Scotland trending: Today’s most talked-about topics

Westminster has started the process of selling of its final 14% stake in Royal Mail. Picture: PA

Women lose their bras for breast cancer awareness

Women all across the world have been encouraged to go bra-less today to raise public awareness of breast cancer. Men were asked to wear purple to support what has been dubbed ‘No Bra Day’. The campaign and its official hashtag (#NoBraDay) have received mix reactions online, with many posters arguing that the concept objectifies women and sexualises the devastating disease.

Investigators blame missile for MH17 crash

The Dutch Safety Board have determined that a Russian-made missile hit Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 in July 2014, causing the aircraft to crash. Russian officials have so far rejected the claims. The DSB’s final report does not suggest who may have fired the missile, but allegedly both the Russian and Ukrainian armies have access to this type of weapon. Nearly three hundred passengers and crew members died as a result of the tragedy. Many prominent political figures (including David Cameron and US Ambassador to the EU Tony Gardner) have voiced their support of the ongoing investigation on social media this afternoon.

BBC TV director to quit

After holding the post for eight years, the BBC’s director of television Danny Cohen has announced he will step down in November. According to Cohen, he has already been approached by a number of different prospective employers, both in the UK and the US and will consider his options carefully. The Beeb boss must be feeling the love after everyone from Gary Lineker to JK Rowling took to Twitter this afternoon to wish him well in his further endeavours.

Government to sell its stake in Royal Mail

The Government has begun the process of selling off its final 14 percent stake in the Royal Mail, reportedly worth close to £600 million. One percent of this stake was awarded to Royal Mail employees. The process of privatising the Royal Mail began in December 2013 and has remained an unpopular concept ever since. This morning Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne tweeted that the Royal Mail had been returned to the private sector, causing many Twitter users to respond that the company has been in public control since the 17th century.

Ada Lovelace Day honours women in science and technology fields

She isn’t exactly a household name, but in the 1840s Ada Lovelace (daughter of poet Lord Byron) wrote a paper exploring the concept of computer programming and algorithms for the first time in history. An expert in both mathematics and science, Lovelace’s theories went on to inspire the work of famous mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing. Today marks the sixth annual Ada Lovelace Day which celebrates women working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Ada Lovelace Day hashtag (#ALD15) has been trending on Twitter, with many users honouring the achievements of females working in what are often stereotypically thought of as ‘male careers’.