Virgin Media is putting a new cost on keeping some long-established email addresses. But is this the start of a wider change?.
American universities have long attracted some of the brightest students from around the world. But international students considering studying in the United States now have another question to ask alongside tuition fees, accommodation and the quality of the university: how certain is my future once I get there?.
Walk through almost any British town centre and you can see the evidence of change. There are empty shops where there were once businesses.
If you think your energy costs are high now, the situation may be about to get a whole lot worse. With traffic in the Strait of Hormuz – normally the primary route for oil leaving the Middle East – hovering below 15% of prewar levels, oil prices have increased from US$65 a barrel before the conflict in Iran began in February 2026 to more than $100 a barrel in mid-September.
Chancellor John Healey used his first Labour Party conference speech as Chancellor to set out an ambition for what he called a “new age of industrialisation”, with government spending, defence and British manufacturing placed at the centre of his economic strategy. For Scotland, there was an important announcement.
University Cuts Are No Longer Just About Staff – Students Could Pay the Price Five weeks of strike action at the University of Edinburgh has begun, following similar industrial action at the University of Dundee. Edinburgh staff represented by the University and College Union are taking strike action from 28 September until 30 October, covering five weeks at the beginning of the teaching semester.
When governments announce extra money for public services, the headline figure can be impressive. An additional £100 million for councils and another £500 million for the NHS or millions more for universities but....
For weeks there have been warnings that diesel could pass £2 a litre. Now it has happened.
For households in rural Caithness, the heating-oil problem has suddenly become much more serious. Many people have delayed ordering because they can still remember paying around 66p a litre earlier this year.
Polling will take place on Thursday 1 October 2026 to elect one of five candidates standing in The Highland Council's Wick and East Caithness Ward 3 by-election. Voters are being reminded to make sure they are ready to cast their vote.
Chancellor John Healey is expected to tell the Labour Party conference in Liverpool today that Britain is entering a “new age of industrialisation”. That is an interesting message for a country which spent decades moving in the opposite direction, with manufacturing employment falling, major industries disappearing and many communities becoming increasingly dependent on services.
Will the Christmas Card Die This Year? Rising postage, fuel and household costs are putting another old Christmas tradition under pressure Will this be the year when the Christmas card finally starts to disappear?. Perhaps not completely.
The Hidden Cost of National Insurance – How One Tax Can Work Its Way Through the Whole Economy When we think about National Insurance, it is easy to think of it as a tax paid by an employer to the Government. But there is another way of looking at it.
Walk into a supermarket today and most shoppers probably give little thought to the small paper labels underneath the products. But changing those labels is a surprisingly labour-intensive business.
When the Chancellor increased employer National Insurance, it was presented primarily as a tax on employers. But in Scotland, there is another side to the story.
America's housing market is beginning to show some warning signs. This does not mean another 2008 financial crisis is developing.
Britain is facing an awkward choice over Chinese cars. The European Union is pressing the UK to raise tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles and bring its trade policy closer to the EU's approach.
The Government is bringing back a version of Help to Buy in England, but there is an important question hanging over the scheme. What happens when you give more people the ability to buy homes in a market where there are still not enough homes? The new scheme, called Your First Home, was announced on 26 September and is expected to be confirmed at next month's Budget.
For households trying to keep control of their finances, the worrying thing about the latest cost-of-living pressures is that there is no single cause. Instead, several different costs are beginning to move in the same direction.
America Has a Bond Problem. Britain Has One Too – Why Governments Can't Simply Push Interest Rates Down Governments have considerable power over economies, but there is one market they cannot completely control.
Reports of contamination by so-called "forever chemicals" in parts of England are raising questions about how much is known about these persistent substances in Scotland. The issue has become particularly prominent in parts of Lancashire and Cumbria, where investigations have found PFAS contamination in rivers, groundwater and land.
A new government-backed scheme is being proposed to help first-time buyers in England overcome one of the biggest obstacles to getting onto the housing ladder: finding a deposit. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the new Your First Home scheme on 26 September, with further details due to be confirmed by the Chancellor at next month's Budget.
It has been a busy week for news in Caithness, with stories ranging from the Wick and East Caithness by-election to a spectacular lorry fire, disruption on the A9 and railway, new flights to Wick and some important developments around Dounreay and Scrabster Harbour. Taken individually, some of these stories may appear to have little connection with each other.
A recent article from the Resolution Foundation asked an intriguing question about council tax in England: "My council tax is suspiciously cheap." It is a good question to ask in Scotland too. The Scottish council tax system has a feature that can easily be forgotten.
There are increasingly alarming headlines about the possibility of diesel reaching £2.50 a litre, or even higher, in Britain. The immediate trigger is the threat of restrictions on US diesel exports.
There are times when a story from thousands of miles away makes you look at your own garden slightly differently. Reports from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky describe residents facing such severe shortages of food that some have reportedly been eating plants growing in their gardens that most of us would simply call weeds.
