:00:00. > :00:00.evening, Sepp Blatter has been banned from all football related
:00:00. > :00:14.activity for eight years. Now we join BBC News teams regular.
:00:15. > :00:14.The ?800 million power line running down the spine
:00:15. > :00:26.But what impact will this have on our economy? We will take you on any
:00:27. > :01:01.aerial tour of the Highlands to find out. The War
:01:02. > :01:35.The ?800 million power line running down the spine
:01:36. > :01:43.It's called a "power super highway", bringing electricity
:01:44. > :01:43.from where it's generated at wind farms in the Highlands
:01:44. > :01:49.into people's homes and businesses in the central belt.
:01:50. > :01:50.Opponents say it's ruined many of Scotland's most
:01:51. > :01:51.After more than five years of construction,
:01:52. > :01:56.the Beauly Denny power line is now complete,
:01:57. > :01:56.and it's carrying electricity along its entire length.
:01:57. > :01:56.Our environment correspondent, David Miller, reports
:01:57. > :02:03.The power line runs for more than 130 miles through some of the most
:02:04. > :02:06.inaccessible terrain in Scotland so the best way to assess the scale of
:02:07. > :02:32.this project and its impact on our landscape is from the air.
:02:33. > :02:41.We are going to be following the power lines to the South... Our
:02:42. > :02:49.journey starts here, and power line number one. There are 640 more ahead
:02:50. > :02:51.of us. It's really only when you take to the skies you get a sense of
:02:52. > :02:58.the project, mile upon mile of pylons... We had South, staff
:02:59. > :03:00.working on these northern sections of the line were trained in mountain
:03:01. > :03:09.survival techniques, working through four Scottish winters. It is
:03:10. > :03:18.massive. It is actually the highest line which crosses a number of
:03:19. > :03:25.passes, over 2500 feet above sea level. The line carries electricity
:03:26. > :03:27.from wind farms in the north to consumers in the south. Opponents
:03:28. > :03:34.argue we are witnessing the industrialisation of Scotland's
:03:35. > :03:36.mountain landscapes. Very few people would claim now it is just an
:03:37. > :03:42.upgrade. They can see a major impact, particularly from the trucks
:03:43. > :03:50.built to put these major pylons in, and those tracks are now being left,
:03:51. > :03:52.often on retrospective planning. One of the major conditions is that the
:03:53. > :03:58.trucks would be moved and reinstated and that's not happening in a number
:03:59. > :04:01.of places. The power companies insist they have worked hard to
:04:02. > :04:08.minimise the impact, especially in the Cairngorms National Park. In
:04:09. > :04:11.total we have removed over 109 kilometres within the National park,
:04:12. > :04:24.so trying to put that into context, that is half again of the Beauly
:04:25. > :04:27.Denny line. The power line may be complete but the debate goes on.
:04:28. > :04:31.Tomorrow we follow the line south as it heads towards Scotland's
:04:32. > :04:34.industrial heart. Devolving power from Westminster
:04:35. > :04:40.to Holyrood is at the top But now, there's also a call
:04:41. > :04:40.for power to move from Holyrood Scotland's only Conservative MP,
:04:41. > :04:46.the Scottish Secretary David Mundell, says both big cities
:04:47. > :04:47.and small villages should be given powers over things like
:04:48. > :04:54.health and transport. But the Scottish Government says
:04:55. > :04:55.the suggestion that local areas don't have the powers
:04:56. > :05:02.they need is not credible. Our local government correspondent
:05:03. > :05:13.Jamie McIvor is here. We often talk about the debate over
:05:14. > :05:20.more powers for Holyrood. Mr Mundell says the focus should be at going
:05:21. > :05:22.beyond this and there should be more powers at a local level. He made the
:05:23. > :05:27.point the UK Government has given more powers to Holyrood and more
:05:28. > :05:34.power to some English cities and regions, now he wants to have a
:05:35. > :05:35.debate about how to devolve power within Scotland, but that would
:05:36. > :05:42.principally involve power is held by Holyrood. The Scottish Government is
:05:43. > :05:45.very sensitive to any accusations. It is a centralising force. Critics
:05:46. > :05:51.would point of the National police force and Fire Service but the
:05:52. > :05:55.Scottish Government has come out fighting today. We have forgotten
:05:56. > :05:59.about giving powers to communities, cities, towns and villages across
