Firefighters are spending a third day tackling a major wildfire which has led to evacuations in the Cairngorms. The blaze started in heathland at Ryvoan Bothy, near Nethy Bridge, late on Wednesday morning and had spread across 3.7 miles (6km) by Thursday afternoon. A number of homes and businesses, including campsites and a ski resort in the Glenmore Forest Park area have been closed and evacuated as a safety precaution. A helicopter joined the firefighting efforts on Thursday night. Nine fire appliances and specialist resources remained at the scene on Friday morning.

A large number of datacentre projects around the world are being challenged or cancelled. A large number of datacentre projects around the world are being challenged or cancelled. 'These are some of the most complex structures ever created': how tech reporting moved into the physical world The Guardian's global tech reporting team are investigating the impact of the vast datacentres being built to power the AI revolution. Sun 12 Jul 2026 10.00 EDTLast modified on Sun 12 Jul 2026 10.01 EDT Journalists often use the term "shoe-leather reporting" to refer to the on-the-ground legwork that goes into covering certain stories. As the tech industry's focus has shifted from screen-based realities to the physical world of colossal AI datacentres and social media harms, comfortable footwear has become more essential to a tech reporter's job. Earlier this week, we published the Guardian's latest investigation into the datacentres and energy infrastructures that underpin AI - revealing that an £8.2bn AI complex in rural Scotland has misrepresented its plans to be powered entirely by on-site renewables.

A dog has been rescued from Ben Nevis after it is suspected to have fallen ill from eating discarded cannabis. Christina Bluhme, a dog trainer from Esher in Surrey, was halfway up the UK's highest mountain when her black Labrador Tokyo collapsed on the trail. Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team came to their aid and stretchered Tokyo down from the 4,413ft (1,345m) peak to a local vet. Bluhme said Tokyo had made a full recovery after the incident during a trip to Scotland last weekend. She said vets believe she ingested cannabis left on the trail.

Scotland could freeze datacentre projects in challenge to UK's AI strategy The Scottish government is about to consider a sweeping moratorium on building new datacentres, putting a key plank of the UK's AI strategy at risk. Last Sunday the Scottish National party (SNP)'s national council passed a motion to freeze all new datacentres in Scotland. That motion has been sent to the Scottish government to consider. It could apply to all datacentre projects that have not yet received planning permission - although its exact implementation is up to the Scottish government to decide. Lesley Backhouse, who attended the national council meeting, said that Scotland's current datacentre plans amounted to "overdevelopment" and were "intrusive and not keeping with the local environment".

New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan police whose pilot with Palantir focuses on detecting misconduct by officers. New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan police whose pilot with Palantir focuses on detecting misconduct by officers. Mayor's office grants extra 12 months to run pilot while London force procures long-term supplier Wed 24 Jun 2026 18.14 EDTLast modified on Wed 24 Jun 2026 18.50 EDT The Metropolitan police have been granted a 12-month extension to a pilot project with the spy-tech firm Palantir while the force carries out a procurement process. The development comes weeks after the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, blocked a £50m deal between the Met and the US company to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations. Last month the mayor's office said there had been a "clear and serious breach" of procurement rules and said police had seriously considered only one supplier. Palantir's lawyers subsequently wrote to the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac) saying they intended to challenge the decision in court, the Times reported.

The world's oldest football has travelled from Stirling to Florida to make an appearance at Scotland's crunch World Cup match against Brazil. The ball, which is believed to date from between 1540 and 1570 was discovered in the 1970s, lodged in the rafters behind the Queen's Chamber at Stirling Castle. It will be displayed at the Coral Gables Museum in Florida until Saturday as well as being shown at the Scotland match on Wednesday . The ball has been loaned to the museum by Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, where it is the prize exhibit in a collection of more than 40,000 items. The ball, which is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest, external, is roughly the size of a small melon.

School children in Preston and Manchester had mixed feelings about a proposed social media ban for under-16s following an announcement from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. On Monday, Starmer said under-16s will be banned from social media platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X by spring 2027. Speaking to the BBC, some pupils described the ban as unnecessary as they asked for more responsibility for parents. One student said she hoped the ban will have a positive impact on young people's lives and their mental health. How much screen time is too much for under fives?

Summer Game Fest just wrapped up its sixth year and, like a beautifully cel-shaded version of The Blob, the show just keeps on growing. The official Summer Game Fest 2026 showcase took place on June 5, but the surrounding buffet of new game reveals, release date announcements, review opportunities and developer spotlights actually ran from June 1 all the way to June 9. That's more than an entire week of near-constant video game news and trailers to consume, and here we've gathered absolutely all of it in one tidy but lengthy package. First up, a collection of Engadget's previews and reporting from Summer Game Fest Play Days in Los Angeles, which ran from June 6-8: Control Resonant's take on New York feels like the Backrooms Silent Hill Townfall brings atmospheric horror to '90s Scotland with incredible attention to detail Saw: Genesis looks the most fun when you're the murderous mastermind Alien: Isolation 2 keeps the classic horror game's uncompromising approach to raising tension Spyro: A Realm Beyond sees the '90s purple dragon make a big comeback Be like Carl from Summer House and get in the MIX with another high-energy stream filled with great-looking upcoming indie games, gathered by the folks at the Media Indie Exchange. The MIX hosts a smattering of annual online indie showcases, and alongside in-person events, they've been spreading the good gaming word for the past 10 years.

A woman's 2,000-year-old skeleton also shows signs of limb sharpening. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Biological remains typically don't survive the region's moist, deteriorating soil. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup about to get under way, many fans in England and Scotland are honing their strategy to balance late kick-offs with work the next morning. Matches are happening across the US, Canada and Mexico, with England's group games starting at 2100 and 2200 BST and Scotland's even later at 2300 and 0200. Some football fans have already strategically booked annual leave around potential knockout fixtures. Others are hoping to negotiate flexible working - later starts or working from home after late-night matches. Scotland fan Cameron Rae has already booked the Monday after the Haiti game off work so he can attend a Tartan Army fan zone at his local town hall, complete with a bar and DJ running until 4am.