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

Today

  • Scotland’s women biggest losers from pay gap
  • Cuts to staff blamed for drop in student performance
  • Alarm over school PFI schemes
  • SNP in plea over post-Brexit university funding

Front pages

The Herald:

In The Herald, Gerry Braiden reports on a study which says women managers in Scotland are paid, on average, £11,000 less than their male counterparts. 

The National and the Record highlight warnings about “bagpipe lung” after the death of a piper was linked to fungus growing inside the instrument. 

The Mail says there is a secret plan to cut 300 police officers as part of budget cuts. 

The Herald: Exclusive: Catriona Stewart in the Evening Times reports that some pupils in Glasgow are being sent to school by taxi after the council scrapped free bus passes for primary pupils. 

“China takes control of North Sea oil drilling” is the headline in the Times, with £2 billion in tax breaks to one state-run company last year, says the paper. 

The Telegraph and the FT picture the leaders of France, Germany and Italy meeting on an Italian aircraft carrier to announce further defence co-operation after Britain leaves the EU.

A bumpers honours list could be on the way, reports the Guardian, as Team GB athletes arrive home. 

FFS: Five in five seconds

1. What’s the story? Women are paid less than men.

2. That’s news? Quite. But there are new figures showing the situation is worse that many thought. 

3. How so? The Chartered Management Institute analysed salary data  from 60,000 interviews across the UK. This showed the pay gap was 23.1% across the UK as a whole (22.8% in 2015), and 29.2% in Scotland. Previously, the Office for National Statistics said the gap was 7.3%. Read Gerry Braiden’s story in The Herald here. 29.2% in new money is £10,862. 

The Herald:

Picture: an equal pay demo in Berlin, 2014. Adam Berry/Getty Images

4. Culprits? Several, but the CMI highlights the difference in promotion rates, with male bosses 40% more likely than female managers to be promoted. 

5. What can be done? Some hope is being pinned on the introduction of mandatory pay gap reporting by private and public sector employers of 250 or more workers. According to the independent website equalpayportal.co.uk, regulations are expected to come into effect in October 2016, with the first reports in 2017 or 2018. 

Afore Ye Go

The Herald:

“There is no formal cap on the number of honours that can be awarded.”

A spokeswoman for Theresa May on likely awards for those, such as Andy Murray, returning from Rio with a medal. Julian Finney/Getty Images. 

An alternative way to honour the athletes, from Peaty's nan.

From Heather Wheeler MP

An alternative take on the Wheeler tweet from BuzzFeed's Jamie Ross.

The Herald:

“The question on the ballot paper for me is: who is best placed to be the next Labour prime minister?”

Scots Labour leader Kezia Dugdale on why she is backing Owen Smith to be the UK party’s leader. BBC News Channel. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

The Herald:

“It remains a much loved part of British life today.”

David Hay, head of BT Heritage, on the speaking clock (did you know it was still going?). BT has launched a competition to find a new voice for the service to replace Sara Mendes da Costa, who has been the voice since winning the last contest in 2007. How about Gary: Tank Commander, or Scot Squad's chief inspector Cameron Miekelson as voices of authority? Ian West/PA Wire

The Herald:

"The incident is under investigation.”

A spokesman for the Ecuadorian embassy in London, home to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, above, after a man scaled a wall during the night on Monday. The wall is being checked for fingerprints. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

The Herald:

"While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behaviour that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for.”

Speedo USA peels away from the swimmer Ryan Lochte after his falsely claiming to be the victim of a robbery in Rio. Three other sponsors followed. Clive Rose/Getty Images

The Herald:

"Both great and terrible leaders score higher than the general population for psychopathic traits, but it is the mix of those traits that determines success.”

A study from Oxford University has assessed the candidates for the White House to see how highly they ranked on the psychopath scale, which measures such traits as fearlessness and egocentricity. Donald Trump's score put him in the company of Hitler and Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, while Hillary Clinton found herself alongside Napoleon Bonaparte and Emperor Nero. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Herald:

The mystery of the vanished Banksy artwork near GCHQ in Cheltenham has been solved - it was damaged during work to protect the listed building it was painted on. Ben Birchall/PA Wire

The Herald:

"I felt I had the force to wage this battle at a so tormented time of history.”

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy announces he will run for office again in next year's election. AP Photo/Michel Euler

The Herald:

"We respect the choice made by the British citizens,  but at the same time we want to be able to turn the page on a new future.”

Italian premier Matteo Renzi as he met his German and French counterparts, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande, in Italy to discuss post-Brexit Europe. Above, the trio at the tomb of Altiero Spinelli, one of the founding fathers of European unity,Carlo Hermann/Pool Photo via AP

Thanks for reading - see you tomorrow. Twitter: @alisonmrowat