06/01/2014 Reporting Scotland

Tonight on Reporting Scotland... A fatal accident inquiry into the

deaths of these 16 men hears how their helicopter dropped like a

torpedo into the North Sea. Was it avoidable? We need to know why our

boys went out and never came back. Also on the programme...

The Yes campaign calls on unionist supporters to set out their detailed

vision for beyond this autumn's independence referendum.

CSI Strathclyde, a Scottish university launches a new forensic

science course, based on a Loch Lomond murder mystery.

And all dressed up, but nowhere to go. Celtic's players are left in

limbo, after their flight to the Turkish Cup is cancelled.

A helicopter "fell like a torpedo into the sea" - the description of

an eyewitness on the first day of a fatal accident inquiry into the

deaths of 16 men. They perished when their Super Puma came down off

Peterhead nearly five years ago, on its way back from a North Sea oil

platform. Families of those who died are angry that it has taken so long

for the inquiry to get underway and that the Crown Office has already

ruled out any prosecutions. Over four years in nine months after the

crash of the Super Puma, the families of the deceased arrived for

the fatal accident enquiry. He was very family-oriented. He loved

football. He went with his dad everywhere. We dearly miss him. All

on board the helicopter died when it crashed into the sea outside of

Peterhead. There was a catastrophic gearbox failure. A fault had been

found days before the crash but had not been repaired. The enquiry

started with details of the postmortem examinations on the 16th

thick Thames. It said none of them would have survived the impact of

the helicopter crashed from around 1,500 feet. Testimony from the crew

men aboard a vessel which witnessed the crash. He said the helicopter

feel wakey torpedo. The rotor blades had been completely separated from

the aircraft over time it hit the sea. The Crown Prosecution Service

had said there is not any evidence for prosecution. We need to know

what happened that day. Was it avoidable? We need to know why our

boys went out and never came back. We are seeking answers. Was there

something with the helicopter that was not picked up? We need the

answer is. We have been requested them and been denied because it is

not supposedly in the public interest. Almost five years on, the

families hope this six-week fatal accident enquiry will shed some

light on what went wrong. Nicola Sturgeon has challenged her

Unionist opponents "to be honest" about the consequences of voting no

to independence. Speaking at St Andrews University, the Deputy First

Minister claimed Scotland could be landed with welfare benefit cuts and

exclusion from the European Union if independence is rejected and the

Conservatives win the next UK General Election. But critics say

she is dodging problems confronting her own campaign. Let us go to our

political editor Brian Taylor. A new year and a sense that the Yes

campaign is trying to open a new front? Yes, context matters in

politics. Of course, the independence referendum is this

year, but there are other political happenings on the horizon, such as

the general election next year. The Chancellor has said that if the

Conservatives returned to power, they will have to bring in 12

billion cups from wealthier. He is making their challenge in the

context of seeing to it as rivals, his Labour Party and the Liberal

Democrats, what would you do in respect of that coming back? But has

been said that these cuts could not be prevented. She is saying they

could be prevented by a different course, such as independents. She

had other questions about those who advocate voting no. She talked about

possible new powers for the Scottish Parliament. What would they be? She

also referred to the Barnet Formula, the formula with which

Scottish expenditure is worked out. She says there could be cut. The

government is saying that is not on the agenda. Then there is the

question of the European Union. She said other nationalists have faced

many other challenges and they said, what if there was a referendum on

Britain's membership of the European Union by 2016. It was all points

that she was trying to put here, was to try to place in the context of

the referendum and of Labour voters in Scotland. She was saying to them,

in essence, if you want a Scotland where conservatives control your

lives, then vote no in the independence referendum. We have to

be honest that if we remain part of the Westminster system, it will not

be our votes which determine these matters, but votes elsewhere in the

United Kingdom. The inconvenient truths facing the no campaign cannot

be allowed to stay and in the way of the Scottish people making a

genuinely informed choice. The White Paper is now out there for people to

read, scrutinising judge and we need the same clarity from the other side

so the debate can be taken out the hands of politicians like me and

firmly where it belongs, in the hands of the Scottish people. It is

the Scottish people who will decide in the referendum concept member of

the 18. Our opponents say her claims are bogus. BC the structure of the

United Kingdom is clear, established and well known and they say the

difficulties lie with the offering of independence. People do have an

understanding of how the European Union works. Just take a look at the

currency. Simply asserting that certain currency arrangements will

come about. People here know that the pound in our pocket is what we

