:00:00. > :00:00.away. That's all from the BBC News at Six. On BBC One, we now join the
:00:00. > :00:13.BBC's Tonight, on Reporting Scotland...
:00:14. > :00:16.Pensions and the pound. Independence campaigners welcome
:00:17. > :00:18.moves to make changes to pension rules, but the row over a currency
:00:19. > :00:22.union continues. A mother avoids jail after falsely
:00:23. > :00:27.claiming tens of thousands of pounds from the NHS in taxi fares to take
:00:28. > :00:30.her children to hospital. Catwalk for the Clydesiders - the
:00:31. > :00:37.uniforms for the Commonwealth Games volunteers are unveiled.
:00:38. > :00:39.After her series of slip-ups at the Winter Olympics, Scotland's
:00:40. > :00:51.speed-skating star Elise Christie says she could find it hard to stay
:00:52. > :00:55.motivated. I have got to the point where I wondered whether I could do
:00:56. > :00:58.it again. Also on the programme, daring to
:00:59. > :01:00.dream - the fans with high hopes ahead of the quarterfinal stage of
:01:01. > :01:18.the Scottish Cup. Good evening. The cost and security
:01:19. > :01:21.of pensions is one of the most important matters for voters in the
:01:22. > :01:26.referendum on Scottish independence and, today, it became a focus of the
:01:27. > :01:29.debate. The Treasury claims a vote for independence will create huge
:01:30. > :01:32.problems for pensions in Scotland, but today it emerged that proposed
:01:33. > :01:44.changes to European laws could make it cheaper to run pension schemes
:01:45. > :01:49.across more than one member state. Getting your head around pensions is
:01:50. > :01:57.not child's play, but it is not just something for the elderly to think
:01:58. > :01:59.about. Any change to private pensions will have the biggest
:02:00. > :02:05.impact on those at work at the moment. Danny Alexander said people
:02:06. > :02:11.may not get as much back from the pension and an independent Scotland.
:02:12. > :02:15.This will affect the likes of pension funds from the government,
:02:16. > :02:21.you would need separate pension protection. These things that people
:02:22. > :02:27.whose life savings are wrapped up in pension funds in Scotland, this
:02:28. > :02:35.could be a team of real uncertainty. One extra cost is that most patients
:02:36. > :02:37.would become cross-border pensions, which are under much tighter
:02:38. > :02:44.European Union legislation. It would mean higher contributions from both
:02:45. > :02:48.employers and workers. Private pensions would cost more, but things
:02:49. > :02:53.could be about to change. We have heard the commotion and the
:02:54. > :02:58.regulator and you up responsible for the sea that they want to encourage
:02:59. > :03:04.cross-border activity in pensions and in that context, moving away
:03:05. > :03:11.from this requirement for funding at all times for cross-border is what
:03:12. > :03:15.most people think will happen quite shortly. That would have big
:03:16. > :03:23.implications of their was a yes vote in Scotland? Yes, that would be the
:03:24. > :03:31.case. It is one of the issues. That is something the Scottish government
:03:32. > :03:35.is pleased to hear. Moves from the European Union to stimulate the next
:03:36. > :03:39.directive are very helpful. It is quite clearly we we could address
:03:40. > :03:44.the issue of pension provision in the of Scotland becoming an
:03:45. > :03:47.independent country. But pensions experts think there are more hurdles
:03:48. > :03:50.to overcome. Our Business and Economy editor
:03:51. > :03:54.Douglas Fraser is here to sum up perhaps a confusing week for voters,
:03:55. > :04:06.with a few large companies having their say. Yes, another finance from
:04:07. > :04:08.today, Alliance trust in the DC they are registering headquarters in
:04:09. > :04:22.England so they would be able to transfer earlier. We have also had
:04:23. > :04:27.from the city that there is nothing implausible about Scotland being
:04:28. > :04:32.independent. They see it is unlikely that a deal on currency could not be
:04:33. > :04:37.found. It says it is astonishing that we have reached this with so
:04:38. > :04:44.little certainty in the debate. That is why the two parties become more
:04:45. > :04:49.entrenched today. The United Kingdom Independence party saying there is
:04:50. > :04:54.no way Scotland will get the pound and the independence campaign seen
:04:55. > :05:01.the tip makes common sense for that to happen. There is also the talk
:05:02. > :05:02.about the amount of British state that in independent Scotland take
:05:03. > :05:10.on. Where does this busy week leave the
:05:11. > :05:15.campaign for both sides? We have on the set had a lot about the risk
:05:16. > :05:18.from large companies. They have two set out these types of risk because
:05:19. > :05:27.they have to publish annual accounts. Some of them have not said
:05:28. > :05:35.anything. The likes of Aviva have said the remaining neutral on the
:05:36. > :05:40.situation. What will voters make of it all? On one hand, the media about
:05:41. > :05:49.risk and associate that with independence, but healing captains
:05:50. > :05:53.of industry saying that these people got us into a wholly economic mess,
:05:54. > :05:55.so why should we be listening to them now?
