News Archive

2/5/2025 : Local Authority

 
Council online Major Energy Related Planning map is live

The Highland Council has published its Renewable Energy Mapping Tool.   This tool will enable those with an interest in understanding the location and type of renewable energy projects within Highland to discover not only what already exists on the ground but also the stage that any projects may be at within the planning process.  

2/5/2025

 
Republicans 'will pay a pretty big price' for Trump's tariff turmoil

President Trump downplayed the impact of his trade war yesterday at a Cabinet meeting and blamed former President Biden for turmoil in the markets.   NBC News' Christine Romans and Kelly O'Donnell report more.  

2/5/2025

 
US Port Update - Latest Supply Chain and Freight Indicators

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — updates the situation with US ports as of May 1, 2025 and discusses the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Latest Supply Chain and Freight Indicators..  

2/5/2025

 
Details on U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal

Ukrainian and U.S.  officials signed a joint economic investment deal that grants the U.S.  

2/5/2025

 
Stock markets have already recovered the losses they suffered in April. What is going on?

Despite the madness of Trump, the continuing reality of tariffs and an unsurprising fall in US GDP, stock markets have recovered their losses.  This makes no sense at all.  

2/5/2025

 
Trump Ousts Waltz After Signal Scandal, Says Kids Don't Need Toys Affected by Tariffs: A Closer Look - News with Humour

Seth takes a closer look at turmoil and confusion in Trump's White House after he announced he was moving his scandal-plagued national security adviser to a different job.   .  

2/5/2025

 
Is Net Zero Causing Higher Electricity Prices?

With UK electricity prices reaching very high levels, is net zero partly to blame or is it other factors.  If renewables account for 50%, why are we not benefitting from cheaper prices.  

2/5/2025

Progress in clearing longest waits - a 10% decrease in Orthopaedic waits at NHS Highland

More than 105,500 appointments and procedures delivered last year with additional funding.   More than 105,500 appointments and procedures were delivered by health boards last year through an additional £30 million of targeted investment - exceeding a pledge to carry out 64,000 appointments by the end of March 2025.  

2/5/2025

£3.4 million for Scotland's hydrogen future

Eleven projects designed to accelerate Scotland's hydrogen economy are set to benefit from a share of £3.4 million funding.   The Scottish Government funding will help develop green hydrogen production, improve the hydrogen supply chain, and enhance hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure.  

2/5/2025

People urged to apply for around £2,000 in funeral help

With the start of this year's Dying Matters Awareness Week, the Executive Director of a Scottish charity has encouraged people to use the help that’s available for funeral costs.   Dying Matters Awareness Week (5 - 11 May), organised by Hospice UK, aims to break down the stigma and taboos surrounding talking about death and dying.  

1/5/2025

 
HMRC launches new online interactive help for compliance checks

Online tool to help customers understand tax compliance checks now live.   HMRC's new free online Interactive Compliance Guidance tool can help businesses and individuals understand HMRC compliance checks.  

1/5/2025

UK-based crypto business shut down following worldwide complaints

The Insolvency Service investigated complaints made to Action Fraud from people in Estonia, Mauritania, Iran, New Zealand, Poland and Romania.   BTCMining Limited operated a cryptoasset mining business, but customers say they took payments for services they did not receive.  

1/5/2025

 
Kanga power! Homegrown cotton for a homegrown economy - UK & Kenya launch Lamu cotton processing facility.

A partnership between Kenya, the UK and private sector to deliver growth and jobs by reducing reliance on foreign imports, supporting women and the environment.   The UK, Kenya, and the County Government of Lamu have joined forces to lay the foundation stone at a new cotton processing facility in Lamu County.  

1/5/2025

 
Roundtable to help turbo-charge Scotland's agriculture industry

Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill to hear from sector experts on barriers to growth in the Scottish agri-food supply chain.   Leading members of Scotland's agriculture sector will join the UK and Scottish Governments in Edinburgh today (April 30) to investigate key issues facing the agri-food supply chain - and help identify potential solutions.  

1/5/2025

 
Trump's obsession with trade deficits has no basis in economics. And it's a bad reason for tariffs

Those of us who study trade and investment for a living are, I suspect, becoming exasperated with both the White House stance on tariffs and the way that this is reported in much of the media.  US president Donald Trump believes that if a country has a trade surplus with the US it is somehow playing unfairly and needs to be dealt with.  

1/5/2025

 
Universal Credit change brings £420 boost to over a million households

More than one million households struggling with debt will get to keep an average £420 more of their benefits each year, under a change to Universal Credit coming into force [30 April 2025].   Around 1.2 million of the poorest households - including 700,000 with children - will keep an extra £420 a year on average, due to Universal Credit change.  

1/5/2025

 
The American Student Loan Debt Crisis - People are Refusing to pay their Student Loans! - Could It Happen In UK

The student loan crisis is heating up! Here is what is going on in 2025!.   The video shows many people with student loans and comments show how bad thing have gotten in America.  

1/5/2025

 
Africa's Population Will Soar - Europe's Will Collapse

Over the next few decades, there will be huge shifts in populations.   Europe, Asia, US all will see falling population.  

1/5/2025

Special Relationship? - It's Gone - Can UK Forget USA And Do A Deal With The EU

As Canada and China have shown there is only one way to deal with a bully - cut them off.   Important as it has been in the past the so-called special relationship with USA has been torpedoed by president Trump whose nonsense pronouncements on tariffs shows no understanding about how trade works.  

1/5/2025

 
The latest economic data for the U.S. shows a mixed picture - Well.............

We need to take many of the predictions with a pinch of salt but here goes.   For balance and need to laugh we have attached a Seth Myers video that possibly contains more truth.