7 h. ago What lies ahead as Scotland’s private sector output hits seven

“Scotland’s private sector recorded a sustained uptick in activity at the end of the second quarter, with growth predominantly driven by service providers.”

Events

12 h. ago Business confidence at highest level in eight months, RBS finds

Private sector activity also had its strongest rise since November, the RBS growth tracker found.

Politics

36 h. ago National Wealth Fund to put £28m into carbon capture project

Peak Cluster is also backed by £31 million from the private sector.

Economics

6 d. ago Hancock: Moving patients from hospitals to care homes was least

Module six of the inquiry is focused on the effect the pandemic had on both the publicly and privately funded adult social care sector across the UK.

Science

6 d. ago Britain's pensions time bomb: Two in five young workers and 62% of self

Research by the respected IFS think-tank has found 39 per cent of younger private sector workers are not saving enough to avoid big falls in living standards.

Economics

8 d. ago Are rents affordable in Amsterdam? Not if you are a newcomer | Amber Howard

The city was once the pinnacle of inclusivity, with working- and middle-class people alike living in social housing – then the private landlords arrivedIn this series, writers discuss the causes of – and solutions to – the housing crisis in key European citiesWhen I moved to Amsterdam, I felt incredibly lucky to find an illegal six-month sublet 15 minutes by bike from the centre, secured through a friend of a friend. The cost was €1,000 a month – a bargain by market standards but still well over double what my downstairs neighbour, Henrika, paid under the lifelong social housing contract she had obtained four decades earlier.In the intervening years, Amsterdam had shifted from a pinnacle of inclusivity and progressive housing politics to one of Europe’s most unaffordable markets. In the last year, Dutch house prices have surged by more than 10%, homelessness has risen by more than 20%, and rents in the private rental sector have climbed by more than 7%.Amber Howard is a researcher i...

Events

1 week ago Mystery Scots EuroMillions winner hasn't claimed £3.6 million fortune

A multi-million prize lies unclaimed after it was bought in Scotland this month.

Economics

2 w. ago ‘Sluggish’ UK business activity picks up as tariff threat eases

Data from S&P Global showed activity across the UK’s private sector increased in June.

Economics

2 w. ago Voices: Angela Rayner must learn lessons from housebuilders if she wants to succeed

The government has big ambitions to build 1.5 million new homes – but for too long the private sector has been viewed with suspicion, writes Chris Blackhurst. It’s time for an urgent re-think

Politics

2 w. ago Has a striker scored more goals for their country than in club football? | The Knowledge

Plus: goal-difference chasms between league-table neighbours, a rare Welsh feat in defeat, and more• Mail us with your questions and answers“During the Liechtenstein v Scotland game there was a reference to Billy Gilmour scoring more goals for Scotland (2) than his various clubs (0). But has a recognised striker ever finished their career with more goals for their country than their clubs?” asks Stuart McLagan.The structure of women’s football in North America, particularly before the NWSL was founded in 2012, makes it the likeliest source of an answer to this question. There was no league at all in the US between 2003 and 2009, and to this day players sometimes appear more for their country than their club in a calendar year. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Scottish Highland area has 'fewer people than Lapland' as depopulation crisis deepens

It offers the most beautiful and sought after scenery in Scotland, but behind the picture postcard lies an area of the Highlands “locked in a spiral of social and economic decline”.

Events

2 w. ago Independent water commission chair denies probe into reforms is ‘tinkering’

The largest review of the water sector since privatisation has come under criticism for not going far enough to ensure systemic change.

Events

3 w. ago Bank unveils green loans plan to unlock trillions for climate finance

IADB’s proposals involve lenders using public money to buy up renewable energy loans in poor countriesAn innovative plan to use public money to back renewable energy loans in the developing world could liberate cash from the private sector for urgently needed climate finance.Avinash Persaud, a special adviser on climate change to the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), who developed the proposals, believes the plan could drive tens of billions of new investment in the fledgling green economy in poorer countries within a few years, and could provide the bulk of the $1.3tn in annual climate finance promised to the developing world by 2035. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago ‘I’ll use private sector to help clear NHS backlog’, says Streeting

The health secretary said it would be ‘foolish’ to rule out a greater role for the private sector in the NHS

Politics

3 w. ago Josh Doig relishing McTominay and Gilmour Napoli battle as Scots thriving in Italy offers pathway for next top talents

The Scotland new boy - who made his debut against Liechtenstein - will back in the Serie A big time with Sassuolo next term

Events

3 w. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s nuclear bet: big promises, but bigger questions remain unanswered | Editorial

A bold state investment signals nuclear revival, but unresolved issues around cost, waste and safety demand urgent ministerial clarityThe government’s decision to invest £14.2bn in nuclear energy, on top of existing funds, marks a return to significant state funding of nuclear power after Hinkley Point C, financed by the private sector, was dogged by delays and cost overruns. It is also a decisive shift in energy policy. Ministers have high hopes of a nuclear energy renaissance. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, described the prospect of a new reactor in Suffolk, Sizewell C, combined with new money for modular reactor development and fusion research, as a “golden age”. This was a striking choice of words from the greenest voice in the cabinet.The Climate Change Committee’s latest advice to the government took a more restrained view of nuclear, which drew industry ire. Mr Miliband’s commitment to renewable energy is not in doubt. The government has made good...

Events

4 w. ago Scotland reaction: 'Hurt and anger' response as Steve Clarke hails 'big prospect' and confirms final goodbye

Scotland head coach reacts to 4-0 win over Liechtenstein

Politics

4 w. ago Scotland boss Steve Clarke happy as strikers seize chance against Liechtenstein

Clarke’s decision to start with a 4-4-2 formation paid off as Che Adams grabbed a hat-trick and George Hirst netted his first international goal.

Economics

4 w. ago Steve Clarke insists angry Scotland took it out on Liechtenstein as he issues challenge to international new boys

The Scotland boss also hailed Lennon Miller and Ross Doohan as he says goodbye to assistant manager John Carver

Politics

4 w. ago Che Adams ends Scotland drought in style as unrecognisable Steve Clarke side dismantles Liechtenstein

Our man Scott Burns was in Liechtenstein as Clarke's much-changed side returned to winning ways

Politics