Here are the business stories making the headlines across Aberdeen, Scotland and the UK this morning.
Prepare for food shortages and disruption, Wes Streeting warns the public
The public has been told to stockpile three days’ emergency supplies as Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, warned that Britain must be prepared for a national crisis.
Households should keep extra water, food, medical supplies, cash, passport copies and key phone numbers written down, the government has urged.
Launching a “national resilience conversation”, Streeting said people must be prepared for food shortages and disruption to essential supply chains caused by cyberattacks, state-sponsored terrorism and other threats.
Read more in The Times.
Aberdeen restaurant ‘to close’ to save Dundee venue after HMRC liquidation demand
An Aberdeen restaurant faces closure after its owners were hit with legal action by HMRC.
West African and Caribbean-inspired restaurant Gidi Grill took over the empty former Hallmark unit in Union Street in November 2022.
Owners Mobolaji (Mo) Adeniyi and Eniola Odejayi hoped to repeat the success of the Gidi Grill they launched in Dundee in March 2018.
But HMRC has now called for Gidi Grill Limited to be put into liquidation over money owed.
Read the full exclusive in The P&J.
Barclays cutting 5,000 jobs as it increases reliance on AI
Barclays is cutting around 5,000 staff as it introduces more artificial intelligence (AI) into its work processes.
The banking group said 1,000 posts had already been closed and it expects a further reduction of 4,000 to be complete by the end of this year, amounting to around 5% of its global workforce.
The bank's cost reductions are focused on its UK retail bank, but some back office functions for the UK are done in India, where a significant proportion of the job cuts are expected to fall.
Read the BBC article here.
Don't leave AI to tech bros and oligarchs, UK's AI minister says
Britain cannot let aritificial intelligence be ruled by "tech bros and oligarchs", the AI minister has said.
Kanishka Narayan told the BBC's Political Thinking podcast that dealing with the technology requires not only regulation, but "building capability and capacity in the state" too.
He compared AI to the Victorian-era Industrial Revolution, but said the country needed to transition better than it did back then.
Read more from the BBC.
Haigs butchers to close with ‘immediate effect’ as owner announces retirement
A family-run Aberdeen butchers has announced it will close with “immediate effect”.
Haigs was founded in 2007 by James and Julie Haig.
The couple, both born and bred in the north-east, opened a food hall on Schoolhill in 2012, building up a base of loyal customers.
Read more in The Press and Journal.
Heavy rain warning as Storm Austen sweeps across Scotland
Scotland is braced for a wet and windy weekend as two named storms hit in two days.
Storm Austen is the first to sweep across the country, with the Met Office issuing a a yellow warning for rain, external in central and eastern areas from 06:00 on Friday until midnight.
Forecasters say some places could experience 60-80mm of rain, with a risk of flooding and travel disruption.
Read more on the BBC website.