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Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Shona Robison has told Sky News a “culture was allowed to develop” at SNP HQ amid a scandal about transparency.

Ms Robison denied Nicola Sturgeon had overall responsibility for the governance scandal – despite her being party leader for eight years.

She said the party needs to “get its house in order” to rebuild trust.

She added: “There are clearly big issues for the party here.”

When asked if it was Ms Sturgeon’s fault, she said: “I’m not sure it’s just with Nicola Sturgeon here – everyone has a role to play in not resolving some of these governance issues.

“A culture has been allowed to develop at headquarters and in terms of the governance of the party. [The culture was] one that needed to be more open and more transparent and people being able to ask questions.

“Humza Yousaf has made it clear that is what he wants to see in terms of a new culture and those new governance arrangements. He acted swiftly to take all that on board and start to make the changes that need to be made.”

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Detectives have made arrests of senior SNP figures in recent weeks in a long-running probe examining party finances and funding.

Treasurer Colin Beattie was released without charge on Tuesday after facing a day of police questions.

Mr Yousaf admitted to Sky News that Mr Beattie’s arrest was “not helpful”.

Asked whether he was “surprised” at the news of Mr Beattie’s arrest, the first minister said: “Of course I’m surprised when one of my colleagues is arrested.”

Ms Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell was also questioned as a suspect while the home of the SNP’s former chief executive was raided.

He was later released without charge pending further investigations after an 11-hour detention.

Officers from Police Scotland outside the home of former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) Peter Murrell, in Uddingston, Glasgow, after he was "released without charge pending further investigation", after he was arrested on Wednesday as part of a probe into the party's finances. Picture date: Thursday April 6, 2023.
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Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell was a suspect in the financial scandal

At the same time that he was in police custody, detectives seized a £100,000 motorhome from outside the home of one of Mr Murrell’s elderly relatives.

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Pressure mounts on SNP

Read more:
Why it’s likely police will want to interview Nicola Sturgeon in SNP finances probe
First minister Humza Yousaf ‘didn’t know about SNP motorhome until he became party leader

What are police looking into?

Operation Branchform is Police Scotland’s investigation into possible fundraising fraud in the SNP.

Launched in 2021 following seven complaints to police, it is looking into whether £666,953 of money raised since 2017 specifically for a second independence referendum has been improperly spent on other activities.

Police are also looking into a loan of £107,620 made in June 2021 by Mr Murrell, while he was chief executive.

The loan was reported late to the Electoral Commission and two repayments were made later that year by the SNP, but there was £60,000 left outstanding.

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Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney named prime minister of Canada – succeeding Justin Trudeau

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Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney named prime minister of Canada - succeeding Justin Trudeau

Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney has been named Canadian prime minister after winning the Liberal Party leadership race in a landslide victory.

Mr Carney, who also used to be the head of Canada’s central bank, emerged as the frontrunner in the contest as the country deals with the impact of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

He ended up winning 85.9% of the vote.

During his victory speech, he told the crowd: “Donald Trump, as we know, has put unjustified tariffs on what we build, on what we sell and how we make a living.

“He’s attacking Canadian families, workers and businesses and we cannot let him succeed and we won’t.”

Mr Carney said Canada would keep retaliatory tariffs in place until “the Americans show us respect”.

Mr Trump’s tariffs against Canada and his talk of making the country America’s 51st state have infuriated Canadians.

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The American national anthem has been repeatedly booed at NHL and NBA games.

“Think about it. If they succeeded, they would destroy our way of life… America is a melting pot. Canada is a mosaic,” Mr Carney added.

“America is not Canada. Canada will never ever be part of America in any way, shape or form.”

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‘You can’t take our country or our game’

The 59-year-old will replace Justin Trudeau, who has served as prime minister since 2015.

Mr Trudeau announced he was stepping down in January after facing calls to quit from a chorus of his own MPs.

The 53-year-old’s popularity had declined as food and house prices rose.

Mr Carney will now have to decide when to call a general election in Canada – which must take place on or before 20 October.

In 2013, he became the first non-UK citizen to run the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694.

His appointment was popular in Britain after Canada recovered from the 2008 financial crisis faster than many other countries.

Read more:
Trudeau steps down with his popularity in shreds
Canadian PM criticises Trump over tariffs

During leadership debates, Mr Carney argued he was the only person prepared to handle Trump.

“I know how to manage crises,” he said.

“In a situation like this, you need experience in terms of crisis management, you need negotiating skills.”

The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered the Liberal Party’s chances in a parliamentary election.

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Donald Trump says Ukraine ‘may not survive’ war against Russia even if US support continues

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Donald Trump says Ukraine 'may not survive' war against Russia even if US support continues

US President Donald Trump has suggested Ukraine “may not survive” the war against Russia even if American support continued.

In an interview with Fox News channel’s ‘Sunday Morning Futures’, Mr Trump was asked about his controversial decision to pause support for Kyiv as it fends off Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Mr Trump, who had a disastrous meeting with Mr Zelenskyy at the White House last week, was asked about a warning from Polish President Andrzej Duda “that without American support, Ukraine will not survive”.

Asked if he was “comfortable” with that outcome, the US president said: “Well, it may not survive anyway.

“But we have some weaknesses with Russia. You know, it takes two,” Mr Trump added.

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Donald Trump. File Pic: Reuters

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It comes as Mr Zelenskyy will visit Saudi Arabia for a Monday meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while Ukrainian diplomatic and military representatives will meet with a US delegation on Tuesday.

