:00:00. > 3:59:59rain from the east. That's all from the BBC News At Six.
:00:00. > :00:18.On BBC Tonight on Reporting Scotland: Power
:00:19. > :00:21.company chiefs are fiercely criticised by MPs for failing to
:00:22. > :00:27.respond swiftly enough to blackouts from the December storms. An inquiry
:00:28. > :00:30.hears of confusion over the condition of this helicopter's
:00:31. > :00:34.gearbox the week before it crashed, killing 16 men. Intelligence
:00:35. > :00:41.whistle-blower Edward Snowden is to stand for the post of student rector
:00:42. > :00:45.at Glasgow University. Putting the fit in fitba - how these men slimmed
:00:46. > :00:53.down with the help of their favourite teams. It was a bit of a
:00:54. > :00:56.shock, actually, when my weight was measured and they told me I was
:00:57. > :01:01.verging on obese. And also tonight: His first big test. We'll preview
:01:02. > :01:05.Andy Murray's quarterfinal showdown against Roger Federer at the
:01:06. > :01:08.Australian Open. Power company bosses have been fiercely criticised
:01:09. > :01:10.for failing to respond quickly enough to the blackouts which
:01:11. > :01:14.followed December's storms. A committee of MPs accused them of
:01:15. > :01:19.utter complacency and of showing no real concern for their customers.
:01:20. > :01:22.Hundreds of thousands of UK homes lost power last month with more than
:01:23. > :01:30.26,000 in Scotland, as our Environment Correspondent, David
:01:31. > :01:35.Miller, reports. It came crashing down and struck that part of the
:01:36. > :01:41.building. Retired police officer Roland MacGowan book in December to
:01:42. > :01:44.discover the storms have got an electricity pole crashing down,
:01:45. > :01:51.punching his home into darkness. You could just see the race of it.
:01:52. > :01:56.750,000 homes lost electricity across the UK and one, like most
:01:57. > :02:02.Scottish customers, had his supply restored within 24 hours. Elsewhere,
:02:03. > :02:09.many families had no power for five days over Christmas. Today, MPs had
:02:10. > :02:14.harsh words for the power companies. The reason you are here is simply
:02:15. > :02:19.that too many of your customers lost power for too long at a very
:02:20. > :02:26.important time of the year. And the compensation they have received is,
:02:27. > :02:30.in my judgement, too small. But the power companies say they are already
:02:31. > :02:35.raising their game with helicopter crews playing their part. Using the
:02:36. > :02:40.latest thermal imaging, they will identify faults in power lines in
:02:41. > :02:46.remote areas. Wide you need a helicopter? Being in the chopper is
:02:47. > :02:53.really helpful to get a better view of the pylons. And the thermal
:02:54. > :02:57.imaging is very useful. The power companies are investing heavily to
:02:58. > :03:02.ensure their transmission lines can cope with almost anything the
:03:03. > :03:06.Scottish Winter throws at them but from the air it is clear to see that
:03:07. > :03:13.the challenges are huge and there can be no guarantees. Bosses say
:03:14. > :03:23.that power cuts. Happen but response times are improving sharply. In the
:03:24. > :03:26.past, 15 years ago, those weights would have been longer and that is
:03:27. > :03:31.down to the investment we have blood on the network. Went is not over and
:03:32. > :03:41.there might be more cuts ahead but the industry insists it is working
:03:42. > :03:44.hard to avoid them. Scotland would have to take radical measures if it
:03:45. > :03:47.is going to tackle income inequality. That's the finding of
:03:48. > :03:51.research showing that only raising taxes or benefits would have a very
:03:52. > :03:54.limited impact - even if Scotland votes for independence and has new
:03:55. > :03:59.powers. Our Economy Editor, Douglas Fraser, can tell us more. Douglas?
:04:00. > :04:03.Thank you. Partly because many are on lower pay and because London has
:04:04. > :04:07.so many high earners, the UK is seventh out of 34 on this table of
:04:08. > :04:12.major nations. Scotland is near the mid-point. The most unequal is Chile
:04:13. > :04:17.then Mexico. The United States is not far behind. In the bottom six
:04:18. > :04:22.you'll find our northern neighbours. Finland, Denmark, Norway and
:04:23. > :04:26.Iceland, fairest of them all. So if it's a priority to close the gap
:04:27. > :04:29.between high earners and low income, how do you go about it? Scotland
:04:30. > :04:33.already has power to raise income tax. If you raise it by only one
:04:34. > :04:36.pence per pound, the Stirling economists behind today's report say
:04:37. > :04:39.some people could be expected to work fewer hours. Big earners might
:04:40. > :04:45.leave to pay lower tax bills elsewhere. The impact of that is it
:04:46. > :04:48.would close only around 4% of the gap with those Scandinavians. What
:04:49. > :04:53.if Scotland had new powers with independence and used them to pay
:04:54. > :04:57.more Jobseeker's Allowance? With a 10% increase, we're told it would
:04:58. > :05:07.close only 10% of the gap and it might reduce the incentive to work.
