25/04/2017 Reporting Scotland

MSPs have voted overwhelmingly to urge the UK Government

to lift the two child benefit cap and scrap the so-called rape clause.

In a debate at Holyrood the First Minister described

it as "abhorrent" but the Conservatives

said Nicola Sturgeon had the power to change it in Scotland.

Our political correspondent Andrew Kerr has the story.

Enough is enough, the First Minister, pressing on with her

opposition to this policy at this women's aid centre in Edinburgh. The

cab into children receiving tax credits means there is an exemption

for a child conceived through rate. At Hollywood all the parties rounded

on the Conservatives as they opposed At Hollywood all the parties rounded

UK Government reports. The impressions of this policy are truly

abhorrent. The very need to provide an exemption for women who have been

raped shows the callousness of these cuts in the first place. The

Conservative leader tried to strike a consensual note. I suspect we

almost survive as of rape, and I know there are even those among us

here who have them subject to sexual violence ourselves and find the

issue and even the word difficult to articulate. If the government he

doesn't like it, they can change it, they said. If you'd did strong words

like shameful and has the power to act and choose strong words but not

to act, that would indeed be shameful. But the First Minister

wasn't for mitigating the effects. Let's forget the sticking plaster

approach. It is the fourth control of tax credits and Universal Credit

and the devolved budgets that go with them and then let us make our

own tissues in this Parliament. The Labour leader read out a letter from

a past rape victim. It is an absolutely sickening state of

affairs but it's not the author of that letter or any other rape victim

who should feel shame, it is those on the Tory benches here and in

Westminster who refused to act. If a policy states a precondition where a

woman needs to prove that they have been raped, and such policy has no

place in a civilised society. At Green said Chris Davison's mask had

slipped. She has spent years tried to convince voters that the Tories

of the nasty party no longer but when you cut through the provider

can you can see that Mr Davidson is just another cruel number of the

cruel number of accrual party. It was a difficult afternoon for the

Conservatives at this election time, although the First Minister has

denied playing politics with the issue.

The board of directors at Rangers discussed the possible

collapse of the club months before it was

That's according to the former finance director

who was giving evidence at the trial of Mr Whyte.

Our correspondent David Henderson reports.

Craig Moore, scoring from Rangers 17 years ago. Today the jury heard

about the way the Ibrox club had paid him and some team-mates, and

the dispute that sparked the tax authorities. Giving evidence for a

second day, Rangers former finance director Donald McIntyre. He was

questioned about the health of the club's finances in the months before

it was sold to Craig Whyte. The court heard that Rangers were facing

a tax bill for more than ?2 million and another tax claim for much more.

As much as ?50 million, because of the use of EBTs, all employee

benefit trusts, used by the club debate layers. The defence advocate

called this a nuclear missile heading towards Rangers. Craig Whyte

port ranges in May 2011, and he faces a fraud charge. The Crown says

he falsely claimed he had the money needed to fund the deal. Today the

court heard Rangers board of directors had discussed the

possibility of the club folding and going into administration in the

months before that deal took place. Mr Findlay said the Donald McIntyre,

like it or not, by the time Mr Whyte is trying to buy the club, the club

was already heading for potential financial disaster. Mr McIntyre

replied, "We weren't contemplating the club being put to its knees

without the outcome of the EBT case". Later, he told the prosecutor

he believed the Rangers owner, Sir case". Later, he told the prosecutor

David Murray, would have wanted to sell his controlling stake to

someone who could take the club forward. This was the sale of a

major Scottish institution. Craig Whyte denies all charges and

the trial continues. The BBC has learned that a former

coach and manager of Celtic boys club has been detained and charged

in connection with alleged It's understood 81-year-old Frank

Cairney will One of Scotland's biggest hospitals

was forced to raise a major alert after 36 patients waited

for up to 17 hours A memo sent to staff

at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary last Thursday raised safety

concerns for patients urging NHS Lothian said they had

experienced a very busy day with 20 patients more

than predicted, but the situation One of the main providers

of foodbanks in Scotland says Figures from the Trussell Trust

suggest that low income has become the single biggest

reason for a referral to one of their network

of foodbanks. Here's our political

correspondent, Glenn Campbell. The amount of food distributed by

food bags in Scotland last year was enough to feed the entire population

of Dundee for three days. For many using a food bank is a last resort.