:05:56. > :05:58.A mother who falsely claimed nearly ?40,000 worth of taxi fares for
:05:59. > :06:01.taking her sick children to hospital has narrowly avoided jail. Kathleen
:06:02. > :06:04.Duncan admitted forging the signatures of drivers and NHS staff
:06:05. > :06:16.claiming they were for journeys for her two children, who have a rare
:06:17. > :06:22.genetic condition. Arriving for sentencing, having admitted the
:06:23. > :06:27.carefully planned and executed fraud, EV genetic condition means
:06:28. > :06:38.that two of the children Kathleen Duncan of travel from Kirkcaldy to
:06:39. > :06:43.Glasgow for treatment, by taxi. Some of these were legitimate, but others
:06:44. > :06:49.were not. She was claiming up to ?65 for drama Germany which did not
:06:50. > :06:56.happen. She obtained signatures from the taxi drivers to maintain the
:06:57. > :07:03.fraud. It amounted to ?40,000. The Sheriff was told he faced a dilemma
:07:04. > :07:07.as regards whether to hand out a custodial sentence. He said he was
:07:08. > :07:15.obliged to consider the impact on children. He imposed a payback order
:07:16. > :07:20.over to years and a community service order. With fraud within the
:07:21. > :07:26.NHS having increased in the last five years, investigators say this
:07:27. > :07:35.should serve as a warning to others. She diverted a large amount of money
:07:36. > :07:42.intended for the NHS away from the NHS. This is not a victimless crime.
:07:43. > :07:48.The money should have gone to the treatment and care of other people.
:07:49. > :07:53.As a result of the case, the fraud team say they will make
:07:54. > :07:57.recommendations to NHS boards to close loopholes and prevent any
:07:58. > :08:00.repeat. Tennis player Elena Baltacha, who
:08:01. > :08:04.was the number one ranked player in Britain, says she is battling
:08:05. > :08:10.cancer. The 30-year-old retired from tennis last November after a career
:08:11. > :08:13.where she won eleven titles. In a statement, Ms Baltacha says she has
:08:14. > :08:17.been diagnosed with cancer of the liver and is fighting the illness
:08:18. > :08:20.with everything she has. You are watching Reporting Scotland
:08:21. > :08:25.from the BBC. Still to come on tonight's programme...
:08:26. > :08:28.Unveiling a memorial to the men and women who occupied their factory
:08:29. > :08:32.after US management threatened it with closure.
:08:33. > :08:35.And coming up in sport, it is a massive weekend in football and
:08:36. > :08:38.rugby, plus two weeks after her nightmare in Sochi, Scottish speed
:08:39. > :08:39.skater Elise Christie reflects on her disappointment at the Winter
:08:40. > :08:51.Olympics. For the thousands of volunteers and
:08:52. > :08:55.staff who will be involved in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games today was
:08:56. > :09:00.not so much a dress rehearsal as the real thing, in that they got to see
:09:01. > :09:04.the outfits they will be wearing. As befits an event held in a Scottish
:09:05. > :09:16.summer, rainwear is very much part of the kit.
