Here are the stories making the business headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Jobs axed after Aberdeen painter and decorator goes bust
Bad debts have been blamed for the collapse of Aberdeen firm Bespoke Decorators, with the loss of 15 jobs.
Joint liquidators at corporate restructuring company Begbies Traynor have urged creditors to come forward and make a claim.
The Press & Journal reports that Bespoke folded owing nearly £245,000.
Date set for indyref2 Supreme Court showdown
The showdown in the UK’s highest court that will decide whether Nicola Sturgeon can hold her own independence referendum is scheduled to start the day after she delivers her speech to the SNP conference.
The Telegraph says that senior lawyers from the UK and Scottish governments will argue their cases in oral hearings in the Supreme Court on Oct 11th and 12th.
This is the day after the SNP conference in Aberdeen closes with a speech from Ms Sturgeon that is likely to focus on her demand for another separation vote.
Firefighters threaten strike in latest pay dispute crisis
Frontline firefighters became the latest emergency service to raise the prospect of industrial action, with police officers already implementing “work to rule” and ambulance staff balloting over whether to down tools.
The Times reports that the Fire Brigades Union’s executive committee unanimously rejected a “paltry” 2% salary uplift amid the threat of wildfires caused by surging heat.
John McKenzie, the FBU’s Scottish secretary, said: “Firefighters have never taken industrial action lightly but such is the level of anger at this insulting offer, industrial action is now a very serious proposition."
EU told to prepare for Russian gas shut-off
The European Commission has urged countries across the bloc to cut their gas use by 15% from August to March amid fears Russia could halt supplies.
It says the target is voluntary but will become legally binding if Moscow turns off the taps this summer.
The BBC reports that the key Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Germany has been offline for maintenance for 10 days and is due to be turned back on this Thursday. But there are concerns Moscow will not follow through on its promise.
‘Radical plans’ needed to save shopping centre developments
Nearly half of all shopping centres in Britain should be knocked down or dramatically repurposed, a report has suggested.
Lambert Smith Hampton estimates that 37% of the country’s shopping centres need reinventing, while a further 9% should be demolished.
The Times said Lambert Smith Hampton analysed the 100 shopping centre deals — worth about £2.4 billion — that have been completed since the start of 2020. Its analysts think just over a third would be better off if they were reinvented.
Sizewell C nuclear plant gets go-ahead from UK Government
The government has given the go-ahead for the new Sizewell C nuclear power plant on the Suffolk coast.
The project, mainly funded by the French energy company EDF, is expected to cost in the region of £20billion.
The BBC said the new plant would generate about 7% of the UK's electricity needs and operate for 60 years.
President Biden unveils $2.3bn plan to fight climate change
US President Joe Biden has announced $2.3bn (£1.9bn) to help build infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather and natural disasters.
But he stopped short of formally declaring a climate emergency, which would grant him further powers.
Mr Biden spoke in Massachusetts as a heatwave brings extreme weather to Europe and North America. Tens of millions of people in the US, across more than two dozen states, are living under heat warnings this week.