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Mr Trump’s latest remarks come amid global concern over the souring relationship between Ukraine and the US, which alongside the EU has been Kyiv’s main backer in its defence against Russia’s three-year land, air and sea invasion.

The US paused military aid and the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine this month after a meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy on 28 February descended into acrimony in front of the world’s media.

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Mr Trump ordered the pause as he attempts to put pressure on Mr Zelenskyy to negotiate a ceasefire deal with Russia.

Mr Trump has privately made it clear to aides that a signed minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv will not be enough to restart aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, Sky News’ US partner network NBC reported earlier on Sunday.

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How are Americans feeling after nearly 50 days of Trump?

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Rating Donald Trump’s second term so far

‘Trump bump’ turns to a Trump slump

The 78-year-old president is said to want the deal signed, but also wants to see a change in Mr Zelenskyy’s attitude towards peace talks.

Officials have told NBC News that Mr Trump also wants Mr Zelenskyy to make some movement towards holding elections in Ukraine and possibly stepping down as his country’s leader.

Mr Zelenskyy said in a recent interview he would be ready to step down as Ukraine’s president if it meant his country would become a NATO member and find peace.

That came after he was branded a “dictator” by Mr Trump as Ukraine had not held fresh elections – despite laws prohibiting it during wartime.

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Russian forces creep through disused gas pipeline in attempt to launch surprise attack on Ukrainian soldiers

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Russian forces creep through disused gas pipeline in attempt to launch surprise attack on Ukrainian soldiers

Russian special forces crept through a disused gas pipeline for several miles to launch a surprise attack on Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s military and pro-Moscow war bloggers have said.

Footage circulating on the Telegram app claims to show the elite soldiers crouching as they make their way through the darkness of the pipe to the town of Sudzha.

Some can be heard cursing in Russian and complaining about the commanders who sent them on the mission.

One of the soldiers is heard saying: “F*****g hell, where the f*** are we, boys?”

Another says: “Where does the pipe go? To Sudzha, for f**** sake, that’s f***ing crazy.”

Later in the clip a soldier is heard saying: “We’ll get there of course, but indignantly, because we’re f*****g sick of the f*****g command.”

He later adds: “They took our f*****g assault rifles too.”

Two of the soldiers are seen smoking cigarettes while a separate image shared on Telegram shows an operative wearing a gas mask.

Ukraine war live updates

The footage shows soldiers creeping through the pipeline
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The footage shows soldiers creeping through the pipeline

Soldiers are seen smoking cigarettes in the pipeline
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Soldiers are seen smoking cigarettes

The special forces soldiers walked around nine miles (15km) through the pipeline which Moscow had until recently used to send gas to Europe, according to Telegram posts by Ukrainian-born pro-Kremlin blogger Yuri Podolyaka.

In the footage, the soldiers suggest the mission requires them to walk seven miles through the pipe.

Mr Podolyaka says some of them spent several days in the pipeline before striking Ukrainian units from the rear near Sudzha.

The operation formed part of efforts by Russia to recapture areas of Kursk which were seized by thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in a shock offensive in August last year.

Another pro-Russian war blogger, who uses the alias Two Majors, said a major battle is under way in Sudzha after Moscow’s special forces crept through the pipe.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s general staff confirmed on Saturday that Russian soldiers had used the pipeline in an attempt to gain a foothold, but airborne assault forces promptly detected them, and they responded with rocket, artillery and drone attacks that destroyed Moscow’s units.

“The enemy’s losses in Sudzha are very high,” the general staff reported.

Read more:
US pausing military aid is ‘betrayal’, Ukrainian soldier tells Sky News
Russia ‘appears to have ignored Trump warning’ after deadly strike

A close up of one of the soldiers in the pipeline
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A close-up image of one of the soldiers in the pipeline

The soldiers crept through the tunnel for several miles
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The soldiers crept through the tunnel for several miles

It comes as Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces shared a video on Telegram on Saturday which it claims shows Kyiv’s forces repelling Russian forces in Kursk with airstrikes.

Sky News has not independently verified the footage.

Months after Kyiv’s forces seized parts of Kursk, Ukrainian soldiers are weary and bloodied by relentless assaults of more than 50,000 Russian troops, including some from Moscow’s ally North Korea.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers run the risk of being encircled, open-source maps of the battlefield showed on Friday.

Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry said this morning that it had captured a settlement in Kursk and another in Ukraine’s Sumy region.

Russia also launched heavy aerial attacks overnight on Ukraine into Saturday – with at least 22 people killed, including 11 in the frontline town of Dobropilla in Ukraine’s embattled eastern Donetsk region.

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Ukrainian president Voldymyr Zelenskyy described the attacks as a “vile and inhumane intimidation tactic” by Russia.

The attacks come after the US paused military aid and the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine this month after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Mr Zelenskyy descended into a confrontation in front of the world’s media.

The Trump administration’s stance on Ukraine and apparent favouring of Moscow has sparked concern among European leaders.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics told Sky News on Sunday that European countries should “absolutely” introduce conscription as he conceded the continent was “quite weak” militarily in the face of the Russia threat.

Meanwhile, Russian officials have been criticised after presenting mothers of soldiers killed in Ukraine with gifts of meat grinders on International Women’s Day.

Russia is often accused of throwing its troops into a “meat grinder” with little regard for their lives.

The local branch of government in the northwestern Russian town of Polyarniye Zori defended itself against the backlash, saying critics were making “callous and provocative interpretations” of the gifts.

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