:09:17. > :09:25.The Clydeside are certainly took centre stage today. The highlight
:09:26. > :09:35.was the unveiling of the outfit they will be wearing during the
:09:36. > :09:38.Commonwealth Games. The red colour here is a reflection of the
:09:39. > :09:45.personality of the staff and volunteers. Vicky is more of a nod
:09:46. > :09:49.to the architecture of Glasgow. What we have got is four seasons in one
:09:50. > :09:54.day, which we thought would be appropriate for the Scottish
:09:55. > :09:59.weather. We have got the jacket, the poor shot, the trousers and the
:10:00. > :10:05.cagoule, the hat and an umbrella. The uniform was unveiled at the
:10:06. > :10:11.first of four volunteer induction sessions. There was plenty of noise,
:10:12. > :10:23.some impressive noise, not to mention some famous faces getting
:10:24. > :10:26.involved. Scotland gets the gold. Today was all about the volunteers,
:10:27. > :10:34.but you know all about that, because you were one yourself. Yes, it was
:10:35. > :10:42.over 40 years ago, for the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in
:10:43. > :10:50.1970. It is a very special occasion. Really proud of Glasgow for money
:10:51. > :10:54.the games and we will be hoping to help the spectators and athletes and
:10:55. > :10:59.that will be a big is for us. I am really looking forward to it. So,
:11:00. > :11:02.they are ready and will be looking the part.
:11:03. > :11:06.The Commonwealth Games Federation says there is no prospect of Ugandan
:11:07. > :11:09.officials being banned from this summer's Games in Glasgow, because
:11:10. > :11:12.it is their right to attend. Former world cycling champion Graham Obree
:11:13. > :11:14.has launched an online petition calling for organisers to withdraw
:11:15. > :11:21.invitations to any Ugandan officials involved in their controversial bill
:11:22. > :11:25.on homosexuality. The Federation says all heads of state have a right
:11:26. > :11:30.to attend and there are no exceptions.
:11:31. > :11:35.The number of crimes in Scotland, and the perception of crime, have
:11:36. > :11:37.fallen in the past four years. The survey, based on face-to-face
:11:38. > :11:43.interviews, suggests one in six adults was the victim of crime in
:11:44. > :11:47.the year to the end of last March. But the number of crimes is 22%
:11:48. > :11:50.lower than it was four years ago. When asked about perceptions of
:11:51. > :11:55.crime, 76% of people thought it had gone down or was the same in the
:11:56. > :11:59.past two years. Let us take a look at some of the
:12:00. > :12:02.other stories around Scotland this Friday.
:12:03. > :12:05.Network Rail has offered a "full and unreserved apology" to families
:12:06. > :12:11.bereaved by accidents at level crossings. You can just It follows
:12:12. > :12:14.severe criticism by a group of MPs about the organisation's treatment
:12:15. > :12:16.of people affected by such collisions. A man who won
:12:17. > :12:20.compensation after his parents and uncle were killed in a crash at an
:12:21. > :12:27.open crossing in the Highlands in 2009 says the rail company's
:12:28. > :12:33.attitude towards victims is callous. Outstanding indifference would be
:12:34. > :12:40.the frieze which comes to mind. They just do not give a monkeys. They
:12:41. > :12:45.just do not care. To them, we are just an annoying nuisance. They wish
:12:46. > :12:48.we would go away, but we want. Ukrainians in Scotland have gathered
:12:49. > :12:51.outside the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh. Around 40 people joined
:12:52. > :12:55.the protest against what they described as President Putin's
:12:56. > :12:57."invasion of Crimea". Work is to begin on the first
:12:58. > :13:06.sub-sea electricity link our demands are that he should be
:13:07. > :13:14.respecting the cheeky si signed up to, especially the Budapest to
:13:15. > :13:17.take, the nonproliferation act. More than 250 miles of high voltage cable
:13:18. > :13:24.will be run from Scotland's west coast to Wales's north coast. The
:13:25. > :13:27.Western Link, as it is to be known, is expected to supply enough power
:13:28. > :13:34.for more than four million homes each year.
