Ms Sturgeon says the JMC on EU negotiations was meeting this morning.

The first minister says the UK government still refuses to listen to arguments to retain the single market.

Ms Sturgeon says there is a unanimous view that Clause 11 of the EU Withdrawal Bill is incompatible with the devolution settlement.

She accepts there has been some progress but calls for further movement from the UK government to reach agreement.

There must be guarantees that the Scottish Parliament's powers are protected, insists the first minister.

Image source, PA

Scotland's Brexit minister Michael Russell has said there has been movement in talks over how devolution will be affected by the UK leaving the EU.

But, speaking on the Good Morning Scotland programme, he said "we are not there yet" in reaching an agreement.

The latest round of talks between the UK and Scottish governments was held in London on Thursday morning.

UK government sources had said they hoped a breakthrough was close.

The talks were centred on whether powers return to Westminster or Holyrood from Brussels after the UK leaves the EU.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Mairi Gougeon asks for an update on negotiations regarding Scotland's place in Europe.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone raises the issue of a "rare and beautiful golden eagle" that went missing in 2017.

Ms Sturgeon says she agrees the persecution of birds of prey is unacceptable.

Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw says there has been a rise in targeted attacks against Asian households in Eastwood and East Renfrewshire.

He urges the public to give any relevant information on such crimes to the police.

Nicola Sturgeon agrees such attacks are "unacceptable and should be completely condemned".

She commits to raising the issue again with Police Scotland and backs Mr Carlaw's call for the public to provide information.

SNP MSP Ivan McKee points out that Scottish Conservative MPs take their marching orders from Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The first minister is warned by the presiding officer to give a brief response as this is about Tory MPs, but Ms Sturgeon says Brexit is a matter for the first minister.

Mr Rennie asks why the government is so far behind on delivering this policy.

The first minister says some of the Scottish Lib Dem leader's claims are ridiculous.

Ms Sturgeon says her government want to double provision and make it more flexible.

The Audit Scotland report drew attention to a gap between council and government estimates of the cost of the policy.

Councils expect spending on the policy to hit £1bn by 2021-22. The indicative government figure is £840m.

Local authorities have estimated they will need 12,000 whole-time equivalent (WTE) staff, while the government believes between 6,000 and 8,000 WTE staff will be needed by 2020.

The report also examined the 2014 expansion of funded places to 600 hours.

It found the government has invested almost £650m but did not plan how to evaluate the outcomes, meaning "it is not yet clear whether the investment is delivering value for money".

Read more.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says he is deeply concerned Ms Sturgeon will not be able to deliver on the expansion of childcare.

Mr Rennie highlights the concerns raised by Fair Funding for Kids and the Accounts Commission and asks why Ms Sturgeon thinks they are wrong.

The first minister insists there is increasing flexibility in the current system and says she has committed to doubling provision.

Image source, Science Photo Library

Rising inequality during the 1980s increased the risk of drug-related deaths among members of "Generation X" in Scotland, a study has found last year.

Researchers found the "social, economic and political contexts of the 1980s" may have caused an increase in drug deaths in the following years.

The new analysis was carried out by NHS Health Scotland and Glasgow University.

The news comes as the Scottish government convenes a meeting of health leaders to discuss future drugs policy.

The number of drug deaths has been steadily increasing since 1995, when 426 deaths were recorded, and a rising number of deaths have been among older age groups - 73% of the 2015 deaths were of people aged over 35, while the number of those aged under 24 fell.

Read more here.

Labour MSP Jenny Marra says Channel 4 News led with drug deaths, external this week, highlighting Dundee having the highest drug death rate in Scotland and Scotland having the worst drug death rate.

Ms Sturgeon says this is a really important issue.

The first minister says the Dundee drug and alcohol partnership are looking into the matter.

She highlights the forthcoming combined drug and alcohol abuse strategy.

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur notes a ferry service in Orkney has been provided by a freight service in recent weeks, noting this is inaccessible for wheelchair users.

The first minister agrees people have the right to expect the highest standard of transport.

She will ask Transport Minister Humza Yousaf to discuss the issue with Serco.

Tory MSP Liam Kerr says the North East has the highest number of school pupils caught with knives, according to the Press and Journal.

Mr Kerr calls for statistics on this to be published.

The first minister says she will ask the justice secretary to update Mr Kerr on this and insists the government is publishing more data on knives in schools.

Image source, Getty Images

Council nurseries do not open long enough to support full time working parents, a campaign group has claimed.

Fair Funding For Our Kids said only one in ten council-run centres provides the length of care to cover a full working day.

The childcare group requested details on nursery opening hours from all of Scotland's 32 local authorities.

Of 1,369 such centres, only 139 are open from 08:00 to 18:00 or longer, the Freedom of Information figures showed.

In East Renfrewshire all 17 of the council-run nurseries were open, with 67% in East Dunbartonshire also operating these hours.

But 19 councils, including City of Edinburgh Council, have no nurseries which are open for business between 08:00 to 18:00.

Read more here.