:06:00. > :06:07.Scotland. We need to have that debate so we can improve people's
:06:08. > :06:08.lives by councils being able to give better services, more focused and
:06:09. > :06:14.more in touch with local needs. It is a bit rich coming from a
:06:15. > :06:16.Conservative government that has got to have any powers prised out of its
:06:17. > :06:22.hands and is still resisting devolving some of the powers that
:06:23. > :06:33.Scottish Government and local government would prefer to see lying
:06:34. > :06:35.in Scotland. So we will take no lectures from the Conservatives but
:06:36. > :06:41.the Scottish Government will carry on with an ambitious programme of
:06:42. > :06:41.policies to devolve responsibility to local communities. The big issue
:06:42. > :06:44.from many councils now is cash, is Mr Mundell calling for them to have
:06:45. > :06:49.more financial powers too? Yes, he is also calling for an end to a
:06:50. > :06:57.centrally involved council tax freeze. As we were reporting last
:06:58. > :07:04.week, many councils say their current funding offer will lead to
:07:05. > :07:06.more cuts next year than they had been expecting. Many are still
:07:07. > :07:11.making their exact calculations, but the chances are the council tax
:07:12. > :07:18.freeze will hold, and that's because any rise would need to be
:07:19. > :07:19.significant, something like 10%, before it would make any difference
:07:20. > :07:26.to their finances. Many thanks for that. The UK Government has been
:07:27. > :07:34.accused of failing to respond early enough to warnings about a crisis in
:07:35. > :07:35.the steel industry, where 270 jobs have been lost in Scotland in recent
:07:36. > :07:38.months. The workers were laid off
:07:39. > :07:42.in October, after the closure of Tata steel plants
:07:43. > :07:43.at Dalzell and Clydebridge. UK ministers insist they did
:07:44. > :07:45.all they could to protect steel makers here from cheaper
:07:46. > :07:58.Chinese imports. The DL steelworks has wound down for
:07:59. > :07:58.the festive break. Two months ago, its owner announced it was closing
:07:59. > :08:07.along with the Clyde bridge plate mill. 270 jobs were going, the firm
:08:08. > :08:09.blaming cheap imports, a strong pound on high electricity costs. Now
:08:10. > :08:15.MPs say that other European countries took steps to protect
:08:16. > :08:18.their steelmakers while ministers in the UK failed to react. We have had
:08:19. > :08:24.an example recently in Italy where the Government stepped in when a
:08:25. > :08:32.plant was in trouble. What we are seeing quite clearly is intervene
:08:33. > :08:36.right now, make sure we have sustainability in the industry that
:08:37. > :08:41.gives value. If we lose the steel industry, we import. The First
:08:42. > :08:43.Minister has pledged to leave no stone unturned in a bid to save the
:08:44. > :08:50.Minister has pledged to leave no steel-making industry. The task
:08:51. > :08:52.force will meet again in the middle of January. The unions maintain that
:08:53. > :08:57.up to four potential buyers have shown interest, but that's too late
:08:58. > :09:05.for the 70 workers who have already taken redundancy deal and there was
:09:06. > :09:06.anger in Motherwell today. The steelworks has been closed down so
:09:07. > :09:14.why bring steel into this country when people can work? All of the
:09:15. > :09:21.steelworks are closing down here, it is devastating. My father, my
:09:22. > :09:29.brother, my uncles, everybody worked in steelworks. Families are left
:09:30. > :09:30.with nothing. Across Europe, steelworkers have faced huge
:09:31. > :09:37.challenges from a global glut of steel. China has been accused of
:09:38. > :09:38.dumping millions of tonnes of subsidised steel on the world
:09:39. > :09:44.market. The UK Government says it is doing everything it can to help the
:09:45. > :09:47.industry. There is no one single solution but it is taking action on
:09:48. > :09:52.procurement procedures and relief from energy costs. The steel
:09:53. > :09:59.industry has played a vital role for more than 150 years, its fate may be
:10:00. > :10:01.sealed in a matter of weeks. When workers return after the festive
:10:02. > :10:07.break, they will be hoping the new year brings positive news, but
:10:08. > :10:10.unless a buyer can be secured, that return in January will see them
:10:11. > :10:17.finishing up orders and continuing to prepare for closure of the plant.
