19/10/2016 Reporting Scotland

The number of people seeking work in Scotland has fallen sharply,

It's now at its lowest level since 2008.

Here's our business and economy editor, Douglas Fraser.

Scottish textiles were seen as dying, and nearly finished

but in Schofield the weaker pound has brought a new pattern of sales

for the trade customers opening up foreign markets.

They are obviously seeing an increase in the raw material

costs in terms of buying yarn, but they are taking advantage

of favourable exchange rates because they are exporting a lot

to the Far East, too, some to Europe, quite a lot to America.

So they are seeing some down side but some up side as well.

Recover from the the financial crash has brought in apprenticeship

for some who had training programmes that collapsed back then.

I done a apprenticeship in joinery beforehand,

and did that for a few years it went really well until the recession hit

Unemployment and things became an issue.

But since coming here, I felt my job has been quite secure

Today's figures suggest there hasn't been such a simple shift.

Many people, mostly women appear to be leaving the workforce,

they are saying they are not available for work.

That goes for 34,000 more working aged Scots women in the year

We have seen a small increase in employment

which is welcome, another significant decrease

in unemployment which is welcome, but unfortunately,

both of these shifts are more than compensated

for by a significant increase in economic inactivity.

A labour market where unemployment is falling because people

are withdrawing from the labour market rather than going into jobs

isn't one we should be complacent about.

After we learned yesterday inflation is on the rise, it is worth noting

weekly pay increased by 2.3%, that is still well ahead of 1%

inflation but it is not expected to stay that far

The job position looked worse than the rest of the UK.

Police have discovered a number of children thought to be at risk

following a Scotland-wide crackdown on people trafficking.

Six youngsters and five adults are being cared

for after they were discovered working in nail bars.

Hundreds of police officers took part in a series of operations.

Our reporter Andrew Anderson joined one of them.

In their sights those who traffic the vulnerable,

These teams are about to carry out a series of swoops across Fife.

This beach is the first stop today for police and immigration

officials, there can sometimes be scores of people on this beach

there may be people who have been trafficked or who are

This beach is popular with people from the Chinese community.

The two main species they will be after will be the razor clams

and the cockles, of which the razor clams

The police approach a Chinese family who a peer to be

Criminal gangs use cheap labour to supply the catering trade.

They tell police they are on a day out.

This operation in Fife was repeated across Scotland yesterday.

500 police officers looking for the signs of trafficking.

Sometimes people who just display fear or anxiety,

on some of the worst occasions people could perhaps display

injuries which are the result of being assaulted.

These workers are mainly Bulgarian, everything here was above board.

The owner told me the traffickers are bad for business.

They are undercutting out prices, we can't compete with people

because it is hard for us to, you know, to pay the wages and pay

the bills at the end of the month. It is quite hard.

How big a problem is trafficking in Scotland?

there being exploited because they could be

exploited in a number of way, the key thing for that is that

where it is identified it brought to the police attention.

The police hope this latest operation will ultimately lead them

to those criminal gangs, who deal in people, for profit.

A petition calling for Abellio to be stripped of the ScotRail contract -

signed by nearly 20,000 people - has been handed to the government.

Here's our transport correspondent David Henderson.

A symbol of discontent about the way Scotland's railways are run.

In this box, a petition, backed by 19,000 people.

Among them, this woman who is fed up with being late for college.

It is standing there doing nothing, there was a day it started at nine,

so we all got there late because it is my whole class

The campaign's message to Government is simple.

Get tough with ScotRail bosses or strip them of their contract.

A delay sounds like a statistic but it has an impact

We have had stories from members who have missed appointments,

interviews and there has been real impact on then from delays.

Waiting to meet them today, the Transport Minister,

last month he asked ScotRail for a performance improvement plan.

He told me that should mean fewer delay, a better deal for passengers.

There is a plan in place over the franchise, to have more services

running, to have high speed trains, longer trains so people don't

Nothing is perfect. No.

I hold ScotRail to account to make sure they deliver.

It is 18 month since the Dutch firm Abellio won

It promised to invest millions to improve service.

But not all their plans have stayed on track.

