There is a growing concern that children and adults are reading fewer books than previous generations. It is an issue worth taking seriously, particularly as Scotland is now reviewing its Curriculum for Excellence and looking at what children need to know and be able to do in the years ahead.
Maternity services have been a continuing source of concern in parts of Scotland, particularly in rural and island communities where women can already face long journeys to reach specialist care. The latest exchange in the Scottish Parliament suggests that the arguments are still far from being settled.
Scotland is becoming an electricity powerhouse. In 2025, Scotland generated a record 38.5 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity, with wind accounting for most of it.
There are moments in international affairs when a relatively small geographical development suddenly becomes important to almost everybody. The latest advance by Yemen's Houthi movement may be one of them.
There have been some alarming stories on the radio and in newspapers suggesting that artificial intelligence could soon “take over the internet”. That sounds rather like the beginning of a science-fiction film.
The state pension has become one of the most politically sensitive subjects in Britain. For millions of pensioners it is the foundation of their income.
There is a new and increasingly worrying question surrounding the war between the United States and Iran. Not simply When will it end? But What happens if it doesn't? Some commentators are now discussing the possibility that the conflict could continue for many months, potentially even a year.
The Scottish Government is heading towards its next Budget with less room for manoeuvre than it had expected. The Scottish Fiscal Commission's latest update does not describe this as a conventional Government deficit but instead, it points to a combination of falling real-terms funding, higher spending pressures and a series of financial adjustments that are making the outlook for 2027-28 increasingly difficult.
President Donald Trump has made tariffs one of the defining features of his economic policy. His argument is straightforward.
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.
Caithness has had a busy week, although the individual stories might not initially appear to have much in common. Look a little more closely, however, and a pattern begins to emerge.
Europe has built an enormous renewable-energy industry, but a new report from the European Court of Auditors raises a rather awkward question. How much of that energy revolution actually belongs to the communities living alongside it? The European Union has promoted the idea of “energy communities”, where citizens, small businesses and local authorities can collectively produce, store, share and sell renewable electricity.
Britain has a housing shortage. The Government has promised to tackle it by building 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament, an average of around 300,000 a year but the latest construction figures from the Office for National Statistics raise an uncomfortable question.
For weeks, the world's attention has been focused on the Strait of Hormuz and what happens to the oil market if tankers cannot safely pass through one of the world's most important shipping routes. Now there is a new problem.
When I was budget leader of Highland council a few years ago I always looked at what was happening to a few other councils budgets both to find out if we were out of line or were there other ideas we could use. A new Audit Scotland report on Glasgow City Council makes uncomfortable reading.
Britain has become accustomed to hearing rather depressing economic news. Weak growth High borrowing costs, Rising debt, Pressure on public services, A housing shortage.
Researchers at UHI North, West and Hebrides have used portable solar power to run radar equipment during seabird fieldwork at Dunnet Head, Caithness - believed to be one of first times renewable energy has been used to power radar fieldwork at the university. During summer fieldwork at Dunnet Head, a PhD researcher, Amy Jones, was using a marine radar to monitor seabird activity when an unexpected generator failure prompted the team to find an alternative way of powering the equipment.
English Whisky has been granted protected status, becoming the newest member of the UK's recognised whisky family. English Whisky has secured protected Geographical Indication (GI) status, a major milestone for a sector that has grown from a handful of pioneering producers into one of England’s most exciting food and drink success stories.
Britain has just witnessed something that would have seemed extraordinary only a few years ago. Reform UK has received a £36 million donation from cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo, the largest single political donation in British history.
Britain has just witnessed something that should make us stop and think about the future of our democracy. Reform UK has received a £36 million donation from cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo, the largest single political donation in British history.