:00:20. > :00:23.With 100 days to go until Scotland goes to the polls to choose the next
:00:24. > :00:25.Scottish Government, the campaigning has begun.
:00:26. > :00:28.While Labour's Kezia Dugdale insists she can turn round her party's poor
:00:29. > :00:30.showing at recent elections, the SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon says
:00:31. > :00:33.she's taking nothing for granted and will be fighting for every vote.
:00:34. > :00:38.Here's our political editor, Brian Taylor.
:00:39. > :00:41.Kezia's leading a fantastic campaign.
:00:42. > :00:44.Labour's Scottish leader talks tactics with Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow
:00:45. > :00:54.Polls suggest Labour is struggling in Scotland,
:00:55. > :00:56.It is a challenging time, the polls are evidence of that
:00:57. > :01:01.but I'm determined to turn that around.
:01:02. > :01:05.I am confident and I'm upbeat about the future and faced
:01:06. > :01:08.between using the new powers of the Parliament to invest
:01:09. > :01:10.in our kids' education or to continue to manage austerity
:01:11. > :01:15.are intent on doing, I know which one Scots will choose.
:01:16. > :01:18.The First Minister leads Scottish Cabinet talks on North Sea
:01:19. > :01:20.oil and gas, identifying four key areas for action.
:01:21. > :01:22.She defends the SNP's record in power but looks
:01:23. > :01:30.Education and closing the attainment gap is top of my agenda,
:01:31. > :01:36.the health service so that it copes with challenges of the future,
:01:37. > :01:38.and make sure we are supporting a knowledge-based
:01:39. > :01:44.So we'll have big ideas and big ambitions in this
:01:45. > :01:47.campaign and I look forward to persuading people in Scotland
:01:48. > :01:51.Ruth Davidson says she is ready to tackle the challenge
:01:52. > :01:53.of supplanting Labaour as principal opposition at Holyrood.
:01:54. > :01:58.I would say to people out there, if you don't change
:01:59. > :02:01.the Government, think about changing the opposition, have an opposition
:02:02. > :02:03.that will truly hold the Government to account.
:02:04. > :02:08.The Scottish Conservatives pledge to properly do that.
:02:09. > :02:15.Also to protect your family's finances when the new tax powers
:02:16. > :02:20.always stand up for Scotland's place in the UK.
:02:21. > :02:21.Willie Rennie's current team at Holyrood is limited,
:02:22. > :02:24.but he insists there is potential support out there.
:02:25. > :02:26.People in Scotland like their liberal values of investing
:02:27. > :02:28.in education, protecting the NHS and what's best about it,
:02:29. > :02:30.but also safeguarding our civil liberties and protecting
:02:31. > :02:38.People like those policies, that package is progressive
:02:39. > :02:42.and positive and that's why I think more and more people will come back
:02:43. > :02:54.Enduring the inclement climate in Glasgow, the Greens say they can
:02:55. > :02:56.move up the Holyrood ranks with focus on the environment.
:02:57. > :02:59.There is no reason we couldn't overtake the Liberal Democrats
:03:00. > :03:01.to become the fourth party, or better still, in the next
:03:02. > :03:03.Parliament, but the most important thing
:03:04. > :03:05.is to get the message right about the direction
:03:06. > :03:08.A fairer, more equal, more sustainable and healthy society.
:03:09. > :03:10.Told you these elections were a big deal!
:03:11. > :03:13.The Electoral Commission and the homeless charity Shelter
:03:14. > :03:22.have urged everyone to register to vote, but don't worry,
:03:23. > :03:25.the ballot boxes that you fill should be to scale.
:03:26. > :03:28.Earlier I spoke to our political editor Brian Taylor and I asked him
:03:29. > :03:36.what's going to be different in this election.
:03:37. > :03:43.We are used to debates about education, the health service and
:03:44. > :03:47.transport, about public sector -- pub expecting. In the next 100 days
:03:48. > :03:50.of other parties will have to spill at their plans on tax and
:03:51. > :03:54.specifically what they plan to do to amend or replace the council tax.