:10:18. > :10:22.You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC.
:10:23. > :10:22.Still to come on tonight's programme...
:10:23. > :10:22.The classes on how to keep children entertained,
:10:23. > :10:29.In sport, Andy Murray says he's looking forward to an exciting 2016
:10:30. > :10:30.after winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
:10:31. > :10:37.The world number two talks about timing and delivery -
:10:38. > :10:46.MSPs are calling for a controversial type of gambling machine to be
:10:47. > :10:54.While new powers to limit the spread of fixed-odds betting terminals
:10:55. > :10:54.are being discussed by MPs at Westminster, Holyrood's Local
:10:55. > :10:57.Government Committee says if all betting powers were devolved,
:10:58. > :11:01.it would allow a better approach to betting regulation.
:11:02. > :11:10.Aileen Clarke is here and can tell us more.
:11:11. > :11:18.Well, gone are the days when betting shops
:11:19. > :11:20.were fusty wee smoky places full of old men chewing short pencils.
:11:21. > :11:27.The modernisation of bookmakers means they have embraced
:11:28. > :11:28.new technology, and fixed odds gambling machines can see players
:11:29. > :11:35.The report put together by this committee at Holyrood heard
:11:36. > :11:43.that these fast playing betting machines which offer
:11:44. > :11:47.games like roulette or blackjack contribute 42%
:11:48. > :11:52.towards the overall profit of one high street bookmaking chain.
:11:53. > :11:52.Glasgow City Council's research found each one of these machines
:11:53. > :11:54.could generate on average more than ?47,000 a year
:11:55. > :12:00.and take a look at the figures MSPs were given about how many of these
:12:01. > :12:07.fixed odds betting terminals there actually are on our high
:12:08. > :12:07.streets: 839 in bookmakers in Glasgow,
:12:08. > :12:15.320 in North Lanarkshire, 316 in South Lanarkshire.
:12:16. > :12:18.Now the MSPs would like to see these machines banned from the high street
:12:19. > :12:22.bookie altogether, but the betting industry say these machines have
:12:23. > :12:31.been around for 15 years now and there are safeguards in place.
:12:32. > :12:40.Fancy your chance to win ?500? That's what these fixed odd machines
:12:41. > :12:46.offer at a bookmaker near you, but MSPs have been told that ease of
:12:47. > :12:50.access combined with the speed of the game means this can become a
:12:51. > :12:55.very costly plotter. Never had any trouble at all with the motto, no
:12:56. > :13:05.previous trouble. The gambling had me that much that I would do
:13:06. > :13:09.anything for a bet. I have done all sorts of things, anything to get my
:13:10. > :13:14.hands on money, just to feed these machines I would have done anything.
:13:15. > :13:21.Though he had bet on sport before, he had never been to a casino and
:13:22. > :13:23.was tempted to play roulette and blackjack 's at the bookmakers. Now
:13:24. > :13:30.MSPs say this kind of gambling should not be left to chance, they
:13:31. > :13:31.want these machines banned from the high street. Many have described
:13:32. > :13:37.these machines as the crack cocaine of the gambling world. We have heard
:13:38. > :13:40.from folk across Scotland who responded to the survey, who related
:13:41. > :13:46.their experiences which are quite horrific, where they have become
:13:47. > :13:49.addicted to these machines. I think we have got to look at what they
:13:50. > :13:57.have said, recognise that this is a very big problem, and action must be
:13:58. > :14:02.taken. At the moment, each bookmaker shop is allowed up to four of these
:14:03. > :14:09.terminals and the industry says they take steps to make sure customers
:14:10. > :14:10.are aware of how much they are spending and can set limits for
:14:11. > :14:20.themselves. They argue that a ban would lead to some shops closing.
