NI food and drink sector boosts turnover to £6bn
Bernadette Allen BBC News NI Reuters Northern Ireland’s food and drink industry generated a turnover of £6bn in 2021, an increase of 10% from the previous year. It is estimated that the turnover for 2022 will increase by 8% to £6.4bn. The figures are in a government-produced annual report on the size and performance of […]
Pub numbers fall to lowest on record
Empics The number of pubs in England and Wales continues to fall, hitting its lowest level on record, according to new research. There were 39,970 pubs in June, down by more than 7,000 since 2012, said real estate consultancy Altus Group. After struggling through Covid the industry now faced soaring prices and higher energy costs, […]
pay hikes, insecure bosses, frolicking cows
Douglas Fraser Business and economy editor, Scotland Getty Images There are strong signs of recovery in firms’ output, orders and recruitment. The jobs market has shifted to give more bargaining power to the lower paid Evidence from the tourism industry shows that it remains very tough going for company bosses Koslapp: in Swedish, it means […]
Springtime bounceback lifts High Streets to record growth
PA Media Retail sales enjoyed a springtime bounceback, with growth in High Street sales from April to June making it the best three months on record, industry body figures indicate. Sales in the period rose 28.4% from a year ago, and were up 10.4% from 2019. June’s sunny weather and the Euro 2020 tournament helped […]
Students ‘scared and confused’ as halls lock down
PA Media NHS staff hand out test kits to students at Glasgow University, where there has been a Covid-19 outbreak Students have spoken of their worry and confusion at being locked down in their university halls, in a situation described by unions as “shambolic”. In Manchester, students are being prevented from leaving by security. Universities […]
Shops prepare for Boxing Day sales bonanza
26 December 2017 BBC The Scotsman reports that tens of thousands of Scottish shoppers are set to brave the Boxing Day sales as high street retailers prepare to slash prices to unprecedented levels. The Scottish Daily Express says half of all Scots adults are expected to descend on the sales today, making it the biggest […]
Union anger over plans for big licence fee rises
Getty Images Permits for disposing waste sheep dip to land are among those licences facing big rises Plans for huge fee increases for farmers have been called “astonishing”. The changes, set out in a consultation, would see various hikes such as the cost of one-off application to remove water rising from £135 to £6,327. NFU […]
Tory hopefuls told not to squander UK science progress
Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent, BBC News TEK IMAGE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Will the next prime minister support efforts to create a high-skills, high-technology strategy? The Conservative leadership candidates have been urged to make a pledge to put scientific research at the heart of their economic policy. Scientific bodies have called on Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson […]
The Ugandan love of grasshoppers
BBC During grasshopper season they can be bought by the handful across Uganda It is grasshopper season in Uganda, where they are seen as a nutritious delicacy – either boiled or deep-fried. They are so popular that some are worried about declining harvests, as the BBC’s Patience Atuhaire reports. It is dusk. Rusty oil barrels […]
Cannabidiol safe daily dose limit cut by food regulator
Michelle Roberts Digital health editor Getty Images UK food regulators have lowered the recommended safe daily dose of cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabis extract present in many different High Street products, including drinks and snacks. The Food Standards Agency says the advice is precautionary, following concerns long-term use might cause liver and other health problems. Adults […]