24/03/2016 Reporting Scotland

As the lights go up on the Scottish election campaign, the party leaders

prepare to go head-to-head in the first televised debate.

Detectives investigating the murder of 15-year-old Paige Doherty search

the shop where she was last seen - and a nearby flat.

Police confirm that bodies found on Ben Nevis are those of two

climbers missing for more than a month.

Longannet - Scotland's last coal-fired power station shuts down

And ahead of Scotland's friendly against the Czechs,

Darren Fletcher says the team are good enough to make it

Tax and spending have dominated discussion on the first full day

of campaigning for the Scottish Parliamentary elections.

And these topics are certain to be on the agenda when the party leaders

confront each other in a BBC Scotland debate tonight on this

Let's cross now to the debate studio and our political editor,

Thanks very much. Six-party leaders will tackle each other here head-on

and also tackle the issues that matter to the voters. I'm sure the

debate will be vocal. They were out on the campaign trail trying to stir

up votes. We caught up with them. This is a royal borough since 1126.

It was the first Holyrood seat to declare five years ago. Labour won

here then, but the swing signalled the story of the night, an overall

SNP majority in the Scottish Parliament. Things are changing.

This Parliament that we sit in is strong. Kezia Dugdale says

Holyrood's new power offers a chance to increase spending. Faced between

that choice, people will choose Labour's plan. Nicola Sturgeon meets

young fans. So much for the fairy, that there is no contest for the top

job -- theory that there is no contest for the top job. Sturgeon

job -- theory that there is no hopes her party's progress will be

iceberg free, provided they focus on the big issues like the Health

Service. It is about how we raise attainment in our schools, we are

pledging to inquest ?750 million, it is about how we make our economy

strong. No Willie Rennie isn't worried you have forgotten his name.

He's harmoniously highlighting his party's big pitch, a penny on income

He's harmoniously highlighting his tax to fund education. Scottish

He's harmoniously highlighting his education used to be the best but it

is now just average. We need to invest a penny on income tax for

schools and for colleges so we can be the best again. Climbing higher,

Ruth Davidson ascends a rather posh soapbox. She hopes to corral those

Ruth Davidson ascends a rather posh votes behind the Tories. Scotland

can change and it can change for the better. If people aren't going to

change the Government, they should consider changing the opposition, to

one that really holds the Government to account, make them focus on

things that matter and won't drag us back to another independence

referendum. Patrick Harvie says Scotland can change tack. We need a

bolder Holyrood, a Holyrood that is willing to push Government beyond

its comfort zone. David Coburn emphasises the economy. Jobs, jobs,

jobs. That is what Ukip are for. We want to see the Scottish economy

grow. We don't want to see taxes higher in Scotland than they are in

the rest of the UK. That is not going to help Scottish business.

- and much more. Your election, your choice.

I am sure the topic will come up in the debate tonight. You can have a

look at it in this programme later. It will

come up during the debate. The signs so far from the campaigning, from

the arguments put forward by the parties is that the campaign

focus is tax, and it is spending, particularly with those

new powers that are coming to Holyrood in the near future. I think

that the focus tonight in this debate among the six

leaders, I think the focus in that will be tax and spending.

Inquiries are continuing into the death of 15-year-old Paige Doherty.

Her body was found in wooded area in Clydebank on Monday.

The investigation has escalated in the part of the Dunbartonshire

It's three days since Paige Doherty's body was discovered. Last

night, the focus of the inquiry centred on this shop where Paige was

last seen before she disappeared. At 8.20am on Saturday morning Paige

went to buy a roll from the deli. She had walked there from her

friend's house where she had been staying over. She was on her way to

get her bus to her Saturday job, at a hairdressers. She never arrived.

