17/09/2014 BBC News at One

Alex Salmond urges Scots not to let the opportunity for independence

slip through their fingers. Better Together says a no vote would mean

faster, greater and better change in Scotland. From seven o'clock

tomorrow morning, 4 million people make their decision on a historic

day for the future of Scotland and the rest of the UK. We are live in

Edinburgh as the latest poll suggests results will be too close

to call with a slender lead for the no vote.

Also this lunch time: Unemployment falls below 1 million for the first

time in six years but average earnings still lag behind inflation.

Police in Thailand widen their investigation into the killing of

David Miller and Hannah Witheridge after new evidence appears.

Detectives looking for Alex Groth say they are also looking for a man

who disappeared a week after her disappearance. -- Alice Gross.

And the Ebola vaccine is tested for the first time on human beings.

On BBC London: A ?10 charge to see the New Year's Eve celebrations.

And a survey shows London has the highest levels of childhood obesity.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News At One. In less than 24

hours, the people of Scotland will go to the polls with one question to

answer. Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes and no

campaigns are making last-ditch attempts to win the hearts and minds

of the 4 million people who will make that historic decision for the

future of Scotland and the rest of the UK. The latest polls suggest the

results will be too close to call with a slender lead for the no vote.

In a moment we will be hearing from Ian Watson, Better Together trail,

but first we report from Glasgow on the yes campaign. Actors, musicians

and politicians have poured onto the streets. They are in high spirits.

You want real power, and you want to stay in Scotland. Vote yes.

These campaigners say this is about hope versus fear. They say that

opponents are trying to frighten voters, but now they guess camp also

stands accused of trying to drown out the debate. In the last couple

of weeks we have seen a pretty obvious attempt to exaggerate

everything which is not absolutely perfect conduct. The classic thing

in any campaign is to try to change the subject, when you are losing the

argument. I think the no campaign are trying to do that. There is no

doubt this campaign has been desirous of, but it has also

breathed life into Pozzo ticks in Scotland. The area is crackling with

energy, as the country enters the final hours of this campaign. The

Deputy First Minister was also in Glasgow, addressing a rather younger

audience. They have lowered the voting age for this referendum, but

not quite this far. Nicola Sturgeon's message - a yes vote

would mean better childcare and a better future. People understand

independence is not a magic wand, but increasingly, they know that if

we vote yes, we take control of the decisions, powers and resources we

need in Scotland for the next generation. As this marathon

campaign turns into a sprint for the line, one thing is clear - they say

people do not care about politics, they are wrong.

The former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has launched a

withering attack on claims by the yes campaign in Scotland that the

only way to save the NHS is to vote for independence. In a speech in

Edinburgh, he accused the Scottish National Party of peddling alive by

claiming the Health Service would face cuts and privatisation imposed

by Westminster. Iain Watson reports. Critics say the no campaign has been

too negative. Today, they put the positive face. Stunned by criticism

that voting against independence was somehow unpatriotic, this rally in

Scotland was called Love Scotland, Vote No. And this former Prime

Minister gave one of his most animated and passionate defences of

the union and Scotland's place in it, speaking more like a revivalist

preacher than a politician. We built the Health Service together, we

build the welfare state together, we will build the future together. And

what we have built together by sacrificing and sharing let no

narrow nationalism split asunder ever. On the sidelines of this very

public meeting, privately, the no campaign say they are dilated by the

opinion polls, which are showing they have a narrow lead at the

moment, which means it is possible for them to win on Thursday, but

there is no room for complacency. So, the message is very clear - if

you do not want Scotland to leave the rest of the UK, you will have to

go out and vote for it. At this rally, Conservatives and Liberal

Democrats were joining senior Labour figures. The Prime Minister was not

here, but he sent his own message to the people of Scotland - stay within

the United Kingdom. We are all fiercely patriotic and proud of the

country in which we live. But I say that my head and my heart say, no,

thanks to the risks of separation. The message from the no campaign

today is that you can be both Scottish and British. But at the end

of a two-year campaign, some say the political wounds inflicted will take

a long time to heal. The latest opinion polls suggest

that between 8% and 14% of voters are still not sure which way they

will vote tomorrow. Our correspondent Christian Fraser is in

Livingston. Thank you very much. Until late

tonight, I am sure, there are two armies of activists marching the

pavements, banging on the doors of estates like this one in north-east

Glasgow, pleading with the undecideds to come in their

direction. It could feasibly come down to just a few thousand votes, a

few thousand people who shape the future of Scotland and the United

Kingdom. Today, with both the yes campaign and the no campaign, we

have been out hunting those elusive wavering voters.

