#scotland

#scotland

It really did happen, you know. Scotland are going to the 2026 World Cup. Maybe it will all feel real when Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart begin co-hosting duties at Friday's draw? Hmm, probably not. What about when the Village People take their turn to perform on stage? Or Robbie Williams? Or Andrea Bocelli? Or Nicole Scherzinger? Guess we will have to wait for some famous former footballer to awkwardly crack open a small plastic ball to reveal 'Scotland' on an unfolded piece of paper for it all to sink in.

Image source, SNS Scotland and Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour is facing an extended absence after the Italian club confirmed he will have surgery on Monday. The Serie A side have not disclosed the nature of Gilmour's injury, or a timeframe for his return, but the 24-year-old has missed the past month, reportedly with a groin issue. Gilmour sat out Scotland's recent qualifiers against Greece and Denmark through injury as the national team reached their first World Cup finals since 1998.

The Tartan Army shook the earth as they celebrated Scotland's men qualifying for a first World Cup in 28 years. The British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded the equivalent to an "extremely small earthquake" after Kenny McLean lobbed Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to secure a 4-2 win. A second significant amount of seismic activity came moments later when the final whistle sounded on Wednesday night. Readings were recorded at the BGS station at Glasgow Geothermal Observatory in Dalmarnock about 2km (1.2 miles) from Hampden Park.

Yeah, absolutely. That's the manager's call. I just go there and be the best that I can be and see what happens. I can just be myself, do what I normally do, train as well as I possibly can. It's an unfortunate situation that we're in at the moment where there's not many goalkeepers playing first-team football.

Together with SambaNova and our strategic partners, we're building a sovereign AI infrastructure powered by renewable energy, demonstrating that sustainability and scale can go hand in hand. Our goal isn't just to make AI greener, but to make it competitive, compliant and cost-effective.

John Swinney, the first minister, said on Wednesday any defence contractors who wanted financial help in Scotland would have to prove their products would not be used by the Israel Defense Forces. He said governments around the world needed to take urgent action in response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where there was now plausible evidence of genocide. The scale of suffering [in Gaza] is unimaginable, he told the Scottish parliament on Wednesday.

[He's been] very loud straight away,

There were 1,017 drug misuse deaths in 2024, down 155 from the previous year. National Records of Scotland said the latest figure was the lowest annual number since 2017. It brings the total in a decade to 10,884. After adjusting for age, there were 191 drug misuse deaths per million people in Scotland in 2024. According to the most recent European data, the next highest rate was Estonia with 135 deaths per million in 2023.

A ferry linking Scotland to Europe could be one step closer to reality after a key border obstacle may be resolved. Ferry operator DFDS is planning on launching a service between the town of Rosyth in Fife, Scotland, and Dunkirk in France, as early as spring 2026, allowing for both passengers and freight to be transported between the countries.

Smoke can be seen across Edinburgh after a huge wildfire broke out on the beloved landmark Arthur's Seat. Emergency services were alerted to the blaze just after 4pm on Sunday, with four fire trucks sent to the scene. People have been advised to avoid the area. No casualties have been reported so far.