Throughout the day, forensic officers have been continuing

investigations here at the shop. It's

owned and run by this man. His downstairs neighbour told me what

happened. They searched the house, the shed, the back garden and the

forensics are in the shop now, or they were last night.

is still a strong police presence where Paige's body was found and

people continue to bring tributes of flowers and balloons for the

teenager. Police say enquiries are continuing to discover what happened

to Paige and Commodities trader Liberty House has

signed a deal to buy two mothballed The "back to back" agreement,

which was confirmed this morning, involves the Scottish Government

buying the Clydebridge and Dalzell plants from Tata Steel,

and immediately selling them The sale will not cost

the taxpayer anything. You're watching Reporting

Scotland from the BBC. Still to come on

tonight's programme: Today would have been

Independence Day, if the Yes side had won the referendum -

we look at the day that might have In sport, we're in Prague

where the national football team hopes to Czech out

with a friendly win. And there'll be some thin ice

for at least one Scottish team when the pucks start flying this

weekend for places in the big Police have confirmed

that the bodies of a man and woman found on Ben Nevis are that

of a Bradford couple missing It's believed 24-year-old

Rachel Slater and 27-year-old Tim Newton were struck

by an avalanche the day before they were due off Britain's

highest mountain. In a statement tonight,

their families thanked the rescue services and said they took some

comfort knowing that their children Tim Newton and Rachel Slater,

pictured on the summit of Ben Nevis, they had been missing on Britain's

highest mountain for more than five weeks. It's believed that the young

couple were climbing in the vicinity of Observatory Gully when they were

struck by an avalanche. It swept them back down the mountain where

they died. 23 team members went out on the rescue last night. When we

recovered the body of the female person, we carried on probing in the

snow and managed to find the second person who was a male climber, who

we are assuming it is Rachel and Tim who we have been looking for for

some time. They were caught in an avalanche because they still had

their climbing ropes and gear on and we know that there was a very big

avalanche in the Observatory Gully area on the Saturday morning. The

experienced climbers from Bradford were reported missing on Valentine's

Day after their tent was found abandoned. But initial attempts to

find them had to be called off because weather conditions on the

mountain were too dangerous for rescuers. The plight of the couple

attracted widespread interest, but as time ran out, their families who

arrived in the Highlands this evening had to prepare for the

worst. He's with Rachel and he's in the mountains he loves. That is

where I will take him back eventually. I'm not sitting now

worried in a sense. Tributes have been paid to the young couple as

well as the Mountain Rescue team for its relentless efforts to find them

in extreme winter conditions. It's been a very emotional rollercoaster

for us. And it gives closure for the family. It gives closure for us.

It's been tremendously stressful. As the weeks past, the outcome became

inevitable. But there is a deep sense of sadness here now that Ben

Nevis has finally given up its dead. It has been powering Scotland's

homes and businesses for almost But this afternoon, the giant

coal-fired power station Its closure represents the end

of an era in which coal was king. It also raises questions about how

we'll generate our electricity in the years ahead, and has sparked

fears about the future Our environment correspondent

David Miller reports. How you feeling? A bit sad and

emotional. I have been here 13 years. That is the end of an era.

Longannet no more, as they say. Somebody wrote a song about that,

didn't they? That's it. Done and dusted. It's the end of a story

which began in the 1960s. When Longannet was built, it was the

biggest power station in Europe, Longannet was built, it was the

providing cheap, reliable supplies of electricity thanks to the

country's abundant supplies of coal. But in recent years, the coal has

been imported from as far away as Colombia. There has been a massive

pile of coal right here for 50 years now. Hard to believe but back in

January, there was still a million tonnes of the stuff. Today, it's all

gone. Burning coal to produce electricity may be relatively cheap,

but it comes at a big cost to the environment. Carbon taxes and grid

connection charges which give power stations in England a competitive

advantage have taken their toll. Longannet can no longer pay its way.

This is the end of coal, the coal area and coal generation in

Scotland. For over 100 years, Scotland's power has been dominated

by coal and the industry has been built off that. But unfortunately by

the end of today, that age finishes here. It's renewable energy which

will have to fill the gap. But our reliance on intermittent supplies

from wind farms means that although Scotland will remain a net exporter

of electricity, there will be an increased number of days when the

country relies on power generated in England. We are heading into very,

very dangerous waters here. Just suddenly taking out our ability not

only to supply power on demand, which is what Longannet does for

Scotland, but also to control the quality of the power regionally in

the Grid in Scotland, so Scotland is becoming a very interesting, unique

first experiment within the UK as a whole, you know, it is not an

experiment we should be doing. For the workforce of more than 200, the

days leading up to the shutdown have been filled with pride and sadness.

Generations of the same families have worked here. Between myself and

my dad and my brother, we have got over 74 years service at Longannet

power station. A great loss to be leaving Team Longannet. When I

started in '68, it was good to start and be and grow with the building.

Alex, when you see that button being pushed? Sadness. Sadness. Genuinely.