Five place based residencies across Caithness and Sutherland. The Caithness and Sutherland Culture Collective Partnership invites applications for five artist residencies, each rooted in a different locality and hosted by a partner organisation.
Kennel Assistant Donald S McGregor & Partners, Thurso are looking for a proactive and hardworking Kennel Assistant to join our team. We are looking for someone who takes pride in maintaining high standards, is organised and reliable, and enjoys working as part of a busy veterinary team.
A beautiful mid-terraced, three-bedroom (one with ensuite), stone-built home which retains many of the original features, with a large area of garden to rear. Accommodation comprises vestibule, hallway, lounge, sitting room/dining room, Ashley Ann fitted kitchen and a utility room on the ground floor, upstairs from the landing there are three bedrooms, one with ensuite and a family bathroom.
Vapes, Drinks and Spiking: What Young People and Parents Need to Know A recent BBC report has highlighted an issue that parents of teenagers may find worrying: the possibility of drugs being put into drinks or even vapes without the person's knowledge. It is a subject where sensible advice is more useful than alarm.
This doer-upper was started and now looking for a new owner to finish it. Hidden away in Beaufoy Street, this lovely stone-built property has a new fitted kitchen, oak doors fitted throughout and now needs plumbing and electrics to be finished, along with decoration.
Sutherland has had another week in which several apparently separate stories point towards the same underlying question. How does a huge rural area attract investment and economic activity while maintaining the homes, services and communities needed to support it?.
Something rather important is happening around the United States, and it may be bigger than the individual tariff announcements, political arguments or daily movements in the oil price. America is changing the way it deals with the rest of the world.
The Bank held interest rates as expected in its MPC meeting Thursday), with the real news coming from a welcome change in how it intends unwind Quantitative Easing (QE) and a gloomy outlook on the cost of living, the Resolution Foundation said today. James Smith, Chief Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said, “The Bank’s decision today to hold interest rates was welcome but expected.
The future of disability benefits is becoming one of the more difficult issues facing the UK government, with spending rising rapidly and increasing numbers of people receiving support. A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) examines what could be changed in Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the main working-age disability benefit in England and Wales.
Canada has spent generations building its economy around its huge neighbour to the south. Now it is looking across the Atlantic.
Qualified Mechanic required for maintenance and repairs for various types of vehicles. MOT Experience would be advantageous but not essential.
NUVIA UK is looking for a technically minded and proactive Dounreay Beach Monitoring Project Technician to support the delivery of the Dounreay Beach Monitoring Project and related radiological monitoring activities. This varied role combines fieldwork, instrumentation, technical data analysis, GIS mapping, equipment calibration and report writing.
We’re looking for friendly, reliable and enthusiastic people aged 18 or over to join us as Part-Time Bar Staff Perfect for anyone looking to work a few shifts each week, with opportunities to cover midweek, evenings and weekends. To apply or find out more, please contact Vicky at thecaithnesscollection@hotmail.com .
We're Hiring | Experienced Chef The Pentland Hotel is looking for an experienced chef to join our kitchen team in Thurso on a Full-Time or Part-Time basis for the right candidate. We’re looking for individuals with previous experience working in a professional kitchen who are confident in a busy environment and take pride in maintaining consistently high standards.
Food & Beverage Supervisor Ideal for an experienced and confident individual looking to work a few shifts each week while taking on additional responsibility within our food and beverage team. Whether you’re looking for a few shifts alongside other commitments or you’re ready to take the next step in your hospitality career, we’d love to hear from you.
A college + university like no other With 19 campuses and centres across the North and West Highlands, Skye, and Outer Hebrides, we cover a geographic area larger than Wales, comprising 40% of Scotland’s coastline. Our campuses and centres are located within historic towns and villages, set amongst the shorelines, mountains, and moors, with local staff working across our region to support our students and communities. Position: We are seeking a highly organised and detail-oriented Registry and Admissions Officer, with a focus on Registry, to join our Student Records team in Fort William, Thurso or Stornoway.
An entirely fictional account of what might happen if a Roman historian were suddenly transported to America in September 2026. When our Roman historian arrived in America, he was initially rather pleased.
Set within generous grounds and enjoying wonderful open countryside and sea views, Kyleburn House is a substantial traditional stone-built property offering exceptionally spacious and versatile accommodation in a peaceful rural setting. Extending to approximately 357 sq m (3,841 sq ft) overall, the property provides an interesting and flexible layout that would lend itself to a variety of uses and lifestyles.
KR Properties are delighted to bring to the market this spacious two-bedroom townhouse, offering well-proportioned accommodation over two floors within an attractive traditional stone-built property. Access is via a shared main entrance door, which opens into a shared entrance hallway serving this property and one neighbouring home.
3 bedroom gas central heated double glazed property with kitchen bathroom and WC on 1st floor..
A&D Sutherland Ltd have a vacancy for a qualified second Plant Mechanic. This is based at our main quarry site in Spittal.
See poster for details..
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