If you have 15 minutes to watch this video you will probably learn more about Donald Trumps threats, rare earths and who can really use them. Europe has a lot of the cards.
From the windswept moors of Caithness, at the very top of mainland Britain, electricity will flow south to keep taps running in London and the South East. In an era of volatile energy prices and fragile infrastructure, Thames Water's long-term deal to buy wind power from RWE's Camster wind farm is a quietly significant reminder of how deeply the UK’s essential services are now tied to the Highlands.
Resident Doctors have called off proposed strike action across Scotland after the British Medical Association (BMA) Scottish Resident Doctors Committee agreed to ballot members on an offer of 4.25% in 2025-26 and 3.75% in 2026-27. The committee is recommending that their members accept the two-year pay deal offered by the Scottish Government - that matches one already accepted by nurses and other healthcare staff - alongside a separate package of contractual reform.
Modern states run on numbers. Interest rates, budgets, welfare systems, public services, and even democratic accountability depend on a steady supply of trusted, timely, and detailed statistics.
Interest on savings - watch this..
You pick up the phone, say "Hello?"... and all you hear is dead silence before they finally hang up.
Hundreds of thousands of Canadian forestry workers are hoping for quick government action to save their struggling industry. Punishing U.S.
How much protection does the benefit system afford the newly unemployed? We use UK bank account data to track financial impacts of job loss. Workers who lose their job and receive unemployment benefits see their spending decline by around 20% in the first few months following job loss.
The U.S. capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has Russia extremely worried - and it could have a big impact on the war in Ukraine.
Aman Navani, Research and Policy Analyst, Work Foundation at Lancaster University examines the future difficulties of the Minimum Wage looking forward. The UK Government has announced a 4.1% increase in the National Living Wage from April 2026, offering an above-inflation boost for millions of low-paid workers who continue to face cost-of-living pressures.
For the past few years, the defining feature of the US economy was exceptional resilience. It had shown Strong job creation, Rapid wage growth, High consumer spending and businesses hoarding labour after post-pandemic shortages.
While UK Budget consequentials and economic developments have eased day-to-day spending pressures, Shona Robison will have her work cut out to decide how to plug a £1 billion-plus gap in capital spending plans she announced just over six months ago. This is the headline message of Scotland's Budget Report 2026-27, which is published on 9 January 2026 by the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde.
Where the US has moved from "hot" to “cooling,” the UK has moved from fragile recovery to near-stagnation. UK GDP growth has been weak to flat, with repeated quarters hovering around zero.
A growing number of high-paid professionals in the UK are choosing to work fewer hours. Some commentators claim this signals economic weakness, declining productivity, or the consequence of bad tax policy.
UK is now accelerating £200 million to equip UK Armed Forces with new kit to be ready to deploy as part of the Multinational Force for Ukraine. The Government has allocated £200 million of funding to prepare the UK Armed Forces to deploy as part of the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNFU), the Defence Secretary has announced during a visit to Ukraine.
Update - A new warning for Sunday 11 January 2025. Friday Ice is expected to form widely again as surfaces refreeze through the evening and overnight.
The Highland Council's Justice Service team in Inverness will be hosting an open day on Wednesday 28 January. This is a chance for members of the public to come along and find out more about community sentences in Scotland and particularly in Inverness and surrounding areas.
In recent months there has been growing debate over business rates in the UK, particularly following indications that the UK government is reversing part of its planned approach in England. This has led to questions about whether a full policy U-turn is taking place and how developments in England might affect Scotland, where business rates are devolved.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) must put strong controls in place to prevent fraud and ensure value for money after unacceptable weaknesses were found in its governance. The audit of HES's 2024/25 accounts reported weaknesses in governance arrangements, including: procurement issues, data breaches, unclear processes for complimentary tickets to events at its venues, and no formal register of interests for the Executive Leadership Team.
Time to decide if you have not already..
