Scotland

  The emotion came through loud and clear during Tuesday night's World Cup soccer qualifier between Macedonia and Scotland at Hampden Park in Glasgow. "There's only one Andy Murray," chanted the fans. Yes, that would be the Grand Slam-champion-in-waiting ... no longer. The tennis star Murray fulfilled his vast promise and destiny with Monday's victory at the U.S. Open, beating Novak Djokovic in a compelling five-set final. This ended a 76-year wait for a British male Grand Slam singles champion.

SITE: Saint-Etienne TIME: Noon. TV: ESPN2 (highlights Ch. 34, 2 p.m.). * ABOUT SCOTLAND: Unless Norway upsets Brazil today in Marseille, Scotland will advance to the second round for the first time in eight World Cup appearances,if it defeats Morocco. * ABOUT MOROCCO: Morocco can qualify for the second round via the same route--win this game while Norway loses to Brazil. " * OUTLOOK: The drought should end today for Scotland.

The date for a referendum hasn't even been set. But Prime Minister David Cameron made an impassioned appeal directly to the Scottish people Thursday to keep Britain intact, imploring them to vote no on the question of whether Scotland should become an independent country. "Of course Scotland could govern itself. So could England," Cameron declared in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital. "My point is that we do it so much better together. " In a dog-eat-dog world, he said, the Scots would be better off remaining joined to England, Wales and Northern Ireland under the shelter of collective British diplomatic, military and economic might.

What is there about the cry of a bagpipe that grabs at my heart and tugs me away from reality? More than a fraction of heritage, I suspect. I love the sound and rhythm of the pipes, the compelling drone that is as powerful and moody as Scotland itself. Bagpipes are a keen reflection of the Highlands and islands, the lochs and the values--as keen and true as ruddy cheeks, malt whiskey and tartans. That proud land is not violin country, nor could its spirit be captured by a clarinet.

Special services to help young travelers' budgets will be available in Paris and Scotland this summer. Paris' youth information offices, Acceuil Des Jeunes en France (AJF), makes free on-the-spot reservations for accommodations, books inexpensive transportation services and finds student restaurants. During the summer months AJF offers about 11,000 beds at budget rates. About 5,000 are in multishare rooms in youth hotels, and cost between 72 and 90 francs ($12 to $15) per person, breakfast included.

Along with polar icecaps and sandy beaches, sheep on a remote Scottish island are gradually shrinking as a result of global warming, according to a study published today in the journal Science. The finding offers unusual proof that large animals are already evolving to adapt to alterations wrought by climate change, experts said. The average weight of sheep in the feral flock has been falling nearly 3 ounces per year since 1985, the researchers reported.

This castled city where highlands and lowlands meet has been fought over many times by the Scots and the English, never more bloodily than in the 13th century battle depicted in the Oscar-winning movie "Braveheart. " Now Alasdair MacPherson hopes to see this former capital of the kingdom of Scotland back in his countrymen's hands without a single shot fired. In the biggest test of British unity in decades, Scotland is on the verge of being granted the right to hold a referendum on whether to secede from the United Kingdom, putting asunder more than 300 years of marriage to England and Wales.

Traces of a 150-million-year-old dinosaur have been found on the banks of Scotland's Loch Ness, but they are definitely not those of the lake's legendary monster, scientists said. A Jurassic-era fossil of four perfectly preserved vertebrae from what is believed to have been a 35-foot plesiosaur was found by a man who plucked it from shallow water on the bank of the loch.

The leader of Scotland's Parliament, Henry McLeish, resigned, relinquishing his government's top position in an expense account scandal that has dogged him for eight months. McLeish, who helped prepare the framework for Scotland's first parliament in 300 years, told Scottish lawmakers in Edinburgh that he took "full personal responsibility" for the scandal, which has left his highflying career in tatters.

British Airways' last Concorde swapped the glamour of supersonic flight for a sedate voyage by barge on its final journey through London. Stripped of its tail and wings, the icon of speed cruised past the Houses of Parliament on the River Thames on the way to an aviation museum in Scotland. Concorde G-BOAA left London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday and is expected to arrive at the Museum of Flight near Edinburgh on Monday.