:13:35. > :13:37.Rats have caused almost ?5,000 worth of damage to underground fibre optic
:13:38. > :13:40.cabling in Inverness' CCTV network. Highland Council said the rodents
:13:41. > :13:43.were sharpening their teeth on the outer casing of the cable. Repairs
:13:44. > :13:48.have been carried out and measures will be taken to seal off the cables
:13:49. > :13:51.from rats. Orkney will welcome a record number
:13:52. > :13:54.of cruise ship passengers to the islands this year. Up to 65,000
:13:55. > :13:58.visitors are expected to arrive on board 76 vessels. The first liner of
:13:59. > :14:12.2014 is due to anchor in just over a month. In It was a workers' sit-in
:14:13. > :14:15.that lasted 103 days in a desperate attempt to save their jobs.
:14:16. > :14:18.The industrial action back in 1987, at the Caterpillar plant in
:14:19. > :14:21.Uddingston in South Lanarkshire, made headlines worldwide. Today,
:14:22. > :14:36.workers unveiled a memorial to the men and women who fought to keep the
:14:37. > :14:41.plant open. Catriona Renton reports. 27 years after it closed,
:14:42. > :14:44.Caterpillar workers still remember their struggle. Today, many of them
:14:45. > :14:51.came together to see the new memorial to the plan. Caterpillar's
:14:52. > :14:57.type tractors were synonymous with manufacturing in Lanarkshire, but in
:14:58. > :15:04.1987, the workers were told their factory was to close. They decided
:15:05. > :15:09.to stand up to the might of the multinational in an occupation that
:15:10. > :15:14.lasted 103 days. They were watched from around the world. Their
:15:15. > :15:21.campaign mascot was a tractor dubbed the Pink Panther. They went back to
:15:22. > :15:29.work in April and the fact finally closed in November of that year. It
:15:30. > :15:37.is with sadness and regret we were not successful. Today, John Brannan
:15:38. > :15:43.spoke up for the workers again. It brings back great memories. The
:15:44. > :15:50.people who helped us during the campaign and the factory itself stop
:15:51. > :15:53.the three pillars represent the three months the workers occupied
:15:54. > :16:00.the Caterpillar factory. The coloured squares, there are 103 to
:16:01. > :16:09.represent every day they spent inside. At night, this will all
:16:10. > :16:21.write up stop you have to fight for what you believe in. I was here all
:16:22. > :16:30.the time. We fought for 103 days and we are proud of that.
:16:31. > :16:34.It could be described as divine intervention. Discarded furniture
:16:35. > :16:37.from churches is being used by an Edinburgh project to provide
:16:38. > :16:39.training and hope to homeless people. Their latest work is
:16:40. > :16:42.transforming unwanted fixtures from the General Assembly into bespoke
:16:43. > :16:49.furniture. Elizabeth Quigley has more.
:16:50. > :16:53.These pencil marks need to come off. Unwanted furniture is given a
:16:54. > :16:58.new lease of life will stop old church furniture is turned into
:16:59. > :17:04.bespoke pieces of furniture, but this is about much more than
:17:05. > :17:10.creating top of the range items, it is about turning lives around. I was
:17:11. > :17:16.homeless for seven months and I was sleeping rough just north of Dundee.