Yeah. Today, March 24th,

is a date without much But it could have been Scotland's

independence day if there had been The Scottish Government thought it

provided a realistic time-scale from the referendum for powers to be

devolved ahead of an election. The majority of Scots voted no,

but of course, the debate continues. Our political correspondent

Andrew Kerr looks at day that Americans as one on 4th July. Today

could have been Scotland's Independence Day. But the nation

remains divided. Two veteran campaigners reflect. It brings us

security, stability, it brings us a long-term secure future and it's

always better working together with your neighbours. It's been a hugely

empowering experience. It is an example to the world. The Scots

started to think in great deal. If some of them felt frightened about

the prospects, then we have to address these. If there had been a

Yes vote, Edinburgh Castle would have been symbolic for the

celebrations. Independence campaigners are today left attacking

the pro-Union side for broken promises. HMRC tax jobs are not

the pro-Union side for broken being saved. Our position in the EU

the pro-Union side for broken isn't safe because of the referendum

and the claim a ?7 million cash grab was

attempted. Those who backed the Union said the

referendum was meant to be a once in a generation opportunity and

economic arguments have featured strongly with the oil price

collapse. An independent Scotland would be

starting out life with a severe fiscal problem, which could only

mean either big tax rises or much more likely, big spending cuts. But

those who favour yes, say it is where you are heading that counts.

The call of the case for independence is, can we get policies

right which would get the economy to be growing more sustainably, or

can't we? It is not really about the starting point, where the public

finances are when you inherit, it is where you go next. Scotland's story

has many chapters, with more yet to come. Different powers have

controlled this great capital city. Who knows what will be written in

the history books of the future? A look at other stories

from across the country. Police investigating the murder

of an Aberdeenshire man are carrying out searches for what they say

is likely to be a heavy weapon used Officers have also issued

a description of two men seen with Brian McKandie at his home

near Rothienorman on the afternoon of Friday March 11th -

the day before his body One is in their 50s, heavy built,

the other is described as being younger. These individuals, jurors

at his home address, a maroon or burgundy coloured Volvo or Saab

estate car. The officer in charge of a ferry

when it collided with an Eyemouth fishing boat haS pled guilty

at the High Court in Glasgow to failing to change the ship's

course to avoid the collision 52-year-old Italian seaman

Pasquale Miccio was on the bridge of the ferry en route from Rosyth

to Zeebruge in August 2010 when it Sentence has been deferred till

April for background reports. An historic Perth department store

has gone into administration with more than half of the 110 staff

losing their jobs immediately. Their stores in Ballater

and Oban have also closed. McEwens say they did everything

they could to save the business. It is an iconic business for the

city of Perth, and it is really sad to see them in this position. The

council stands by to do everything it can to assist everyone in this

situation and we are particularly concerned for the staff.

Pictures showing the contents of a Viking vessel have been released.

They were found by a metal detector in a field in Galloway

Images show a pot containing a rare silver brooch from Ireland,

silk from Istanbul, as well as gold and crystal from the 9th

Aberdeen's Kenny McLean makes his Scotland debut tonight against the

Czech Republic in Prague, in the friendly. Robert Snodgrass returns

to the international fold after injury. It is the start of the

build-up to the next World Cup, for which tonight's captain Darren

Fletcher says Scotland can qualify. Alistair Love and has been finding

out if supporters share his optimism.

and buy the latest qualifying failure, nearly 3000 Scots are in

Prague for an essentially meaningless friendly. The players,

like those fans, do not have a European Championship to prepare

for, and they share a burning desire finally to reach a major tournament.