The last day, the last push, and everything still to fight for. Since

the weekend, millions of leaflets have been pushed through the doors

of Scottish voters. Yet the polls tell us there are still tens of

thousands who are undecided. The men may be more fixed in their decision,

the women are more inclined to be looking out the whole scenario and

trying to make a judgment which they feel is honest and true for

themselves. In this area of Livingston, a Labour stronghold, the

no campaign are also out in force, working hard to make sure their

support stays strong. They find Mr Taylor, a pensioner, who is torn

between his head and his heart. I am not 100% sure. I am going to say no,

to be quite honest with you. You have just decided that while we are

here? I have just decided. Because of the campaigning? But also, my

main concern is my pension. It is a frenzied day of activity on both

sides. There is a plan. Each is targeting those areas they perceive

can still be won, making sure that every supporter goes out to vote.

You think it will make a difference in this neighbourhood? I think it

will, yes. I think a lot of people are still unsure. Is this going to

change your mind? No. You are sticking to yes? I am, yes. In the

end, for many, tomorrow it will come down to a gut instinct in the

polling booth. What will they decide?

In this area, north-east of Glasgow, there are two unknown factors.

Firstly, those who do not normally vote, who did not vote in the

Scottish elections, which makes up half of the country. The other

unknown factor is the Labour vote - will it hold up, in terms of the no

campaign? But I can tell you that neither side is complacent, they are

taking nothing for granted, and they will go late into the night.

One question which repeatedly crops up in this campaign is over what

currency Scotland would use, should it vote yes for independence. Alex

Salmond has again insisted that Scotland would be able to use the

pound, whether there was a currency union or not. But the Westminster

party leaders have repeatedly made it clear that that will not happen.

We can speak to Robert Peston now. Who is right in this, is there any

way of sorting it out? Well, this is a complicated and incredibly

important question. Alex Salmond is confident that there will be

monetary union with the rest of the UK. What does that mean? It means

that Scotland would continue to use sterling, more or less as it does

today, with continuing influence over interest rates and also

influence over the way the Bank of England regulates and protects

banks. However, the Westminster government and Labour have said,

over their dead bodies. They say there will be no such agreement,

because they say, look at what happened in the Eurozone, where

there was a similar kind of arrangement, leading to economic and

monetary disaster. So, there appears to be an impasse. On the one hand,

Alex Salmond believes that the Westminster government will simply

buccal. He may or may not be right. Even if they do not buccal, however,

there is the option. And of simply using sterling without an agreement.

But that would not be cheap or particularly easy. According to Bank

of England analysis, they would have to accumulate big reserves, will be

?20 billion or more, and that would not be money which would then be

available for spending on schools and hospitals, for example. So, yes,

it is true that Scotland could continue to use the pound, even

without the agreement of the Westminster government, but that

would not be an easy option. Norman Smith has been following both

campaigns from Glasgow, and he joins me now. Norman, those are some of

the big arguments, but we have also been listening in this last day of

campaigning to the arguments from the heart, particularly from Gordon

Brown? Yes, there are not really any new arguments to make. We have heard

about sterling, the economy, about whether Scotland could join the

European Union. Today, on both sides, is is about emotion and

passion and patriotism. That is why, when Alistair Darling and Gordon

Brown were led out onto the stage earlier, they were led up to the

sound of bagpipes. The intended message - there is nothing

unpatriotic about voting no. There is real resentment I think amongst

no campaigners about the way they feel they have been trade as somehow

unScottish. They say that by arguing for a more inclusive, open Scotland,

where they do not sever ties on both sides of the border, they are the

true patriotism. Across town, we have had a rally from the yes

campaign which has been trained to make a similar, patriotic point. We

had the open letter from Alex Salmond earlier, saying to Scots, do

not let this once-in-a-lifetime moment treble through your fingers.

