James Hamilton - the independent adviser who is investigating Nicola Sturgeon

Rihanna has confessed it was "harder" to keep her pregnancy a secret from her friends than the public.The singer, 33, recently announced that she’s expecting her first child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky via a paparazzi photoshoot after speculation from fans that she was pregnant. But the star has now admitted it was actually harder to keep the news from her friends as they know her “habits”.

A mum has been left horrified after a group of youths shouted a number of vile sexual threats to her and other mums and children outside of a primary school.

KANYE West may no longer be with Kim Kardashian, but that apparently doesn't mean he can't date a Kim clone. The rapper, who was married to the reality star for seven years, certainly has a type when it comes to dating.

Scotland is under a wind weather warning from the Met Office due to very strong winds to come on February 16 and 17.

The Scottish Government has confirmed 5,301 new cases of coronavirus have been identified overnight.

Killing Joke have announced the release of a new EP, ‘Lord Of Chaos’ – you can listen to its title track below.The London post-punk stalwarts’ upcoming release will be their first new material in seven years, following their most recent album, 2015’s ‘Pylon’.In addition to announcing the new LP, the band – comprising Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Geordie Walker, and Youth – shared the title track, which continues in a similar vein to their last full-length: a heavy, industrial sound, with haunting vocals and driving guitar and bass.“Flash points everywhere/ And everybody’s scared/ Complex systems failure/ And the lord of chaos is in,” Coleman sings on the song’s fiery chorus.You can check out the new track below:‘Lord Of Chaos’ arrives on March 25. You can pre-order/pre-save it here – see the tracklisting below.1. ‘Lord Of Chaos’2. ‘Total’3. ‘Big Buzz’ (Motorcade Mix)4. ‘Delete In Dub’ (Youth’s Disco 45 Dystopian Dub)Killing Joke are also gearing up to head out on their ‘Honour The Fire Tour’ this spring, marking their first UK tour in over three years.The band will visit Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, London and more.

Kanye West has announced details of a new listening party in Miami for his forthcoming new album ‘DONDA 2’ on the album’s prospective release date.Earlier this week (February 9), it was reported that West, who is now legally known as Ye, had held a private listening party for the ‘DONDA’ sequel in Los Angeles. The likes of Drake, Travis Scott and Yung Lean were also said to have been in attendance on the night, with Ye sharing an image overnight taken by Samuel Alemayhu which showed him with the three aforementioned artists and Baby Keem.Taking to Instagram last night (February 12), West shared a photo of a house on stilts wreathed in flames, seemingly related to the structure resembling the house he grew up in that he built inside Chicago’s Soldier Field stadium ahead of his planned ‘DONDA’ listening party last summer, while he also set himself ablaze in a recent music video.According to the post, the ‘DONDA 2’ listening party will take place at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida on February 22 (2/2/22), the prospective release date for the new album.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentVictoria Bedos, the creator and co-writer of “La Famille Belier,” the hit French movie that was remade into Sian Heder’s Oscar-nominated “CODA,” is getting ready to make her feature debut with Focus Features/Universal in France.For her directorial debut, “Leo et moi,” Bedos will once tell the bittersweet story of a teenager set against an unusual backdrop, a theme she probed in “Famille Belier.” “Leo et moi” (working title) is produced by Hélène Cases at Lionceau Films and follows 14-year-old Marie-Luce Bison, who lives with her widowed father at a group home for seniors in rural France. Universal will distribute the film in theaters in France and Focus Features has global rights.In the film, Marie, growing up as an outsider surrounded by elderly people and her distant father, isn’t like anyone else at school and the other kids notice it.

Alex Salmond's return to politics The former SNP leader confirmed he will be standing for the Alba Party on the North East regional list section in May's Scottish Parliament election.Launching the new party in an online event on Friday, the former SNP leader said: "Today Alba are hoisting a flag in the wind, planting our Saltire on a hill. In the next few weeks we will see how many will rally to our standard." The launch comes after a turbulent period for the SNP and the Scottish Government, led by Mr Salmond's successor Ms Sturgeon.

