Top stories in Scotland this week

BBC News Online Scotland looks back at the stories making the headlines over the last week.

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Nicol Stephen is Jack McConnell's new deputy

It was announced on Monday that the new Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, Nicol Stephen, would take over the role of enterprise minister.

Tavish Scott was promoted to transport minister while his old role as deputy finance minister was filled by newcomer George Lyon, the Lib Dems' chief whip.

The Godfather of Soul James Brown confirmed he would play at Edinburgh's Live 8 gig.

He is set to take part in the free concert at Murrayfield on 6 July.

On Tuesday Fife Constabulary's Chief Constable Peter Wilson said plans were in place to deal with possible trouble at the G8 summit.

He made the pledge on the same day his force opened its summit co-ordination centre at its headquarters in the region.

The case of a former police officer at the centre of a six-year battle over a fingerprint took a new twist.

Three experts said a thumbprint found at a crime scene was not left by Shirley McKie, who was later sacked.

The head of Scotland's drugs busting agency announced on Wednesday that he wanted his officers to carry firearms in future.

Radical changes to transport policy have been approved

Graeme Pearson, director of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA), believes there should an armed unit to respond to emergencies.

Plans for the radical reform of the transport system were approved by MSPs.

They included the creation of a roadworks commissioner who would have the power to punish contractors for slow or sloppy work.

Plans to build the largest onshore wind farm in Europe were approved by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) on Thursday.

An application by Lewis Wind Power for a 209 turbine wind farm in North Lewis, costing £400m, was passed by 19 votes to eight.

After 18 years on death row in the US for killing a two-year-old girl Kenny Richey was told he would be retried.

Kenny Richey is told he will be retried

His conviction was overturned in Ohio in April after a long legal battle.

It was announced on Friday that an agreement had been reached over a planned march near the venue of the G8 summit at Gleneagles.

G8 protesters and council officials had been at loggerheads over plans to walk past the Gleneagles Hotel on 6 July.

They were told they could now walk to within 500 metres of the hotel.

Scotland's chief inspector of prisons expressed concern at the number of children who have been in jail in the past 12 months.