Hello and welcome to The Midge, the e-bulletin that takes a bite out of politics in Scotland and elsewhere.
Front pages
Exclusive: In The Herald, Stephen Naysmith, social affairs correspondent, reports that a civil servant is facing calls to resign from the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry amid allegations she said it was okay for abuse victims to die if it meant better care in future.
The National pictures Brexit minister David Davis with the headline “Brexit means …?”
The Evening Times, Mail, Sun, Record and Express lead on the murder of 15-year-old Paige Doherty in Clydebank, near Glasgow. Deli owner John Leathem yesterday admitted the murder.
The Times has a poll saying more than half of Scots, 52%, back a second vote on the EU.
The Herald, Telegraph and Scotsman report on the death of a child after becoming infected with the E.coli 157 bug in an incident linked to blue cheese.
The FT pictures presidents Obama and Putin before “tough but productive” talks on Syria at the G20 in China.
The Guardian is one of several papers to feature Renee Zellweger, whose new film, Bridget Jones’s Baby, had its premiere last night in London. The Mail reviewer calls it a “worthy” completion of a trilogy, awarding it three stars.
FFS: Five in five seconds
1. What’s the story? President Obama has decided he will not meet his Philippines counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Laos today.
2. Diary clash? It was something Duterte said.
3. Which was? "I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Putang ina, [son of a bitch/whore] I will swear at you in that forum." A later statement from the Philippines president was contrite, saying it was not a personal attack on Mr Obama.
4. Why was Duterte so riled? He thought the president would raise the 2400 extrajudicial killings of suspected drug pushers and users carried out since the populist president, nicknamed “Duterte Harry”, launched an open season on the drugs trade in June. A statement
5. Obama’s reaction? “Clearly he’s a colourful guy.” And with that he is off to meet Park Geun-hye, the South Korean president, leaving Duterte to face accusations at home that he has once again, having previously insulted the Pope, UN officials and others, embarrassed the nation.
Afore Ye Go
“Could I warmly welcome the Home Secretary to her post, and I hope she has a long and successful turn as Home Secretary.”
It was Commons business as usual for Labour MP Keith Vaz yesterday, despite allegations in the Sunday Mirror that he paid two male escorts for their services. But by lunchtime today the married father of two had stood down as chairman of the Home Affairs Committee. PA Wire
“Is that it?”
Stephen Gethins MP, above left, now the SNP’s spokesman on Europe, is underwhelmed by Brexit Minister David Davis’s progress report to the Commons.
Steady on @StephenGethins. #indyref white paper not exactly a masterpiece of detailed forward planning #EU
— Adam Clarke (@AClarke1984) September 5, 2016
A riposte from the director of communications at the Scottish Lib Dems.
Donald Trump sways in time to the music at a service at the Great Faith Ministries in Detroit. CNN
"I must admit to a certain trepidation breaking the 10-year female monopoly on the woolsack. I know when I make my first major mistake you'll find the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition shaking their heads and saying in perfect unity: what do you expect if you hand it over to a man.”
The new Lord Speaker, Lord Fowler, takes his seat. The pay? More than £101,000, plus allowances. Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA Wire
“How would you feel if I came to your house one day and I hunted down your pet cat?”
Piers Morgan (above with co-host Susanna Reid) interviews 12-year-old hunter Aryanna Gourdin, from Utah, who killed a zebra, giraffe and wildebeest on safari and posted the pictures on Facebook. Her father said: A giraffe's not a pet. We would never think to go out and kill somebody's pet.” Good Morning Britain
£7.3 million
FM Nicola Sturgeon visits bus maker Alexander Dennis to announce Scotland biggest-ever R&D grant to support the building of low carbon vehicles.More than 100 jobs will be created and 126 existing jobs secured. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire
“The carp landed pretty near Renzi’s feet, and it quite surprised him. I don’t know why he kicked it. Perhaps he was auditioning to be signed as a striker at an Italian football club."
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, above, was on a boat trip with other leaders at the G20 summit when he was alarmed by a carp flying out of the water and landing on the deck. Tom Newton-Dunn, The Sun.
Oops pic.twitter.com/MmpX5aZ1QX
— Emily Ashton (@elashton) September 5, 2016
Former MP Ed Balls comes a cropper off the dance floor. BuzzFeed.
“Back in the Sixties people really didn't know anything about football, it wasn't like a major sport back then.”
Former Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan, 29, speaks about her new role playing Tina, the wife of England football player Bobby Moore, in the three-part drama Tina and Bobby. An English viewer tweeted: “Odd - I seem to recall us winning a World Cup.” Ms Keegan was born in Stockport, Manchester, so alas cannot say her selective memory is due to Scottishness. Ian West/PA Wire
Does anyone know the name of Lady Nugee's Islington hairdresser person . Clearly an apprentice but a hell of an effort nevertheless #OMG
— Nicholas Soames (@nsoamesmp) September 5, 2016
Miaow 1: Tory MP Nicholas Soames notices Lady Nugee, aka plain old Emily Thornberry, Labour foreign affairs spokeswoman, has a new hairdo for the start of the parliamentary term.
One of dear Lady Nugee's female colleagues has just told me she keeps her chewing gum in it #badgersett
— Nicholas Soames (@nsoamesmp) September 5, 2016
Miaow 2: And he won't let the subject lie.
Thanks for reading - see you tomorrow. Twitter: @alisonmrowat
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