These are external links and will open in a new window

Nicola Sturgeon's major reshuffle of her government has continued with nine new junior ministers being selected.

The first minister announced sweeping changes to her cabinet on Tuesday, with Shona Robison and Keith Brown among the biggest names leaving the top team.

Changes continued on Wednesday with the new junior ministers which included seven first elected in 2016.

All new ministerial appointments will be subject to a vote of parliament on Thursday afternoon.

Tuesday's cabinet reshuffle saw five new cabinet secretaries join Ms Sturgeon's top team, which expanded from 10 secretaries to 12.

Among the major moves, Jeane Freeman replaced Ms Robison as health secretary, Mike Russell rejoined the cabinet as constitutional relations secretary and Humza Yousaf was promoted to the justice brief.

Three junior ministers also returned to the backbenches on Tuesday as Ms Sturgeon looked to bring "fresh talent" into her government.

Five other junior ministers were kept on - Joe Fitzpatrick, Kevin Stewart, Paul Wheelhouse, Jamie Hepburn and Maree Todd - but the other nine announced on Wednesday are all new, many of them from the 2016 intake of MSPs.

Who is new?
• Kate Forbes takes on the public finance brief
• Gillian Martin is minister for further and higher education
• Ivan McKee will work on trade and investment
• Mairi Gougeon takes on the rural affairs junior brief
• Ben Macpherson is minister for Europe, migration and international development
• and Graeme Dey is overseeing the veterans brief

Ms Sturgeon said: "The ministerial team represents constituencies the length and breadth of Scotland, coming with a range of professional backgrounds and bringing a breadth of real life experience to their roles.

"For instance, Claire Haughey brings her extensive background as a mental health nurse to the mental health portfolio, Kate Forbes will bring her finance background to bear in her brief, Gillian Martin has long experience in further education as a college lecturer, and Ivan McKee brings the expertise he has acquired from a highly successful career in business to the role of trade and innovation minister.

"All of the new ministers I have appointed today, have already proven themselves as effective parliamentarians - and I know that they will do likewise in ministerial office." </s> Image caption Nicola Sturgeon met her new junior ministers at Bute House

Nicola Sturgeon's major reshuffle of her government has continued with nine new junior ministers being selected.

The first minister announced sweeping changes to her cabinet on Tuesday, with Shona Robison and Keith Brown among the biggest names leaving the top team.

Changes continued on Wednesday with the new junior ministers which included seven first elected in 2016.

All new ministerial appointments will be subject to a vote of parliament on Thursday afternoon.

Tuesday's cabinet reshuffle saw five new cabinet secretaries join Ms Sturgeon's top team, which expanded from 10 secretaries to 12.

Among the major moves, Jeane Freeman replaced Ms Robison as health secretary, Mike Russell rejoined the cabinet as constitutional relations secretary and Humza Yousaf was promoted to the justice brief.

Three junior ministers also returned to the backbenches on Tuesday as Ms Sturgeon looked to bring "fresh talent" into her government.

Five other junior ministers were kept on - Joe Fitzpatrick, Kevin Stewart, Paul Wheelhouse, Jamie Hepburn and Maree Todd - but the other nine announced on Wednesday are all new, many of them from the 2016 intake of MSPs.

Who is new?

Kate Forbes takes on the public finance brief

Gillian Martin is minister for further and higher education

Clare Haughey is mental health minster

Ivan McKee will work on trade and investment

Ash Denham becomes minister for community safety

Mairi Gougeon takes on the rural affairs junior brief

Ben Macpherson is minister for Europe, migration and international development

Christina McKelvie takes on the older people portfolio

and Graeme Dey is overseeing the veterans brief

Image caption Ms Surgeon said the new ministers were all "effective" MSPs

Ms Sturgeon said: "The ministerial team represents constituencies the length and breadth of Scotland, coming with a range of professional backgrounds and bringing a breadth of real life experience to their roles.

"For instance, Claire Haughey brings her extensive background as a mental health nurse to the mental health portfolio, Kate Forbes will bring her finance background to bear in her brief, Gillian Martin has long experience in further education as a college lecturer, and Ivan McKee brings the expertise he has acquired from a highly successful career in business to the role of trade and innovation minister.

"All of the new ministers I have appointed today, have already proven themselves as effective parliamentarians - and I know that they will do likewise in ministerial office."

The government is the largest in Holyrood's history, with more cabinet members and junior ministers than ever before.

