Russia tried to influence Scottish independence referendum vote

President Donald Trump once confided in South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem that it was his “dream” to be added to Mount Rushmore one day. It turns out that he was being serious. A White House aide reportedly tried looking into making Trump’s dream a reality, contacting Noem’s office to ask about the steps needed to add more presidents to the national monument, according to a source within the Republican party who spoke to The New York Times.

The State Department says Russia is using a well-developed online operation that includes a loose collection of proxy websites to stir up confusion around the coronavirus by amplifying conspiracy theories and misinformation. The disclosure on Wednesday was rare for the Trump administration, which has been cautious about blaming the Kremlin for disinformation campaigns, especially around the U.S.

Douglas Ross has made a gaffe within hours of becoming Scottish Tory leader after effectively conceding defeat at the next Holyrood election.He said after the election he hoped to lead a “strong” Tory party that would provide “opposition” to the SNP.SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said: “This is a gaffe royale, even by Douglas Ross’ standards. He has conceded defeat before the election has even been called yet.

Douglas Ross has been confirmed as the new leader of the Scottish Tories after being the only person nominated for the job. He will lead the party while ex leader Ruth Davidson takes on Nicola Sturgeon at First Minister’s Questions.

large-scale marches despite the country still being in a state of lockdown. Kenny MacAskill, a former justice secretary, said more mass rallies were required as the coronavirus pandemic meant traditional forms of political campaigning such as door knocking were no longer possible.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentThe Riga International Film Festival in Latvia is set to host Magnetic Series, a Nordic industry platform dedicated to drama series and streamers for the Nordic region, Russia, Germany and Greenland. Magnetic Series, which will be running Oct 16 only, will have a hybrid format allowing Baltic and Nordic producers to pitch their episodic content in person or online.

Boris Johnson “is not going to be the person who saves the Union” just days after the Tory leader flew into Scotland in the wake of polls showing rising support for independence. The former Labour leader also suggested a revival in his own party's fortunes under Keir Starmer had so far not stretched to north of the Border.

Ruth Davidson has claimed Unionists should have "put the boot in" following the 2014 independence referendum. The former Scottish Conservatives leader said there should have been a more aggressive approach to nationalism in the aftermath of the landmark vote, which saw support for the SNP surge.

independence vote and the Brexit referendum, according to a landmark report on Russian interference in Britain. The report was finally released today after months of delay at the hands of Downing Street which has immediately rejected the main call from the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Boris Johnson has said "the Union has proved its worth" during the coronavirus pandemic despite rising support for Scottish independence in recent months.The Prime Minister praised "the might of the UK Treasury" for setting up the furlough scheme that has seen hundreds of thousands of Scots kept in employment during lockdown.Speaking at a Downing Street press conference today, Johnson also claimed there had been "very close collaboration" between the four nations of the UK in responding to the

Hackers linked to the Russian intelligence agencies are targeting British scientists seeking to develop a coronavirus vaccine, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned.In a joint statement with the US National Security Agency and the Canadian Communication Security Establishment, the NCSC said the attacks were part of a global campaign by the group known as APT29 to steal the secrets of vaccine research.NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester said: “We condemn these despicable