European Curling Championships: Scotland men face Sweden in final

The rise and fall of Humza Yousaf: Scotland's FM resigns

Humza Yousaf has announced his resignation as Scotland's first minister ahead of forthcoming confidence votes. Mr Yousaf had been battling for his political survival after terminating the power-sharing deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens on Thursday. He entered Holyrood in 2011, first as a regional MSP and then as the representative for Glasgow Pollok five years later. In 2012, he became a junior minister in Alex Salmond’s government, before being promoted to the Scottish Cabinet during Nicola Sturgeon’s premiership. He went on to become the youngest and the first Asian and Muslim first minister in the office’s history. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

Scotland's first minister quits rather than face no confidence vote

After torpedoing a relationship with the Greens and alienating his party, Scotland's first minister Humza Yousaf was due to face a vote of no-confidence later this week – but instead pre-emptively quit Parliament. Someone else at the "helm" would be a better fit as first minister, he said.

Humza Yousaf annouces resignation over power-sharing deal

Humza Yousaf has confirmed he will be stepping down as first minister of Scotland saying he 'underestimated' the level of hurt ending a power-sharing deal with the Greens would have. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn

Negotiations on Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution Reach Critical Phase

Negotiations on Global Treaty , to End Plastic Pollution , Reach Critical Phase . 'The Independent' reports that negotiators from around the world have met to discuss what could become a global treaty meant to end plastic pollution. . The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution has begun agreeing on treaty language at their fourth of five scheduled plastics summits. The most ambitious and contentious idea revolves around limiting how much plastic can be manufactured globally. As most plastics are made from fossil fuels and chemicals, oil and gas exporters have strongly objected to the limitations, along with plastic-producing countries and companies. According to Stewart Harris, an industry spokesperson with the International Council of Chemical Associations, the treaty also focuses on recycling and reuse. . We want to see the treaty completed. We want to work with the governments on implementing it. The private sector has a role to play, Stewart Harris, an industry spokesperson with the International Council of Chemical Associations, via 'The Independent'. 'The Independent' reports that the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty provided scientific evidence on plastic pollution at the negotiations. I heard yesterday that there’s no data on microplastics, which is verifiably false: 21,000 publications on micro and nanoplastics have been published, Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicology professor at Sweden's University of Gothenburg who co-leads the coalition, via 'The Independent'. Ecuador's chief negotiator, Walter Schuldt stressed that countries present at the negotiation share a common vision of moving forward in the treaty process. Because at the end of the day, we’re talking about the survival of the future of life, not only of human life but all sorts of life on this planet, Walter Schuldt, Ecuador's chief negotiator, via 'The Independent'

This Day in History: Nuclear Disaster at Chernobyl

This Day in History: , Nuclear Disaster at Chernobyl. April 26, 1986. The disaster at Chernobyl, located about 65 miles from Kiev in the former Soviet Union, is the worst nuclear power plant accident to date. 50 tons of radioactive material was released into the atmosphere after an explosion of the Number 4 reactor, caused by an engineering experiment. The 30,000 residents of the nearby community of Pripyat were evacuated the next day. The Soviet government attempted a cover-up. But two days after the disaster, radiation levels 800 miles away in Sweden were detected at 40% higher than the normal level. 32 people were initially killed in the Chernobyl plant. 5,000 Soviets eventually died from radiation-induced illnesses. Millions of acres of forest and farmland across Northern and Eastern Europe were contaminated. The former residents of Pripyat have never returned