:03:55. > :03:58.There are plans for business rates and above all their plans for what
:03:59. > :04:04.they will do with the new powers coming Holyrood's week on all the
:04:05. > :04:05.income tax rates and banned in Scotland. This is why this is a big
:04:06. > :04:19.election. -- bans. A second man has been arrested
:04:20. > :04:22.following the death of a 21 year-old Jamie Johnstone, from
:04:23. > :04:26.Cranhill, died after being found with serious injuries
:04:27. > :04:27.in Balbeggie Street, Police have confirmed that
:04:28. > :04:31.a 25-year-old man has been arrested and is being detained in connection
:04:32. > :04:33.with the incident. 22-year-old Nico Donnelly has
:04:34. > :04:35.already been charged A man's been arrested
:04:36. > :04:39.after a shopkeeper was shot in the leg during an attempted
:04:40. > :04:41.robbery at a convenience store The 25-year-old who's been detained
:04:42. > :04:45.is expected to appear The engineers in charge
:04:46. > :04:48.of the construction of the Queensferry Crossing say
:04:49. > :04:50.they're using every available break in the winter weather to ensure
:04:51. > :04:53.the bridge can be completed, as scheduled, by
:04:54. > :04:55.the end of this year. Our transport correspondent,
:04:56. > :05:01.David Miller, reports. The Queensferry Crossing is now less
:05:02. > :05:11.than a year from completion. This remarkable drone footage
:05:12. > :05:15.reveals the progress being made. Construction remains under
:05:16. > :05:17.budget and on schedule, This is the first break
:05:18. > :05:26.in the weather we have had The rain has stopped for the moment
:05:27. > :05:31.but as you can probably see, the wind remains strong,
:05:32. > :05:34.and all of that has an impact out there, where high winds can play
:05:35. > :05:39.havoc with the schedule. Sections of the deck cannot be
:05:40. > :05:42.slotted into place in high winds, that can mean a long
:05:43. > :05:46.and frustrating wait for workers. We took a section out
:05:47. > :05:49.there on the barge, we had it sitting underneath
:05:50. > :05:51.the South Pier all day. It looked as if it wasn't
:05:52. > :06:00.going to be able to go, but we knew there was a chance
:06:01. > :06:03.of a lull, and they got finished Bosses say that once it is complete,
:06:04. > :06:09.the new crossing will be well-placed The wires are coated in wax,
:06:10. > :06:33.then encased in this sheathing. The wires were exposed for a year
:06:34. > :06:36.or so on the Forth Road Bridge against the elements,
:06:37. > :06:39.and when they were protected a lot of moisture was already in the cable
:06:40. > :06:42.at that point before so that is the fundamental
:06:43. > :06:44.difference between the two. It is still hard to believe
:06:45. > :06:47.the first vehicles are due to cross this bridge in December,
:06:48. > :06:50.much remains to be done but plans are already under way
:06:51. > :06:52.for the opening celebrations. The storm that caused severe
:06:53. > :06:54.blizzards across the east coast of America at the weekend brought
:06:55. > :06:57.heavy rain and winds to much High winds upturned two lorries
:06:58. > :07:00.on the A1. Pupils in Aberfoyle had to be
:07:01. > :07:03.rescued from a flooded school. And in Edinburgh, a passenger
:07:04. > :07:06.on a bus was injured after a chimney For the two drivers, a lucky escape.
:07:07. > :07:19.of wind on the A1 this morning, In the capital, the high
:07:20. > :07:21.winds were responsible In Edinburgh, there were dramatic
:07:22. > :07:28.scenes earlier when a chimney pot It left a male passenger injured.
:07:29. > :07:36.and smashed into the window The road remained closed
:07:37. > :07:38.for much of the day. As the rain hammered
:07:39. > :07:40.down and winds swept through, there was
:07:41. > :07:48.transport disruption. Waves crashed over the train line
:07:49. > :07:51.in Saltcoats, and in Stornoway waves Much of the afternoon was spent
:07:52. > :08:02.pumping water away on the A9. The M8 carriageway
:08:03. > :08:11.was closed for a while. It is persistent rain,
:08:12. > :08:13.not necessarily a downpour, The hills are wet, the water
:08:14. > :08:16.is running off them Even though the drainage
:08:17. > :08:27.system is running free, that amount of water on the road,
:08:28. > :08:29.the drainage system Firefighters were called out
:08:30. > :08:33.to a flooded school in Aberfoyle But the bad weather always brings
:08:34. > :08:38.joy to some, this windsurfer was catching some very
:08:39. > :08:42.big waves in Troon. With more rain on its way tonight,
:08:43. > :08:45.maybe it is time to get Tony Blair says he thinks Scotland
:08:46. > :08:54.will become an independent country if the UK votes to break away
:08:55. > :08:57.from the European Union. Speaking to a French radio station,
:08:58. > :09:00.the former Prime Minister added that he hopes voters will choose
:09:01. > :09:02.to stay part of the EU Earlier this week,
:09:03. > :09:05.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said there would be "overwhelming demand"
:09:06. > :09:08.for a second independence vote, should Scotland be taken out
:09:09. > :09:10.of Europe, despite Figures out today show there were no
:09:11. > :09:18.lives lost in accidents on the A9 between Inverness and Dunblane
:09:19. > :09:22.during the second half of last year. It's the longest period of time
:09:23. > :09:26.without a fatal crash on the road Safety groups say it's clear that
:09:27. > :09:30.average speed cameras, installed last October,
:09:31. > :09:40.are saving lives. I think it does show the indication
:09:41. > :09:44.for the measures that have been put in place. Some have criticised, but
:09:45. > :09:48.what it has shown is that we have been able to save lives, make the
:09:49. > :09:53.roads safer, reduce speeding and particularly excessive speeding.
