Scotland will vote to stay in the United Kingdom after rejecting independence, the BBC has predicted. With 26 out of the country's 32 council areas having declared after Thursday's vote, the No side has a 54% of the vote, with the Yes campaign on 46%.
By Gwynne Dyer - If the Scots vote “yes” to independence on Sept. 18, as one opinion poll now suggests they will, three things are likely to happen in the following week.
Britain promised to guarantee Scotland high levels of state funding, granting Scots greater control over healthcare spending in a last-ditch attempt to shore up support for the United Kingdom before Thursday's vote on independence.
The White House weighed in carefully on the Scottish independence referendum, saying Washington would respect the outcome of the vote but would prefer the United Kingdom to remain strong, robust and united.
A leading Scottish business group has called for the country to unite to drive Scotland forward, whatever the result of the independence referendum. The Scottish Chambers of Commerce said the outcome would leave a substantial number of people disappointed.
In Europe's eastern half, the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia created many new countries. In Western Europe, however, borders of the old nation states seemed to be carved in stone and although there have been secessionist tendencies, some of them militant, they never seemed to have a shot in reality, according to a Deutsche Welle report from Berlin.
Queen Elizabeth II has broken her silence over the Scottish independence vote, saying she hopes Scots will think very carefully about the future when voting in a referendum that could break up the United Kingdom.
Scotland’s possible secession from the United Kingdom as a result of the upcoming referendum could cause negative market reactions in the short-term, William Murray, Deputy Spokesman at International Monetary Fund (IMF), told reporters Thursday.
Hundreds of thousands of Catalans packed the streets of Barcelona on Thursday to demand the right to vote on a potential split from Spain, their ambitions boosted by an independence referendum scheduled for next week in Scotland.
The leaders of the main UK parties have made a plea for a vote against Scottish independence, as they campaigned north of the border ahead of the referendum. Prime Minister David Cameron said he would be heartbroken in the event of a Yes vote, while Labor leader Ed Miliband said the case for the Union came from the head, heart and soul.