03/03/2014 Reporting Scotland

and Thursday. That's

The Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says opposition

alternatives to an independent Scotland would fall short of

tackling the problems facing the country.

She is told by opponents Scotland would do better with more powers and

said the UK. After the wettest winter any century

the farmers union calls for action to minimise the impact.

We won gold when the Commonwealth games here that came here before so

today we find out why athletes are training hard to make their name in

Glasgow. After an international call-up,

Scotland's latest hopeful is told he will only improve. The experience he

will have will only make him better and more prepared and effective.

Also tonight, find out why one of Hollywood's's hottest properties has

been driving around Scotland chatting up the locals.

Good evening. Nicola Sturgeon says opposition alternatives to an

independent Scotland would fall short of tackling the problems

facing the country. In a speech in Glasgow, Nicola Sturgeon said that

plans by Labour, the Lib Dems and Conservatives to extend devolution

would fail to tackle challenges such as growing Scotland's population and

economic strength. Our political editor Brian Taylor is here. So

pressure on the No campaigners? Pressure indeed. Sally, let's not

forget that there are already new tax and borrowing powers for

Holyrood in the pipeline, due to be fully in place by 2016. But the

SNP's opponents are under pressure to go further in order to counter

the offer of independence. Nicola Sturgeon reckons they will

fall short. She listed five key challenges facing Scotland.

None of the other parties has so far produced substantial proposals

capable of meeting the national challenges. There is no joint

agreement and there are no guarantees. To vote no is to leave

Scotland's future in Westminster's hands. I believe it is time to take

Scotland's future into Scotland's hands. Her opponents say it is

bogus. They do not believe in devolution but separation. It is a

totally different concept. Devolution is about having more

power in Scotland but having something bigger and more secure,

the best of both worlds. If anything, it has become like a

high-stakes game of cards, with rivals bidding for your attention

and your vote. We already know Nicola Sturgeon's bid. It's the

White Paper offering Scotland independence. For the Liberal

Democrats, Sir Menzies Campbell will next week publish an update. His

party favours substantial new tax powers for Scotland as part of a

federal UK. Labour? There are internal tensions and they're

finalising the details. But, in a fortnight's time, they'll outline

plans to devolve a bigger share of income tax and powers over welfare

and employment. And the Tories? A party commission headed by Lord

Strathclyde will report in May. It's expected to back more devolved

financial powers, with the aim of cutting taxation. Of course, it's

not just about Scotland. In Cardiff today the Silk Commission

recommended new devolved powers for Wales, including policing. The SNP's

opponents say they'll do nothing that would disturb the emerging

balance of UK power, nothing that would break the Union. That, say

Nationalists, is the problem. Despite liberal Democrat efforts I

do not expect a single unified over to emerge from the prounion offers.

Too much time and pressure to compete with each other. Instead,

Sally, there will be overlapping common ground. Bit like a Venn

Diagram, if you remember them from maths.

I didn't like them! The Labour led administration in

Aberdeen is to ban Alex Salmond and other Scottish ministers from

council-run buildings. It follows a series of spats between the

authority and the Scottish Government. The SNP has described

the ban as ridiculous. Steven Duff joins us from outside the council

headquarters. We do not know what Robert the Bruce

would have thought about this but battle lines have been drawn and

Alex Salmond and his ministerial team looks set to be banned from

Aberdeen council buildings including the headquarters behind me as well

as schools and libraries and parks. The origin of this goes back to last

summer when the Aberdeen by-election when Labour councils accused Alex

Salmond of going onto council premises without permission. It has

to be said he has been cleared of any blame over that but we have the

ongoing row over the amount of funding Aberdeen gets. Today, the

acrimonious the rhetoric notched up a level or two. The problem has been

the relationship between ourselves and the Scottish government, going

to a new low. Alex Salmond is a boolean the only way to deal with

that is to take this kind of action. We are standing up to him. -- a

bully. I do not think this is going down well with the people of

Aberdeen and the questioners who will be next to be banned?

Parliamentarians, the press, pressure groups? Absolutely

ridiculous. It looks like this ban is only for SNP ministers but not

any visiting ministers shadow ministers from any other political

party. Councillors will meet on Wednesday to discuss the move and it

looks as though there will be enough votes to push the band through.

Police are urging supporters to name and shame those responsible for

racist comments directed towards a young footballer at the weekend.

17-year old East Stirlingshire player Jordan Tapping had to be

substituted during the SPFL League Two game against Peterhead, after

being left extremely distressed by the incident. Police Scotland say

they're following a positive line of enquiry. You're watching Reporting

Scotland from the BBC. Still to come on tonight's programme.