:05:08. > :05:10.Simply raising taxes and increasing spending on benefits in Scotland
:05:11. > :05:17.will not be enough for us to reduce the level of inequality to levels in
:05:18. > :05:21.Nordic countries. The issue is the level of income inequality before
:05:22. > :05:25.tax and benefits is also much higher in Scotland than in Nordic countries
:05:26. > :05:29.and that is the real issue we need to address. No surprise, then, that
:05:30. > :05:35.this is a hot topic for the campaign on independence: it is a very
:05:36. > :05:41.interesting report but the ultimate conclusion is that we juicing taxes
:05:42. > :05:45.or simply taking fiscal measures is not the way to deal with any
:05:46. > :05:51.quality. We are much better staying within the UK. We must remember that
:05:52. > :05:55.the massive gap between rich and poor that exists and right now one
:05:56. > :05:59.of the biggest in the developed world has been created by the
:06:00. > :06:02.current Westminster system so this is not a reason to keep that system,
:06:03. > :06:05.it is a reason to do things differently in the future. What
:06:06. > :06:09.could an independent Scotland do instead of tax and welfare? It may
:06:10. > :06:12.require more radical government intervention in the jobs market -
:06:13. > :06:15.raising the minimum wage or raising the skill levels at which we compete
:06:16. > :06:22.internationally for jobs. That, of course, is already being tried,
:06:23. > :06:27.here, and everywhere else. Thank you. And with details of the first
:06:28. > :06:35.in a new series of BBC Scotland referendum debates, here's James
:06:36. > :06:38.Cook. Tonight, we will discuss the future of Scotland with a panel of
:06:39. > :06:44.politicians from both sides of the debate, a journalist and a comedian.
:06:45. > :06:48.Join me at 9pm tonight on BBC Two Scotland for the referendum debate.
:06:49. > :06:55.You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come: Less
:06:56. > :06:59.wine, please. How our bars and pubs are being urged to adopt smaller
:07:00. > :07:04.measures. In sport, the highs and lows of Andy Murray v Roger Federer.
:07:05. > :07:08.They meet again tomorrow morning in the quarter finals of the Australian
:07:09. > :07:11.Open. It's been tears of defeat and then more tears for the Scot. But
:07:12. > :07:21.then Olympic victory. Will it be tears of joy again tomorrow? A fatal
:07:22. > :07:24.accident inquiry has heard of confusion over the condition of a
:07:25. > :07:29.helicopter gearbox the week before 16 men died when the aircraft
:07:30. > :07:32.crashed into the sea. Our reporter, Steven Duff, joins us now from
:07:33. > :07:36.Aberdeen Townhouse, where the inquiry into the 2009 tragedy off
:07:37. > :07:48.Peterhead is being held. Tell us more about this apparent confusion.