I didn't want to have the use a food bank, but I didn't know where else

to turn, to be honest. And I had already asked friends and family for

enough money to help get me through. There are 52 food banks in Scotland

operated by the Trussel Trust which is it issued:

my kid to the start school tomorrow. The movie I, Daniel Blake, heart

problems the benefits system. And its star rector, in Aviemore today,

is convinced the welfare reform is its star rector, in Aviemore today,

leaving people hungry. It's no surprise that food banks are handing

out even more food, a record high. The policies of his government of

producing poverty. The horrific sections regime through people's

lives into chaos when their Social Security is stopped. The increase in

food bank use has been particularly sharp here in Glasgow. Food banks

like this one, but the Department for Work and Pensions says the

reason for food bank use is complex and it would be misleading to blame

changes to the benefits system for growing demand. There are a variety

of different causes as to what people are suffering from low income

but it's also important to understand, 80% of people in

Scotland to use food banks use them only once, when talking about people

relying on them over a long period of time. The bike use has gone down

in some parts of the country. But in Scotland as a whole, the number of

the people using food banks continues to grow.

Scotland is well known across the world as the home

of golf, and a few courses could lay claim to being the country's finest.

But what is the nation's favourite hole?

The tourism organisation Visit Scotland held a poll of 3,000

Golf attracts thousands of visitors to Scotland every year. Including

the occasional Hollywood big hitter, like this far. Is this a lifelong

ambition? It's definitely on the bucket list, it's fun to walk the

course that had been walked over for 300 years. We have just released

course that had been walked over for figures that shows that golf tourism

is up to ?286 million a year in Scotland, and increase in the last

eight or nine years. Every visitor will have their own favourite golf

hole but the Scotland commissioned a poll to find that the best in a

number of categories. For example this spectacular fourth hole has

been voted the best par five. This one on the Kintyre peninsula, the

best opening hole, and the postage Stamp in Troon, a hole in few years

ago, the finest par-3. Which is the nation's favourite hole? According

to the poll, it's this one, one of the most iconic in world golf. The

18th on the old course at St Andrews. Where many an Open

Championship has been one and many other great player, like Seve

Ballesteros. It's such an iconic golf hole, history and tradition of

the game, the Campillo in the footsteps of the big champions that

have walked over here. Of course you don't have to be a great champion to

play Scotland's finest hole. Let's see what the weather has in

store. It's been a fairly wintry start to

the week so far, we need to look to the jet to understand why. It has

been steering cold arctic air our way. As we head through towards the

end of the week, we start to be influenced by this part of the jet

stream, bringing in milder conditions. Although it's chilly at

the moment, temperatures will be on the rise by Thursday or Friday.

Night pretty chilly across the board and that how we start things

tomorrow. A crisp, bright start for most of us. Despite the sun, still

quite chilly. Come further north, close to freezing, especially if

there is snow on the ground. Still a few showers through the Northern

Isles and Hebrides but mostly showers of rain rather than anything

wintry. Through the course of the morning, would continue to see the

showers coming in on the North-West breeze but the winds, lighter than

it has been so the sunshine for central and southern Scotland slowly

cladding over but shouldn't spoil things too much. Similar for the

North-West of England and Wales and the Southwest for the Midlands, east

and south-east, a number of showers coming in on that northerly, one or

two could come with a rumble of thunder. Into the evening, showery

outbreaks of rain across the far north and Northern Isles.

Temperatures just on the up a little bit because milder air is coming in,

milder tomorrow night. Thursday, cloudy, some showery outbreaks of

rain in the North-West but hopefully some bright if not sunny spells,

temperatures creeping into the low teens.