The reason there is this appeal on both sides to patriotism is to

galvanise their supporters. In the end, this referendum may be decided

by which side can get out there vote.

I will be back with more on the referendum later in the programme.

Unemployment has fallen again - with the number

of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance dropping below one million

The jobless total was down by 146,000.

But average earnings are still significantly behind inflation.

Our correspondent Simon Gompertz reports.

It is still a big total wanting jobs, but this is another

significant fall in unemployment, peaking at 6.8 million in 2011, now

down close to 2 million. But remember, it remains well above the

low of 1.4 million, before the financial crisis. Youth unemployment

is down by a record amount. This man in Leeds had help from a government

funded scheme and now has a job in a hotel. I was starting to get a bit

down and annoyed. This scheme made me realise, plenty of fish in the

sea, and if you keep plugging away at something, you can get to where

you want to go in life. With Kelvin and other young people moving into

work, the total claiming jobseeker's allowance has dipped below 1 million

for the first time in six years, with schemes like the one in Leeds

playing their part. Unemployment among young people has reduced by

around 40%. In this region that figure is higher than the national

picture, but we know that what we are doing works. But the wages on

offer are still rising painfully slowly - so, the work might be

there, but you could be struggling to keep up with the cost of living.

Wages are up just 0.7%, excluding bonuses. The latest inflation

figures shows going up by double that. Employers can find people they

need at roughly the current rate of wages which are being offered. So,

employers do not need to pay more. The Bank of England committee which

sets interest rates is under less pressure to raise rates to control

the recovery. Their discussions, published today, show most of them

still want the cost of borrowing to stay at its all-time low.

Police in Thailand are widening their investigation

into the brutal killing of two British tourists on the island of

They say that two British men wanted for questioning about the murders

of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge have been stopped

The bodies of the victims were found on a beach on the island on Monday.

Our correspondent Jonathan Head sent this report.

Thai police were back on the crime scene again today, hoping to find

any evidence that they may have overlooked. But this area was never

sealed off from the public. Today's search was probably more for the

cameras than solving the murders. The bodies of David Miller and

Hannah Witheridge have already been moved to Bangkok. There, British

embassy officials met forensic experts to learn of any progress

that has been made. They seem confident of success. With the

information we have, I think we can identify the murderer. However, we

must wait for the test results to come out. After initially focusing

their efforts on local people, the police say they are now holding two

British men for questioning. They were with the victims in the days

before they died and were stopped from leaving the country at Bangkok

airport. Three days on, and you do get the sense now of an

investigation that is kicking into a higher gear. But after some pretty

mixed messages from the police, you have to wonder whether opportunities

and perhaps even evidence to solve the crime might have been missed.

There is great pressure on the police to get a quick result.

Reputation of Thailand's tourist industry is at stake. But the sheer

horror of this crime places another responsibility on the authorities,

to make sure that that result is the right one. Jonathan Head, BBC News,

Thailand. Our top story this lunch time: With

less than 24 hours to go, campaigners on both sides of the

Scottish independent campaign make their final plea for votes.

Still to come: A new vaccine for the Ebola virus. We will be asking how

effective it is likely to be. On BBC London: The key to the capital.

Southern railway's smart card is likely to be. On BBC London: The key

to the capital. Southern railway's and from stage to screen, a

controversial story of privilege. We speak to the right behind The

Riot Club. Detectives searching for

Alice Gross, the teenager who disappeared three weeks ago,

say they're also looking for a man Arnis Zalkalns, a Latvian builder,

cycles to work along a similar route to where

the 14 year old was last seen. Our home affairs correspondent

Tom Symonds has more. Symbols of hope hanging from every

lamp post in some of the streets in this area. But nearly three weeks

on, there are no firm clues as to what has happened to Alice Gross.