:09:54. > :09:56.Plans to restrict camping in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
:09:57. > :09:58.National Park have been approved by the Scottish Government.
:09:59. > :10:00.New bylaws will "regulate" camping in three areas.
:10:01. > :10:01.Ramblers Scotland and the Mountaineering Council
:10:02. > :10:04.of Scotland have criticised the move, saying the laws
:10:05. > :10:07.Football, and there were two Scottish Cup fourth
:10:08. > :10:10.Dundee beat Falkirk 3-1 at Dens Park in their rearranged match -
:10:11. > :10:14.And Linlithgow Rose will meet Ross County in the next round,
:10:15. > :10:17.after beating Forfar 1-0 in extra time.
:10:18. > :10:20.Scotland's oldest football club has appealed for help in tracing
:10:21. > :10:25.Queen's Park say Harry the Hoopo's head has recently been taken
:10:26. > :10:30.from the Glasgow club's youth and community facility.
:10:31. > :10:34.And world number two Andy Murray will continue his pursuit of a first
:10:35. > :10:37.Australian Open title when he plays the Spaniard, 34-year-old
:10:38. > :10:39.David Ferrer, in a quarterfinal tie in Melbourne early tomorrow morning.
:10:40. > :10:42.Murray has made it to the finals of the event on four occasions,
:10:43. > :10:51.The Up Helly Aa fire festival in Shetland put almost 1,000
:10:52. > :10:53.torch-bearing guizers on the streets of Lerwick this evening.
:10:54. > :10:55.The annual celebration of the islands' Viking heritage
:10:56. > :10:57.attracts visitors from all over the world.
:10:58. > :11:00.It's seen as a great honour to play the part of the lead viking
:11:01. > :11:04.Mark Evans has spent seven years preparing for the role.
:11:05. > :11:13.He says it's been an experience like no other.
:11:14. > :11:16.Now back to the weather and Chris is here with the outlook
:11:17. > :11:28.Thank you, Sally. Good evening. Sunshine Tour parts of Aberdeenshire
:11:29. > :11:33.but for most of us it was wet and windy. Our weather watcher on the
:11:34. > :11:38.Isle of Bute sending in this picture of the high tides. More rain in the
:11:39. > :11:41.forecast tonight. A devil we're warning in force tonight for the
:11:42. > :11:49.risk of flooding and difficult conditions on the roads. -- be
:11:50. > :11:54.aware. If you are joining up and down the road like the A9 tonight or
:11:55. > :11:58.first thing tomorrow morning, what bearing in mind. Through the course
:11:59. > :12:03.tomorrow morning, the wet weather will head towards the North Sea and,
:12:04. > :12:07.some nice it is reasonably dry through the central belt and the
:12:08. > :12:14.South, perhaps one or two spots of rain in some places. The timing of
:12:15. > :12:17.the green cleaning from the North East could be a little bit longer
:12:18. > :12:21.compare to what we are showing any graphics. -- clearing. The winds are
:12:22. > :12:29.lighter across the country compared with today of all the West towards
:12:30. > :12:31.the afternoon. Mid morning some brightness coming through but you
:12:32. > :12:35.will not showers are arriving towards the West coast. Across the
:12:36. > :12:39.UK overall, cooler conditions, some of the showers will be wintry at
:12:40. > :12:44.times. Further South, milder, cloudy for the North of England but further
:12:45. > :12:49.South, the weather fronts staggering down towards the channel with some
:12:50. > :12:53.rain. For us, we continue to colder air so the showers increasingly
:12:54. > :13:00.wintry and further South and East. Thursday, the Shari Westerly wind
:13:01. > :13:06.continues. -- showery. Consistent wet weather for the evening. Showers
:13:07. > :13:10.in the West, wind in the South West. Temperatures up a notch and that
:13:11. > :13:15.weather front arrives with the rain. Across the UK, for most of Thursday,
:13:16. > :13:18.dry and England but that rain pushing tin and lasting overnight
:13:19. > :13:21.and indeed, into Friday. That is the forecast for now.
:13:22. > :13:27.Reporting Scotland is back with updates from 6:25 tomorrow morning.
:13:28. > :13:33.From all of us here on the late team in Glasgow, goodnight.