Hello and welcome to The Midge, the e-bulletin that takes a bite out of politics in Scotland and elsewhere.

Today

  • Scots firm at centre of arms export investigation
  • Sanders endorses Clinton 
  • Sturgeon ups pressure on indyref2
  • North Sea workers strike

Front pages

The Herald:

Exclusive: In the Herald, chief reporter David Leask turns the spotlight on a Lanarkshire-registered firm at the heart of an investigation into arms exports from the former Soviet Union to the Middle East. 

Exclusive: The National details a think tank paper outlining nine currency options for an independent Scotland.

In the Evening Times, crime correspondent Stacey Mullen reports that a “lifeline” van owned by a charity that supports veterans has had its window smashed. 

The Mail says City firms are being urged to hand back up the money - an estimated £10 million - they made from the sale of BHS for £1. 

The Times and the Guardian report that NatWest business customers are being warned they could be charged for holding cash. The move opens the way for high street banks to do the same to savers, reckons the paper. 

The Telegraph says Ofcom will today reject calls to force BT to sell off its broadband division. The move will leave millions with “dire” speeds, the paper believes. 

Most critics give the new JK Rowling play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, five stars. “It grips, it stirs, it delights” says the Telegraph. 

The FT has the low down on a study of the world’s tallest and smallest people. Dutch men and Latvian women have taken over from Americans and Scandinavians as height chart toppers. 

The Sun reports on the remarks, made on Facebook, by a British Council manager about three-year-old Prince George. The prince was “royal, rich, advantaged and will never know any difficulties or hardships in life” wrote Angela Theresa Gibbins. 

Camley’s cartoon

The Herald:

Camley drops in on training for indyref2. A marathon or a sprint?

Ten in ten seconds: Job done for Sanders

1. What’s the story? Bernie Sanders last night officially endorsed Hillary Clinton as the Democrat nominee for president at the party’s convention in Philadelphia. 

2. Didn’t he do that weeks ago? But this is the convention, where it matters. 

3. He did so gracefully? More so than you might have thought. 

4. Why? The convention opened with a dump of leaked emails from the Democratic National Committee showing that the some in the party leadership had been biased in favour of Hillary from the start of the primary season. 

5. Which Bernie supporters took well? Earlier in the day, before Sanders spoke, some delegates booed at mention of her name. Convention organisers feared a repeat of the Ted Cruz incident at the Republican bash, where delegates booed him for not endorsing Donald Trump. Also earlier, there were scuffles on the floor between Clinton and Sanders supporters, with reports of a punch being thrown. Other Sanders supporters wore tape over their mouths with the word “silenced” on show. 

6. But it was all right on the night? Yes, a rough and ready in delivery speech, as is the Sanders way, but job done. “Any objective observer will conclude that, based on her ideas and her leadership, Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States,” he said. 

7. Important? Crucial in getting out the Democrat vote for Clinton. Some Sanders supporters had made it known they might withhold their vote, but the Vermont senator told them: “If you don't believe this election is important, if you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate and what that would mean to civil liberties, equal rights and the future of our country.”

8. Hit of the evening then? That accolade went to First Lady Michelle Obama, who did not mention Donald Trump by name but said of the frequent tweeter that being president was not a job that could be “boiled down to 140 characters”. 

9. And on Hillary? “What I admire most about Hillary is she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.”

10. Who is the headliner tonight? The man who would be first husband, Bill Clinton.

Afore Ye Go

The Herald:

"I don't underestimate the challenge of finding such a solution. Even if we can agree a position at UK level, we would face the task of persuading the EU to agree it. The barriers are substantial.”

FM Nicola Sturgeon on retaining Scotland’s links with the EU after the Brexit vote. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

The Herald: MSP Murdo Fraser, and councillor Ellen Forson.

"She is setting these up to fail to provide another flimsy excuse for a referendum re-run.”

Tory MSP Murdo Fraser on Nicola Sturgeon’s five key tests for Brexit to pass.

Do you love your party leader enough to rewrite a song in their honour? Corbyn supporter Lisa Dempster does. 

The Herald:

“I forgot that most English people are not used to eating fish with bones. It was definitely not a pretty scene.”

Miriam Gonzalez, lawyer, wife of former deputy PM Nick Clegg and now cookbook writer, recalls serving sea bass to the Camerons. Times. Dave Thompson/Getty Images

The Herald:

“A compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously.”

The FBI said it was investigating the leak of Democratic National Committee emails amid suggestions by the party that the Russians could have done it to benefit Donald Trump - a claim he rubbished (below). Above, DNC Chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is to resign over the leak. AP Photo/Matt Slocum.

The Herald:

"There's always work to be done.”

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn after Sarah Champion MP, who resigned from her post as a shadow home office minister saying his position was no longer tenable, asks for, and is given, her old job back. Lewis Whyld/PA Wire

The Herald:

"The next step is to press for 100,000 supporters, which would lead to a parliamentary debate on the topic.”

SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh after a petition demanding Parliament holds Tony Blair to account over the build-up to the Iraq War reaches the 10,000 signatures mark. The Government must now issue an official reply. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

What's the betting Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry WON'T be the next Bond?

The Herald:

"The Tories should take immediate action to hold Sir Philip Green to account, starting with stripping him of his knighthood and making sure he makes a proper contribution to cover the black hole in the current pension fund.”

Labour leadership contender Owen Smith after MPs branded former BHS owner Sir Philip Green “the unacceptable face of capitalism”. Lauren Hurley/PA Wire

From the Sun's political editor, Tom Newton Dunn

The Herald:

“A new poll has Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump virtually tied, with Clinton leading Trump 46 percent to 45 percent. It's the closest Trump has ever gotten to a woman his own age.”

Late Night with Seth Myers. Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

Pokemon Go gets everywhere? From Holyrood magazine's Liam Kirkaldy

If you thought last week's Twitter spat between Ruth Davidson and Nicola Sturgeon over the delayed Type 25 frigates order was intense, get a load of this tussle between STV's John MacKay and Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw. It started with MacKay tweeting his sartorial choice for that evening's bulletin: 

Jackson responded:

Finally, peace breaks out...

Thank you for reading. See you tomorrow.