:14:21. > :14:24.This is a small shop, it has two machines. A lot of shops would go
:14:25. > :14:28.out of business. I would certainly struggle to keep them open. With
:14:29. > :14:33.regulation of this kind of gambling potentially split between the
:14:34. > :14:37.Scottish and UK Government, MSPs are urging more experience to inform
:14:38. > :14:39.better regulation of the gambling which looks like a game, and can
:14:40. > :14:48.become anything but. Edinburgh's trams carried
:14:49. > :14:50.more than 5 million passengers over That's a much higher number
:14:51. > :14:57.than was predicted. With more on this, we can
:14:58. > :14:57.join our reporter, Lisa Summers, And Lisa, these trams came
:14:58. > :15:07.into service last year. That's right. We are one of the
:15:08. > :15:13.busiest tram stops in the capital, St Andrews Square, it is about five
:15:14. > :15:17.minutes until the next one is due, but 5.1 million people used tram
:15:18. > :15:22.last year so this will be a sign that things are heading in the right
:15:23. > :15:28.direction. Over here you can see the Christmas Festival is in full swing.
:15:29. > :15:30.It is things like Christmas and New Year that bring extra visitors to
:15:31. > :15:36.the capital and they like to use the trams but the busiest period for the
:15:37. > :15:44.trams last year was the first week in August, 137,000 used the trams in
:15:45. > :15:46.the first week in August. Having said that, the trams still have got
:15:47. > :15:52.to make a profit and they are not expecting to break even on till 18
:15:53. > :15:59.months' time. We have the ongoing public inquiry into the delays and
:16:00. > :16:01.the spiralling costs of the trams, and at a time when councillors have
:16:02. > :16:11.in principle approved an extension of the tram line down to Newhaven,
:16:12. > :16:16.although we will not have a final decision on that until spring 2017,
:16:17. > :16:20.which coincidentally is after the next council elections. Thank you.
:16:21. > :16:26.Organisers of a Christmas Drive-in Movie event in Edinburgh have
:16:27. > :16:26.apologised to customers, after screenings were
:16:27. > :16:27.There were also complaints about the lack of facilities
:16:28. > :16:33.at the venue at the site in Ingliston, and the cancellation
:16:34. > :16:34.People who didn't see the film they booked for,
:16:35. > :16:35.are being offered refunds within 14 days.
:16:36. > :16:42.And the organisers say all the other screenings will go ahead as planned.
:16:43. > :16:45.Talks aimed at averting a 48 hour strike on sleeper rail services
:16:46. > :16:53.between Scotland and London have been taking place.
:16:54. > :16:56.Members of the RMT union have voted to walk out a half past six tomorrow
:16:57. > :17:01.morning in a dispute over claims concerning defects on trains
:17:02. > :17:03.Serco, who operate the Caledonian Sleeper service, have
:17:04. > :17:14.reimbursed passengers who'd already bought tickets.
:17:15. > :17:16.A look now at other stories from across the country.
:17:17. > :17:21.A company's been fined ?200,000 after a worker
:17:22. > :17:22.was gassed to death during work on the Tay rail bridge.
:17:23. > :17:30.Dundee Sheriff Court heard there had been inadequate safety precautions.
:17:31. > :17:36.Xervon Palmers Ltd admitted health and safety breaches.
:17:37. > :17:39.Ten lorries have been used in tests involving a new system to see how
:17:40. > :17:45.the Forth Road Bridge copes under stress.
:17:46. > :17:46.The equipment measures the strain from wind,
:17:47. > :17:47.traffic and the weight of the bridge, and then feeds it
:17:48. > :17:52.Engineers plan to have the crossing repaired and reopened
:17:53. > :17:59.A decision to stop the development of a major windfarm in the Highlands
:18:00. > :18:05.Earlier this month, a judge at the Court of Session said
:18:06. > :18:06.approval given by the Scottish Government for the building
:18:07. > :18:08.of the 67-turbine windfarm at Stronelairg near Loch Ness
:18:09. > :18:19.SSE and the Scottish Government now say they will appeal
:18:20. > :18:26.Bosses at the SSE Hydro arena in Glasgow say it was Madonna's
:18:27. > :18:27.own production team who turned off sound and lighting systems
:18:28. > :18:32.at the end of the singer's show last night.
:18:33. > :18:33.Reports had suggested the venue took the decision
:18:34. > :18:39.because an encore overran a curfew, but a spokesperson for the Hydro
:18:40. > :18:47.More than 700 sightings of basking sharks were recorded in the sea
:18:48. > :18:54.around the Inner Hebrides between April and October this year.
:18:55. > :18:54.Oban based wildlife tour operators Basking Shark Scotland said the bulk
:18:55. > :19:01.of the sightings were made by staff and the public off Mull,
:19:02. > :19:08.Its almost three times the number spotted in the previous year.