The first prisoners are either Grampian's News super deal which

will hose men, women and young offenders. In sport the newly

deposed world champion Ricky Burns needs to get away from the ring.

That's according to another former world champ.

And could Leigh Griffiths and Co be the real deal? Optimism as Scotland

approach yet another qualifying campaign. All that and more coming

soon. The wet winter's caused huge

problems for many of Scotland's farmers. With fields under water

some have had to delay sowing their crops. The farmers union is calling

for urgent talks to agree moves to minimise the impact of flooding on

farmland. Andrew Anderson reports. David Haye is's family has farmed

near Perth for four generations. At the start of January, strong winds,

heavy rain and a tidal surge created a massive fall in the bank. Water

came flooding in. We have 140 acres of arable land, the best soil that

we farm, and it is covered and what are now twice a day. It can go up

ten feet deep in water. There is no chance of cropping this land until

the banks are restructured. The heavy rain has taken its toll on

farms across Scotland with fields still underwater. Farmers leaders

say farmland like this must be protected. The mindset over the last

few years has been that farmland does not matter, it is a Visa worse

we can afford to use. -- a resource. That policy is starting to bite back

badly and we only have about 900,000 acres of very good land. We are

throwing away precious resources. With high tides tonight, the water

is again flooding onto the fields. This field is now effectively part

of the River Tay and it could take months to repay. Farmers say they

want to sit down with the government and other agencies to discuss how to

protect farmland. The Scottish government says it is discussing

initiatives to help farmers deal with climate change but will be

meeting for more talks. The bus company Stagecoach has

placed record orders worth more than ?100 million for hundreds of new

buses and coaches. The Perth-based group has unveiled orders for 568

new vehicles. All of the new vehicles will be fitted with CCTV,

while more than 350 will have wi-fi installed for free internet access.

A transport campaign group has called for a "rail revolution" to

make train travel in Scotland faster, safer and greener. Transform

Scotland is calling for a reduction in journey times from Inverness,

Aberdeen and Dundee to the central belt, through the electrification

and doubling of rail lines. The Scottish Government says it will be

developing a strategy to identify future phases of electrification

beyond current schemes. The first prisoners have arrived in

the new Grampian super-jail. The facility replaces two Victorian

prisons in Peterhead and Aberdeen which both closed last year. It'll

house men, women and young offenders. Kevin Keane has been for

a look around. It has taken years of planning,

building and preparation for this moment and for the first prisoners

to arrive it has been a long journey from their temporary home in

Barlinnie. Chris is from Aberdeenshire and is serving eight

months for assault. He says the distance from home to Glasgow has

been hard for his family. Happy days. Aberdeen was extremely old and

Barlinnie is massive. Today just ten prisoners were brought into the new

jail but eventually some 500 offenders will be housed here. This

one section is divided up into four areas like that and it can hose

around 150 prisoners. -- how's -- house.. It is a far cry from these

Victorian sales. Here are slopping out with pilots that had to be

emptied manually where constantly criticised. Flatscreen televisions

and underfloor heating feature in the sales. There is a gymnasium,

sports hall, library and modern classrooms, but the government

insist it is not an easy life. If you go into a cell, the door closes

behind you and there is no handle on said. That is the reality. Tonight,

prison officers outnumber then it's quite significantly but the

population will increase as more prisoners are transferred from other

jails. lead's have another look at some other stories from around

Scotland tonight. 800 workers at the Faslane nuclear

submarine base on the Clyde are to go on a series of strikes, after

they overwhelmingly rejected a 2% wage offer. The Unite union called

off a previous stoppage over the same issue last month. The Ministry

of Defence says it's committed to the safe, secure and effective

running of the base and has robust contingency measures in place.

Aviemore will be confirmed as the preferred site for a new ?12 million

hospital at an NHS Highland meeting tomorrow. But two existing

hospitals, St Vincent's in Kingussie and the Ian Charles in Granton, will

close. Police are hunting a man who robbed

the Royal Bank of Scotland on St John's Road, in the west of

Edinburgh, this morning. A man threatened a member of staff and

demanded money, which he stashed in a plastic bag. He then got into a

black cab, which headed west. A team of Aberdeen University-led

scientists have had their first glimpse of life in one of the

deepest parts of the world's oceans. Using cameras fitted to a metal

frame, the researchers can study the previously unexplored New Hebrides

Trench in the Pacific Ocean. They've discovered that the sea bed, more

than four miles down, teems with giant fish and crustaceans.

