Axel Piper

WHCA calls move ‘deeply troubling’ as questions swirl over retaliation, transparency, and Trump’s media strategy Things just got louder inside the White House press corps. The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) issued a rare, sharply worded rebuke on Monday after learning that the Wall Street Journal has been booted from the press pool traveling with President Trump to Scotland later this week. The trip, which includes visits to Aberdeen and Turnberry from July 25 to 29, will now take place without one of America’s most prominent newspapers in tow. Why? That’s where things start to get murky—and political. Editorial Payback?…

US vice-president to spend time in England’s scenic countryside before taking his views north of the border — and they may not go down smoothly It’s a long way from the Appalachian hollers to the honey-hued villages of Gloucestershire, but JD Vance seems ready for the shift in scenery. The US vice-president is set to holiday with his family in the Cotswolds next month — a region better known for its Range Rovers and posh weekenders than political firestorms. Vance, whose rise from Rust Belt roots to political stardom has drawn both admiration and controversy, won’t be lying low for…

Heavy rain and fierce thunderstorms brought Scotland to a standstill over the weekend, triggering major travel disruption, flooding risks, and growing concerns over passenger safety across rail, road, and air. From midday Saturday to Monday morning, large parts of the country have been drenched with intense downpours. As emergency teams scramble and warnings stack up, daily life for many Scots has been turned upside down—again. Yellow Warnings Blanket the Map The UK Met Office issued multiple yellow weather warnings stretching from the Highlands to the Borders, kicking in from Saturday afternoon and sticking around through Monday. Forecasters say some places…

Scotland’s homegrown digital ID system has now entered the public testing phase, marking a big step in the country's push to modernize how people access public services—without always needing a passport. ScotAccount, a digital identity platform developed by the Scottish Government, officially launched its public beta this week. After months of quiet user research and limited trials, the tool is now open to a much wider group of users to test how smoothly it works for everyday services—from criminal record checks to debt management. From Closed Testing to Open Doors Until now, ScotAccount had mostly been kept under wraps. The…

If you're in Fort Wayne this weekend and feeling torn between paddling down the St. Marys River or stuffing your face with gouda-slathered noodles at Parkview Field — you’re not alone. This Saturday, the city’s calendar is bursting at the seams with events that range from scavenger hunts on water to culinary chaos built entirely around pasta and cheese. And while clouds may hang over the festivities (literally), locals don’t seem too concerned. Fort Wayne is used to a little weather whiplash — and as one organizer put it, “Rain just means more reason to eat faster.” A Decade of…

Deepening Dry Spell Raises Alarms Across Eastern Scotland As southern England grapples with hosepipe bans, eastern Scotland is facing its own climate reckoning. A prolonged spell of unusually dry conditions — stretching back to winter — has left rivers strained, groundwater depleted, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) warning of imminent water abstraction restrictions. The first six months of 2025 have made history as the driest start to a year in eastern Scotland since 1973. While intermittent summer showers have offered brief respite, SEPA data shows they have done little to offset months of minimal precipitation and poor snowmelt…

Britain’s latest scorcher is finally on the way out after parts of England, Scotland and Wales all nudged 30C on Sunday — the tail end of what’s been the UK’s third heatwave of the year. Records Tumble Before Temperatures Dip Saturday was the big one — Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all logged their hottest day of 2025 so far.By Sunday, the heat lingered but dipped slightly as cloudier skies crept in. Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire topped the charts at 30.8C. In Scotland’s Highlands, Achnagart saw 30.4C. Cardiff’s Bute Park reached 30.2C, while Castlederg in Northern Ireland hit 27.1C. One line:…

Newcastle — just 90 minutes south of Edinburgh — has a knack for surprising even a seasoned Scot like me. From the rooftop of St James’ Park, you can see the hills that mark the border. But it’s the city itself that pulls you in: part Glasgow grit, part Edinburgh elegance, with a healthy dose of its own Geordie pride. A Football Citadel With a View Let’s be honest: I’m not much of a football fanatic. But clambering up 150 feet to the top of Newcastle United’s home turf, you can’t help but feel the club’s pull.The black-and-white stripes greet…

A 15-year-old boy and three adults lost their lives in separate tragic incidents across Scotland as crowds flocked to rivers and lochs to escape the searing heat. Search for Teen Ends in Heartbreak on River Kelvin The search began for a teenage boy who went missing in the River Kelvin in Glasgow on Saturday evening. Emergency crews were alerted around 6:40 p.m., launching a rescue operation that would last nearly five hours. By 11:30 p.m., the boy’s body was recovered near Maryhill Road. Police Scotland confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious. One line: Locals gathered at the…

In what could become one of the UK’s heftiest data hub expansions yet, UK renewables firm Apatura is laying the groundwork for a vast new data center campus just north of the England-Scotland border. It’s big, green — and stirring up plenty of chatter in Coldstream. This week, Scottish Borders Council confirmed that Apatura’s proposed site won’t need a formal Environmental Impact Assessment before the full planning bid. But with a 300MW capacity on the table, questions about what’s next are far from over. Coldstream: From Farmland to Data Frontier? The planned development site sits on 69 hectares of greenfield…