use. We do not need to be told that the British pound is our currency,

but we need some certainty about what our country would be after

independence, so that people know what currency in which they would be

paid and what impact that would have on their lives. Tomorrow, there is a

debate about childcare. Opponents say they could get on with these

measures known to improve childcare. The Scottish National party say they

need full control of taxation for them to be able to do that. A big

debate coming up tomorrow. And you can see more on that on

Newsnight Scotland over on BBC Two Scotland tonight from eleven

o'clock. You are watching Reporting Scotland

from the BBC. Still to come on the programme, you thought the festive

season was over? Actually, tomorrow is Christmas Day! Confused? Stay

tuned. In sport, a late postponement leaves

Celtic feet firmly on the ground and their plans up in the air.

And the girl in the picture, with success at Glasgow 2014 the main

focus. All the sport is coming soon. Can you solve the murder by the

loch? You have six weeks to do it while learning about forensic

science. It is both a murder mystery and an online course from

Strathclyde University. Our science correspondent Kenneth MacDonald has

been working the crime scene. There has been a murder on the banks of

Loch Lomond and Strathclyde University want you to track the

close. It is a subject which captures the imagination. What we

wanted to do was provide a means whereby there was a real story for

real forensic science to be applied. The course is free and available for

anyone with internet access. I do not want to give too much away, the

real case which some of our staff were involved in, it picks up

different aspects of forensic science. It uses the likes of DNA,

drug analysis and how that type of forensic work can bring something to

an investigation. With this introduction, Strathclyde University

has become the latest to open online courses. While you work on the kind

seen, the Strathclyde University will be working on the programme as

well. It is all about teaching students online very diverse and

despite different courses. None of us know whether this is going, but

we are and entrepreneurial University and we want to be

proactive, rather than sitting back and saying, what is happening here.

And what about the twist? There are twists. In this particular story, we

will invite the participants to you major debate about different aspects

of the scene as the scene unfolds, based on their participation. It

will take you just three hours a week, just for six weeks, if you

want to solve the murder ideal lock.

Scotland's largest teaching union is claiming teachers need more support

with the new qualifications for fourth-year students. A survey of

EIS members suggested many teachers are angry and worried about their

workload, but the Exams Agency says teachers are getting unprecedented

support. There is literally a view weeks until we are in the diet of

exams. Teachers are feeling the pressure because of internal

assessments. It is concerned that we will not be able to deliver these

and that the pupils will be disadvantaged. We will continue to

work with teachers, with schools and local authorities to listen to their

concerns and see where we need to offer additional support to help

teachers address some of the concerns.

Our education correspondent Jamie McIvor joins me now. This is a huge

change that is taking place for fourth-years, isn't it?

This is a huge change that is underway in fourth year. Different.

Yes, these are the new qualifications that are replacing

Standard Grades, the national 4s and 5s.There are some big differences.

The courses only last one year, instead of two and the things that

are being taught on some courses are different. And with the National 4s,

which are the less academically advanced, the equivalent of a

general in a standard grade, there is no final exam. Teachers do all

the assessment. And here are just some of the

comments teachers have made. Poor quality materials for English

lessons. Too much bureaucracy for physics

teachers. Utterly unmanageable workload for a

modern languages teacher. How worried should parents be about

the union's warning? Well, even the EIS is at pains to

say they do not want to cause parents alarm. They are making the

point that they are confident their members will do everything they can

to make the new qualifications a success.

And there is no suggestion whatsoever of the new qualifications

or exams being delayed. This is really a question of workload and

support for teachers. It is maybe worth noting that sample exam papers

are now available, to help give those students who have exams in

April and May an idea what to expect.

A kirk minister who said being gay was an abomination and a disorder

has been told he'll no longer be a chaplain at the Gaelic school in

Glasgow. Donald Macinnes made the remarks on Facebook. The

headteacher's decision followed complaints by parents. Glasgow City

Council says he's entitled to his views but that they aren't in

keeping with the school's ethos. The impact of a predicted tidal

surge this afternoon appears to have been less than feared. Coastal

communities along the west and south coasts had braced themselves for a

repeat of the battering they faced on Friday. There was some limited

flooding, such as here at Kingholm Quay, near Dumfries, but high water

peaked around two feet lower than last week.