Police have these tantalising glimpses of her setting off on a

walk, a dark rucksack on her back. She told her parents she would be

home that evening. Last night detectives told the BBC's Crimewatch

programme what they know of her movements. She left her home in

Hanwell, up here, and followed the Grand Union Canal to Brentford,

which is where she may have done some shopping. She then returned

back along the same route. The last confirmed sighting we have is at the

bridge on Trumpers Way at 4:25pm and we are keen to speak to anyone who

might have seen her. During her walk that day, she arrived at this busy

road. Naturally her route would have taken her down this secluded path

that follows the river. She appears to have taken the decision to go

along the main road instead. She was caught on CCTV cameras but her bag

was found down there. Dark, with splashes of colour, it had been

picked up, examined and moved by several passers-by. Her white

iPhone, with the cracked case, has not been found. It might reveal what

she was doing online. It may have been taken from the bag. The canal

path where she disappeared are used by walkers and cyclists and this

man, 41-year-old Arnis Zalkalns, who has also gone missing exactly a week

after Alice Gross. Is there a link? Police say he is not a suspect but

they want to speak to him. Meanwhile, her family wait. There is

not a moment of the day when you don't think about Alice and where

she is and what might have happened and why she might have gone missing.

It is almost impossible to describe what that pain feels like. The last

two weeds have been completely heartbreaking but we just want her

to know, please, Alice, if you are out there, come home. This is still

a missing persons inquiry. Extensive searches of the area have turned up

nothing more. Alice's disappearance remains a mystery.

A new experimental vaccine for Ebola has been tested on human beings

The results from animal trials are said to have been promising

and the drug is now being given to 60 healthy volunteers in Oxford.

With me is our global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar.

Tell us about this vaccine. How does it work? 60 volunteers will be

injected with this vaccine which includes a single Ebola protein, a

benign protein, which cannot cause the virus because it does not

material in it to do that. The hope is that it will trigger an immune

response, which will encourage the body to produce antibodies to fight

the virus, the idea being that if someone does become infected they

will have the antibodies in them ready to fight the virus. This is

how many vaccines are developed and how they work already. You give

people a tiny bit of the disease and they then build immunity to it. This

particular study seeks to establish two, firstly that it is safe, and

secondly that it has a good immunity responds. How quickly can we see it

being rolled out to where it is needed? This has been fast tracked

at an unprecedented rate. This study will go on for a few months but we

will have the preliminary safety results in a few weeks. It will be

tested the Gambia and in Mali and if all goes well, it will be given to

health workers putting their lives on the line every day in Africa so

that they will be able to protect themselves, by the end of the year,

we are hearing. We are also hearing from the World Health Organisation

that it is still a few months off. In the coming weeks, thousands of

people will die. 2500 are already dead as things stand and they say

more international help is needed now on the ground. We saw that the

US gave 3000 troops to build facilities yesterday and they are

looking to contain this utterly out of control outbreak. Thank you.

Police in Hertfordshire have arrested

a 48-year-old man on suspicion of stealing artefacts and munitions

Officers searched a property in St Albans this morning and

discovered explosives dating back to the First and Second World Wars.

In a suburban street on the outskirts of St Albans, police

marked the latest phase of an investigation that spans the

battlefield Britain and Europe. For the past three years English

Heritage have been investigating illegal metal detecting on protected

conflict sites. That investigation led to the arrest and the operation

now unfolding around one semidetached property. A team from

Countryfile captured these pictures of the contents of an adjoining

garage. On shelves and stables, from floor to ceiling, hundreds of items

ranging from uniforms to weapons and most worryingly to munitions. We

have essentially found a museum for World War I and World War II relics.

That includes at this stage some firearms, some ammunitions, and some

munitions as well. Police say some items are at least 100 years old and

due to the risk of public safety, they have called in an army

explosives team. Nearby properties have been evacuated as experts

examine the shelves and emissions to see if they can be moved without

risk. Illegal metal detecting, night hawking, has long been a cause of

concern for those striving to protect our past. This is the first

time that English Heritage in partnership with the police have

targeted those that they believe are regularly taking and trading in

battlefield artefacts. We are talking about potentially live

munitions here but we also have the archaeological element, which is

that this material is being removed in uncontrolled conditions so we are

losing the archaeological knowledge as well. In view of the age and

possible instability of the munitions, police say the army may

need to carry out controlled explosions, either on the site or on

open ground nearby. Work here is due to last at least 48 hours.