:07:49. > :07:54.Confusion over where in the gearbox of the helicopter, metal particles
:07:55. > :07:57.were found and these particles are important because accident
:07:58. > :08:01.investigators later said they were fundamental to the cause of the
:08:02. > :08:08.catastrophic gearbox failure. Dunnock Boer was a specialist with
:08:09. > :08:13.the Super Puma manufacturer in France and he told of a discussion
:08:14. > :08:17.he and colleagues had with helicopter engineers about the
:08:18. > :08:20.particles and he said they were on the understanding that they were in
:08:21. > :08:24.a completely different part of the gearbox and had he known that, he
:08:25. > :08:28.said he would have given completely different advice on maintenance
:08:29. > :08:33.which would have involved a more extensive examination of that
:08:34. > :08:38.gearbox. And news of a separate enquiry into the same subject of
:08:39. > :08:43.helicopter safety? That is right and next Monday in Aberdeen, MPs from
:08:44. > :08:49.the Select Committee will question helicopter operators, manufacturers,
:08:50. > :08:56.trade unions and gas officials in an enquiry set up in the wake of last
:08:57. > :09:02.August's disaster. The remit will also look at the tragedy in Alaska
:09:03. > :09:08.or in November when a police helicopter crashed into a pub. Since
:09:09. > :09:12.2009, the team people in Scotland have died in crashes and incidents
:09:13. > :09:17.involving Eurocopter aircraft. Thank you very much. Police investigating
:09:18. > :09:20.claims of an email plot to rig votes in the selection of Labour's general
:09:21. > :09:23.election candidate in Falkirk say they have found no evidence of
:09:24. > :09:26.criminality. Officers examined the computer of former Unite union
:09:27. > :09:28.official Stevie Dean after a newspaper claimed emails proved
:09:29. > :09:34.influence had been exerted. Unite says it proves a witch-hunt has been
:09:35. > :09:37.exposed to be without foundation. The Burrell art collection is to be
:09:38. > :09:43.loaned abroad, overturning the wishes of the shipping merchant, Sir
:09:44. > :09:46.William Burrell. Members of the Scottish Parliament passed the
:09:47. > :09:50.legislation earlier this evening. Sir William donated the collection
:09:51. > :09:52.to the city of Glasgow under the condition it wouldn't travel
:09:53. > :09:58.overseas. MSPs hope touring the works will raise funds. We've all
:09:59. > :10:02.been there. You go into a bar, ask for a glass of wine and more often
:10:03. > :10:07.than not the response is, a large one? That's if you're asked at all
:10:08. > :10:10.before a large glass is served. Well, now Scotland's bars and pubs
:10:11. > :10:13.are being urged to promote smaller measures of wine to encourage more
:10:14. > :10:16.responsible drinking. But health campaigners say but others say that
:10:17. > :10:25.simply encouraging isn't enough, as Morag Kinniburgh reports. This
:10:26. > :10:29.Edinburgh wine bar already offers an hundred and 25 millilitres glasses
:10:30. > :10:32.and the thinking is enjoying good quality wine without getting drunk.
:10:33. > :10:38.That is smaller measures going to make a difference? Sometimes it is
:10:39. > :10:43.nice to have a smaller glass. If you want a drink, you still will. It is
:10:44. > :10:47.a good idea but whether or not it will make any long-term difference,
:10:48. > :10:53.I doubt that. Any opportunity to have less alcohol will be good. One
:10:54. > :10:58.large glass can contain over three units of alcohol, more than the
:10:59. > :11:01.recommended daily intake for women and campaigners argue that people
:11:02. > :11:04.can drink more than they realise. Scotland is renowned for its
:11:05. > :11:08.unhealthy drink culture and making smaller measures of wine were
:11:09. > :11:12.available is designed to help people control their drinking better.
:11:13. > :11:17.People end up going into a pub for a glass of wine only offered medium or
:11:18. > :11:21.large number introducing smaller sizes, it lets people make a more
:11:22. > :11:24.informed choice about their alcohol consumption. Offering smaller
:11:25. > :11:29.measures will not necessarily mean lower income for republicans so they
:11:30. > :11:33.support this. It will make for a much nicer environment with people
:11:34. > :11:39.enjoying their drink so instead of having one or two large glasses,
:11:40. > :11:42.they can have three smaller glasses. Health campaigners welcomed the move
:11:43. > :11:46.but argue it should be compulsory and not optional and more needs to
:11:47. > :11:51.be done. This is a step forward but if you do not tackle cheap alcohol
:11:52. > :11:57.and widespread than ability, it will be ineffective. All sides except
:11:58. > :12:00.this is a small move toward solving Scotland's alcohol problems and the
:12:01. > :12:06.issue of pricing remains tied up in the courts. To some he's a
:12:07. > :12:08.whistle-blower and a hero. To others, especially the American
:12:09. > :12:11.government, he's a traitor, a fugitive guilty of espionage. But
:12:12. > :12:16.the US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden could be the next rector of
:12:17. > :12:19.Glasgow University. From his temporary asylum in Moscow, he's
