News Archive
18/4/2025
Trading Standards - Recruitment Scams - Cryptocurrency
There have been more reports of recruitment scams which begin via a text or WhatsApp message, where scammers ask jobseekers to sign up to a website or app. Once signed up, they're told they can earn money by completing simple tasks such as watching a video or writing a review.
17/4/2025
Trump is scaring the people of the USA. They're not going to spend as a result
Scared people do not spend. This is a fact of economic life.
17/4/2025
Are Britons really poorer than they were 20 years ago, or does it just feel that way?
Millions of UK households are facing what's been dubbed "awful April" after rising council tax, water bills and broadband costs coincided with the new tax year. It could all start to hurt quite quickly.17/4/2025
Trump has failed badly. What will he do next? That's the worry
Trump has failed, but the world needs to carry on presuming that Trump is the biggest threat it has faced in generations, because a man who's failed in the way he has might turn to violence, and violence will not resolve anything. .
17/4/2025
Have Trump's tariffs affected his popularity? Here's what approval data shows
When Donald Trump launched a trade war on April 2, he produced enormous volatility in stock markets around the world, but since then upheaval in the bond market has forced him to row back on some of his tariffs. Investors traditionally consider US Treasury bonds to be a safe asset with a guaranteed return and therefore preferable to stocks when the latter are falling in price.17/4/2025
Investigation into Moray Offshore Windfarm (East) Limited's compliance with the TCLC
Ofgem is investigating the compliance of Moray Offshore Windfarm (East) Ltd (the owner and operator of Moray East Offshore Windfarm) with the requirements of condition 20A of the Electricity Generation Standard Licence Conditions (known as the Transmission Constraint Licence Condition, or "TCLC"). A transmission constraint is defined in the TCLC as any limit on the ability of the national electricity transmission system, or any part of it, to transmit the power supplied onto the system to the location where the demand for that power is situated.17/4/2025
Owner of North London tyre fitters banned for 10 years after inflating turnover to secure maximum-value Covid loan
Decade-long ban for director who abused Bounce Back Loan Scheme. Shkelzen Gashi overstated his Smart Tyres Services Ltd company's turnover by almost double to secure a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan, the most businesses were allowed under the scheme.17/4/2025
Good news as CPI inflation falls to 2.6 per cent but the cost-of-living outlook remains at the mercy of global forces in the coming months
CPI inflation dipped in March - falling by 0.2 percentage points to reach 2.6 per cent – but huge global forces will shape changes in the cost of living in the coming months, the Resolution Foundation said on Wednesday. This drop is welcome, exceeding the expectations of both the market and the Bank of England (of 2.7 per cent).17/4/2025
Donald Trump's revealed trade strategy looks bad news for the UK
One of those choices is how to react to the tariffs, given that they seem to be aimed at inconsistent goals. Jill Rutter at The Institute for Government argues the UK may have to pay quite a high price for any deal - and not get that much out of it.17/4/2025
More than half a million more people in line for savings boost - open to anyone working and receiving Universal Credit 
Thousands more are eligible to open a Help to Save account. Government's Help to Save scheme now open to 550,000 more people to help with cost of living.
17/4/2025
British soldiers take down drone swarm in groundbreaking use of radio wave weapon
British soldiers have successfully tracked, targeted and defeated swarms of drones in the latest trial of a new directed energy weapon developed in the UK. UK-made, invisible radio wave weapon knocks out drone swarms for the first time.
17/4/2025
UK backs businesses to trade carbon credits and unlock finance
British businesses and organisations better supported to trade carbon credits as part of new work to establish the UK as the global hub for green finance. Britain is back in the business of climate leadership, leading a new growth market and cementing UK as the green finance capital of the world.
17/4/2025
‘War on tourism' - Trump set to cost U.S. billions as foreign tourists stay clear
In a new worst-case estimate, Goldman Sachs says reduced travel and boycotts could cost the U.S. almost $90 billion in lost GDP this year alone.
17/4/2025
European Central Bank cuts interest to 2.5%
The ECB on Thursday cut interest rates by 25 basis points, as was widely expected ahead of the decision. This is the third cut by the European Central Bank this year and covers 20 countries.17/4/2025
Jobs weakness means UK employment rate has now been declining for two years
The latest figures on the UK labour market reveal that the employment rate is estimated to have been falling for the two years to March 2025, while pay packets are starting to flatline in real terms. In the last glimpse of the UK labour market before changes to the Minimum Wage and Employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) came into effect in April, according to the Resolution Foundation.16/4/2025
Amazon's ‘Buy for me' button is set to revolutionise shopping and it’s likely to come to the UK
Amazon has launched its new ‘Buy for me' button in the US. It enables shoppers to buy products from other sites if they are not available on Amazon, still using the Amazon app checkout experience.16/4/2025
Britain on fast track to net zero with early access to £4 billion infrastructure investment
Energy watchdog Ofgem is slashing red tape to allow new wind and solar farms to connect to the electricity grid faster. Projects that can be up and running by 2030 will be fast-tracked helping the Government hit its clean power targets.16/4/2025
Housing prices in Highland - 16 April 2025
How average house prices and rents are changing in Highland. The average house price in Highland was £210,000 in February 2025 (provisional), up 2.7% from February 2024.16/4/2025
Consumer price inflation, UK - March 2025 - 2.6% down from 2.8% in February
The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) rose by 3.4% in the 12 months to March 2025, down from 3.7% in the 12 months to February. On a monthly basis, CPIH rose by 0.3% in March 2025, compared with a rise of 0.6% in March 2024.
16/4/2025
