More staff hired in shrinking pub industry
ViewApart Food is helping boost employment in pubs and is pulling in the customers Pubs are employing more people than 10 years ago, despite almost a quarter of them having closed over the same period, official figures show. According to research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this could be because an increasing number […]
What is Nicola Sturgeon’s report card?
Getty Images Nicola Sturgeon often said that education was a top priority for her Nicola Sturgeon has been Scotland’s first minister for more than eight years, the longest anyone has stayed in the post. As her time at the top of Scottish politics comes to an end, BBC Scotland correspondents look at how she has […]
Pubs warn of impact of Covid cancellations
Elephant and Castle The Elephant and Castle pub fears it might not be around for another Christmas As concerns surrounding the latest Covid variant have grown in recent days, the hospitality industry is beginning to feel the impact. We asked three pubs and restaurants how they are being affected. ‘People don’t realise the impact’ Chris […]
Blackpool soup kitchen inundated with ‘desperate’ families
Mark Butcher says people are “in desperate need of food” A charity set up to help the homeless said it has been inundated with people from all walks of life due to the “devastating” impact of Covid-19. Amazing Graze Soup Kitchen in Blackpool has provided 400 meals a week, as well as food parcels, during […]
Greggs to close all stores to prevent spread
Getty Images Greggs said its vegan sausage roll had helped boost sales Greggs has become the latest food retailer to say it will close its shops temporarily to help fight coronavirus. The bakery chain, which has more than 2,050 outlets, said all shops would shut on Tuesday night to help maintain social distancing. McDonalds, Nando’s, […]
Cuba allows small and medium-sized private businesses
Getty Images Many private businesses work in Cuba’s tourist industry which has been hit hard by the pandemic Cuba’s communist government has legalised small and medium-sized private businesses in the wake of mass anti-government protests last month. Under the new rules, enterprises with up to 100 employees will be allowed. President President Miguel Díaz-Canel said […]
Can Nigeria’s new tin mine heal ancient wounds?
BBC Farmers and herders now work together in the new mine Environmental changes have caused tensions between settled farmers and nomadic herders in Nigeria to flare into ethnic conflict. But could working together to serve the demands of modern consumers heal ancient ethnic rifts, asks BBC World Service correspondent Stephanie Hegarty. As the sun sets […]
Shop footfall ‘falls like a stone’
PA Media Footfall “fell like a stone” on Scotland’s high streets last month as lockdown restrictions took hold, according to a retail industry survey. Scottish Retail Consortium data found footfall plummeted year-on-year by more than 50% in December. SRC said shops were “caught in a pincer movement” between local lockdowns at the start of the […]
UK job vacancies reach 20-year high
Getty Images The number of job vacancies in the UK has hit a record high, according to the latest official figures. The largest increase in vacancies was in the retail sector and in motor vehicle repair, it said. The UK unemployment rate was estimated at 4.5%, compared with a rate of 4% before the pandemic. […]
Scotland to set faster target for net-zero emissions
Kevin Keane BBC Scotland’s environment correspondent Getty Images Climate change campaigners have staged protests in Edinburgh The Scottish government will legislate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2045 after receiving fresh advice from an expert panel. The panel says Scotland has more potential sites for carbon capture and a greater landmass for tree […]