:12:20. > :12:23.agreed to run in next month's elections. Our reporter, Julie
:12:24. > :12:32.Peacock, is at the university now. Julie, how did his name come to be
:12:33. > :12:36.in the frame? Well, Ed Snowden was at the centre of the international
:12:37. > :12:39.manhunt last year after he licked details of the United States
:12:40. > :12:44.security documents and they showed that the US had effectively been
:12:45. > :12:47.spying not just on its own citizens and also listening to the phone
:12:48. > :12:53.calls of the leaders of countries it considers allies, like Germany. As a
:12:54. > :12:58.result, Edward Snowden went on the run and he is one of America's most
:12:59. > :13:03.wanted but Russia has granted him temporary asylum. But a group of
:13:04. > :13:07.university students here at Glasgow say they want to see him standing as
:13:08. > :13:10.the rector in the forthcoming elections so over the past few weeks
:13:11. > :13:16.there have been speaking to his lawyers and last night they got the
:13:17. > :13:19.word that he would agree to stand in these elections and already the
:13:20. > :13:23.students are telling me that there is a lot of support for his
:13:24. > :13:27.campaign. Anyone who has ever used any kind of computer or telephone,
:13:28. > :13:31.we have a responsibility to show Edward Snowden that not only do we
:13:32. > :13:36.appreciate what he has done for us by informing us to the extent of US
:13:37. > :13:42.surveillance but also that we were standing behind him in solidarity
:13:43. > :13:45.with him and his situation. Surely just a publicity stunt? How can he
:13:46. > :13:51.be of use to students thousands of miles away? It is fair to say that
:13:52. > :13:55.Edward Snowden is not likely to pay many visits to Glasgow University if
:13:56. > :13:59.he is elected by the students say that this is all about making a
:14:00. > :14:02.political point and a say that Glasgow University has a long
:14:03. > :14:07.tradition of doing this. Previous rectors have included people like
:14:08. > :14:12.Winnie Mandela and also the Israeli whistle-blower. They say it is
:14:13. > :14:26.important to make a stand and show that the UK and US government that
:14:27. > :14:28.they value privacy. Thank you. Other stories from across Scotland
:14:29. > :14:32.this Tuesday evening. Strike action looks likely to put a
:14:33. > :14:35.stop to building work on Total's new multi-million pound gas terminal at
:14:36. > :14:41.Sullom Voe. Friday's proposed stoppage is the first in a series of
:14:42. > :14:44.planned walk-outs. It follows the Unite Union's rejection of a
:14:45. > :14:46.proposed deal by construction firm Petrofac for workers who have to
:14:47. > :14:50.share accommodation. More than 30 firefighters tackled a
:14:51. > :14:53.fierce blaze at a garage in the Moray town of Keith. The alarm was
:14:54. > :14:57.raised just before nine o'clock this morning. No-one was injured. The
:14:58. > :14:59.main A96 had to be closed during the incident.
:15:00. > :15:02.Health inspectors have called for improved standards of cleanliness at
:15:03. > :15:04.the State Hospital at Carstairs. The health care Environment Inspectorate
:15:05. > :15:07.found that despite some progress since the last inspection there were
:15:08. > :15:10.still concerns over cleanliness of patient equipment and the
:15:11. > :15:15.availability of hand washing facilities.
:15:16. > :15:19.Entrants for this year's Monte Carlo rally are getting ready for the
:15:20. > :15:23.British leg of the race, which leaves from Paisley on Thursday. Up
:15:24. > :15:34.to 100 classic cars will assemble at Paisley Abbey, then drive to the
:15:35. > :15:41.French Riviera. Since I was a child, my father was very keen on the rally
:15:42. > :15:44.in the 1960s and used to follow it on television and radio.
:15:45. > :15:48.And there are more stories from your area and all the latest news, 24
:15:49. > :15:52.hours a day, on BBC Scotland's website.
:15:53. > :15:56.How do you get overweight middle-aged Scottish men to get fit?
:15:57. > :15:59.Well, forget counting calories, it seems you put a football at their
:16:00. > :16:03.feet and recruit the services of their favourite team. A scheme which
:16:04. > :16:06.did that has been nine times more effective than dietary advice alone,
:16:07. > :16:21.according to research in the medical journal The Lancet. There is a group
:16:22. > :16:29.of people who are more likely to be overweight and unlikely to tackle it
:16:30. > :16:40.-middle-aged men. But many of them like football and that gave expects
:16:41. > :16:45.the idea. Universities study showed we had to be very keen to tackle
:16:46. > :16:58.obesity in middle-aged men. William was one of those who signed up. It
:16:59. > :17:08.was a bit of a shock when I wait had me officially verging on obese. This
:17:09. > :17:16.was no ordinary gym. As good a chance to train with professional
:17:17. > :17:22.coaches. They also get a chance to see behind the scenes of their
:17:23. > :17:25.favourite club. It is a club that they love, a sport that they love
:17:26. > :17:36.and I think that helps their involvement. For 12 months, the
:17:37. > :17:48.tract the progress of the fans. The average loss was five kilograms.
