Business

Image copyright Getty Images Scottish private sector output grew last month for the first time since August, according to a regular survey. Service-providing firms reported the fastest expansion for the past six months, outweighing a sharp fall in output from manufacturers. Manufacturers also recorded a drop in order book volumes for the 15th consecutive month. […]

Image caption Alastair and Diane Lucking: Some people rent the same tree each year, says Alastair There’s nothing like 15,000 Christmas trees to get you into the holiday mood, as for many of us, picking out a festive fir signals the start of the holiday season. Unsurprisingly it’s the busiest time of the year for

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Utilities burning fossil fuels could lose value, a study has said Carbon-intensive firms are likely to lose 43% of their value thanks to policies designed to combat climate change, a report says. Meanwhile the most progressive companies will see an uplift of 33% in their value. The forecast was

Image caption The cruise companies want their biggest ships to be able to dock directly in George Town Campaigners in the Cayman Islands say they are fighting a “David and Goliath” battle against the world’s biggest cruise lines that want to redevelop the country’s port to accommodate huge ships. “I fear that it’s going to

Image copyright Danielle Keeton-Olsen Image caption Workers fully assemble each bike and then detach the wheel for shipping from the factory Made in Cambodia is a common label on clothing from shirts and skirts to cycling shorts, but these days there’s a good chance the bicycle itself will also have been made there. The south

Image copyright Getty Images Users of money management app Plum have reacted angrily after facing long delays to withdraw their money. Plum helps people to save money automatically by analysing their bank transactions to find spare cash. The firm did not say how many had been affected by the delays, which it blamed on a

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Port workers with smoke canisters march in Marseille against France’s pension reform plan France’s biggest strike in decades has shut down public transport services and reduced the number of hospital staff, teachers and police officers at work in the latest protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s reforms. In this case,

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mustafa Suleyman helped develop the controversial Streams health app Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of British artificial-intelligence firm DeepMind, has announced that he is joining Google. He had previously said he was taking time off from DeepMind. Mr Suleyman helped develop Streams, a controversial health app which gathered data from millions

Image copyright Getty Images Customers of defunct tour operator Thomas Cook have reacted angrily after learning they will face delays in getting refunds for Atol-protected package holidays. The Civil Aviation Authority originally said all valid claims made on the first day of its refund programme would be paid within 60 days, or by this Friday.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The ebola vaccine was not ready in time for the 2014 outbreak “Infectious diseases are evolving much faster than we are, and much faster than our defences are. “I think it’s profoundly naive to think we have a handle on them,” says Richard Hatchett, the chief executive of the