Independence referendum - world opinion
On Wednesday, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond unveiled his plans for a independence referendum, in autumn 2014, holding a press conference at Edinburgh Castle attended by 45 journalists from 17 foreign countries.
Here is a flavour of what the international press made of the announcement:
Alex Salmond was portrayed as a "modern day William Wallace" by The Australian, making a "passionate pitch in a bid to end the English rule of his territory".
After "years of skirmishing", reports the New York Times, the first minister has "set the stage for what some in Britain have described as a high-stakes constitutional poker game", pitting himself against British Prime Minister, David Cameron.
The paper also notes that, "each man might struggle to survive politically, if the referendum should go against him".
The Washington Times focuses on Mr Salmond's wish to let 16 and 17-year-olds vote in the independence referendum.
And the Wall Street Journal reports that the "battle between Edinburgh and London" over how and when to hold a referendum is intensifying with Mr Salmond's "refusal to bow to David Cameron's demand for an early vote".
The Arabic-language news network Aljazeera asks in its headline: "Does Scotland want a divorce?"
And, "it's a small country dwarfed by its neighbours, a not entirely willing partner in the UK". No, not Bermuda, reports the island's local paper, The Sun, but Scotland.