:17:49. > :17:54.They also lost blood pressure, as well as losing inches across the
:17:55. > :18:04.waste. Will you not only lost weight, but kept it off. I have
:18:05. > :18:10.managed to keep off the weight and at the 12 month recall, that had
:18:11. > :18:17.dinner in one stone and a half. It has delivered remarkable results.
:18:18. > :18:23.One day, the hope every club will help their fans ditch the bones. --
:18:24. > :18:29.the poems. Let us stay with sport and get the
:18:30. > :18:32.latest from Rhona. Andy Murray plays one of the
:18:33. > :18:35.all-time greats of tennis Roger Federer tomorrow for a place in the
:18:36. > :18:38.last four of the Australian Open. Both men are coached by former
:18:39. > :18:43.winners of the tournament. Federer by Stefan Edberg and Murray by Ivan
:18:44. > :18:56.Lendl. And Lendl is confident his man will come out on top. He signed
:18:57. > :19:05.up for his first quarterfinal here. It is the third time he has faced
:19:06. > :19:10.Roger Federer in the Australia open. The man who has helped Andy Murray
:19:11. > :19:16.become a grand slam champion is confident his charge can go all the
:19:17. > :19:25.way. You never know what is going to happen. He could lose the match.
:19:26. > :19:32.Andy has had a very good warm up now in Miami and has played enough
:19:33. > :19:38.matches to get back in. I can try like Roger, it is just a shame I
:19:39. > :19:47.cannot play like him. There was a time when most of the tiers where
:19:48. > :19:53.Andes. All that changed when he beat Roger Federer to win the Olympic
:19:54. > :19:59.gold medal in London. If you are after more encouragement, he has a
:20:00. > :20:10.better head-to-head record against Roger Federer. He has an 11-9 record
:20:11. > :20:21.against him. When multiple grand slam winner thinks that Andy Murray
:20:22. > :20:26.could win. It will be a physical match and I think he knows he could
:20:27. > :20:31.win. I think in many ways, it is better for him to play Roger
:20:32. > :20:36.Federer. It is Ivan Lendl against Stefan Edberg.
:20:37. > :20:41.Golf returns to the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 for the first time since
:20:42. > :20:44.the Paris Games of 1904, but one young golfer from Blairgowrie can
:20:45. > :21:00.already claim to have won gold in an Olympic event. As one of Scotland's
:21:01. > :21:07.best young golfers, practice is key for Bradley. There are guys in
:21:08. > :21:14.America who are just as good at the same age who are practising all day.
:21:15. > :21:21.Bradley is backed of the Scottish golf union squad heading for one
:21:22. > :21:28.weather training. What is like the Ryder Cup course? It is great to
:21:29. > :21:38.think that soon, the professionals will be hitting the same shots that
:21:39. > :21:52.you are doing. He has already actually won a gold at Olympic golf.
:21:53. > :21:57.The fact I was a part of the team representing golf at an Olympic
:21:58. > :22:04.event for the best part of 100 years was picked tackle. It was amazing to
:22:05. > :22:05.do that. And it was certainly better than pre-and it was certainly better
:22:06. > :22:20.than prayer we are, weather-wise. Now, a look at what else is
:22:21. > :22:23.happening across Scottish sport. In life after F1, Paul Di Resta will
:22:24. > :22:29.return to the German Touring Car Championship. The Scot had a
:22:30. > :22:32.disappointing season in Formula One and lost his Force India seat at the
:22:33. > :22:36.end of last year. An exclusive sneak peak at the
:22:37. > :22:38.competitive kit of Team GB for the Sochi Olympic Games. Modelled by
:22:39. > :22:40.pre-selected Scot Elise Christie, the official team selection
:22:41. > :22:44.announcement comes tomorrow. Rangers stretched their lead at the
:22:45. > :22:47.top of League One to 20 points last night, with a 2-0 win at Forfar.
:22:48. > :22:50.Mosni headed the first, before Templeton added an unstoppable
:22:51. > :22:54.second. Partick Thistle are the only side in
:22:55. > :22:57.Scotland without a league win at home this season. New loan signing
:22:58. > :23:06.Chris Erskine will try to help them put that right against St Johnstone
:23:07. > :23:14.tonight. I do not know what it is. They are still playing good food
:23:15. > :23:18.all. Maybe it is just a sign of inexperience and the top flight.