The search is on for volunteers to monitor how our changing climate is

affecting trees. The study aims to help improve the management of

ancient woodlands by finding out which species are doing better than

others. We are also looking for people to collect data on where

different flower species, like the snowdrops you can see around me now,

are starting to flower. A gold medallist from the 1970

Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh believes Scottish athletes will be

training harder than ever, because they won't want to let the home

support down. Lachie Stewart, who famously won the 10,000m, believes

previously unknown athletes could become household names this summer

in Glasgow. Our Commonwealth Games reporter Jane Lewis spoke to him at

the venue where he made his name. Meadowbank Stadium, 2014. But for

this man, memories of 44 years ago come flooding back. Stewart has done

no work in front. Tell me about the atmosphere inside the stadium. Were

they shouting for you? I only noticed in the last couple of laps

because you are concentrating on what you are doing. But when I

realised there were a couple of laps to go, I noticed the crowd. You have

even got the top that you wore. This is brilliant.They don't make them

like that any more, do they? There is some interesting commentary, I am

sure you have watched, David Coleman. Lachie Stewart could be the

one with the fastest finish, but they are not renowned, any of them,

for being particularly fast over the last 400 metres.

You did prove them wrong a wee bit. It was... It was quite a laugh. I'd

never been beaten over the last hundred. Approaching the corner, on

the final lap, you made your move. It is Lachie Stewart, all the way,

and he has got them all. What does it mean to you, to have this medal?

Over the years, you can forget about it, but when you are talking about

the Games, that is when you start to remember it again. Tell me, what you

are expecting from the Games? How much are you looking forward to it?

I don't know how many medals we will win, but the Scots will train harder

because it's on their home turf. It will be a great atmosphere, I'm

sure. Of course, Hampden Park being the home of Scottish football, now

it might be the home of Scottish sport.

It was a great race. Lead's get some more sport now.

Good evening. The Scotland assistant manager Mark

Mcghee believes Leigh Griffiths is one of a small band of players good

enough to help the country qualify for Euro 2016. Griffiths was a late

call-up to the squad to play Poland on Wednesday. And as our senior

football reporter Alasdair Lamont reports, he's certainly a striker in

form. And the finishing touch supplied by

Leigh Griffiths. A chance for Griffiths! That is a

cracking finish by Leigh Griffiths, who salutes the Celtic fans.

For the hat-trick! Three good reasons to call up the Leigh

Griffiths to the Scotland squad. It may have been a late call, but on

that form, it would seem to be the right call. Leigh Griffiths was

given his first Scot. By the current management team back in June but

they are in no doubt whatsoever that by the time the Euro 2016

qualifiers, round, he will be even better equipped to aid the national

cause. There is a fairly limited number of players we think will help

to qualifiers and Leigh Griffiths is one of them. With him being at

Celtic now and the new experience he will have next year of the Champions

League will can only make him a better player and he can only be

more prepared and better for the national team, so it will benefit

Celtic and benefit us. Celtic are already benefiting from Griffiths's

undoubted goal-scoring talents. If he can reproduce it in Scotland, he

will be soaking up the adulation of the nation.

The Rangers chairman David Somers has written to former chairman --

board member David King asking him to meet with the rest of the board

as soon as possible. King has said he wants Rangers fans to withhold

season-ticket money unless the board are more open about the financial

situation at Ibrox. The newly deposed world champion

Ricky Burns needs to get away from the ring, according to another

former Scottish world champion. On Saturday, Burns lost his WBO World

Lightweight Title to American Terence Crawford. It was a unanimous

points decision in front of a packed crowd in Glasgow. Brian McLauchlin

reports. All three judges are in favour of

the winner and the new... It was the call that brought an end to Burns'

near four-year reign as champion Andy had little complaint. The

better man one on the night but I thought me being in there, I thought

some of the Rams were close and could have gone either way. Working

on the job, he was first to the punch a bit too much -- working on

the jab. But I will be back. But how soon? One former world champion says

Burns needs to think long and hard about his future. Best to have a

lengthy break away. I think part of the reason he was flat and

lacklustre is because he spends too much time in the gym. I think it

needs a good rest, some time away to reflect on what happened. And

Burns' management are looking at the prospect of having a crack at a

different world title. The WBC title is with a fighter who is with Golden

Boy, the WBA champion is desperate for a fight, and the IBF Keith

Askins is also desperate. The new champ did not rule out a rematch but

not in Glasgow. We can have it in Omaha, see how many of you like

Omaha. So Omaha it is if Burns wants a chance to regain his belt.

Now look at what else is happening in Scottish sport.

Scotland tight head prop Euan Murray could be back in the pack against

France on Saturday. Murray has been injured and missed the opening three

games of the Six Nations Championship. Today, he rejoined

training with the Scotland squad. Andy Murray will play for Bangkok in

the inaugural International Premier Tennis League, starting in November.