Other stories from across Scotland this Monday.

Rescuers say a hill walker who plunged more than 800 feet down a

cliff near Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms is lucky to be alive. The

25-year-old man, from England, who was airlifted to hospital, is said

to be in a serious condition in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Police are appealing for witnesses following the theft of two diamond

engagement rings worth more than ?20,000 from a jewellery shop in

Edinburgh. They were stolen on Saturday from the Robert Anthony

store in Rose Street. 2013 was the worst year in living

memory for anglers on the River Spey, according to new figures.

There was a 23% fall in the salmon catch compared to 2012 which was

also described as a disappointing year.

More than 700 homes in Scotland are still watching TV in black and

white, almost 50 years after colour transmissions began. TV Licensing

says 710 black and white only licences are in use.

Some people are quite happy with the black and white set and some do it

for reasons of nostalgia and some people do not like throwing things

away! Work has started on the upgrading of

Ullapool pier to cope with a new, larger, ferry that Calmac is to use

on the route from there to Stornoway. The ?42 million ship,

being built in Germany, is due to be launched in February.

A trailer containing a funfair ride has been stolen from near a service

station in Fife. The roundabout, with horses, dolphins, a bus, and a

fire engine, was parked on a service road at Halbeath. It was taken some

time between Hogmanay evening and Friday afternoon.

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

Scotland's website. The Festive Season may be over, but

not for everyone. Some religions follow the Gregorian calendar when

Christmas falls tomorrow. They include Scotland's Ukrainian

population, many descended from former soldiers who came here as

prisoners of war and made the country their home. Willie Johnston

reports on how they're trying to keep old traditions alive.

Few buildings can be so different outside and in. On a former prisoner

of war camp near Lockerbie, a chapel created by Italian Catholics are

adopted by displaced Ukrainians of the Greek orthodox faith. Former

partisans fought both Germany and Russia in the hope of

re-establishing an independent Ukraine at the end of the war. When

that failed, going home would have made trial as traitors. Around 2000

men like him came to Scotland as prisoners in 1947 DT and in camps

like this. This houses 474 Ukrainian men. When they were freed two years

later many meat got only adopted home taking jobs in farming and

forestry and marrying local girls. For 36 years, this man has looked

after the chapel where monthly services still take place. It means

a lot to me because I was christened and also married in the chapel. My

father was a prisoner of war and I vowed I would continue working. It

is because of what he represents and suffered during the war. Nowhere

else to go. Very few of the old partisans are still alive and that

is now up to their children and grandchildren to uphold the

traditions, but the language is being lost and secularisation

threatens the future of services like this. The chapel is a museum

and open to tourists but he says it will remain a living memorial for as

long as he believes. -- breathes. To sport now, and it's over to

Rhona. Good evening. As Neil Lennon continues his quest to strengthen

his squad, there's reassuring news from one national team manager who

reckons a Celtic summer signing will prove himself as a regular

goal-scorer. Our senior football reporter Alasdair Lamont reports on

a day when the Celtic squad was disappointed by a late postponement.

They put a brave face on it but the players who did turn up for the

flight to Pataki had to head home. They now hope to fly out tomorrow

for a friendly tournament. Georgios Samaras will not be there as Celtic

attempt to resolve his future. Kris Commons has been showing strikers

the way to go this season, adding another two yesterday as his manager

said they will definitely take up the option of an additional year on

his contract. It is not just for now, it is for the future, and we

want to add a bit of quality to the squad. We will do everything we can

to give some of the players are helping hand. That is not a phrase

we have heard too often but the Finnish player's national manager

thinks he will soon be giving the team more of the helping hand Neil

Lennon is looking for. He has got all the attributes to make it

happen. He scored goals for Fenland against top nations of the world and

he can score goals for Celtic, no question. Neither that nor Celtic's

continued unbeaten run will stop Neil Lennon from trying to add to

his squad again. Now, a look at some other football

stories and what else is happing across Scottish sport.