More now on the Scottish referendum. Let's go back to Gavin at Holyrood.

Thank you. Let's give you an idea of what happens over the next 48

hours. 4.2 million people have registered to vote, which is 97% of

the Scottish electorate. The polls will open at seven o'clock tomorrow

morning and will close at ten o'clock tomorrow night. The polls

will open at seven o'clock tomorrow morning and will close at ten

o'clock tomorrow night. Areas around Scotland. When will we know the

result? Our best guess is about seven o'clock on Friday morning and

there will be a special overnight programme. Brian Taylor is in

Glasgow. First, give us a sense of this historical moment. I suspect

for any Scots born after World War II, this is the biggest moment of

our political life. It is remarkable. There have been parallel

campaigns, connected but not entirely. The public campaign

involving the media, involving the leaders, but alongside that a quiet

and private discourse in their homes, offices, pubs and village

halls of Scotland. It is that quiet, private discourse, influenced

hugely by the public campaign of course, that will come to a

conclusion tomorrow as the people of Scotland, nearly 4.3 million of them

able to vote, cast their decisions. There were two rallies in Glasgow

this morning, both talking about confidence. The yes campaigners

saying that it would be Scotland and the no campaigners pleading with

people to have the confidence to vote no, arguing that was the

patriotically action. Can we talk about the flavour of the campaign, I

suppose? I have witnessed many good-natured discussions, sometimes

very passionate, but good-natured discussions up and down the country.

The country is split broadly 50-50. Is there bad temper? Are people

worried about waking up on finding those decisions still exist on

Friday morning? -- and finding. There are appeals for calm and I

believe that will be respected. The General Assembly of the Church of

Scotland, Scotland's Parliament in a censure, and perhaps we should

listen to them moderator on this one, he is urging unity whatever the

outcome of the campaign and of the vote. Thank you very much. The BBC

will be bringing you all the twists and turns of the independence vote

tomorrow night with our special programme Scotland Decides. Huw

Edwards presents live coverage from Glasgow with reaction from across

Scotland. That is from 10:35pm tomorrow evening. As for the

weather, well, in Edinburgh we would summarise it as dreak but Nina might

have other words. Thank you. It is cloudy at the moment but we have

reached the middle of the month and it has been the driest start to

September that we have had for over 50 years. Just 7% of the total

monthly rainfall average so far. Not just that, but across the UK daytime

temperatures are currently sitting at 2 degrees above average. That has

not been the case for all of us. If you have been stuck under this

stubborn cloud to the East, it is currently very cool. The sunshine

has made the difference to the temperatures on the Isle of Wight

with 22. There is sunshine across western Scotland. In central and

eastern areas it is cloudy. Some of the rain in eastern areas could be

heavy at times. High temperatures of 70 it Edinburgh. Dry and bright in

Northern Ireland with sunny spells and sunshine in North West England.

-- high temperatures of 17 in Edinburgh. Along the South coast,

sunshine with the mid 20s possible. It will be breezy and gusty in South

West England through the afternoon. Into the evening, a greater risk of

heavy showers developing here with some thunderstorms. Elsewhere, the

low cloud will be drawn back in affecting central and eastern areas

with light rain and drizzle possible. Temperatures similar to

the last couple of mornings, 14 or 16, but warm in the South West

corner. It is in the South West that we could pick up heavy showers

tomorrow. Thunderstorms in places, quite a lot of rainfall in a short

space of time, but not everywhere. Cool and cloudy in the North East

but a slice of sunshine in between could potentially live to

temperatures across South East England to around 25. -- lift

temperatures. On Thursday evening, the showers become more of a

feature, starting off across the Channel Islands and pushing their

way North. We could see some nasty thunderstorms as we head into the

early hours and as we start Friday morning. Thank you.