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There never has been a clearer case made out for the utility of law and lawyers than the so-called Salmond Inquiry in the Scottish Parliament. The 'Committee on the Scottish government handling of harassment complaints' to give it its correct title, has thus far failed to unearth the truth about the machinations within the Scottish government quite simply because it isn’t equipped to do so. Inevitably there is strong suspicion that this Committee was given the job precisely because it would have insufficient expertise or powers to investigate adequately. Committee members appear to have worked extremely hard at carrying out their task. But without counsel to their inquiry, indeed not even a legal assessor assisting them, they have no chance of digging to the bottom of this murky affair. The revolving door system for many witnesses is just pathetic. The witness gives evidence; the Committee subsequently discovers that it’s nonsensical and so recall that witness – in some cases more than once.

Gregor Townsend's side were criticised heavily last weekend when just four players took a knee while the rest of the squad remained standing ahead of their win over England. It emerged afterwards that the confused response had come because the players hadn't discussed the issue beforehand - with first minister Nicola Sturgeon also giving support to the rugby stars. But Townsend said on Thursday that his squad would revert to the usual rugby protocols. He said: "We know what is happening this weekend - both teams are going to stand and recognise rugby's stand against racism and discrimination like we have done in all previous games. It’s a Disgrace at this taking a knee business, and it’s even Worse the pressure being put on players to kneel, Not On!

An apology has been issued to Fife politicians after thousands of Covid-19 vaccine appointments were incorrectly booked – leading to elderly and vulnerable patients waiting for hours in the cold. Health secretary Jeane Freeman has written to all of the regions MSPs and MPs after around 7,000 vaccine appointments were wrongly scheduled due to an IT glitch. Ms Freeman has admitted the situation earlier this week was “unacceptable” and “far below my expectations of the vaccine programme”, following on from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s own apology in the Scottish Parliament.

A woman who made sexual assault allegations against Alex Salmond has claimed the Holyrood inquiry into the saga has been more traumatic for her in many ways than the trial was. The woman was one of nine who gave evidence against the former first minister at the High Court last year. Mr Salmond was cleared of all 13 of the sexual assault charges against him. A committee is now investigating the Scottish government's handling of the original complaints against Mr Salmond. The inquiry was intended to ensure that similar mistakes were not made in the future and that women could feel confident in coming forward with complaints about alleged sexual misconduct. But the woman told BBC Scotland political editor Glenn Campbell that she believed it had descended into a "political fight" that made it less likely that other women would report any concerns.

Scotland's justice secretary has said people are "risking lives" by having house parties during lockdown. Humza Yousaf said there have been "far too many" gatherings at homes, which have become a "challenge" for police. Officers have issued 537 on-the-spot fines since emergency powers to deal with the coronavirus epidemic came into effect last month. Police have also made 35 arrests due to people breaking restrictions between 27 March and 9 April. However Mr Yousaf said many of those who were arrested would normally "come into contact" with police, and may lead "slightly chaotic" lifestyles.

Peter Murrell’s second appearance before the Alex Salmond inquiry failed to impress some committee members, with the Crown Office being asked to investigate his sworn testimony for possible perjury. Some MSPs described his performance as “shifty” and a “masterclass in evasion”. Body language expert Adrianne Carter, a specialist in facial expressions, emotions and behaviour, said Mr Murrell, who appeared by video link on Monday, did not appear to “have confidence in what he has said” as he responded to questions from MSPs about a 2018 meeting at his home between Mr Salmond and his wife Nicola Sturgeon.

The poor now target the poor in Haiti. Many fear leaving their homes, buying groceries or paying a bus fare — acts that can draw the attention of gangs out to kidnap anyone with cash, no matter how little.Many schools shut their doors this month — not over COVID-19, but to protect students and teachers against a kidnapping-for-ransom epidemic that began haunting the nation a year ago. No one is spared: not nuns, priests or the children of struggling street vendors. Students now organize fundraisers to collect ransoms to free classmates.Their hardship may only worsen as Haiti hurtles toward a constitutional crisis.The opposition has demanded that President JovenelMoïse step down, saying his five-year term ended Sunday. But the president is refusing to vacate office, arguing that an interim government occupied the first year of his five-year term.In a defiant, hourlong speech Sunday, Moïse heaped scorn on his detractors.