:23:19. > :23:21.Hopefully, that will change tonight. And for the whole match live
:23:22. > :23:24.tonight, you can tune into Sportsound on Radio Scotland 810
:23:25. > :23:37.medium wave and there is live text commentary on BBC Sport Scotland's
:23:38. > :23:40.website. No, another tale of achievement.
:23:41. > :23:43.An RAF sergeant who became the first double amputee to walk to the South
:23:44. > :23:47.Pole has been speaking about the experience. Duncan Slater, from Muir
:23:48. > :23:50.of Ord, lost both his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan four years
:23:51. > :23:53.ago, but last month, with a little bit of help from team mate Prince
:23:54. > :23:56.Harry, he confounded the medics, raising funds for wounded soldiers
:23:57. > :24:03.in the process. Sally McNair's report includes some flash
:24:04. > :24:10.photography. Temperatures of -35 degrees. According to Duncan Slater,
:24:11. > :24:15.it was a privilege to be on the coldest place on here. Last month,
:24:16. > :24:19.he was part of a team of wounded personnel who beat the odds to make
:24:20. > :24:27.the 200 meal trick to the South Pole. His mother was thrilled, but
:24:28. > :24:37.not surprised. To be the first to reach the South Pole with no legs, I
:24:38. > :24:43.think it is up there. Duncan followed his father into the Royal
:24:44. > :24:46.Air Force. His vehicle in hell man province was blown up. His legs were
:24:47. > :24:54.amputated and he was told he would never walk again. I wanted to still
:24:55. > :24:59.physically do something to show that I had made it back. The charity
:25:00. > :25:09.challenge was finally went up in London today. He described the
:25:10. > :25:22.achievement as an inspiration, according to since Harry. -- Prince
:25:23. > :25:32.Harry. There was no way I was not going to complete it. I would have
:25:33. > :25:36.gone on my own. I would not have got off the without getting to the South
:25:37. > :25:46.Pole. He has no training for the London Marathon in April.
:25:47. > :25:47.Astonishing. Letters get the weather and I hope there are no similarities
:25:48. > :25:59.to the South Paul! This is the rainfall radar. A band
:26:00. > :26:09.of rain has come to the rescue in the last few hours. Rain for some,
:26:10. > :26:18.but the wind easing. A Met office yell warning for some localised
:26:19. > :26:28.flooding tomorrow morning. Across the high ground, the rain may follow
:26:29. > :26:32.snow. Largely dry but mailed this evening and two tomorrow in the
:26:33. > :26:37.West. A largely cloudy and dry start for the West tomorrow. As we head
:26:38. > :26:44.through the afternoon, the rain in the East cleaving away. I made after
:26:45. > :26:50.the, reasonably dry for many, with sunny intervals, but this band of
:26:51. > :26:55.rain, we cannot take the exact position of it for granted, but
:26:56. > :26:59.somewhere around the Central Belt will be affected. Across Orkney and
:27:00. > :27:07.Shetland, the showery rain continues. This time tomorrow night,
:27:08. > :27:15.that band of showers begin to fragment and push away to the East.
:27:16. > :27:19.It will be a cold night. We do it all again, with this band of rain
:27:20. > :27:25.pushing in on Thursday. The good news about this one is a bold move
:27:26. > :27:30.quicker. It will be across the East caused by mid-morning and cleared
:27:31. > :27:35.away before the morning is out. Still one of two light showers on
:27:36. > :27:43.Thursday, but much more pleasant. On Friday, a lot of rain, heavy and
:27:44. > :27:54.persistent at times, but especially across the West. Thank you.
:27:55. > :27:57.Now, a reminder of tonight's main news.
:27:58. > :28:01.As international diplomats gather in Switzerland for a conference aimed
:28:02. > :28:04.at ending the conflict in Syria, a report by three former war crimes
:28:05. > :28:06.prosecutors claims that Syrian government forces are guilty of
:28:07. > :28:09.torturing and executing prisoners. Power company bosses have been
:28:10. > :28:11.fiercely criticised for failing to respond quickly enough to the
:28:12. > :28:16.blackouts which followed December's storms. A committee of MPs accused
:28:17. > :28:18.them of utter complacency and of showing no real concern for their
:28:19. > :28:22.customers. Scotland would have to take radical
:28:23. > :28:24.measures if it is going to tackle income inequality. That is the
:28:25. > :28:28.finding of research showing that only raising taxes or benefits would
:28:29. > :28:35.have a very limited impact, even if Scotland votes for independence and
:28:36. > :28:44.has new powers. . And that is Reporting Scotland.