The Herald

JACK McConnell was last night facing fresh questions about not registering a holiday with Kirsty Wark, the BBC broadcaster, after it emerged he has declared dozens of other personal gifts since becoming first minister.

Tycoon won ministers' assurance that he could bid for Channel Five

Going by what former US ambassador to India Robert Blackwill says, US President George W Bush and his core team of top policy advisers are the best bet for the growing US-India relations.

Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Corporations and campaign donors are spending millions of dollars to help President George W. Bush celebrate his second inauguration, one of the last opportunities for unfettered contributions in U.S. politics.

The Jan. 20 pageant, for which the inaugural committee is soliciting $40 million from corporate and individual sponsors, features a slew of formal balls and fireworks. In addition, sponsors are spending millions more on private events that aren't part of the official celebration. Both will provide a potential bonanza of contacts with policy makers.

AlterNet

The Armstrong Williams story that surfaced last week is unquestionably a juicy one: the conservative, African-American commentator was paid a sweet $240,000 (in taxpayer dollars), by the Department of Education to promote President Bush's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Ketchum, a public relations firm, served as the intermediary, contracting with Williams to promote the controversial law in op/ed pieces and on his nationally syndicated television show "The Right Side," to urge other black journalists and producers to "periodically address" NCLB, and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for radio and television spots promoting the legislation.

JACK McConnell's office last night dismissed as 'complete and utter b****cks' claims that he was involved in awarding an ?80k contract to a firm run by his friend Kirsty Wark.

Republicans withdrew a couple of controverisal proposals last week that would have severely weakened the House of Representative's ethics rules but pushed onto the books two others that still have Democrats and good-government groups shouting.

The Scotsman

IN THE past few days, both the First Minister and Kirsty Wark have angrily rejected accusations that there was any breach of parliamentary, ministerial or BBC guidelines regarding Mr McConnell?s undeclared stay with Ms Wark at her Spanish villa. Mr McConnell has gone further and accused his media critics of "professional jealousy" and of using the affair to "attack devolution and Scotland as a whole".