Protesters have turned out in huge numbers across Myanmar, a day after police instigated the most violent scenes yet in demonstrations against a military coup that removed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.An estimated 100,000 people gathered in the commercial capital Yangon on Wednesday, according to witnesses, with many more marching across the country.Joe Biden announced new sanctions against Myanmar’s military leaders and their families, including freezing access to US-based assets. “The military must relinquish power it seized and demonstrate respect for the will of the people of Burma,” Biden said.A day earlier, tens of thousands demonstrated in major cities and smaller towns in defiance of a ban on gatherings in some areas, with police using water cannon, rubber bullets and live rounds against them. One woman remains in a critical condition after being shot in the head in the capital Naypyidaw.In Loikaw, the state capital of Kayah, about 40 police joined protesters on Wednesday and held a banner saying: “Members of Myanmar police force (Kayah state) stand with civilians.”

Glasgow will be the Scottish city hardest hit by the economic fallout of Covid, a new report suggests.The Demos-PwC 'Good Growth for Cities' report says Scotland's biggest city will have seen its economy shrink by 10.4% in 2020.In contrast, Edinburgh is expected to see its economy contract by 9.1%, a less severe impact than in any other UK city.However, the capital will be among slowest cities to recover. The 'Good Growth for Cities' index ranks 42 of the UK's largest cities based on ten economic factors such as jobs, income levels and skills.

On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded, causing at least 204 deaths, 7,500 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. A cargo of 2,750 tonnes of the substance had been stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years, after having been confiscated by the Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus. This video suggests a number of prominent companies could be involved in the dangerous material being stored in such a place.

Israel, one of the top countries when it comes to vaccinating against Covid-19, bought large stocks of the jab in exchange for acting as the world's guinea pig. And scientists are watching data shared by the country keenly, for signs of how effective the vaccine is when given to a whole population. So there was understandable concern when the man coordinating Israel's Covid response reportedly suggested a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine might not be as effective as reported. Thousands of people have tested positive after being jabbed. But are worries premature?

The prime minister must reform the union or risk the UK becoming a "failed state", according to former prime minister Gordon Brown. Mr Brown said Prime Minister Boris Johnson should set up a commission on democracy to review how the UK is governed. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Brown said: "The choice is now between a reformed state and a failed state." He added: "The commission will discover that the United Kingdom urgently needs a forum of the nations and regions that brings them and Boris Johnson together on a regular basis. "No country can have national integration without political inclusion, and the commission might start by learning from the experience of countries like Australia, Canada, Germany and America where, partly because of British influence in times past, second chambers are senates of their regions, and minorities who can easily be outvoted are guaranteed a stronger voice."

Heartbreaking footage has revealed Covid patient Tony Brown's dying wish to see his wife again just a day before he succumbed to Covid-19. Mr Brown was a patient at the Barnet Hospital in North London where Sky News revealed the harrowing scenes on Covid wards where seriously ill patients are cared for by exhausted and over-stretched NHS staff. One nurse described the situation inside the Royal Free Hospital in London as like 'hell' due to the huge number of 'really sick' patients currently being treated on ventilators.

Protesters who broke a coronavirus curfew to continue riots for a fifth night have been warned by Tunisia's prime minister to stop their violence. More than 600 people, mainly between the ages of 14 and 15, have already been arrested after police clashes. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi acknowledged their anger about a range of economic and social hardships. "The crisis is real... but we reject chaos and will confront that with the power of the law." In a televised speech, Mr Mechichi appealed to the protesters to stop the looting and the vandalism: "Your voices are heard, your anger is legitimate, and my role and the government's role is to work on realising your demands."

Russian protests have erupted across the country with tens of thousands of people defying the heavy police presence to join the rallies. Russian police and protesters have clashed during demonstrations in the country. The protests began in the country’s Far East region, but have now spread across the whole nation. Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered across the country for one of the largest demonstrations against Vladimir Putin’s rule. Russian police have detained an estimated 2,250 people at unauthorised rallies held on Sunday in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was detained in Moscow last Sunday, five months after he was poisoned by a deadly nerve agent.