It is something I have not achieved and I have been desperate to do

since I made my debut. We know we are in a tough group but I also

think it is a group we should not be scared of. I think it is a group, if

we perform to our level, and improve that extra little percentage, then I

think we would be in a real good position of qualifying. Such

optimism is almost always evident before a campaign begins. But are

these fans who travel far and wide to follow the team convinced that

the optimism is well placed? I agree with Darren, I think we can

definitely qualify, or give it a go. The recent campaign we did excellent

and we were just unfortunate choice I think the squad is at its peak. If

we are going to do it, it will be this campaign. I think Slovenia are

beatable. I think we will have a better chance than we have had

before. This quintet were a freshfaced boy band the last time a

qualifying campaign ended in success for Scotland. If they could finally

end that weight, that would be something to make a song and dance

about. We've live coverage

of the Czech Republic against Scotland

on BBC Radio Scotland. That's 810 medium wave,

on digital and online. The Dundee United manager

Mixu Paatelainen has been charged with misconduct by the Scottish

Football Association. It follows his touchline

celebrations of United's late equaliser in last

weekend's Dundee derby. Scotland may not have won

the recent Six Nations, but we do have the

tournament's best player. The Glasgow Warriors full-back

Stuart Hogg won the poll, beating off 11 other contenders,

including three players from England's Grand

Slam-winning side, His displays throughout

the tournament drew widespread praise, and ahead of tomorrow's club

game against Ulster, he says he is eyeing

up further prizes. I think the game plan suited our

back division. It is good to get a couple of wins on board. That is now

the minimum standard for us. We want to be winning game after game and

winning trophies. There was a heavy defeat

for Scotland's women curlers this afternoon at the World

Championships in Canada. Eve Muirhead's rink were beaten 10-4

by Japan, so have now won seven and lost three of their

round robin matches. At least one Scottish ice hockey

team will make it to the grand finale of the British

Elite league season - the play-offs weekend

in Nottingham next week. Dundee Stars play Cardiff Devils

in the quarterfinals this weekend. The other two Scots teams

in the last eight will face off against each other as they renew

their fierce rivalry. We need guys attacking the net...

talks tough, and trains them tougher. Perhaps that is why

Braehead, finishing third in the British Elite league, are the

highest placed Scottish team. We finish on a high here, it is seven

in a row, and we are confident going into the play-offs. They are

Scotland's youngest club. Their archrivals, established in 1938, R

Britain's oldest. The two meet in this weekend's two-legged

quarterfinals. Over the course of the regular season, we have matched

up well against Braehead. I think our record is six and two. Both

teams will be gunning for it, but we would like to think we have the

edge. And it is another one! It is a good matchup. We are excited about

it. I think both venues are sold out already. The guys are excited and it

should be a good game. Dundee Stars are the third Scots team, with a

should be a good game. Dundee Stars play-off dream. They face Cardiff

Devils to me finish to second in the league for a place in the

semifinals. It is huge. We have been to Cardiff and we have played well

against them all year, I think we are two and two against them. Try to

keep that streak going here in the play-offs. At least one, maybe two,

Scottish teams will continue their winning runs this weekend. And don't

worry, the big man will be back on his skates in time for the face-off.

I think! Now here's Shelley with

details of Scotland 2016. Tonight, as six party leaders go

head to head in the first televised debate of the Scottish election

campaign, we will bring you analysis and reaction. And we will consider

what if today was Independence Day. Join me over on BBC Two at half past

ten. Let's see how the weather's shaping

up ahead of the Easter We had a bright end to the day for

some of us at least today. This was taken from one of our weather

watchers. Those weather fronts have cleared through now. Heading through

the rest of the night, we will see more in the way of clear spells

developing. A few showers around, some of their wintry over the hills.

Under the clear skies, temperatures dipping away to around freezing for

some spots in Aberdeenshire. Tomorrow morning, a good deal of

sunshine around. Some outbreaks of rain pushing through. Here is a

snapshot of three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Good if you are planning

any long drives for the weekend. In the north-west corner, strengthening

winds, around gale force, as we head through tomorrow evening.

Strengthening winds also in the Northern Isles. Heading through Good

Friday night into Saturday morning, some of the rainfall quite heavy for

a time. Those winds becoming stronger across the east coast as we

head through Saturday. Quite wet and windy across the west. Dreyer across

the Lothians and the Borders. Temperature-wise, we are looking at

around eight-ten. Looking ahead to Easter day, there will be some

bright spells. But also some scattered, heavy and blustery

showers with the risk of some hail and thunder mixed in. Temp job wise,

eight-9 degrees. -- temperature-wise, eight-9 degrees.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news.

Radovan Karadzic has been found guilty of genocide and other war

crimes for his role in the Bosnian civil war.

Karadzic, who was arrested in 2008 after more than a decade on the run,

Tax and spending have dominated discussion on the first

full day of campaigning for the Scottish

And these topics are certain to be on the agenda when the party leaders

confront each other in a BBC Scotland debate tonight on this

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

Until then, from everyone on the team - right

across the country - have a very good evening.