13/12/2013 Reporting Scotland

Tonight, on Reporting Scotland. ScottishPower abandons plans to

build a giant wind farm off the west coast of Scotland, amid fears it

would cause an environmental disaster.

Experts said Faith schools are not responsible for sectarianism. The

family of this father-of-two, killed by a drunk driver, speak of their

loss. This disaster leaves us all the more devastated and angry. He

was one of the Polaris of this whole family and cannot be replaced. --

pillars. And they appealed to motorists not to drink and drive

over Christmas. The battle for control of Rangers -

one of the club's major shareholders says the board must win over unhappy

fans. And it's still only the middle of

December, but are these flowers a sign that spring has come early?

ScottishPower Renewables have announced they're pulling out of a

huge offshore wind-farm project on the West Coast. The Argyll Array,

which was due to be built off the coast of Tiree, had been put on hold

for the last year. The company has blamed technical and environmental

site studies. Campaigners against the wind-farm welcomed the decision,

claiming it would have been an environmental disaster for Tiree and

the west coast of Scotland. Our business correspondent David

Henderson reports. As a place to windsurf, Tiree takes

some beating but in recent years, ScottishPower has also been

attracted to these waters, keen to harness the power of the wind. The

company planned for hundreds of turbines like these. Until today,

when they announced they are pulling out. The sea bed has very hard

volcanic rock which will make it very difficult for us to install the

foundations. The wind and wave conditions make it very difficult to

operate vessels, particularly in the winter months. This is what had been

planned, one of Europe's biggest offshore wind farms, able to power

up to 1 million homes. In recent years, energy firms had looked to

take their wind farms offshore. For one thing, there are fewer people to

complain, but that creates a whole new range of technical challenges,

especially when the turbines are as follows that power. Putting these

turbines together is like a giant jigsaw puzzle, a challenge even in

calm waters. This would have meant jobs and investment sold for some on

the island latest disappointment tonight. There are already giants in

the waters of Tiree, basking sharks, and they attract tourists. The

people that run this business are relieved. We had big concerns

environmentally sold to have this removed is a great victory for us.

It means that area is protected for the immediate future. If the cost of

building wind farms keeps falling, the wind farm near Bataan in 15

years or so, but for now the horizon will stay clear.

Our business editor Douglas Fraser is here. Douglas, this isn't the

first of these offshore developments to have been halted recently - what

is going on? There was one of the coast of Devon abandoned just last

month. ScottishPower said these are special circumstances and you have

been hearing about the problems of drilling into the sea bed as well as

basking sharks, but there are broader problems. It is very

expensive than the cost has not been falling as quickly as expected. If

the costs fall because of the experience in the North Sea, they

may go back to this project in 15 or 20 years. They are not blaming the

government but the industry has been concerned about the delay in getting

a pricing signal from the government. That would help

encourage investment and also help begin the building of turbines.

There are companies that want to do that but do not yet have the signals

and the confidence to do that. With green energy pricing a political

football at Westminster, the confidence is still not there. This

would cost ?5 billion and they needed a lot of confidence. But

there is more positive news about HYDRO power. This is another form of

renewable energy well-established in the Highlands it is getting a second

wind. SSE 12 invest in a pump storage scheme. This takes excess

power and no this project has the go-ahead from the Scottish

government. Hundreds of jobs in construction could follow but it is

still a long way from a commitment. SSE want to see that there will be

the pricing support and the cost of access to the bread and neither of

those is clear. They do not expect to make a decision at least until

the year after next. A funeral has been held in Glasgow

for one of the victims of the helicopter crash at the Clutha Bar

two weeks ago. Hundreds of mourners gathered a St Margaret Mary's Church

in Castlemilk for the service for 56-year-old Samuel McGhee, one of

ten people who died. The leader of Glasgow City Council, and a senior

officer from Police Scotland also attended the service.