The number of people fleeing violence in West Africa's Sahel region has quadrupled in the past two years, with 2 million now displaced in their own countries, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday. Militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have expanded their reach in the semi-arid region on the edge of the Sahara, stoking ethnic conflict in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and forcing whole communities to flee their homes.

The Biden administration will declassify an intelligence report into the murder by the Saudi government of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to Avril Haines, who has been nominated to serve as director of national intelligence. The decision means that the US is likely to officially assign blame for Khashoggi’s brutal murder to the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and US resident who wrote critical columns about the Saudi crown prince, was murdered by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October 2018.

Alex Salmond has accused Nicola Sturgeon of misleading parliament, calling evidence she gave to an inquiry into the handling of sexual harassment claims against him "simply untrue". Mr Salmond's comments emerged in a written submission to a separate investigation into whether the first minister breached the ministerial code. The submission has been shared with the Holyrood committee. Ms Sturgeon says she "entirely rejects Mr Salmond's claims". In the submission, the former first minister said that Ms Sturgeon had misled parliament and broken the ministerial code with breaches including failing to inform the civil service in good time of her meetings with him.

Health workers in Brazil’s largest state are begging for help and oxygen supplies after an explosion of Covid deaths and infections that one official compared to a tsunami and said could be linked to a new variant. Amazonas, and particularly its riverside capital Manaus, were pummeled by the epidemic’s first wave last April, when authorities were forced to dig mass graves for victims. But at a press conference on Thursday, the state governor, Wilson Lima, admitted the situation was now even more dramatic and declared an immediate 7pm to 6am curfew to slow the outbreak.

Joe Biden's vice presidential nomination made her name by carefully weaving between moderate Democrats and radical socialists. The old photograph shows two children sitting together by the pond, doing experiments involving tadpoles. The boy has a Beatles-ish bowl haircut; the girl’s hair is “wild”. He is future San Francisco city councilman Aaron Peskin; she is Kamala Harris, the next vice president of the United States.

As of 21 January, a further 1,290 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid 19 as of Thursday, bringing the UK total to 94,580, the government have confirmed. Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 111,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK. The government also said that, as of 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 37,892 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,543,646.

The inauguration of a new president is a day that usually follows decades of custom and precedent. A day that follows a routine set in stone. Well, you can forget all that this year. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will still take the oath, of course, to make them officially US president and vice-president, but this will be a much scaled back affair, due to Covid and the recent chaos.

The US has accused China of committing "genocide and crimes against humanity" for its network of "re-education camps" where millions of Uighur Muslims are incarcerated. Asia foreign policy writer at Reuters David Brunnstrom tweeted: "In a massive parting shot, outgoing US Secretary of State Pompeo just determined China has committed 'genocide and crimes against humanity' in treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. Secretary of State Pompeo made the call after weeks of internal debate." The Trump administration has determined that China has committed “genocide and crimes against humanity” in its oppression of Uighur Muslims in the vast Xinjiang region.

Washington went into overdrive mode prior to the US Inauguration. Included is the deployment of a large number of National Guardsmen, who have already begun to arrive in the city. Many are being called up for duty from surrounding states. Speaking to the press, Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said that 6,200 Guardsmen were currently deployed in the capital. More were coming in to protect Inauguration Day on Saturday, with an expected figure of 10,000 Guardsmen to be deployed. However, he added that: “We have received support requests from the Secret Service, Capitol Police and Park Police, and have been authorized to provide up to 15,000 Guard members to meet current and future support needs.”

Following the storming of the Capitol in Washington D.C. on January 6, in which five people died, the authorities in the city have called in the National Guard to reinforce security to protect the inauguration of President-Elect Biden on January 20. Potentially placing unprecedented numbers of National Guardsmen on the streets of the U.S. capital. Reacting to a warning from the FBI that protests and violence is a real possibility and determined that the confusion on getting the situation under control not be repeated, the Mayor of Washington D.C, Muriel Bowser, has requested that special security measures be put into place immediately.