:19:09. > :19:09.Now, Christmas can be a financial challenge for many of us,
:19:10. > :19:15.as we come under pressure to spend money we may not have.
:19:16. > :19:16.So this year, Fife Council is running classes on how to get
:19:17. > :19:22.through the festive season on a budget, using a mixture
:19:23. > :19:22.of practical skills and common sense.
:19:23. > :19:48.This home-made reindeer food costs very little to make. It is part of a
:19:49. > :19:52.This home-made reindeer food costs very little to make. It is part of a
:19:53. > :20:00.class on budgeting over the Christmas period. It can be quite
:20:01. > :20:13.difficult figuring what they want and how much it will be, where you
:20:14. > :20:21.can make new things. What is on the menu. Food is central to Christmas
:20:22. > :20:24.and this will show people a sick techniques for healthy meals with
:20:25. > :20:31.affordable ingredients. We are trying to look at what we can do and
:20:32. > :20:36.learn new skills using recyclable material, Christmas decorations,
:20:37. > :20:41.using basic food to make nice healthy food, not about always being
:20:42. > :20:47.pressurised into spending lots of money. I feel like I could try this
:20:48. > :20:55.at home whereas before I would not have done. Did not have the
:20:56. > :20:59.confidence. It is easier to go out and buy tins. This is much tastier.
:21:00. > :21:04.It is great. For many people, Christmas can mean debt in the New
:21:05. > :21:08.Year. This shows that it does not need to cost a fortune and some of
:21:09. > :21:12.the most basic things in life can be the best.
:21:13. > :21:13.Let's get the latest sport now with Rhona.
:21:14. > :21:15.Andy Murray says he's looking forward to a challenging
:21:16. > :21:20.Murray has become the FIRST Scot to win the BBC Sports Personality
:21:21. > :21:27.An ironic honour for the man who's often accused of being dull,
:21:28. > :21:32.But after the glamour of last night, he admitted he was intimidated
:21:33. > :21:51.The BBC sports personality of the year is the incomparable Andy
:21:52. > :21:55.Murray. So many great athletes, people that I watch on the TV all
:21:56. > :22:03.the time, when you've got to stand and speak in front of them, it is
:22:04. > :22:05.pretty nerve wracking. Do a lot of media interviews and stuff
:22:06. > :22:12.throughout the year but I don't normally need to speak in front of
:22:13. > :22:19.those sorts of people. It is not easy. However, Andy Murray decided
:22:20. > :22:20.to try his hand with humour. A friend sent me a message the other
:22:21. > :22:28.day with an article from a newspaper which said Andy Murray is duller
:22:29. > :22:42.than a weekend in Worthing. I thought that was a bit harsh... To
:22:43. > :22:43.Worthing. It was funny, harsh, but it went down OK, which is good. I
:22:44. > :22:51.delivered it fine which is the important thing. Could it be that
:22:52. > :22:54.Andy Murray is finally being accepted for his unique personality?
:22:55. > :23:00.He is a shy person who has grown over the years. He is all there in
:23:01. > :23:05.terms of sport but he's only a young man. He has grown into this huge
:23:06. > :23:10.spotlight upon him, and this light is now shining on the true Andy
:23:11. > :23:17.Murray. He is determined to be true to himself and his fans for as long
:23:18. > :23:20.as physically possible. I do try my best during the year to work as hard
:23:21. > :23:26.as I can and dedicate myself to tennis as much as I can, to give it
:23:27. > :23:33.a good name in the country so that everyone supporting me can feel
:23:34. > :23:37.proud. I will try to keep doing it until my body cannot do it any
:23:38. > :23:43.longer. The focus is clear for the man of the moment, the Australian
:23:44. > :23:44.Open and fatherhood are next on his list of challenges.
:23:45. > :23:47.The new St Mirren manager Alex Rae has spoken to agents about bringing
:23:48. > :23:52.new players to the club in January, but admits finances could
:23:53. > :23:54.Rae got off to a winning start this weekend, but he's refusing to get
:23:55. > :23:59.carried away as Jonathan Sutherland reports.
