Former first minister Alex Salmond has been remembered as not just the political leader who took Scotland "so close to his dream of independence", but as a "dear friend".Tributes were paid to the 69-year-old at a funeral service on Tuesday after his sudden death in North Macedonia earlier this month.The former SNP leader, who went on to set up the Alba Party, had been speaking at a conference when he suffered a heart attack.

Former first minister Alex Salmond has been remembered as not just the political leader who took Scotland "so close to his dream of independence", but as a "dear friend".Tributes were paid to the 69-year-old at a funeral service on Tuesday after his sudden death in North Macedonia earlier this month.The former SNP leader, who went on to set up the Alba Party, had been speaking at a conference when he suffered a heart attack.