07/09/2014 BBC Weekend News

The Chancellor has told the BBC that more powers to tax

and spend will be given to Scotland if people vote no to independence.

He said this would give Scotland the best of both worlds, by

avoiding what he called "the risks of separation" but having "more

His comments come after one poll put the Yes Campaign

Our Scotland Correspondent Lorna Gordon reports.

It is now 11 days until voters in Scotland decide the country 's

future, and for the first time one poll has predicted that the union is

about to end. Another has pointed to a lead for the no campaign. But one

survey suggesting support for independence is ahead is being taken

seriously by both sides. The political sands are shifting fast.

George Osborne this morning warning again that there will be no currency

union if people vote yes and offering much more to Scotland if

people vote no. In the next few days you will see a plan of action to

give more powers to Scotland, more tax and spending powers and plans

and powers over the welfare state. And that will be put into effect,

the timetable for delivering that will be put into effect the moment

there is a no vote. Nicola Sturgeon, talking to undecided voters, said

the unionist campaign was out of tune and warned against the

last-minute offer from Westminster. People will not have the wool pulled

over their eyes in the last few days of the campaign, if there was a

serious intention to give substantial new powers to Scotland

we would have seen a package put forward before now. We would have

seen them willing to put it on the ballot paper. With so much at stake

we are likely to see a huge push from both sides trying to bring

people into the fold. There will be more town hall meetings, leaflets

through letter boxes and canvassing on the streets and claims and

counterclaims from both pro-independence politicians. For

both sides, there is no time to waste. In this referendum every vote

will count. -- from the pro-independence, and the

pro-unionist cause. In Ukraine, government forces and

pro-Russia rebels have exchanged mortar fire threatening a ceasefire

that was agreed on Friday. The fighting has been

centred around Donetsk airport Meanwhile local officials in the

port of Mariupol say a woman has been killed and three people injured

after heavy shelling overnight. From Donetsk,

Richard Galpin sent this report. The no man's land around Donetsk

airport. Which is still held by the Ukrainian government troops. The

scene of fierce fighting in recent months. GUNFIRE

Now, despite the cease-fire, fighting has once again erupted

here. EXPLOSIONS We have taken cover because we have

heard the sound of quite a number of mortars being fired. Certainly some

coming towards the airport here and some outgoing as well. It is clear

there is fighting going on here at the airport. In the midst of the

explosions, these children appeared. Clearly quite used to life

on the front line. But despite the outbreak of fighting here, this

international observer told me it would not in itself destroy the

cease-fire. It is always serious because the risk is that civilians,

innocent people could be killed, we have seen a lot of that and it has

to stop. If I compare with the days before the cease-fire, started,

then, it is quite calm. At least. But overnight there was even more

serious fighting around the port city of Ariel poll. Artillery

barrage is fired by pro-Russian rebels -- around Mariupol. This was

the aftermath, the target was government positions on the

outskirts of the city, people who are increasingly questioning if the

cease-fire has any meaning. The United States has carried out

air strikes near a dam in western Iraq which was under attack

from Islamic State militants. The US strikes,

the first in the area, were to protect the Iraqi forces and Sunni

tribesmen in control of the dam. The dam is an important source

of water and electrical power Annual increases in the price

of regulated rail fares in England are to be capped at the rate

of inflation. It means the fares,

including season tickets and 'anytime' singles, will be frozen

in real terms for another year. MPs' should get

a 9% pay rise next year as planned, the body overseeing their salaries

and expenses has said. The Independent Parliamentary

Standards Authority said MPs did an important job and should not be

paid a "miserly amount". Their pay will go up from ?67,000

to ?74,000 under the plan. Detectives in West London searching

for a missing schoolgirl have arrested a 25-year-old man

on suspicion of murder. Alice Gross, who's 14,

was last seen ten days ago An exceptionally gifted student,

with a good sense of humour. Alice Gross's disappearance is said to be

out of character. She was last seen by her family ten days ago, when she

went out at lunch time saying she would be back by the evening. The

police divers have been drafted into the search for the teenager which

has also involves scanning hundreds of hours of CCTV pictures. The

schoolgirl was spotted on a tow path in some of the footage on the day

she vanished but there have been no further sightings. The Metropolitan

Police have released a new images of cyclists, who officers are trying to

identify although the pictures are difficult to decipher. Her Facebook

page, set up to raise awareness of the case, has more than 13,000

followers. More than one week after she went missing, it is still not

clear what has happened to the 14-year-old girl who did not come

home. The arrest of a 25 you rob man on suspicion of murder, who was

taken into custody followed information given to detectives only

yesterday -- 25-year-old man. It is early stages and for that reason it

remains a missing persons enquiry. Please continue to -- the police

continued to appeal for witnesses. The search goes on.

You can see more on all of today's stories on the BBC News Channel.