The Bank of England goes into its next interest-rate decision on 17 September with a problem that has become increasingly difficult to read. On the face of it, there is little reason for the Bank to raise rates.
A poor barley harvest does not mean Britain is about to run out of beer, but it could add another pressure to an industry already facing difficult times For most people, barley is something that appears in a field during the summer and disappears from their thoughts until harvest. But barley has a rather important second life.
For years, Primark has been a familiar name to shoppers across Scotland, but not necessarily to people living in the far north. There is a Primark in Inverness, but for somebody living in Caithness that can mean a journey of well over 100 miles each way.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has appointed Claire Wilson as its new area manager for Caithness and Sutherland. Claire succeeds Eann Sinclair, who retired after eight years as area manager and more than three decades with HIE.
Something rather important is happening in financial markets which could eventually affect almost everyone, yet it is easy to miss among the daily headlines about the war and the rapidly rising price of oil. Brent crude has surged to almost $110 a barrel, with the price rising nearly 13% in a week.
Twenty-five years ago today, the world watched in disbelief as four passenger aircraft were hijacked and used in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Britain's economy continued to grow in July, but the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest that the recovery remains rather uneven. Gross domestic product increased by 0.4% in July, following growth of 0.3% in June and no growth in May.
Life sciences firms will gain direct access to investors, healthcare networks and commercial partners in the United States through a new Scotland-Massachusetts partnership. The ‘Scotland-Massachusetts Bio-Bridge’ will bring business leaders from Massachusetts to Scotland to explore investment and collaboration opportunities.
The UK Economy Is Sending Mixed Signals – And Oil Could Make Things Worse The latest real-time indicators from the Office for National Statistics provide a useful glimpse of the UK economy before the more familiar official statistics eventually catch up. They do not point to an economy in recession.
There is a curious development taking place in the currency markets as oil prices surge and fears of higher inflation spread around the world. The US dollar is gaining ground, but sterling is holding remarkably steady.
When we think about the war in Yemen, we tend to think about missiles, drones, oil tankers and shipping. But there is another battle taking place beneath the Red Sea which could become increasingly important.
The backlog of people waiting to have their work capability assessed is to be significantly reduced through a package of measures that will reduce UK welfare spending by £1.9 billion by the end of 2030/31. Backlog of people waiting to have Work Capability Assessment to be tackled as part of a package of measures to deliver £1.9 billion of savings in the UK by the end of 2030/31.
Scotland’s college sector is facing a financial problem that cannot be solved simply by asking colleges to cut their cloth a little tighter. That is the uncomfortable message from a new Audit Scotland report which shows colleges cutting staff, reducing courses and relying increasingly on short-term financial support while the number of students being taught continues to fall.
Donald Trump has come up with an extraordinary election promise. If Republicans retain control of Congress in November, he says every American adult will receive a $5,000 “Trump dividend”.
For the past week or so, $100 a barrel has been the number everyone in the oil market has been watching. Now it has happened.
With fast moving oil prices we have updated from $100 to $102 at 10.00am today. The price of oil breaking through $102 a barrel is no longer just a story for financial markets.
More than 500 jobs will be created and supported by 22 new projects funded through the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund. The First Minister officially opened the 2026 funding round, worth £17.5 million, during a visit to Hydrasun, a North East manufacturing firm receiving £1.9 million in support.
The Highland Council has welcomed an increase of £750,000 of funding from the SSE Renewables Highland Sustainable Development Fund to support private householders experiencing extreme fuel poverty in Highland. The two-year grant will support the delivery of the Council’s Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme (EES:ABS), funded by The Scottish Government, which funds energy efficiency home improvements that can help lower fuel costs and improve living conditions for Highland residents.
Can two people be doing jobs of equal value but quite legitimately be paid different amounts? That is the awkward question sitting behind the latest ruling in the long-running equal pay battle involving retailer Next. The Employment Appeal Tribunal has overturned a key part of a 2024 decision which had found that Next could not justify paying its predominantly male warehouse workers a higher basic rate than its predominantly female shop workers.
Businesses and entrepreneurs are being invited to develop technology solutions to some of the country's most pressing public service challenges. Scotland's world-leading public sector innovation programme, CivTech, launches its 12th round today with six new challenges, supported by £5.7 million investment.