Walk down the high street in Wick today and you can feel it — the quiet unravelling. Not a dramatic collapse, not a single moment you can point to, but a long, slow loosening of the threads that once held the town together.
Businesses in the Highlands and Islands have continued to perform well over the past six months despite having experienced significant challenges. This is according to the latest business survey commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
A realistic, rural‑friendly £30‑a‑week healthy meal plan that actually works in places like Caithness, Orkney, the Highlands or any part of Scotland where food is expensive, shops are limited, and you need meals that are cheap, filling and simple. This is not a starvation plan.
UK and international partners to redouble efforts for AI to transform public services, create jobs and drive renewal for people worldwide at AI Impact Summit. UK and international partners to redouble efforts for AI to transform public services, create jobs and drive renewal for people worldwide, as talks get underway at India AI Impact Summit 2026.
We asked AI to analyse this question. The answers may surprise you and more thought needs to be given before starting anything and you need a business plan and do some research before starting up.
The recent decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decline review of an investigational mRNA-based influenza vaccine has reignited a long-standing debate about how innovation, regulation, and public health intersect.
There is evidence that pensions are playing a more significant role in divorce settlements than they have historically, although how that trend shows up in official data depends on the measure you look at. Here's a balanced summary of what recent research and reporting shows (with a focus on the UK, where most recent data is available): Trends pointing toward pensions becoming more relevant Some reports show increases in pension sharing orders in the past.
For decades, political and economic debates in the UK have revolved around national identity, constitutional reform, and macroeconomic policy. Yet one of the most persistent and under-addressed challenges is spatial inequality shown in the uneven distribution of economic opportunity across places.
The Government will give parents and carers greater clarity and support as the Prime Minister announces immediate action to make the online world safer for children. PM announces new powers to act within months to keep children safe amid rapid technology changes.
The surge in landlords incorporating isn't random — it's a direct response to tax changes, especially Section 24, which removed full mortgage‑interest relief for individual landlords. Limited companies are not affected in the same way, which is why incorporation has exploded in recent years.
In the national imagination, the Highlands are a place of clean air, rugged beauty, and wholesome living. But anyone who has lived in Caithness or Sutherland knows the truth is more complicated.
Caithness and Sutherland are some of the most beautiful places in Scotland but beauty doesn't put fresh food on the table. For too long, the far north has been treated as an afterthought in national food policy, public‑health planning, and economic development.
New technology to help combat drug and alcohol addiction. Before Anyone Gets Addicted perhaps sticking to soft drinks would be better and a major help for the bank balance.
Earlier this year, a major police operation uncovered a sophisticated illegal cannabis farm worth an estimated £7.1 million in the long-vacant buildings of the former Wick High School. Officers found more than 5,900 plants and dried product inside the derelict site, and seven people were arrested and charged in connection with the discovery.
Michelle Eames explains the strategies to avoid taxes legally and keeping assets with borrowing rather than selling to get money. BUT some caveats you need to think about.
Large wind farm proposals in Scotland generally those with more than 50 megawatts of capacity are not decided by local planning committees. Instead, they fall under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, which means they are treated as nationally significant infrastructure projects and determined by Scottish Ministers through the Energy Consents Unit (ECU).
NHS Scotland is facing mounting pressure, and recent escalations of health boards through the Support and Intervention Framework suggest that the system is under more stress than many realise. The framework, designed to provide structured oversight, may also be obscuring the true severity of the challenges for the public.
The rapid proliferation of military and commercial drones has forced armed forces around the world to rethink how air defence works. Cheap, expendable, and increasingly autonomous drones often deployed in swarms have exposed the limits of traditional missile-based air defence systems that are expensive, finite, and ill-suited to dealing with large numbers of small aerial targets.
For tenants in Scotland, renting has changed significantly over the past decade and more changes are on the way. While much of the debate focuses on landlords and supply, the direction of travel is clear.
New acoustic weapon detection system will help keep soldier safe on the battlefield by helping to locate and target positions of enemy gunfire, mortars and explosions. 250 jobs across the country sustained after new contract signed with Leonardo UK.