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       Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf resigned on Monday little over a year since taking office as lawmakers were scheduled to vote on motions of no confidence this week.

       "After spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead, I’ve concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm,'' he told reporters.

       “I have therefore informed the SNP’s (Scottish National Party) national secretary of my intention to stand down as party leader.”

       Yousaf said to ensure a smooth transition he would continue to be first minister until his successor is elected.

       It comes days after the Glaswegian ditched a climate change initiative and subsequently axed a coalition partnership with Scottish Greens. The party announced they would support a no-confidence vote as a result.

       Scottish Green party co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie at Holyrood, in Edinburgh, 25 April 2024. AP

       Yousaf stepped down after failing to strike a deal with a breakaway nationalist party whose single seat could have given him a majority in Scotland’s devolved regional Parliament.

       With all the other parties lined up against him, the tight electoral math in Scotland meant that Yousaf’s fate hinged on the upstart Alba Party, which holds just one seat in the Scottish Parliament. The SNP has 63 of the 128 voting lawmakers, leaving Yousaf one vote short of what he needed to eke out a victory.

       His Scottish National Party has already been weakened by a campaign finance scandal and divisions over transgender rights.

       Resignation adds to mercurial political landscape

       The Scottish debacle adds to the fevered political climate in the broader United Kingdom, where concerns about immigration, health care and government spending have undermined support for the ruling Conservative Party.

       The Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party had proposed separate no-confidence motions. This was to try and weaken the SNP before a UK-wide parliamentary election expected to take place later this year.

       The SNP has been the dominant party in Scottish politics for almost two decades and currently holds 43 of the country’s 59 seats in UK Parliament.

       On Thursday, England and Wales will hold local elections that are seen as barometer of support for the government.

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       An attack on a Russian police checkpoint has left seven dead.

       A group of militants attacked a police checkpoint in Russia’s North Caucus region, Russian officials said on Monday. Two police officers and five gunmen were killed.

       Four other officers were wounded.

       The same gunmen killed in the attack had raided another police checkpoint a week before, according to Russia’s top state criminal investigation agency.

       The agency did not provide information on the attack’s affiliation or motive.

       The Karachay-Cherkessia region in particular has experienced a series of raids on police by extremists.

       In December, Russia's Federal Security Service, the nation's top domestic security and counter-terrorism agency, reported the arrest of 14 suspected members of a radical Islamist group in Karachay-Cherkessia. It followed earlier arrests of other suspected members of the same group in the region.

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       Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah have killed at least 22 people, including six women and five children, according to Palestinian health officials.

       One of the children killed in the strikes overnight into Monday was just 5 days old.

       The strikes hit three family homes with those killed taken to Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital.

       Israel has carried out regular airstrikes in Rafah since the beginning of the war and has threatened to send in ground troops.

       Israel has maintained that Rafah is the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza, despite other nations, including the US, warning that an offensive in Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe.

       Biden and Netanyahu speak as pressure grows on Israel over Rafah

       Blinken visits Middle East

       US Secretary of State Antony Blinken begins his seventh diplomatic mission to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began more than six months ago on Monday.

       His visit comes just after US President Joe Biden spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the call, Biden reiterated that the US opposes the invasion of Rafah on humanitarian grounds as well as the need for the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

       Blinken will visit Saudi Arabia before stopping in Jordan and Israel on Tuesday and Wednesday.

       The visit takes place against a backdrop of intensifying protests on university campuses across the US, where students are expressing their opposition to Washington's support for Israel.

       Israeli officials concerned about possible ICC arrest warrants

       Israeli officials appeared increasingly concerned that the International Criminal Court may issue arrest warrants against the country’s leaders, as international pressure mounts over the war in Gaza.

       There was no comment from the court on Monday, and it has given no indication warrants in the case are imminent.