NHS Highland and The Highland Council have today launched Highland Power of Attorney Month. Highland Power of Attorney Month is a joint public awareness campaign running throughout June 2026 to encourage every adult across the Highland region to consider putting a Power of Attorney (PoA) in place.
The broad consensus is that the oil market has so far been cushioned by emergency reserves, lower demand, rerouted supplies and expectations that the crisis will eventually ease. However, many analysts argue that if tanker flows remain heavily restricted into the summer, prices could move sharply higher rather than gradually higher.
Families across Scotland can now apply for over £330 to help with the costs of preparing for primary school, as applications for Best Start Grant School Age Payment opened on 1 June 2026. The payment, unique to Scotland, is available to eligible families with children born between 1 March 2021 and 28 February 2022.
Bangladesh has just approved one of the largest river engineering projects its history. The Padma Barrage, a vast river-control project intended to restore water in the country’s drought-prone southwest.
What is happening in the bond market is becoming one of the most important economic stories globally because it affects governments, mortgages, pensions, businesses and public spending. At its simplest investors are demanding higher interest rates to lend money to governments.
New figures show the number of operations carried out in the 12 months to April 2026 increased by 7.3% compared to the same period the year before. New statistics from Public Health Scotland show a total of 281,115 operations were performed during the last 12 months, while 770 operations were carried out per day - an increase from 718 for year ending April 2025.
Overall, accused persons’ journey times in Scotland’s criminal justice system have decreased over the last year, according to new official statistics in development published today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician. Median journey times (date an offence is first known to police to date of verdict) in 2024-25 were around 2 years 4 months in High court, 1 year 5 months in Sheriff solemn courts and 7 months in Sheriff summary court.
The Iran conflict has created a global energy crisis. Shefali Khanna, John Cui and Weiqi Hua explain how Britain’s off-grid residents, not connected to natural gas, are especially exposed and argue for the need of a more resilient energy system.
The Iran war risks triggering a new energy crisis. Erhan Kilincarslan and Giray Gozgor argue that despite some positive short term interventions by the Government, the long term picture for British households looks bleak.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ overhaul of pension salary‑sacrifice rules is set to reshape how millions of UK workers save for retirement — and not for the better, according to newly released HMRC data. The reforms, which introduce a strict £2,000 cap on tax‑free pension contributions via salary sacrifice from 2029, are expected to leave 2.9 million workers contributing less to their pensions than planned.
When the Scottish Parliament opened its doors in 1999, it was sold as a way to bring decision‑making closer to the people. But more than two decades later, one question continues to surface - is Scotland more expensive to run now than it was before devolution — and is it worth the price?.
The evidence strongly suggests we are in a lull before a much sharper phase of the oil crisis, and the warning signs you mention are now being flagged by the IEA, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and several energy‑market analysts. The combination of rapidly collapsing global inventories, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and emerging shortages in parts of Asia is exactly the pattern that precedes a major price spike.
James Murray MP has been appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in England by by the Prime Minister. On 27 May 2026 he wrote to all staff and the letter has set many hares running.
Most people think accounting records what has already happened: profits earned, cash received, assets owned, and liabilities owed. But that is no longer how much of modern accounting works.
London’s blue-chip index is in the red in early trade after hopes for a deal over Iran are scuppered again. Easyjet shares surge amid takeover speculation from 'opportunistic' private equity firm.
Birth rates are falling across the world. In many countries, populations are already shrinking, schools are closing, and labour shortages are growing.
Rachel Springall, Finance Expert at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, comments on latest data from the Nationwide House Price Index (HPI). “The latest analysis from Nationwide reveals a rise in house prices of almost £5,000 year-on-year (1.7%), but a dip month-on-month of almost £900 (-0.6%).
A business leader with decades of experience at the most senior levels has been appointed to drive forward the Government’s Youth Guarantee and ensure all young people have the chance to earn or learn. Marc Bolland appointed Lead Non-Executive Director at DWP, tasked with convening business leaders to help address the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
For both students and parents, “interest” on student loans sounds simple, but in practice it behaves a bit like slow-moving compound growth in reverse of what people expect. Here’s a clear breakdown of how it works in Scotland vs England, and why compound interest matters.
The contrast between the UK and the Netherlands has become one of the most discussed issues in youth employment policy because both are wealthy northern European economies, yet their outcomes for young people are dramatically different. Recent UK figures show that the number of 16-24 year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs) has risen to around 1 million.