Team-mates include Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Victoria Azarenka. Four

specially-created teams will compete to promote tennis in Asia.

Katie Archibald from Milngavie placed fourth in the points race at

the World track Cycling Championships She admits winning the

team pursuit gold last week added pressure to her individual event.

Before I knew where I was, no one know my name, I could get away with

things, but I had a pretty tough time coming into it, just

overthinking things. So it is a bit of a relief to be over.

Russell Knox from Inverness holed this nine-foot putt to secure his

place in a four-man playoff at the Honda Classic in Florida. In the

end, Knox was joint second with Rory McIlroy. The event was won by

American Russell Henley. Eilidh Child has been named as

captain of Team GB for the World Indoor Championships in Poland,

which begins on Friday. Eilish McColgan has withdrawn from the

squad after failing to recover from injury.

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

day, on BBC Sport Scotland's website.

And that is it that night. Sally. Thank you very much.

The Glasgow Film Festival has drawn to a close, after a record-breaking

year ,with a science fiction thriller set in Scotland. Under The

Skin stars the Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansen as an alien,

driving around the country looking for victims. Our arts correspondent

Pauline McLean has more. Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson,

undercover for her latest role. A glamorous alien cruising the streets

of Scotland looking for victims to prey on. Do you think I'm pretty?

Ie, you're gorgeous. Some were actors, but many were just ordinary

members of the public, secretly filmed as she stopped to ask

directions. They were only told afterwards that they had just made

their big debut. -- big-screen debut. As you might imagine,

everybody was pretty shocked when they were told firstly that they

were being filmed, because the covert nature of the filming meant

we pulled it off pretty well, so they were pretty shocked that they

were being filmed. And then when they were told it was Scarlett

Johansson, they couldn't believe it. Even the actors involved were left

with many questions. I hope I leave with my mind still boggling and with

many questions to be answered. I like stuff like that. I like stuff

that asks you questions. Are we alone? What are we here for? I

suppose everybody asks that, don't they? The film brought the Glasgow

Film Festival to a close. A small event which has grown and grown.

This was its most successful year to date, and organisers hope to keep it

that way. That is the challenge, how do you grow but still have a

festival that people feel connected to, that they know you, that they

feel it is friendly and welcoming? I think we are still managing to

achieve that. As for Scarlet Johannsson's unsuspecting co-stars,

they will get their screening in the cinema next weekend as it opens on

the 14th of March. Let's see how the weather is shaping

up. It felt like spring had sprung today, didn't it?

It was a lovely day the most diverse -- for most of us, you can see the

satellite where the sunshine was getting through but tonight,

temperatures fall away rapidly and we see a frost down the West Coast

with the risk of ice on untreated surfaces. We will keep patchy rain

going over the Northern Isles and during the second half of the night,

Cloud increasing, bringing rain into the West with some snow on the

hills. Tomorrow, cold start with showery rain and Hill Snow tracking

eastwards, but it won't amount to much and by lunchtime, confined to

the main north of the mainland and the Northern Isles. Elsewhere, we

see some sunshine getting through. But if we see mid afternoon, another

unsettled day for Orkney and Shetland with spells of rain and

strong winds, and come the afternoon, we will see showers

coming into the north-west, over the Western Isles, the north-west

Highlands and Argyll, and a few of those will be heavy. But for most of

the country, southern central and eastern Scotland, the emphasis is

once again on dry and bright weather with this in spells of sunshine.

Temperatures eight Celsius or so and mainly light winds. Tomorrow

evening, a lot of dry weather, turning Chile once again but up to

the north-west, something different as cloud and rain gather and wind

strength, which is a sign of things to come as another system pushes in

off the Atlantic on Wednesday. A fine start for most of the country

with early morning sunshine but that rain already in the north-west Will

edge said an eastwards and it will be heavy at times -- southwards and

eastwards. It is milder air pushing inside there will be some melting or

lying snow over the hills, combining to some issues with localised

flooding is for the West Highlands. Thursday, the front blows away and

we should see something drier and brighter with lighter winds.

brighter with lighter A reminder tonight's main news. The

Russians say their troops will remain in Ukraine until the

political situation has been normalised. There are reports that

Ukrainian forces in Crimea have been given until tomorrow morning to

surrender to Russia. Here, Deputy First Minister Nicola

Sturgeon has told businessmen and women that the proposals are

pro-European campaigners for more powers for Scotland fell far short

of what was needed, but supporters of the union say Scotland can gain

enhanced powers. 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. Bye-bye.