China has just opened what is widely described as the world’s largest open-sea solar power project. A huge offshore installation off the coast of Dongying in Shandong province developed by CHN Energy.
Three of the world's most powerful militaries are simultaneously stuck in conflicts they cannot win. Russia has not defeated Ukraine after four years.
For decades, many Highland car parks were seen almost as a public right especially in rural communities, tourist beauty spots and smaller towns where parking had traditionally been free. But across the Highlands, and increasingly across the rest of the UK, councils are steadily turning more of these spaces into paid parking areas.
We may not have many of the outlets mentioned in this video but worth thinking about especially if you go to bigger towns or cities. Are there any secret discounts around in Caithness - just ask.
Oil markets appear 'relatively' calm, but beneath the surface, a dangerous shift is taking place. Strategic reserves, oil inventories and spare capacity are being stretched to the limit.
Fuel cards exist, but in the UK they are mostly aimed at businesses, and that’s the key point. However, there are exceptions and a few “workarounds” depending on how you use them.
The idea of governments controlling the prices of basic groceries is politically attractive during periods of high inflation because it gives the impression of immediate action against rising living costs. The Scottish National Party and politicians elsewhere in Europe have periodically discussed versions of price intervention on staple goods such as bread, milk, pasta, eggs or vegetables.
When most people think about tax, they picture a simple list: income tax on wages, National Insurance, VAT on purchases, and perhaps council tax. But in reality, modern taxation is far more layered, more indirect, and increasingly embedded into the way people live rather than just what they earn.
Manchester is under the microscope due to Andy Burnham getting ready to challenge for a seat as an MP and perhaps further if successful. Manchester has made great stride recently but much of it is founded on increased levels of debt.
For years, Western governments have spoken confidently about “leading the world” on climate action. But if you follow the money, the manufacturing, and the megawatts, a different picture emerges.
Construction insolvencies across Scotland and the UK have risen so sharply that both governments’ housing‑build targets now sit on foundations that are no longer stable. When small firms like Bay Homes on Loch Fyne collapse, it is not an isolated failure but part of a structural contraction in the industry.
The big issue is that these emergency oil stocks were never designed to replace normal global supply for very long. They are a bridge — intended to calm markets, buy time for diplomacy, and prevent panic buying — not a permanent substitute for Middle East exports.
Britain’s two-party era is ending, but the roots of fragmentation run deep. The 2026 local and devolved elections have confirmed a long-term trend in British politics: the two-party era is ending.
A NEW fund to help owners of long-term empty homes carry out repairs and refurbishments to bring properties back into everyday use will be launched later this month. The fund sits within a wider programme of action outlined to members of The Highland Council on Thursday 14 May, as part of a progress report on tackling the Highland Housing Challenge, which was declared in June 2024.
Highly respected cultural leader and strategist Bryan Beattie has been appointed by The Highland Council as Bid Director of the Inverness - Highland bid for UK City of Culture 2029. He was recently creative director for the Inverness Castle Experience and interim Chief Executive at Eden Court, and a former Chair of Fèis Rois and Scottish Youth Theatre.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics paint a mixed picture for the British construction industry. On the surface there are signs of resilience, with construction contributing to unexpectedly positive UK GDP growth in March 2026, but underneath the headlines the sector still appears fragile, especially in the housebuilding market.
Data centres have quietly become one of the UK’s fastest growing energy consumers. They are vast, windowless fortresses of servers humming day and night, drawing more electricity than many towns and drinking more water than some industries.
Business confidence in Scotland showed modest improvement in early 2026, despite all six key indicators of activity staying in negative territory for a sixth consecutive quarter, according to the Fraser of Allander Institute. The Institute’s latest Scottish Business Monitor (SBM) reveals firms reported continued declines in sales, new business activity, investment and exports, pointing to broad-based economic weakness.
Rather than being a principled reform to the taxation of pensions, this change creates another new arbitrary line in the tax system. In last November’s Budget, the Chancellor announced that salary sacrifice pension contributions above £2,000 per year will be liable for both employer and employee National Insurance contributions (NICs) from 2029–30.
Why the Highlands is Drowning in Surveys While Nothing Actually Happens. There’s a particular kind of fatigue spreading across the Highlands not the kind caused by long drives to Raigmore or the weekly battle with potholes, but something quieter, more bureaucratic, and somehow even more exhausting.