Get the latest Scottish crime and courts news sent straight to your inbox with our Criminal Record newsletter.Alex Salmond has suggested there are routes to independence other than the legally-backed second referendum favoured by Nicola Sturgeon.Salmond, who quit the SNP when he faced sexual assault charges of which he was later cleared, said the aim of his new party was to work towards a “successful, socially just, environmentally responsible, independent country”.The former First Minister said his new party would help create a ‘supermajority” for independence at Holyrood and stop SNP votes being wasted on the regional list.He said: "A parliament speaking for the people would give Scotland the upper hand in negotiations".He insisted that

Covid-19 pandemic. The Holyrood Government has announced plans to offer more than 154,000 NHS staff in Scotland a pay rise of at least four per cent.

independent country if they knew membership of the European Union was guaranteed. The survey, conducted by Survation, shows that 53 per cent of the more than 2,000 people asked would agree to separation from the UK if joining the EU was granted.

Scottish Parliament election campaign. Scots will head to the poll on May 6 in what is expected to be a crucial election for the future of Sturgeon's independence dream.

NHS workers have been offered a 'substantial' pay rise after an 'exceptionally challenging year'.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced 'our NHS staff deserve more than applause and 1% is not enough' after putting a 4% raise on the table.If accepted by staff, would be the most generous National Health Service pay uplift anywhere in the UK.The pay rise will benefit 154,000 NHS employees including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals, as well as domestic, healthcare support staff, porters and other front line health workers.To read the full article click here

Nicola Sturgeon will face questions from fellow MSPs at First Minister's Questions this afternoon.It is expected to begin around 12.30 in the Scottish Parliament, and beforehand the First Minister will give the latest update on the current coronavirus statistics.It comes as the Western Isles will today move to level three of lockdown restrictions from 6pm.Announcing the change yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon said the Outer Hebrides would return to the level that currently applies to Orkney and Shetland, and some of Scotland’s other islands after their success in reducing transmission in recent weeks.The islands had seen a number of covid clusters over the last year, in the Uists, Barra and more recently around Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.No

First Minister spoke on the National Day of Reflection that memorialised loved ones lost to COVID-19.The lockdown update is Ms Sturgeon's last scheduled weekly update before the Scottish Parliamentary elections on May 6.She said: "One of the cruellest aspects of this pandemic has undoubtedly been its impact on our ability to grieve."It is of course a natural human response when someone we love dies, to gather with others – to mourn their loss and to celebrate their life."The fact that this shared and important ritual has not been possible has – I know – been an additional source of grief for many, during this most difficult of years."So I hope that today’s day of reflection– and the memorials that communities will plan – will help."They are

Scottish Parliament later today. The Scottish Tories said they will press ahead with a vote in First Minister Nicola Sturgeon after a Holyrood committee found she misled parliament.

We will keep you updated on all the latest news on our blog below. Student nurse Keren Nairns lost both her grandparents to Covid last year.Her gran Agnes Addison, from Bannockburn in Stirlingshire, died from the virus but the family believe her grandad Davy Wilson’s death is also partly attributable to Covid.Agnes, 69, died on March 29 last year while Davy, 61, passed away on October 7, while awaiting a hospital referral for an unrelated matter.Read the full story here.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon previously said it is "right we pause to remember those we have lost, and offer our continued thoughts, solidarity and support to the bereaved".She added: "As we remember, we can also reflect on how far we have come in a relatively short

Alex Salmond row. Sturgeon has faced immense political pressure over her government's unlawful sexual misconduct probe into Salmond.A Holyrood committee inquiry will tomorrow rule she misled parliament over a key aspect of the controversy, but a separate probe by Irish lawyer James Hamilton saw her exonerated.The Tories are planning a vote on Sturgeon tomorrow, but the parliamentary arithmetic looks grim for Douglas Ross' party.Harvie, whose contingent of Green MSPs can effectively determined tight votes, said they would not back the Tories.:“Unlike other political parties we’ve said all along that we would respect due process, we therefore welcome the publication of James Hamilton’s independent report.

Our Politics newsletter is now daily. Join thousands of others and get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox.Commenting of the independent report by James Hamilton into her adherence to the Scottish Ministerial Code, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:“I welcome the conclusions of James Hamilton’s independent investigation, which are comprehensive, evidence-based and unequivocal“Mr Hamilton has considered all of the allegations against me, and I am happy that his report’s findings clear me of any breach of the ministerial code.“I sought at every stage in this issue to act with integrity and in the public interest.

First Minister 's resignation amid accusations she misled parliament about her involvement in the Alex Salmond investigation. It followed a leak that the inquiry into the Government's unlawful investigation into harassment complaints against the former first minister has reportedly concluded that Ms Sturgeon gave an "inaccurate" account of meetings with Mr Salmond.