A North Atlantic archipelago with home rule and a growing international profile
Shetland Islands Council has backed a plan to explore four subsea tunnels, linking Mainland with Yell and Unst, with later links to Bressay and Whalsay. The project aims to replace aging ferries and unlock economic growth, with an estimated total cost of about 1.5 billion pounds and a completion timeline of eight years for the first tunnel.
Scientists have revised the timeline for Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway formation, linking it to a global volcanic event and shortening the estimated period of lava flows to 5.5 million years. The research connects local basalt columns to activities across the North Atlantic, including Scotland and Greenland, refining the geological history of the region.
Parliament has urged the IOC to recognize Greenland and the Faroe Islands as independent National Olympic Committees, enabling participation under their own flags. Copenhagen’s move follows a new Danish coalition government and comes amid a debate over the IOC’s independence criteria and geopolitical sensitivities.