Here are the top business stories making the headlines in the morning newspapers.
Aberdeen housing approved
Plans to build houses over the site of Aberdeen’s flattened Treetops hotel have been approved, along with dozens of affordable homes a mile away.
The Springfield Road property closed three years ago, and was torn down in the following months.
Malcolm Allan Housebuilders lodged proposals for a mix of houses and flats there in 2021, but last year made a controversial change to the scheme.
The firm instead formed plans to build the legally-obliged social housing element several streets away on the site of Braeside Primary School.
The Press & Journal says this would mean 77 houses being built on the hotel land, and 30 affordable properties elsewhere.
Speculation of merger for Harbour
A merger deal between the North Sea’s Harbour Energy and US-based Talos Energy would set both firms up for further growth, analysts have said.
“This is about scale, very much about diversification as well. That’s probably more crucial from Harbour’s perspective,” said Scott Walker, M&A researcher at Wood Mackenzie.
Energy Voice says it was reported this week that the pair are in merger talks, potentially seeing Harbour list in New York.
Court rules against Edinburgh council on lets
A plan to regulate Airbnb-style lets in Edinburgh has been ruled unlawful by a judge less than four months before it was due to come into force.
Operators and landlords opposed to the scheme took the city council to court last month.
After a two-day hearing at the Court of Session, Lord Braid agreed that part of the proposal was unlawful.
The BBC says the local authority wants to introduce the licensing scheme in response to concerns about the high number of short-term lets in the capital - particularly in the city centre.
It argues that the lettings have exacerbated housing shortages and fuelled anti-social behaviour.
Fiona Campbell, chief executive of the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers, welcomed the ruling, which she said would also have ramifications for other licensing schemes across Scotland.
More gloom on mortgage deals
HSBC has temporarily withdrawn mortgage deals for new borrowers in a further sign of turbulent times in the UK lending market.
The measure suggests pressures on lenders to hike mortgage rates.
The bank removed all its "new business" residential and buy-to-let products yesterday, with deals available again on Monday.
Rival lender Nationwide said it needed to increase fixed rates to ensure they remain "sustainable".
Mortgage rates have been rising since recent data showed that inflation was not coming down as quickly as expected.
The BBC says there have been predictions that the Bank of England will raise rates higher than previously thought, from their current 4.5% to as high as 5.5%.
Trump charged
Former US President Donald Trump has been charged over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.
Mr Trump, 76, faces seven charges including unauthorised retention of classified files, US media reported, but the indictment is not yet public.
It is the second indictment of Mr Trump and the first ever federal indictment of a former president.
He is campaigning to make a stunning return to the White House in 2024.
The BBC says that, in a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said he was innocent and had been summoned to appear at a federal court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.
Pay deal for offshore workers
Hundreds of offshore workers have accepted a new pay deal, bringing their ongoing dispute to an end.
The Unite union said more than 700 members at Bilfinger UK agreed to the improved offer.
The Bilfinger contractors had been scheduled to take part in a recent round of offshore strike action again this week.
However, the BBC says they had suspended their involvement to allow a vote on the offer from Bilfinger.
SNP seeks new CEO
The SNP has advertised for a new chief executive to replace Peter Murrell who resigned during the party leadership contest.
Mr Murrell, who is married to former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, took responsibility for the party misleading the media over a drop in membership.
He has since been arrested and questioned by police investigating the SNP's fundraising and finances. He was released without charge pending further inquiries.
The BBC says the chief executive job comes with a salary of £95,000 a year.
Anger at FirstGroup bonus
The former operator of the TransPennine Express is to bank a taxpayer-funded performance bonus despite the operator being nationalised after months of disruption and regular cancellations.
Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, which operated the troubled train line between April 2022 and May 2023, confirmed it would receive the payout as it announced a jump in profits at its train and bus division.
The payout is thought to be in the multi-millions, though FirstGroup chief executive Graham Sutherland declined to say how big the performance fee would be.
Louise Haigh, shadow transport secretary, told the Telegraph that the reward was “beyond belief”.
Mr Sutherland defended the award despite the poor performance on the TransPennine line, saying: “We still expect, obviously, to receive what we think we are due.”
Recession in eurozone
The eurozone fell into recession last winter, revised figures show.
The economy of the 20 nation-bloc contracted by 0.1% between January and March, after also shrinking in the final three months of 2022.
A recession is generally defined as when an economy shrinks for two three-month periods, or quarters, in a row.
The BBC says that, as in other regions, the eurozone has been hit by rising food and energy prices that have weighed on households.