Five Scottish regions to benefit from a share of a new £140 million UK Government Local Growth Fund. Launched today [Thursday 8 January] by Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, the Local Growth Fund will help drive economic prosperity across Scotland.
A major national security think tank has issued a stark warning that British aid money intended for civilians in war zones is being systematically looted by militant organisations. As much as £300 million potentially ending up in the coffers of terror groups each year.
Business rates are a tax on most commercial properties, including shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels, offices, warehouses and factories. They are the main property tax that businesses pay to local authorities each year and are calculated based on: a property's rateable value (an estimate of its annual rental value).
For more than three decades, Scotland's council tax system has existed in a kind of fiscal time capsule. Every home in the country is still taxed according to what it was worth in 1991—a different economic era, before devolution, before mass buy-to-let, before Edinburgh became a global property hotspot, and before entire regional housing markets diverged sharply in value.
From Shetland to the Borders, people across Scotland are being urged to check if they are eligible for financial support. Social Security Scotland helped over 960,000 people receive the money they were entitled to in financial year 2024/25.
What began as a local investigation into a nonprofit's misuse of child nutrition funds has now erupted into one of the largest fraud scandals in U.S. history.
The Minnesota fraud scandal has exploded into national headlines in January 2026, prompting congressional hearings, political fallout, and renewed investigations into billions of dollars in suspected misuse across state-run social programs. Governor Tim Walz has dropped out of the governor's race, and federal prosecutors estimate the fraud could exceed $9 billion.
When people think of "aid scandals," they often imagine money diverted overseas. Yet some of the most troubling failures have occurred within the UK itself, where vulnerable citizens — women fleeing domestic abuse, children in unsafe homes, and families in crisis — have been denied the support they were promised.
Average house prices in Highland reached £217,000 in October 2025 — up nearly £40,000 since 2020. Meanwhile rents rose to £719 per month and this steady rise has made home ownership increasingly unaffordable for young people, especially in tourism-heavy and rural areas.
The Declaration of Intent signed in Paris on 6 January 2026 sets out shared principles and intentions among the United Kingdom, the French Republic, and Ukraine regarding future multinational military support for Ukraine in the event that a ceasefire or peace agreement is reached in the ongoing war with Russia. Key points include: Support for Ukraine's Sovereignty and Security The UK and France reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and support its Euro‑Atlantic integration.
Across the UK and beyond, politicians talk endlessly about affordability — yet nothing improves. Why? Because they are blaming inflation when the real issue is structural income extraction.
The United Kingdom is confronting a demographic trend with profound long-term consequences: a falling birth rate. Recent analyses, including those from the Resolution Foundation, indicate that this trend is likely to continue for decades, resulting in fewer people of working age, increased pressure on public finances, and significant challenges for pensions, labour markets, and social services.
Dating apps and social media platforms must now prevent cyberflashing, as it becomes a priority offence under the Online Safety Act. Online Safety Act strengthened as ‘cyberflashing' becomes a priority offence.
Debate about public- and private-sector pay in the United Kingdom is both persistent and politically charged. Claims that public-sector workers are "overpaid" clash with counter-arguments that years of restraint have eroded living standards for nurses, teachers and civil servants.
In July 1944, as World War II neared its end, delegates from 44 nations gathered in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Their mission was ambitious: to design a new international economic order that would prevent the chaos of the interwar years and foster stability in the post‑war world.
Maps of the Council's gritting routes by priority and policy are available online at www.highland.gov.uk/gritting (external link) The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
An area of snow is likely to persist across northern Scotland during Wednesday, spreading down the east coast through the day. This falling as rain or sleet at low elevations, especially around coasts, but is likely to fall on to frozen surfaces, bringing the potential for widespread icy conditions to continue.
Waiting times remain one of the most significant pressures facing NHS Scotland. Despite clear national standards designed to ensure timely access to care, performance across elective treatment, diagnostics, cancer services, and emergency care continues to fall short of targets.
We're making electric lorries more affordable to help hauliers make the switch, while boosting growth and investment in the sector. £18 million to slash up to £120,000 off the cost of green lorries, making it cheaper for businesses to go electric.
A further meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room (SGORR) has been held to continue to coordinate the recovery response to the severe weather in northern Scotland. The meeting was chaired by Justice Secretary Angela Constance and attended by First Minister John Swinney, Cabinet Secretaries, the Met Office, transport operators, Police Scotland, local authorities, resilience partnerships and utilities companies.
