Here are the business stories making the headlines across Aberdeen, Scotland and the UK this morning.
Ship attack reports near Hormuz reach record high as oil exports slow
The number of ships that have reported being attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz has hit a record high, BBC Verify analysis of data from a UK maritime agency shows.
Twelve vessels were attacked between 5 and 11 October - the largest number of weekly strikes reported to the UK's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency since the US-Israeli war with Iran began. The previous week saw 10 ships reporting attacks.
Six of the vessels were struck last Sunday, according to the UKMTO - a one-day high. So far this week, there have been four reported attacks.
Read more from the BBC.
AI giant Anthropic woos potential investors ahead of stock market debut
Artificial intelligence (AI) giant Anthropic has been drumming up support for its expected stock market listing as it seeks to reassure investors of its profit-making potential.
Anthropic revenue surged by 45% to $16.8bn (£12.7bn) in the three months to the end of September, the BBC understands.
In common with other AI firms, it is seeking to position itself as being able to generate huge profits despite spending billions on tech.
Read more on the BBC website.
Fears axing TECA bus stops over antisocial Aberdeen youths ‘will leave some people stranded’
People could be left stranded after bus services to a major event complex were axed, fears Aberdeen North MP Kirsty Blackman.
Stagecoach’s 727 will no longer operate between 6pm and 11pm in the P&J Live and TECA grounds following incidents of anti-social behaviour.
Ms Blackman travelled to the SNP conference via the Stagecoach service on Thursday morning.
Read more in The Press and Journal.
Nandy 'minded to intervene' in Sky's £1.6bn takeover of ITV entertainment arm
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said she is "minded to intervene" in the proposed £1.6bn deal for Sky to buy ITV's media and entertainment division.
Nandy said there were reasonable grounds to believe the deal could affect free expression in the media and the variety of Britain's news landscape.
Sky said it would "carefully consider" a letter from the culture secretary and "engage constructively" with the review into the deal.
Read the BBC article here.
Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC win £1.5bn in government work this year
The Big Four accountancy firms have won £1.5bn of public sector contracts so far in 2026, the most in any year on record apart from during the Covid-19 crisis, according to new research.
Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC have enjoyed a surge in government work despite a pledge by Labour to “slash” spending on external consultants.
The £1.5bn is the Big Four’s second-most successful calendar year for state contracts since comparable records began in 2012, beaten only by emergency contracts during the height of the pandemic in 2020. It is already significantly more than in the whole of 2025.
Read more in The Times.