Representatives from across the Highlands are being invited to a meeting that will focus on the current provision and future of Community Transport. The event, organised and hosted by The Highland Council, will take place at Council HQ in Inverness on Wednesday 13 August.
With U.S. buyers facing higher costs under the new de minimis rules, Chinese exporters have a clear incentive to seek alternative markets.
President Trump moved to end the "de minimis" tariff exemption—which let shipments under $800 enter duty-free—to close what his administration called a "big scam" that's been unfairly undercutting U.S. businesses, swelling the trade deficit, and flooding the country with hard-to-inspect packages.
As climate change drives rising temperatures and changes in rainfall, Mexico and the US are in the middle of a conflict over water, putting an additional strain on their relationship. Partly due to constant droughts, Mexico has struggled to maintain its water deliveries for much of the last 25 years, in keeping with a water-sharing agreement between the two countries that has been in place since 1944 (agreements between the two regulating water sharing have existed since the 19th century).
The current US administration has systematically rolled back support for renewables while enacting measures to bolster coal, oil, and gas. Key initiatives include cutting green subsidies, repealing environmental safeguards, and waiving regulations that impede fossil-fuel development.
During the cold war, the US and Soviet Union were locked in a desperate race to develop cutting‑edge technologies like long-range missiles and satellites. Fast forward to today and the frontiers of global technology have pivoted to AI and next‑generation energy.
A look at average UK Incomes and is it enough to live comfortably on?..
In 2015 the Black Isle Farmers Society signed up to the ‘The Real Deal Scheme' and signed up to the voluntary charter in partnership with Highland Council Trading Standards, demonstrating a commitment to work together to prevent counterfeits and other illicit goods being sold at the show. The Real Deal campaign is a key aspect of the National Market Group's aim to recognise, reinforce and reward good practice at markets and car boot fairs throughout the UK that are working with local enforcement partners to keep their markets free from counterfeit and other illicit goods.
Advertising tells you every day that you're too old, too poor, too unfashionable. Why? Because unhappiness sells.
Projections from the UN's World Population Prospects show China peaking around 2024-25 and then edging downwards by roughly 0.22% per year. Trends in China's Workforce Age Profile Working-age population (15-59) Peaked at about 925 million in 2011.
The abrupt suspension of new USAID funding and simultaneous cuts by major donors such as the UK have slashed development and humanitarian budgets across Africa, disrupting programs that once supported health, agriculture, governance, education, and conservation. These shifts threaten to reverse decades of progress in poverty reduction, public health, and stability.
Met Office warnings for Monday 4 August predict unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain across Scotland. Coastal and upland areas can expect gusts of 60-70 mph, with peaks up to 85 mph on exposed coastlines and hills.
Former Health Secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt has warned that the NHS is increasingly treating normal life stresses—bereavement, job loss—as medical conditions, signing off around 3,000 people a day with fit notes for anxiety and depression. Since 2019, disability benefit claims among working-age adults in England and Wales have risen by nearly one million, with about 500,000 of these new claims linked specifically to mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Scotland has shifted from a net exporter of people to a net importer in recent years. Net migration more than doubled from +22,200 in the year to mid-2022 to +55,100, then rose further to +61,600 in the year to mid-2023.
Consumer inflation in the United States has moderated since President Trump took office in January. For the 12-month period ending in June 2025, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 2.7 percent, down from peaks above 9 percent during the pandemic era.
Many recent reforms target inbound migration, tightening who can enter, work, and settle. Skilled Worker route now requires a degree-level role (RQF Level 6) and a salary threshold rising from £26,200 to £38,700, with limited exemptions for care and NHS professionals.
The beginning of August marks the latest deadline for US president Donald Trump's "liberation day" tariff policy. This era of chaos and uncertainty began on April 2 and the situation remaims fluid.
China's central government introduced a childcare subsidy on July 28 that will provide families with 3,000 yuan (around £312) a year for each child under the age of three. The announcement came days after plans were unveiled to roll out free preschool education across the country.
New offence to target criminal gangs promoting dangerous journeys like Channel crossings to the UK on social media. In a blow to the people smugglers' business model, the government has outlined new measures through its Plan for Change to crack down on social media content which promotes small boat crossings and fuels organised immigration crime.
Young Scottish musicians will help to sell Scotland to Germany on Ian Murray trade trip. Young Scottish musicians will be centre stage in Germany this week as part of Scottish Secretary Ian Murray's Brand Scotland campaign.