A driver has pleaded guilty to killing a father of two on his way

home from a Christmas party last year. Keith McCardle got behind the

wheel of his Landrover Freelander in Edinburgh knocking 43-year-old Gavin

Fulton. Lisa Summers reports. For Gavin Fulton's family there may be

some relief that his killer has admitted guilt but it does not make

the belief easier to bear. This disaster leaves us all the more

devastated and gangly. He cannot ever be replaced. His wife and two

young daughters should be looking forward to Christmas but will be

plagued by memories of his venison debt. His father warned of the dire

consequences of getting behind the wheel after drinking. The victim

gets a death sentence. His family and friends lose a loved one and

suffer for years. Keith McCardle admitted death by dangerous driving

today, two times the legal limit. In the yearly up where Gavin Fulton was

knocked down, his family and friends left memories. He was walking home

after a Christmas night out almost exactly a year ago. Witnesses

described seeing the Land Rover coming down the hell driving

erratically before swerving and hitting the pedestrian. This is one

of the big -- busiest weekends of the year across the country as

people head out to celebrate the festive season. Police theatres the

remainder of the tragic consequences of getting behind the wheel when

driving. The consequences for you can be huge. Gavin's family want

this to be a reminder that it is not safe to drink and drive. Keith

McCardle will be sentenced next month.

You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come on the

programme. It is still only the middle of December but are these

flowers re-sign has come early. In sport: One of the power brokers

at Ibrox on his fears for the club if the board doesn't win over

unhappy fans. And why Neil Lennon says Celtic will

continue to be lightweights when it comes to European football.

Denominational schools aren't responsible for sectarianism. That's

one of the conclusions of an expert working group established by the

Scottish government to investigate the issue. Also in their report,

members say sanctions should be applied to football clubs where

sectarianism persists. Our social affairs correspondent, Reevel

Alderson reports. Playing together, learning together,

these pupils in Lanarkshire share a campus. Five from each school make

up the team that were beaten finalists in the Scottish cup last

season. The two headteachers agree the joint arrangement is working.

The children are playing with the friends they live next door to and

it means they have lunch together and play with this wonderful

resource. It is the same education but all the extra things we do

together that make the campus special. All the other activities.

Today's report says today that the debate can become sterile and it

rejects suggestions that ending separate schooling would help.

The fact that these boys from two religious backgrounds are playing in

the same football team is encouraging, but what of the adult

game? The Scottish Football Association said it has tried to

introduce tough new rules to clamp down on unacceptable behaviour

matches including sectarianism, but the member clubs voted it down.

Sectarian singing at an old firm youth game. The sort of images that

cast shadow around football and Scottish society in general.

Sporting sanctions should be introduced...

European football's governing body UEFA can do this and Serbia was

disciplined after England's under 21 players were subjected to racial

abuse any recent match. I think there are good examples of dealing

with this from where I come in Northern Ireland. I do not think

there is anything that says this would not be helpful in Scotland.

The goal was an end to sectarianism. The government says it

is considering the report but has commissioned research to provide

hard evidence of the extent of the problem and attitudes towards it.

Celtic have been punished by the European football authorities for

the display of illicit banners at a recent match in Glasgow. UEFA fined

the Scottish league leaders just over ?40,000 for this demonstration

in a Champions League match against AC Milan. The banners showed images

of William Wallace and the IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.

A man found guilty of murdering his wife in a car crash in Aberdeenshire

has lost his appeal against conviction. Malcolm Webster was

jailed for a minimum of 30 years for murdering Claire Morris in 1994 and

staging a similar attempt against his second wife in New Zealand.

Lawyers argued he suffered a miscarriage of justice. But judges

at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh rejected the claims.

Other stories from across Scotland this Friday.

A major hydro power project has been given the green light by the

Scottish government. It's approved SSE's plans to build a new pump

storage scheme at Corry Glass near Spean Bridge in Lochaber.