:24:00. > :24:08.Alex Rae met his new players for the first time on Saturday. A few hours
:24:09. > :24:13.later they had beaten Alloa 2-0. He is adamant any talk of play-offs is
:24:14. > :24:18.an mature. I am not getting ahead of myself and making any mad, brash
:24:19. > :24:21.decisions that we can make the play-offs, but we will give
:24:22. > :24:27.everything we've got to try to catch the team above us, reassessing as we
:24:28. > :24:34.go forward. The team above Dumbarton is -- above St Mirren is Dumbarton.
:24:35. > :24:37.St Mirren struggled in the Championship under Ian Murray. Alex
:24:38. > :24:43.Rae is thinking about squad changes but he knows that the money is
:24:44. > :24:51.tight. I've been speaking to agents. We need to be responsible in terms
:24:52. > :24:59.of the finances. We will look at that and try and do the best for the
:25:00. > :25:01.club. It has been a downward trajectory for St Mirren since
:25:02. > :25:06.winning the League Cup two years ago. It will be a long journey to
:25:07. > :25:08.get back to where they want to be. Mark Burchill has been sacked
:25:09. > :25:14.from his role as manager of Livingston, with the club sitting
:25:15. > :25:14.second bottom of the Championship. The former Celtic and Scotland
:25:15. > :25:16.striker had been in charge for a year, leading them
:25:17. > :25:21.to Petrofac Training Cup glory and saving the West Lothian side
:25:22. > :25:21.from relegation on the final day Scottish show-jumper Scott Brash
:25:22. > :25:25.will finish 2015 as the world's Brash has been competing at Olympia
:25:26. > :25:29.- his last competition before It's the third year in a row that
:25:30. > :25:36.he'll finish in the top spot. He says he'll now have a few weeks
:25:37. > :25:47.off, before he 'gets going again.' That all of the sport. Many thanks.
:25:48. > :25:54.Now we will get the weather for Christmas week. It is looking very
:25:55. > :25:59.unsettled on the run-up to Christmas. Tomorrow is the shortest
:26:00. > :26:01.day so there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Look at this
:26:02. > :26:12.picture sent in by one of our weather watchers. This is the calm
:26:13. > :26:16.before the storm. We will see some dry weather. We will see this band
:26:17. > :26:22.of rain sweeping in, accompanied by strengthening, southerly wind. We
:26:23. > :26:36.have a weather warning for that rain taking hold tonight and into this
:26:37. > :26:37.morning. Not particularly nice diving conditions first thing
:26:38. > :26:45.tomorrow. Temperatures will be claiming as we head into tonight.
:26:46. > :26:45.Becoming milder. Driving rain first thing tomorrow, difficult driving
:26:46. > :26:48.conditions and localised flooding. The good thing is all that wind and
:26:49. > :26:54.rain pushes away first thing during the morning and it will return to
:26:55. > :26:57.brighter conditions with some showers. Fairly frequent the
:26:58. > :27:04.blustery showers. Some sunshine coming in in between those showers.
:27:05. > :27:06.Quite a strong gusty winds. Temperatures will gradually drop as
:27:07. > :27:14.we head through the course of the day. The driest weather will tend to
:27:15. > :27:22.be across southern and eastern Scotland at the time we reached the
:27:23. > :27:24.afternoon. We will see some showers focused across more northern parts
:27:25. > :27:29.of the country. If we take a look at the pressure chart we can see what
:27:30. > :27:31.is coming our way through Wednesday night into Thursday. We have this
:27:32. > :27:36.developing area of low pressure coming towards us. It will bring
:27:37. > :27:43.some wet and windy conditions. Possibly storm force winds for the
:27:44. > :27:45.Western and Northern Isles for a time. It moves away fairly quickly.
:27:46. > :27:49.Showers on Wednesday with bright sunny spells. It feels like a normal
:27:50. > :27:53.temperatures for the time of year. Quite brisk wind.
:27:54. > :27:55.Now, a reminder of tonight's main news...
:27:56. > :27:58.The two most powerful men in world football have been banned from any
:27:59. > :28:03.The FIFA president Sepp Blatter and FIFA vice president
:28:04. > :28:08.Michel Platini - were both found guilty of ethics code breaches.
:28:09. > :28:12.That is Reporting Scotland and I will be back with a late bulletin
:28:13. > :28:13.after the 10pm