:17:17. > :17:24.I came back to Edinburgh. I need a purpose in life and this has given
:17:25. > :17:29.me a purpose, to get up in the morning and do some work and
:17:30. > :17:36.feelings you are achieving something, moving on with your
:17:37. > :17:42.life. Originally aimed at helping the homeless, this project reaches
:17:43. > :17:50.out to everybody who feels brushed aside. There is lots of talent
:17:51. > :17:57.within these vulnerable people, so by giving them the opportunity and
:17:58. > :18:01.teasing out the skills they already have and sometimes didn't realise
:18:02. > :18:11.they had, you can really change peoples lives, and we do people 's
:18:12. > :18:15.lives. This is now a very successful social enterprise, providing
:18:16. > :18:20.support, training and hope. I have been homeless quite a bit, I have
:18:21. > :18:29.been homeless in Edinburgh for three months. I got somewhere which he
:18:30. > :18:33.quickly. I was sitting enjoys doing nothing and getting depressed, so
:18:34. > :18:41.coming here gives me something to do. This is all about
:18:42. > :18:54.transformations, from furniture like this to people 's lives.
:18:55. > :18:59.No news of a busy weekend in sport. -- now news.
:19:00. > :19:02.With Celtic already out, it's the most open Scottish Cup in years.
:19:03. > :19:06.We're at the quarter final stage - or the sixth round if you prefer.
:19:07. > :19:09.There are sides from all four of the Scottish divisions still in the
:19:10. > :19:16.competition. And as Brian Mclauchlin reports, this weekend even the likes
:19:17. > :19:24.of Albion Rovers can dare to dream. There are all still involved and
:19:25. > :19:30.dreaming of cup success. Two good teams, two teams we now are capable
:19:31. > :19:40.of beating each other. May the best team win. I want to go down as one
:19:41. > :19:51.of those players who defied all odds and finally won a trophy. This is a
:19:52. > :19:59.club that deserves it. I heard someone say it is sometimes easier
:20:00. > :20:05.playing a team in your league. This is the romantic tie of the
:20:06. > :20:16.round, the might of Rangers taking on the minnows from Coatbridge .
:20:17. > :20:24.Rangers will meet to play to their level to beat us stop if they're not
:20:25. > :20:32.up to that level on the day, I will make sure our boys are ready to take
:20:33. > :20:35.advantage of any weaknesses. And the Scottish Cup is well and
:20:36. > :20:38.truly covered this weekend. Tomorrow there's Sportscene Results plus
:20:39. > :20:40.Saturday night highlights. And on Sunday Sportscene has live coverage
:20:41. > :20:43.of Inverness Caley Thistle versus Dundee United, plus highlights of
:20:44. > :20:48.all the weekend matches at 10:25. Add to that Sportsound on radio, and
:20:49. > :20:52.it's all there for you. It's another big weekend in the RBS Six Nations
:20:53. > :20:55.and the Scotland coach Scott Johnson says his side has more than enough
:20:56. > :20:59.muscle to deal with the French at Murrayfield tomorrow. Scotland go
:21:00. > :21:03.into the match having lost their first two matches, but they beat the
:21:04. > :21:06.Italians in Rome last time out. And Johnson won't countenance any
:21:07. > :21:16.negativity about the size of the Scottish pack. We are a big pack of
:21:17. > :21:25.foreign words, so size has nothing to do with that. We are a vague
:21:26. > :21:29.pack. Scotland's speed-skating star Elise Christie admits she might find
:21:30. > :21:31.it hard to stay motivated after the triple disappointment of the Winter
:21:32. > :21:34.Olympics. She was disqualified from two events and penalised in another.
:21:35. > :21:38.The Livingston skater also endured abuse on social media. She's now
:21:39. > :21:44.heading to Montreal for next week's world championships. Kheredine
:21:45. > :21:52.Idessane has more. Back having fun in training, but is
:21:53. > :22:03.Elise skating on thin ice? It all went sour at the Winter Olympics.