Highland Councillors will be asked to agree to a further ?3.5 million

package of funding cuts at a meeting next week. It comes as council

leaders warn of tougher times ahead for the local authority's finances

over the next five years. A former RAF gunner has become the

first double amputee to walk to the South Pole. Duncan Slater from Muir

of Ord lost both his legs after an explosion in Afghanistan. He's part

of a team of disabled veterans skiing across Antarctica with Prince

Harry for a charity challenge. A Highland landowner has offered a

?5000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of poachers

shooting red deer in the Lochaber area. Staff on the Ardnamurchan

estate say a well organised team of poachers are using high-powered

rifles with silencers to hunt deer on a commercial basis.

The family and friends of missing botanist Jamie Taggart understand

the search for him in the mountains of northern Vietnam has been

suspended because of poor weather. The four-year-old from Cove was last

seen on the 30th of October. Friends of the Linn botanic gardens

which Jamie runs have set up a fund to pay to continue the search.

A transatlantic air route between Glasgow and Halifax in Nova Scotia

has been announced. French-owned Europe Airpost will fly the weekly

link next summer. Using a Boeing 737, the flight will start in Paris

and the stretch from Glasgow is expected to cost around ?500.

Scuba divers have found rare flame shells in Scapa Flow for the first

time in almost 50 years. The team of volunteers from the organisation

Seasearch were working on a Heriot-Watt University-led

conservation project. A team spokesman described it as one of

Scotland's underwater biological treasures.

And there are more stories from your area and all the latest news, 24

hours a day on BBC Scotland's website. The In the past week, as

tributes have poured in to Nelson Mandela, memories have been

rekindled of the struggle against apartheid.

Not just in South Africa itself but in Scotland, too, where the

anti-apartheid movement was particularly active. Its archives

are carefully preserved in a university and our education

correspondent Jamie McIvor has been looking through them. These struggle

against apartheid became the soundtrack for a generation. They

try to persuade the British government to impose sanctions. It

is a long time. In Scotland, campaigners came together to form a

movement. We organised the march to London. You can see the error, Jim

Kier singing. We had a lot of handmade banners. This is relating

to the incident in 1976. This one is the freeman of Glasgow awarded to

Nelson Mandela. He is reaching for the key. And the emblems of Glasgow

also. Back then, the campaigners could hardly have dreamt I would

Nelson Mandela but somehow physic Glasgow. Sometimes a little things

tell a story. This flyer Budgens supermarket to stop selling South

African goods. And now look at how it changes after the fall of

apartheid. A generation on, it is living history. One day, the

archives will help keep the story alive for generations to come.

Letters get all the sport. One of the key figures at Ibrox says

the current board must win over unhappy fans to avoid a potentially

fatal blow to the club. Sandy Easdale holds voting rights over

more than one quarter of Rangers shares for next week's annual

general meeting. Votes taken then will decide who is in charge of the

club. Sandy Easdale We'll have a big say in who wields power at Ibrox. He

will vote on behalf of more than one quarter of shareholders but wants to

allay concerns. Will any of the decisions taken by you or Rangers

are either for the benefit of people previously associated with the

club, like Charles Green. We're not going to make any decision it with

people out with of Rangers. The people you have spoken to me I'm not

involved in Rangers. They did not accept any decision making? Not at

all. Supporters remain convinced that there is more to this story.

The shuttle of red cards at the league game last Saturday. The

supporters are very supportive of the club, but if they did it by

season tickets because of certain fears, then it would be very

worrying. We are all away that some of the money has been spent on

play-offs. Now, we are looking at the door that if we do not buy

season tickets we could be in danger. The rift between supporters

of the club could be hard to amend. Celtic manager Neil Lennon admits

his team will continue to be European "lightweights" because

stability is more important than spending big. He says his side has

gone backwards this season, but only in Europe. Neil Lennon feels

progress is being made domestically. The headline still hammer home the

Barcelona battering. In the Champions League, money talks and

Celtic are not have as much as the European elite. But in one year,

they have gone from the last 16 to last in the group. Have regressed?

