Ishan Crawford

More than seven out of ten businesses in the south of Scotland say their performance is good or steady, according to the latest major survey of the region. Despite rising costs and recruitment headaches, firms are pushing forward with ambition and hiring plans that show real grit. The South of Scotland Business Survey, carried out by Ipsos for South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), gathered views from 600 companies in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders between October and December 2024. The results paint a picture of a region that refuses to be knocked off course. Firms Stay Resilient as…

A devastated Scottish mum has revealed her fiancé took his own life on a family holiday in Spain just hours before the first anniversary of their baby daughter's sudden death. Robert Davidson, 37, fell from the sixth-floor balcony of their hotel in Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol late on Tuesday 3 February 2026. The tragedy struck the night before the one-year anniversary of seven-week-old Hollie Davidson's death from sudden infant death syndrome. The Night Everything Changed Daniella Robb had booked the sunshine break to escape the pain of the looming anniversary. The family from Hamilton, Lanarkshire, arrived in Spain…

Passengers saying goodbye to loved ones at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports now face a stinging £7 charge just to pull up at the terminal for a few minutes. Critics have branded the airports "greedy" and accused them of treating travellers like cash cows after fees rose by up to 600 per cent in ten years. The sharp increases at Scotland's two busiest AGS-owned airports have sparked fury among families, taxi drivers and politicians who say the "kiss-and-fly" tax is pricing people out of quick, convenient drop-offs. Ten-Year Price Explosion Laid Bare Glasgow Airport charged just £1 for drop-off in 2014.…

Skyscanner, the Edinburgh-born travel search giant, has sealed a blockbuster last-minute sponsorship as lead-arm partner of Scotland's men's cricket team for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The deal, announced on 4 February 2026, came together in record time after Scotland received a dramatic late invitation to the tournament when another qualifier was disqualified. In just 12 days, Cricket Scotland built a squad, designed new kits, and locked in a global brand with deep Scottish roots. Millions will now see the famous Skyscanner logo when the team takes on cricketing giants. From Shock Call-Up to Global…

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has officially opened the breathtaking new Luss Distillery on the shores of Loch Lomond, in a major boost for whisky tourism and rural jobs. The £25 million development by Loch Lomond Group is one of the biggest single investments in Scotch whisky visitor experiences in years and comes at a critical time for an industry facing global headwinds. A Personal Touch from the Top John Swinney toured the brand-new facilities in the picturesque village of Luss on Monday, chatted with staff, and unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion. The First Minister was clearly…

Scotland's education system stands at a crossroads. The newly launched Qualifications Scotland has confirmed a root-and-branch review of exams and qualifications that could reshape how young people are assessed for a generation. The most significant review in decades will question everything from exam length to whether some subjects should even have national qualifications. Changes won't hit classrooms until 2031 at the earliest, but interim reforms could shorten some exams much sooner. Chief Examining Officer Donna Stewart told BBC Scotland the goal is simple: make sure qualifications are "absolutely fit for purpose" in 2025 and beyond. Why the Old System Had to…

Scottish teachers now earn more than their English counterparts, yet politicians still attack the paybill as if a simple London comparison settles the argument. New international data shows the truth is far more nuanced, and Scotland's higher salaries reflect real differences in geography, demographics and delivery costs that Westminster's Barnett formula ignores. Scotland's teachers have become the best-paid in the UK, but cutting them back to English levels would ignore the extra challenges of teaching across one-third of Britain's landmass. Scotland Pulls Ahead of England Teachers north of the border secured a cumulative 21 per cent rise between 2021 and…

Scotland is sleep-walking into a stroke crisis that could shatter thousands more lives every year. Without urgent action, nearly 46 people will suffer a stroke every single day by 2035, one every 32 minutes, according to devastating new projections from the Stroke Association. That is a 53% jump from today, when 30 people have a stroke daily. The charity warns that more than 16,500 Scots will face this brutal condition annually within a decade if prevention messages keep falling on deaf ears. Nine in ten strokes are preventable, yet the main culprit, high blood pressure, remains Scotland's silent assassin, triggering…

Bangladesh Women can seal top spot and an unbeaten campaign when they face a determined Scotland side desperate for a historic win to reach the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. One team chases glory, the other survival. Friday morning in Kirtipur promises high drama. Match Details and Stakes The Super Six clash begins at 9:00 AM local time (8:45 AM IST) on January 30 at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur. Bangladesh have already qualified but want to finish with a perfect record. Scotland must win to leapfrog Thailand and book their first-ever World Cup ticket. Nothing less than victory…

A direct ferry linking Scotland and northern France could return as early as late 2026, eight years after the last freight ships left Rosyth and sixteen years after passengers last sailed straight to the continent. The surprise revival is tied to Dunkirk's colossal €40bn (£35bn) port transformation that is already attracting battery giants, hydrogen projects and low-carbon steel production. Local leaders say the scheme could become Europe's blueprint for bringing heavy industry back to life without wrecking the planet. Port officials and shipping sources confirm talks are "very advanced" for a new Rosyth-Dunkirk service combining roll-on roll-off freight with passenger…