol.
"We have always believed minimum unit pricing is the right thing to do to tackle Scotland's problematic relationship with alcohol.
"Minimum unit pricing will target cheap alcohol relative to strength that is favoured by hazardous and harmful drinkers, and which contributes to much of the alcohol-related harm we see in Scotland.
"We now look forward to being able to implement minimum unit pricing and making that transformational change in Scotland's relationship with alcohol."
£6m for struggling Scottish farmers
Farmers who were badly hit by the heavy snow this spring are to be given £6 million in aid by the Scottish Government.
The Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead visited farmers in Dumfries and Galloway last month after snow storms killed hundreds of livestock and damaged buildings in the south of the country.
Mr Lochhead pledged the cash in an address to the Scottish Parliament today.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for South Scotland, Jim Hume, welcomed the funding package but urged the government to target farmers most in need as soon as possible.
The President of NFU Scotland, Nigel Miller, has welcomed the announcement.
He said:
"This significant package of support is a very positive result which, for many people, could provide the lifeline they require.
"Some of the worst storms of recent times might now have passed, but they have left in their wake losses for every farming sector, a legacy which will have its full impact this autumn when lambs are sold and crops are harvested.
"There are some areas of the country where the winter snowstorms devastated, but the severe weather problems of 2012 and 2013 have impacted not just in these areas but across the whole of Scotland resulting in livestock and crop losses, as well as significantly increased feed requirements.
"This variability has been recognised in the package of Government support and will mean that aid can be targeted at those in need wherever they are located.
"Many businesses will enter this winter with budget challenges due to significantly reduced income, compounded by increased input costs. This Government assistance will help businesses pilot their way beyond the winter and into 2014, when the real road to recovery will start.
Scotland's skin cancer rate up 50% in decade
New figures released show that the number of people with skin cancer in Scotland has increased by more than 50% in the last decade.
Official statistics show that two out of every five people will have some form of cancer in their lifetime.
Cancer was diagnosed 30,125 times in 2011, up from 26,150 in 2001, attributed largely to being a result of having an ageing population.
South of Scotland MSP and Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume has urged the government to do more to promote healthy living.
He said:
"Whilst it is an encouraging sign that mortality rates for cancer are falling, the trends within these statistics demonstrate the need for the Government and for us as individuals to do everything we can to avoid it.
"The long-term decline in lung cancer in males has been attributed in part to fewer men smoking, where rises in other types of cancer have been pointed to an increase in obesity and alcohol consumption.
"The Scottish Government must do more to promote healthy lifestyles in Scotland. It is clear that Scotland's relationship with alcohol and food must change if we are to tackle the menace of cancer in our families and communities."
Full report: Tobacco display ban in Scotland
Large retailers in Scotland are now banned from displaying cigarettes and tobacco products.
The ban will be rolled out to smaller shops in 2015.
Health campaigners say the law - which is already in force in England - will help stop young people smoking.
However, many retailers claim there is no evidence it will make a difference.
Kathryn Samson reports:
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Your thoughts on tobacco display ban in Scotland
ITV Border has been asking the public whether they think the tobacco display ban, which has been brought into place in Scotland (for large retailers), will help deter smokers or not.
Below are some of your thoughts.
Anne Ellerton from Cumbria said:
"I think it will maybe help deter kids from starting but not adults."
Colin Riddell from Galashiels said:
"The government doesn't want people to stop smoking they just want to try and show the public that they are 'trying' to stop people from smoking.
"The truth is they need smokers as they make a huge deal of money from the smokers with unrealistic tax on cigarettes."
– Sharon Douglas, Jedburgh"The only effect this will have will be on the staff who will find it harder to locate the items. It certainly won't put off current smokers in my opinion."
– Kerry Yule, Kelso"The only way it will affect is if they stop making them. I'm a smoker, if i cant get them then i wouldn't smoke.
"Keeping them hidden is not going to make a differnce as petrol stations and smaller shops don't have to cover them up so whats the point people will smoke regardless."
Tobacco display ban for Scottish supermarkets
New legislation comes in today to ban larger retailers in Scotland from displaying cigarettes and tobacco products.
Stores that do not comply could be convicted of a criminal offence or receive a fine from trading standards officers.
The ban is already in place in England and Wales.
It will be rolled out to smaller shops in 2015.
Scotland's cigarette display ban
Large retailers in Scotland are now banned from displaying cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Self-service tobacco vending machines are also banned.
The new legislation is aimed at cutting the number of deaths caused by smoking.
Smaller retailers have until 6th April, 2015, to fully comply with the new legislation.
Salmond accuses Chancellor of 'political sabre-rattling'
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, speaking to BBC News 24, accused the Chancellor of "political sabre-rattling".
– Alex Salmond, Scottish First MinisterThis is a Tory Chancellor trying to scare people in Scotland, trying to stop them voting for independence.
But the day after a resounding Yes vote in the referendum, when people sit down and start to negotiate in the best interest of the people of Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, he will sing an entirely different tune."
It's in everyone's interests to have a currency area after independence - it's in the interests of Scotland, it's also overwhelmingly in the interest of the rest of the United Kingdom.
He said that was for the "very simple reason that huge Scottish resources such as oil and gas would continue to protect the sterling balance of payments"
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