Hearts administrators have confirmed that talks with the Scottish

Football Association have been unsuccessful. They had hoped the SFA

would lift signing sanctions while they're in administration.

Former Hibs and Scotland striker Garry O'Connor has agreed to join

Morton until the end of the season. International clearance has been

granted. O'Connor's last club was the Russian

side Tom Tomsk. Queen of the South have converted a

former supermarket next to Palmerston into an indoor training

centre. The Queen of the South Arena provides wet weather cover and a new

income stream. I cannot actually remember any club

in Scotland probably having as good a facility. The club is coming on in

leaps and bounds and hopefully it will also attract players.

Andy Murray is hoping to join the ranks of Becker and McEnroe by

lifting the Queens trophy for a fourth time. He's taking part once

again this year in the build-up to his Wimbledon defence.

And there are more sports stories, plus all the latest news, 24 hours a

day on BBC Sport Scotland's website. The poster girl for Team Scotland

cycling Katie Archibald admits that being called 'a really exciting

prospect,' keeps her awake at night. The praise comes from no less than

Sir Dave Brailsford, the director of British Cycling. Now with Glasgow

2014 less than 200 days away, the 19-year-old is determined to reach

the top of her sport. Our Commonwealth Games reporter Jane

Lewis has more. Over your left hand shoulder,

perfect. 18 Scotland photo shoot, proof that Katie Archibald has come

a long way especially as it was not her first love. I was a swimmer

originally. I just eventually realised I did not want to dodge

between cars but between other bikes! Her decision to switch sports

paid off and then just two years she has gone from promising teenager to

European champion. She is now part of the British cycling Academy and

is preparing for a massive year. This will be my first huge

international event with crowds watching and everybody on your back.

I will be in for the pursuit and hopefully I will get on the podium.

Chris Hoy knew all about podium finishes and he was her inspiration.

When I was younger I got the Chris Hoy rider award so I have had the

handshake. She will be even more thrilled to emulate her funeral's

achievements but in the short term, her focus is on Glasgow 2014.

Here before we know it And that's it for tonight. !

Let's get the weather now from Gillian.

It is going to get better this week. It will be dry or around midweek but

we not there yet and tonight they are still plenty of showers links to

this area of low pressure. Gusting winds driving the showers and the

most frequent ones will be over the Western Isles and the north-west

Highlands. The winds will be fresh too strong, strongest over the

Northern Isles and we will see S use with localised flooding. Amidst

that, it will be a mild night but tomorrow morning, still plenty of

showers around, heavy particularly in the West, but into the afternoon

the showers will ease the coming later and we will see dire weather

getting through and even some sunshine. -- dry weather. Showers

for Shetland and the north-west course than through the central belt

some brighter patches but showers across high ground. Still breezy

especially across the west coast but lighter winds than today. On the

hall, my old for this time of year. Through the rest of the afternoon,

signs of those showers reinvigorating for a time. Staying

quite breezy into tomorrow night. Into Wednesday, some real

improvement as this ridge of high pressure builds and it will be a

much drier day. Showers towards the West Coast but they will be few and

far between. A similar picture for Thursday, once again some showers in

the far north but a lot of dry weather across the country. Lighter

winds but turning chilly. Now, a reminder of tonight's main

news. An eye witness into the fatal accident inquiry into the crash of a

Super Puma helicopter said the aircraft fell like a torpedo into

the sea. All 16 men on board died in the accident off Peterhead almost

five years ago. The Chancellor George Osborne has

set out plans for another ?25 billion of spending cuts if the

Conservatives win the next election. Half the proposed savings would come

from the welfare budget. Meanwhile the deputy First Minister

Nicola Sturgeon has challenged her Unionist opponents to be honest

about the consequences of voting no to independence. She claimed

Scotland could be landed with welfare benefit cuts and EU

exclusion if independence is rejected.

Jimmy Savile's victims are calling for a single inquiry into how the TV

presenter managed to evade justice. Dozens of those who've reported

being abused by him say the current investigations - there are about 30

of them - won't answer the key questions about the scandal.

And that's Reporting Scotland. I'll be back with the headlines at 8pm,

and the late bulletin just after the ten o'clock news. Until then, from

everyone on the team around the country, have a very good evening.