New first minister axes cabinet independence role

John Swinney pays tribute to Pope Francis

Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has paid tribute to Pope Francis, calling his death "deeply saddening" and a moment of heartbreak for the Catholic community. Swinney praised the Pope’s commitment to peace, justice and leadership on global issues including Gaza and Ukraine. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

First Minister sets out resilience plans ahead of US tariffs

First Minister of Scotland John Swinney said he will publish his Government’s legislative programme earlier than usual to help tackle tariff challenges. Speaking at a press conference at Bute House in Edinburgh on Monday, Mr Swinney said the programme for government would be published on the 6th of May to "enable a full year of delivery between now and the Scottish election”. Report by Kennedyl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn