WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Yousaf on the brink, #MeToo conviction overturned, and Germany applies the brakes

 
today's politics story

Yousaf faces no-confidence vote

What happened 
Humza Yousaf's position as Scotland’s first minister is hanging in the balance after the Scottish Greens said they would back a motion of no confidence against him at Holyrood. The SNP announced the end of its coalition with the Greens yesterday due to a row about climate change targets, leaving Humza leading a minority government in Scotland and vulnerable to a confidence vote.

Who said what
A former ally and supporter of Yousaf, speaking anonymously to The Times said: "He's done. Whether it's today, tomorrow or later than that, he's done." But one senior SNP source said Yousaf would fight to the end, noting that "only one MSP needs to change their mind" for him to stay in power.

The commentary 
The past few days have "done nothing to combat the perception of Mr Yousaf as a leader battered by political currents, swept this way and that and unable to get a grip on events", said The Scotsman. After being in power for 17 years "it is no surprise that (the SNP's) problems have accumulated", said The Guardian, "especially when the party's reason for existing – independence – remains so distant".

What next? 
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has tabled a motion of no confidence in the first minister. The deciding vote is set to be held by Ash Regan, the only MSP from Alex Salmond's party. Regan has now become "the most powerful" member in the Scottish Parliament, Salmond said.

 
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today’s international story

Court overturns Weinstein rape conviction

What happened
In a 4-to-3 decision, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction for sex crimes has been overturned by New York's highest court. The New York Court of Appeals found the trial judge who presided over the case in Manhattan made "egregious errors" by allowing prosecutors to call as witnesses several women whose allegations were not related to the charges at hand.

Who said what
Weinstein’s alleged victims reacted angrily to the news. Ashley Judd, the first actor to come forward with sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein, told The New York Times the decision was "unfair to survivors".

The commentary 
Weinstein's downfall "stood as a symbol of the #MeToo movement", said CNN. The appeals court's decision "delivers a blow" to that movement, said The Times, and "vindicates Weinstein's claim that his trial was unfair". The producer will now be "pinning his hopes on overturning his Los Angeles conviction to secure his freedom".

What next?
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office said it plans to retry the case.

 
 
Today’s environment story

Germany to put brakes on autobahns

What happened
Germany could soon introduce a speed limit on its autobahns. It is the only industrialised country where some motorways do not have a maximum speed.

Who said what
A report published by the nation's environment agency the UBA earlier this year found that imposing a speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph) on Germany's famous autobahns could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.9% compared to 2018 levels. But Transport Minister Volker Wissing dismissed the report, telling Politico introducing speed limits is not on the agenda. "People don't want that," he said.

The commentary
Capping speed limits on state roads at 80 kmh is "a move the insurance industry believes would help increase safety", said DW. But opponents of speed limits believe they would have "little impact on the environment and would restrict individual freedom", added the website.

What next?
Introducing speed limits could help Germany hit its climate targets. The country's Expert Council for Climate Issues confirmed last year that the government is currently not on track to achieve its 2030 climate goals, with the transport sector in particular thought to be causing problems.

 
 

It's not all bad

Research suggests the cognitive performance gap between young and old is shrinking, partly due to stalled IQ gains in each new generation. Traditionally younger adults outperformed older ones in cognitive functions like short-term memory. The Flynn effect, where IQ scores rose with each generation due to education and health improvements, once widened the gap. But the results of research conducted by Nottingham Trent University suggest diminishing intellectual decline, meaning "the average older person today is cleverer than the average older person was in 1980”, said Professor Stephen Badham, who led the study.

 
 
under the radar

Italy allows anti-abortion activists into clinics

The Italian senate has approved a controversial law that gives anti-abortion activists access to women considering ending their pregnancies.

The development is a "victory" for Giorgia Meloni’s far-right administration, said ABC News, and "revives tensions" around the issue of abortion in Italy, 46 years after it was legalised in the "overwhelmingly Catholic country". But there are already questions over what impact the new law will actually have.

The senate's passing of the new law has "driven the liberal opposition crazy", said The New York Times, but "without actually changing much". This is because it is "essentially a restatement" of Law 194, which allowed the family counselling centres to "make use of volunteer associations 'protecting motherhood'" to "help women avoid terminating their pregnancies because of economic, social or family hardships".

The "new tensions" over abortion in Italy "come against the backdrop of developments elsewhere in Europe going somewhat in the opposite direction", said ABC News. France marked International Women's Day last month by "inscribing the guaranteed right to abortion into its constitution"; last year the "overwhelmingly Catholic" Malta voted to ease the strictest abortion laws in the EU; and Polish lawmakers have "moved forward" with proposals to lift a near-total ban on abortion.

Several groups on both sides of the debate think the Italian measure won't significantly change anything. "My impression is that it won't do much," said Laura Cristofari from the Center for Assistance to Life, while Mirella Parachini, a gynaecologist and activist for abortion rights, said the measure was a "proclamation that changes nothing" and just merely "waving an ideological flag".

 
 
on this day

26 April 1564

It's not known for sure which day William Shakespeare was born on, but records confirm the playwright was baptised in Stratford-Upon-Avon 460 years ago today. Uncertainty swirls around other aspects of The Bard's life, too, including doubts about who actually authored the monumental works credited to him. Research published this month suggests those authorship questions date back further than previously thought, having first arisen while Shakespeare was alive.

 
 
Today’s newspapers

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf is in "peril", says The Guardian, as the Scottish Greens announce they will back a no-confidence motion against him. The i paper leads on the "world's first jab to stop skin cancer", saying it brings hope for patients. "Save our cup replays" says The Mirror, as it kicks off a campaign for the FA Cup replays that "provide vital cash to hard-up lower league clubs".

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Bare cheek

A knitting group has been asked to cover up five woollen nude Morris Dancer dolls following complaints. The creations had been on display at a Somerset cafe as a "bit of fun", said owner Mike Alford, to help raise funds for the local air ambulance service. Placards sharing information about the fundraiser have now been placed in front of the dolls' "genitals".

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Jamie Timson, Julia O'Driscoll and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Andy Buchanan / AFP via Getty Images; Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images; Sean Gallup / Getty Images.