It is a bit of a conundrum. The club sold three of their best players in

the mid-season. So what did they do with the money? They brought a

number of new players, but have they deliver? I think they will be value

for money. I think all of the players I have brought in have been

that. It is a different way of playing and it is and once they get

a run of games, the emotional how good they are. The signings are OK

domestically, but they are not going to make a difference in the

Champions League. Domestic domination means they are already

campaigning for the European campaign next season. Now, look at

what else is happening in sport around Scotland. The former

commander manager Kenny Shields is back in management. He has been

appointed the bars of Morton. His mission is to keep the club can't,

currently short bottom of the table, in the division. Terry Butcher is

untroubled by the prospect of tomorrow's game for heads away to

the league leaders Celtic. They have already been there and drawing 2-2

after being 2-0 ahead. Scotland lost 2-note to Canada in Brazil. The host

nation on Sunday. At 65 for the holder Scott Jamieson in the Nelson

Mandela classic in South Africa. It was overshadowed by two players who

scored 59. Scotland beat France's 5-for any penalty shoot out in the

ice hockey world Championships. And ever more stories 24 hours a day on

the sport Scotland website on the BBC website.

Now if you have been thinking it has been unseasonably warm for this time

of year, you would be right. Warm air blown from the south has been

keeping Scotland unusually mild for December. It has kept the

temperature in double figures and led to some unusual sights in the

garden. These daffodils are blooming, because they are rather

confused by the weather. How unusual is that for daffodils to be coming

up at this time of year? You can see by the mailed weather, you can smell

the perfume of them. I have seen a lot of unusual plant behaviour? The

unseasonably mild weather is bringing many things into flower.

But a week ago, we had the storm force winds and we do not know what

will happen next week. The plans are grown under glass and the ones I

decide that a real treat for visitors. I always look after

flowers. The photos you have been sending assurers and mailed it has

been. It is a big contrast this time year, when the photographs were all

of ice and snow. But it will not last, the plants will be under

shelter when the temperature drops this weekend.

More on that in a minute. The operators of the Forth Bridge

have released this footage to show the dangers of using the crossing in

severe gales. This is what happened to a truck driver at the height of

last Thursday's storm, as he tried to get his vehicle over the

crossing. Gillian is here with the weather.

Could this be a timely warning? Yes, very stormy conditions over the

weekend to come and lasting well into next week. The story has been

male but it is all change over the weekend. The temperatures will fall

and there will be heavy rain. You can see these pushing across the

course of tonight and tomorrow in the LA hours. Most of the shots will

die away by every morning tomorrow. There could be a bit of ground frost

in the sheltered East. Tomorrow, the main worry is the strength of the

wind. Very quickly tomorrow, the heavy rain pushes in once again to

the west and the wind strengthening to deal force in the Central Belt

and potentially 80 medals per hour in the exposed Northwest Coast. In

mid-afternoon, plenty of rain around, and we will see an issue

with standing water, especially in southern and central Scotland.

Temperatures will still be on the mailed side. More rain for

Shetland. We could begin to see something gyre in the north-west

coast later in the afternoon. But it is not a day to be taking to the

hills. There could be gassed of 110 males peer our overly peaks. Here

are the inshore waters: through the rest of the afternoon

tomorrow, the persistent rain pools away by the early evening. Heavily

blustery showers will follow in the evening. It will be a cold night

tomorrow night. In Sunday, we are watching this low pressure coming

our way. Severe gale force wind and another Met office yellow warning

for those. Sunday will start dry and bright but once again, the day will

deteriorate. Storm force winds in the north-west of the country.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news. .

Concern is growing for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees forced

to endure an exceptionally harsh winter storm and freezing

temperatures with no more than tents for shelter. The human rights

organisation Amnesty International says Europe should hang its head in

shame for failing to provide a safe haven. Scottish Power renewables

have said they are pulling out of a wind farm project at in the Western

Isles. There is international concern about

the stability of North Korea after the execution of the regime's second

most powerful figure. Jang Song Tek was the uncle of the country's

leader, Kim Jong Un. It is reported he was shot by machine gun after

being found guilty of treason. I will be back with the headlines at

eight o'clock and the late bulletin just after the ten o'clock news.

Until then, from everyone on the team here in Glasgow