ScotRail say that just under 90% of their services run on time,

That is just below their target but they say the huge increase

in passengers travelling on the railways presents

them with a challenge, and has caused some

ScotRail wants to improve the rail network to boost passenger numbers

and speed up trains but that has meant large-scale repair

ScotRail has been given time to improve its service by ministers

and passengers wants an assurance that there is light at the end

for 78 jobs to drive new trains for Virgin along the main

Some staff will be based in Edinburgh.

The rolling stock should go into service in 2018.

A German U-boat which sank almost a century ago has been discovered

It was found by engineers laying underwater power cables.

It's been claimed that the submarine's crew abandoned

the boat after it was attacked by a monster John McManus reports.

the boat after it was attacked by a monster.

The waters of the Irish sea off the coast of Galloway.

During World War I, German U-boats used this place

Royal Navy ships were trying to find and destroy them.

Now, engineers laying cable say they have found the wreckage

which was sunk in 1918, a 45m long submarine

one of about 12 German and British World War I submarines

which met their end in the Irish sea.

Sonar images from the sea bed show that it's virtually intact.

We do really detailed surveys of the sea bed so that we can

look out for obstacles which might be in the way,

What we did not expect to find was a German U-boat.

It's probably the most amazing thing I've ever come across

in the whole of my construction experience.

The submarine surfaced and was captured by

The German crew said they had just survived a fight with a sea monster!

Could it have been a relative of Nessie?

Loch Ness itself is twice the depth of the North Sea.

Who knows what is down there, in maritime and geological terms?

What could have actually attacked the submarine?

That explanation just muddies the waters, says this historian.

This submarine was caught on the surface at night

It saw the HM Drifter Coreopsis coming, it attempted to do

a crash dive to get away, and the young officer whose job

it was too shocked the hatch at the top did not show it properly.

And so once the submarine was underwater, it rapidly started

So they had no option but to blow all the compressed air out,

bring the submarine to the surface and surrender.

Seems that the idea of a watery creature

defending Britain's shores may have been sunk.

I like the idea of Nessie doing her bit for the war effort,

but I think in reality, the real sea monster is the U-boat.

Celtic's hopes of extending their European campaign

beyond Christmas was dealt a severe blow this evening as they suffered

a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach

Here's our senior football reporter Chris McLaughlan:

Yes, a disappointing defeat for Celtic this evening. Favourites in

many realise, the Germans however dominated for long spells of the

game. Most of the first half possession was German, and even

their efforts were saved by the keeper. Some good chances for the

home side, but then ten minutes into the second half, Germans took

advantage of the lax defence. Celtic pushed for an equaliser, but again

that were sliced open at the back, and brassieres made it to nil.

Celtic slip to the bottom of the champion was likely. Next for them

is Borussia Monchengladbach away in two weeks' time.

Let's get the weather from Christopher.

Weather-wise denied it is dry, but rather chilly. Towns and cities

through the central belt three to five Celsius. Countryside, subzero.

A chilly start today tomorrow, a touch of frost on windscreens and

grass, and a few mist and fog touch of frost on windscreens and

patches but they should quickly go as the sun comes up. One to light

showers potentially through the Borders, slow to these clothes, and

showers potentially through the though should go as well, but for

most of us a dry start with some early brightness here and there.

Some cloud, and savages there in the morning very mild, very cold in

certain rural spots however. As we head through Thursday, plenty of

dry, fine weather in the forecast. Smells of sunshine coming through,

one or two showers down the east coast, but Gethin day across the

north-east compared to this in the way of sunshine. We have low

pressure towards the low countries, showers and East Anglia and the

south-east, elsewhere dry, bright, high pressure influence keening

conditions. For us in Scotland 11, 12 Scotland, maybe even some sun. So

not too bad. The latest run in the muddled and I'd suggest this rain

stays away. A dry day. Friday will be dry and bright but more in the

way of cloud compared with today and be dry and bright but more in the

tomorrow, but still fairly bright. A few spots of light wane in the

north-west. Low pressure pushing into the Bay of Biscay drawing an

easterly flow, meaning chilly down the east coast throughout because of

the weekend, and weather-wise a bit the east coast throughout because of

of an split, east meaning cloudy skies and one of two showers, the

west is where the best of the sunshine will be a matter before the

Northern Ireland, and indeed through England and Wales, and temperatures

by the afternoon 12 or 13 degrees. Our next update is during Breakfast

at 6:25am tomorrow morning. But, from everyone on the late

team - goodnight. Louise will have more details on the

weather for the