The Scottish Conservatives said it was "harder to avoid a ministerial brief than to land one" in Ms Sturgeon's government.

Deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said: "The few who've been left out must wonder what on earth they've done wrong." </s> Nicola Sturgeon today promoted a raft of new talent to government positions as she completed the most dramatic reshuffle of the SNP’s time in power.

The First Minister appointed nine new junior ministers in a bid to reinvigorate the nationalists after 11 years in government.

The wide-ranging changes completed a reshuffle which had already seen five new cabinet secretaries appointed on Tuesday.

The new junior ministers come largely from the SNP’s 2016 intake of new MSPs, many of whom first came to prominence as independence campaigners in the run-up to the 2014 referendum.

The fresh faces include Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes , who at 28 is one of the youngest government ministers in the history of devolution.

Sturgeon took advantage of the new ministers’ previous experience before coming into politics when selecting the roles.

Cambridge graduate Forbes is a trained accountant and was made Minister for Public Finances and Digital Economy. She previously sat on the SNP Growth Commission , which made a new economic case for independence.

Meanwhile, former mental health nurse Clare Haughey was made Minister for Mental Health and former college lecturer Gillian Martin was made Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science.

Ivan McKee, the new Trade and Innovation Minister, had wide-ranging business experience before entering politics.

Sturgeon said: “The new ministers I am announcing today bring a range of fresh talent to the Scottish Government, ensuring that we are equipped to deal with the challenges and maximise the opportunities facing the people of Scotland.

“The ministerial team represents constituencies the length and breadth of Scotland, coming with a range of professional backgrounds and bringing a breadth of real life experience to their roles.

“For instance, Claire Haughey brings her extensive background as a mental health nurse to the mental health portfolio, Kate Forbes will bring her finance background to bear in her brief, Gillian Martin has long experience in further education as a college lecturer, and Ivan McKee brings the expertise he has acquired from a highly successful career in business to the role of Trade and Innovation Minister.

“All of the new ministers I have appointed today, have already proven themselves as effective parliamentarians – and I know that they will do likewise in Ministerial office.”

Other fresh faces include Angus North MSP Mairi Gougeon, who was appointed Rural Affairs Minister, Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Denham, the new Community Safety Minister, and Edinburgh Northern and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson, who was made Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development.

Meanwhile, more experienced MSPs Christina McKelvie and Graeme Dey were also promoted to junior minister positions.

McKelvie is Minister for Older People and Equalities, while Dey will become the new Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans.

Five MSPs also remain in junior minister positions.

Joe FitzPatrick is to become Minister for Public Health, while Jamie Hepburn takes on a new, expanded role of Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills and Paul Wheelhouse becomes Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands.

Maree Todd continues as Childcare Minister, as does Kevin Stewart in the housing brief.

Sturgeon appointed Jeane Freeman, a former adviser to Labour first minister Jack McConnell, to take on the high profile Health Secretary post on Tuesday, after Shona Robison quit the job.

Former Social Security Secretary Angela Constance also left the cabinet along with former Economy Secretary Keith Brown.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney today claimed Brown’s sacking was an attempt to prepare the party for a possible snap Westminster election later this year.

Brown, who was elected SNP deputy leader earlier this month, will be in charge of party campaigns.

The SNP is priming itself for “the possibility of an early election in the autumn for which the party has to be ready, and also to make sure the party is advancing the arguments around independence,” Swinney said.

New Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf became the first ethnic minority cabinet secretary in Scottish history. </s> Jean-Yves Le Drian will become foreign minister in French president's new government; defense minister is Sylvie Goulard. </s> Belgium's far-right New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) party quit Prime Minister Charles Michel's coalition government over his decision to sign a U.N. accord on migration, Interior Minister and N-VA member Jan Jambon said Sunday.

The decision will leave Michel as head of a minority government.

Belgian media reported that Michel was reshuffling his cabinet to replace three ministers from the N-VA who have resigned.

Minister for Health and Social Affairs Maggie de Block will inherit the asylum and migration portfolio, a post she had previously held, according to the VRT broadcaster. Vice premier Alexander De Croo is to take over as finance minister from Johan Van Overtveldt.

Secretary of State Peter de Crem will be promoted to interior minister, taking over from Jan Jambon, while Denis Ducarme, whose portfolio includes agriculture, is to become defence minister, according to VRT.

Michel was meeting on Sunday with King Philippe, who has accepted the resignation of the three ministers.
New ministers of defence, finance, interior, health, environment and foreign affairs, amongst others, are appointed.