Caithness has had a busy week, although the individual stories might not initially appear to have much in common. Look a little more closely, however, and a pattern begins to emerge.
Europe has built an enormous renewable-energy industry, but a new report from the European Court of Auditors raises a rather awkward question. How much of that energy revolution actually belongs to the communities living alongside it? The European Union has promoted the idea of “energy communities”, where citizens, small businesses and local authorities can collectively produce, store, share and sell renewable electricity.
Britain has a housing shortage. The Government has promised to tackle it by building 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament, an average of around 300,000 a year but the latest construction figures from the Office for National Statistics raise an uncomfortable question.
For weeks, the world's attention has been focused on the Strait of Hormuz and what happens to the oil market if tankers cannot safely pass through one of the world's most important shipping routes. Now there is a new problem.
Researchers at UHI North, West and Hebrides have used portable solar power to run radar equipment during seabird fieldwork at Dunnet Head, Caithness - believed to be one of first times renewable energy has been used to power radar fieldwork at the university. During summer fieldwork at Dunnet Head, a PhD researcher, Amy Jones, was using a marine radar to monitor seabird activity when an unexpected generator failure prompted the team to find an alternative way of powering the equipment.
When I was budget leader of Highland council a few years ago I always looked at what was happening to a few other councils budgets both to find out if we were out of line or were there other ideas we could use. A new Audit Scotland report on Glasgow City Council makes uncomfortable reading.
Britain has become accustomed to hearing rather depressing economic news. Weak growth High borrowing costs, Rising debt, Pressure on public services, A housing shortage.
English Whisky has been granted protected status, becoming the newest member of the UK's recognised whisky family. English Whisky has secured protected Geographical Indication (GI) status, a major milestone for a sector that has grown from a handful of pioneering producers into one of England’s most exciting food and drink success stories.
Britain has just witnessed something that would have seemed extraordinary only a few years ago. Reform UK has received a £36 million donation from cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo, the largest single political donation in British history.
Britain has just witnessed something that should make us stop and think about the future of our democracy. Reform UK has received a £36 million donation from cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo, the largest single political donation in British history.
For anyone coming towards the end of a fixed-rate mortgage, the past few days have brought an unwelcome surprise. Mortgage rates are rising again.
£1 billion investment in 29 new British-built battery-electric trains will deliver faster, more reliable journeys across the North, supporting 6,000 UK jobs and boosting capacity. faster and more frequent train journeys across the North as government supports a £1 billion investment in 29 new British-built trains on Great British Railways (GBR).
Britain's latest trade figures provide a useful reminder that the country's economic position is neither as simple nor as gloomy as some headlines suggest. The Office for National Statistics has reported that the UK's trade deficit in goods and services narrowed in the three months to July 2026.
For years, Primark has been a familiar name to shoppers across Scotland, but not necessarily to people living in the far north. There is a Primark in Inverness, but for somebody living in Caithness that can mean a journey of well over 100 miles each way.
A poor barley harvest does not mean Britain is about to run out of beer, but it could add another pressure to an industry already facing difficult times For most people, barley is something that appears in a field during the summer and disappears from their thoughts until harvest. But barley has a rather important second life.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has appointed Claire Wilson as its new area manager for Caithness and Sutherland. Claire succeeds Eann Sinclair, who retired after eight years as area manager and more than three decades with HIE.
Something rather important is happening in financial markets which could eventually affect almost everyone, yet it is easy to miss among the daily headlines about the war and the rapidly rising price of oil. Brent crude has surged to almost $110 a barrel, with the price rising nearly 13% in a week.
Twenty-five years ago today, the world watched in disbelief as four passenger aircraft were hijacked and used in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
When we think about the war in Yemen, we tend to think about missiles, drones, oil tankers and shipping. But there is another battle taking place beneath the Red Sea which could become increasingly important.
The UK Economy Is Sending Mixed Signals – And Oil Could Make Things Worse The latest real-time indicators from the Office for National Statistics provide a useful glimpse of the UK economy before the more familiar official statistics eventually catch up. They do not point to an economy in recession.