SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon has urged MSPs of all parties to restate the Claim of Right and commit themselves to the principle of Scottish sovereignty.

Scottish Greens have called for the transfer of new powers to come without strings attached and for the urgent opening up of the debate to what kind of independent Scotland the voters are being offered.

The debate on Scottish independence in advance of a mooted 2016 referendum is only just beginning, but Simon Barrow suggests that the contours of a fresh agenda on both sides is already emerging in surprising comments from representatives of the Westminster parties north of the border.

As independence for South Sudan approaches on 9 July, churches are coordinating efforts to bring lasting peace to a region exhausted by civil war.