The BBC reports that a bagpipe player sparked a security alert at the Olympics - after Chinese police mistook his musical instrument for “some kind of weapon”.

Charity walker Andrew Aitken, from Galashiels, arrived in Beijing on the same day as the opening ceremony.

He decided to warm-up his pipes near the stadium, not realising he was close to a major electricity station.

He was in the Masters division (over 40) 50-year old/under 200 lbs. in the Open Stone throwing. He tossed the 16-pound stone a distance of 32-feet 7-inches.”

Tanska also competes in weight for distance, and caber toss.

Tanska said,

I’m working on the caber toss (log throw) and weight for distance, but found my event in the open stone throw. It is like the shot put, but with a couple different ways of throwing the stone.

Young pupils from Dublin’s St Patrick’s Cathedral School and choir, along with members of Dublin Civil Defence were among an Irish welcoming party who flew to Denmark from Dublin yesterday.
The Sea Stallion, known in Danish as Havhingsten fra Glendalough, left Dublin port on June 29th, and navigated via the southern English coast and Holland. Project leader Preben Rather Sorensen described the initial return leg between Ireland and England as the “hardest yet”, and four crew had to be transferred to the support ship, Cable One.

Supporters and competitors travelling to the Games face a strict ban on waving the Ddraig Goch in celebration.

Only the flags of the 205 Olympic nations, including Great Britain, can be taken into the showpiece arenas, according to “house rules” published by the organising committee for the Games.

The stumps of about 50 trees were discovered in 2005 - some of them are thought to be about 6,000 years old.

The experts are now aiming to find their root system and establish the depth to which the trees are buried.

Surrounded by bluebell woods the Quoit is by an ancient way which can still be followed from Copper Hill Moors to the sea at Gwithian.
The Quoit stands on private setaside farmland. The Sustainable Trust (Patron: Satish Kumar) is in negotiations with the owners to buy the five acres of land on which the Quoit is situated for community and conservation use. It is hoped, with the help of English Heritage, Cornwall Archaeological Unit and the Heritage Environment Service to rebuild the Quoit to its former glory. On the land around the Quoit we hope to explore ancient farming methods and ways of life. It is proposed that there will be linking wildlife corridors between the existing woods on either side of the field (Pendarves Nature Reserve is next to the site).

The Fortingall Yew, which grows at a churchyard near Aberfeldy, could be up to 5,000 years old and is among the oldest living organisms in Europe.

Local legend has it that Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who oversaw the crucifixion of Jesus, was born in its shade and played there as a child.

The authority’s new logo has been criticised by people who say it does not fully represent Cornwall, with some likening the design to the hairstyles of singer Amy Winehouse and American boxing promoter Don King.

Vanessa Beeman wrote a letter to council leader David Whalley expressing her fears that some people felt they were being stripped of their identity and has called for the interim executive to reconsider its decision.

Mrs Beeman wrote:

It is important that any marque adopted by the new council describes and evokes the essence of Cornwall because it is an international symbol which signifies a place and a culture which has a strong and growing international dimension.