Dayna Bass

Scotland and India just took a massive step forward together. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding on 6 March 2024 in New Delhi, opening a direct channel for businesses on both sides to connect, invest, and grow like never before. This is not just another piece of paper. This is a practical, action-driven partnership designed to turn historic friendship into real economic firepower. Why This Deal Matters Right Now Trade talks between the UK and India have dragged on for years. While politicians…

Scottish and Indian business leaders have sealed a powerful new partnership that could transform trade worth hundreds of millions and create thousands of jobs on both sides of the globe. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi this week, pledging to open doors wider than ever before in technology, green energy, life sciences, education, tourism and advanced manufacturing. This is not just another agreement on paper. It is a direct response to the real hunger Scottish companies have to enter India's…

Scotland's feral pig population is growing fast, and the way we handle them is no longer working, according to a major new report. Researchers from King's College London and the Czech Academy of Sciences say the current patchwork system is failing farmers, foresters, and even the pigs themselves. They want a proper national strategy before the problem spirals out of control. The pigs, mostly escaped or illegally released wild boar, now number close to 2,000 and could hit 2,400 by 2075 if nothing changes. Where the Pigs Are and How They Got Here The biggest clusters are in the Highlands,…

A new 90-passenger ferry is set to transform travel on Scotland’s west coast following a major design agreement announced this week. UK-based Rockabill Marine Design (RMD) has partnered with Irish boatbuilder Seabound Engineering to deliver the vessel, which promises year-round reliability for island communities. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2026 with delivery expected in 2027. A Strategic Partnership for Dependable Travel This agreement marks a significant collaboration between two rising forces in the maritime sector. Rockabill Marine Design will handle the full naval architecture and structural design from their UK offices. Meanwhile, Seabound Engineering will construct the vessel…

Scotland has officially become the first nation in the United Kingdom to legalise water cremation, marking the most significant shift in funeral laws in over a century. This landmark decision introduces a sustainable alternative to traditional burial and flame cremation, responding to growing public demand for greener end-of-life choices. From Monday, March 2, the process known scientifically as alkaline hydrolysis is permitted under new regulations passed by the Scottish Parliament. While the legal framework is now active, actual services are expected to commence later this summer once facilities are constructed and approved, offering bereaved families a new way to say…

Fresh off his dramatic victory on The Celebrity Traitors, comedian Alan Carr has traded gameplay for real estate in a massive way. The television star has purchased a historic 19th-century castle in the Scottish Borders and plans to document the entire renovation process for a major new streaming series. From Traitor to King of the Castle This purchase marks a massive lifestyle shift for the chatty man usually found in London. Alan Carr reportedly paid over £3.25 million for Ayton Castle which is located just north of the English border near Berwick-upon-Tweed. He fell in love with the Scottish aesthetic while…

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar fired the starting gun on the 2026 Holyrood election campaign with a blockbuster pledge to deliver 125,000 new homes in five years and finally fix Scotland's broken housing system. Speaking to a packed Paisley Town Hall on Saturday, Sarwar promised a "housebuilding revolution" that would end rough sleeping, create thousands of jobs and give a generation the chance to own their own home. The Centrepiece: 125,000 Homes in Five Years Sarwar put housing at the very heart of Labour's offer to voters. Scottish Labour will build 125,000 new homes over the next five years if…

A quiet stroll with their dogs along a windswept Scottish beach turned into one of the most exciting archaeological moments of the year. Ivor Campbell and Jenny Snedden from Angus discovered ancient human and animal footprints preserved in clay for two millennia, suddenly exposed after fierce winter storms battered Lunan Bay. The rare prints date to the Iron Age, right around the time Romans pushed into Scotland, and archaeologists had just hours to record them before the North Sea claimed them forever. How a Storm Rewrote History in a Single Tide Powerful storms in early 2025 hammered the east coast…

Scotland just landed the biggest single boost tidal energy has ever seen in the UK. A £15 million cheque from Whitehall will supercharge the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, letting engineers test full tidal arrays instead of single turbines for the first time. The Blue Horizon project is now fully funded and ready to prove tidal power can deliver predictable, baseload clean electricity at scale. This is not another pilot scheme. This is the moment Britain stops talking about tidal energy and starts building it. Blue Horizon: From Single Turbines to Real Power Stations Until now, every tidal…

A fierce winter storm that battered the eastern coast of Scotland has briefly unveiled a ghost from the past. Powerful waves stripped away centuries of sand at Lunan Bay to reveal a fragile clay surface stamped with the footprints of Iron Age humans and animals. This accidental discovery offered archaeologists a fleeting "snapshot in time" before the rising tides destroyed the site just 48 hours later. A Chance Discovery in the Sands The historic find did not come from a planned excavation or a university survey. It started with a simple morning walk. Local residents Ivor Campbell and Jenny Snedden…