Latest sanctions package holds those who would undermine Ukraine's sovereignty to account. UK sanctions Russian officials involved in recent sham elections in the Ukrainian oblasts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, and in illegally annexed Crimea.
The current financial year is shaping up to be a good one for inward investment to the Highlands and Islands. Vicky Grant is HIE's head of international trade and investment.
The village of Halkirk in the Scottish Highlands has been named the UK's slowest broadband area, with residents receiving average speeds of just 2.8Mb. This is even slower than outdated 3G mobile data speed, and not enough to watch Netflix reliably.
A few weeks ago, our Inside the NHS newsletter reported that the transfer of vaccinations from GPs to the health board in Highland was not going as smoothly as hoped. This week, The Herald has obtained an internal report which describes "significant challenges" and raises questions about exactly how the region ended up in its current predicament.
More people could be encouraged to purchase alcohol-free drinks under government proposals to make alternatives to alcoholic drinks more widely available. Government consults on encouraging more people to choose no and low-alcohol drinks to help those looking to live healthier lives while supporting businesses.
New Government figures show transport & storage sector companies suffered a significant decrease in turnover in August, compared to July. Looking ahead to October, more transport and storage companies expect a fall in turnover than predict an increase.
An independent Commissioner to advocate for the welfare and safety of patients will be appointed following the passing of a new Bill. The Scottish Government's Patient Safety Commissioner Bill, passed unanimously by Parliament, will help to amplify the voice of patients and drive safety improvements across healthcare.
We set out issues with the inheritance tax system and examine options for reform and the distributional impacts of reforming or abolishing the tax. Inheritance tax is arguably the UK's most disliked tax.
The Scottish Government no longer expects to have enough money to deliver all its planned £26 billion investment in public sector infrastructure. Growing the economy and delivering high quality public services relies on infrastructure like roads, railways, hospitals and other buildings.
Latest report from the Office for Budget Responsibility. Borrowing in the first five months of 2023-24 totalled £69.6 billion, £19.3 billion above the same period last year but £11.3 billion below the monthly profile consistent with our March forecast.
The Defence Secretary Grant Shapps met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his counterpart Rustem Umerov and promised further military support from the UK. The UK will continue to support Ukraine to defend its sovereign territory, the Defence Secretary vowed during a meeting in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The UK is considered one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. This is not surprising given its history of early industrialisation and agricultural intensification.
Since 2010, Chancellors have not responded symmetrically to good and bad economic news. Since 2010, when the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has presented the government with a windfall - i.e.
Questioning why higher death rates in the vaccinated are higher than unvaccinated. The results are unexpected.
A new strategy will help Ukrainians living in Scotland to settle into communities and gain longer term housing. Developed by the Scottish Government in collaboration with the Scottish Refugee Council and COSLA, the Warm Scots Future paper sets out priorities for the next phase of Scotland's Ukraine response to support those fleeing the conflict to rebuild their lives here.
Project is one of four major bids in Scotland receiving total of £1m from UK Government's Community Ownership Fund. A new aerospace discovery centre is one of four Scottish projects set to receive thousands in government funding following a successful bidding round.
Moneyfacts UK Unsecured Lending Trends Treasury Report data, which studies the UK personal finance market (Credit Cards, Personal Loans and Overdrafts), reveals the cost to borrow on credit cards and unsecured loans has risen during Q3 2023. Between the start of June and the start of September 2023 (Q3 2023), the average purchase APR (which includes card fees) rose to an all-time high of 31.8% APR, according to our records, which go back to June 2006.
Organisations that support victims of crime will be able to bid for support from a fund financed by penalties imposed on all offenders who receive a court fine. Successful applicants will be able to use their share of the £350,000 Victim Surcharge Fund, which is now in its fourth year, to provide direct, practical help to victims.
Scotland's onshore GDP grew by 0.1% in July, according to statistics announced by the Chief Statistician. This follows 0.0% growth in June 2023.
An independent review is recommending wider regulation of social care staff to better protect and help people receiving social care and support. The Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation in Scotland makes 38 recommendations including updating legislation, Health and Social Care Standards and the powers of intervention and enforcement that regulatory bodies have.
