Scots vote against independence in 4 small constituencies

Scotland voted against breaking apart the United Kingdom in four small constituencies, early referendum results showed on Friday, as Scots agonized over the fate of their country following a divisive independence campaign. Scotland's verdict on the union should be clear around breakfast time on Friday, but a YouGov poll of 1,828 voters the organisation had previously polled indicated 54 per cent of Scots would back the union while 46 per cent would seek independence. Unionists won Clackmannanshire, the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands and even the nationalist stronghold of the Western Isles - constituencies which together represent only 2.3 per cent of the Scottish electorate. Sterling rose sharply higher in Asian trade to $1.6502, up from around $1.6380 late in New York while bookmakers' odds showed victory for unionists was much more likely and unionists campaigners clapped when the results came in. Though the results boosted the spirits of the unionist campaign, hours remained before the results from Scotland's biggest cities - where the fate of the United Kingdom is likely to be sealed - were due to be reported. The campaign for independence has galvanised this country of 5.3 million but also divided the passions of friends and families from the remote Scottish islands of the Atlantic to the tough city estates of Glasgow. Breaking apart the United Kingdom has worried allies, investors and the entire British elite whose leaders rushed late in the campaign to check what opinion polls showed was a surge in support for independence, according to Reuters.