Scottish leader to press for more powers

EDINBURGH, Scotland - Alex Salmond, leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, will be sworn in as first minister in the country's devolved parliament on Wednesday with a platform to push for a breakaway from the United Kingdom.

The SNP won 69 seats in the 129-seat parliament in elections this month, the first time any party has won an outright majority since Scotland gained devolved powers from London in 1999.

Salmond has promised to hold a referendum on ending the 304-year union with England in the next five years but is expected to bide his time as he tries to build support.