:22:04. > :22:09.Crashing out in two events and being disqualified in another after
:22:10. > :22:17.skating inside the finish line. Her dreams of a medal shattered. It has
:22:18. > :22:23.been hard, obviously. I gave my life up for this sport and I still will,
:22:24. > :22:39.but everything I do is waste around this sport. I didn't expect to have
:22:40. > :22:46.problems on all three events. She was also targeted by social media
:22:47. > :22:53.Elise. I think mentally it is going to be hard to get back out and
:22:54. > :22:58.race. It is easy to say about training, but the competition is a
:22:59. > :23:04.different matter. My goal is to get out and used by performance to win a
:23:05. > :23:08.medal. Now she's going to get out, pick
:23:09. > :23:14.yourself up and hope for much better in Canada.
:23:15. > :23:19.Time now for a quick sporting hit of what else has been happening today
:23:20. > :23:24.around Scotland. Disappointment for Scotland's Laura knew as she failed
:23:25. > :23:36.to reach the finals in Poland. The stumble didn't help stop it was a
:23:37. > :23:44.breezy day out for the Brownlie Brothers trading at Strathclyde
:23:45. > :23:55.Park. It will be interesting to see how it is laid out. I am looking
:23:56. > :24:03.forward to it. Scotland will play Nigeria at a friendly. They hope to
:24:04. > :24:12.extend Scotland's un-beaten break-out. We have been on a decent
:24:13. > :24:19.wreckage. Andy Murray says he completely disagrees that men's
:24:20. > :24:33.tennis should be reduced from five to three sets. There are more sports
:24:34. > :24:36.stories plus news on our website. Let's get your weekend weather now.
:24:37. > :24:42.Hello, Gillian. Anything to look forward to?
:24:43. > :24:55.A mixed bag over the weekend, but next week is looking pretty good.
:24:56. > :25:01.Some sunshine, but strong winds. Tonight, high-pressure building and
:25:02. > :25:12.that will settle things down. It will dampen down those showers,
:25:13. > :25:20.which will be confined to the farmer north west. Before morning, more
:25:21. > :25:24.rain and hail pushes in. Temperatures, two degrees or three
:25:25. > :25:38.Celsius for most of us and some frost sheltered spot . Some of the
:25:39. > :25:44.rain will be heavy, especially over the West Highlands and later in
:25:45. > :25:54.Shetland, but in the afternoon, something of an improvement. Still
:25:55. > :26:01.strong winds, touching gale force and patchy rain for the high ground.
:26:02. > :26:11.Persistent rain in the western isles, but some bright as. It will
:26:12. > :26:17.be mild. Gale force winds over the isles to and across the hills, we
:26:18. > :26:27.could see ghosts of 80 to 100 miles per hour. Snow will turn back to
:26:28. > :26:31.rein in the afternoon. Into the rest of tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow
:26:32. > :26:38.evening, we will keep bits and pieces of patchy rain blowing across
:26:39. > :26:44.the mainland. Into Sunday, it is an improving picture. That weather
:26:45. > :26:55.front pulls away. You can see a slackening in the wind flow.
:26:56. > :27:01.Elsewhere, much lighter winds stop for the afternoon, it becomes drier,
:27:02. > :27:07.still fairly cloudy and the South of Scotland holds onto fairly damp
:27:08. > :27:13.conditions. Next week, high-pressure starts to dominate. The emphasis on
:27:14. > :27:18.dry and bright weather spells of sunshine.
:27:19. > :27:22.Now, a reminder of tonight's main news. Senior Russian politicians
:27:23. > :27:25.have pledged support to Crimea in its bid to break away from Ukraine
:27:26. > :27:27.and become part of Russia. Independence campaigners have
:27:28. > :27:30.welcomed potential changes to pension rules It's emerged that
:27:31. > :27:33.proposed changes to European laws could make it cheaper to run schemes
:27:34. > :27:36.across more than one member state. And that's Reporting Scotland. Our
:27:37. > :27:40.next main bulletin is at 10.25. Until then, from everyone on the
:27:41. > :27:47.team - across the country - have a good evening.