Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Andy Burnham: I won’t be unrealistic about tax rises
Andy Burnham has refused to rule out tax rises in the autumn budget, saying he “won’t be unrealistic” about the state of the public finances.
The prime minister said that the public need to understand that “we are in a challenging position” when pressed on how he was going to fund his public spending commitments.
Economists believe that it is increasingly likely that John Healey, the chancellor, will have to raise taxes in the budget on October 28 because of the impact of the war in Iran and the need to find billions more for defence spending.
Read more in The Times.
Graduate job vacancies drop by almost 50% in a year, survey suggests
The number of graduate jobs has fallen almost in half in the past year, according to new figures, as employers cut entry-level roles in favour of AI and battle rising costs.
Jobs website Adzuna said it had just 8,383 graduate vacancies listed in July, down from 15,397 at the same point last year.
Adzuna also found competition among job seekers across all levels is rising, with an average of 2.14 job seekers per vacancy in July, up from 1.93 a year earlier.
Read the full BBC story here.
Last-ditch plea to build homes at ‘eyesore’ Cults site refused over ‘overdevelopment’ concerns
Plans to build two new homes on a razed plot of land in Cults has been thrown out by Aberdeen City Council for a second time over concerns it would result in “overdevelopment”.
The spot on the corner of South Avenue and North Deeside Road has lain empty for around a decade after the previous home on the site was demolished.
Last summer, The Press and Journal reported on proposals for new properties on the “eyesore, weed-infested” land just off the A93 Aberdeen to Braemar, running through Cults.
Read the full story in The Press and Journal.
Iran says it is ready for what US calls 'greatest financial offensive ever'
Iran says it has a two-year plan to counter widened sanctions after the US announced an "economic D-Day" against the country and threatened its supporters.
In response to what US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was "the single greatest financial offensive ever", Iran's economy minister Ali Madanizadeh said it was "fully prepared for the US sanctions", which would result in another defeat for Washington.
Under the latest threat to the Iranian regime, Bessent said the US would cut all economic ties with the country and added that any nation financially partnering with Iran would be isolated.
Read the BBC article here.
New 10p coin enters circulation
Something new might appear in your change when you pay in cash from now on: a 10p coin featuring the portrait of King Charles and the world's largest grouse.
Sufficient demand for the coins mean newly-minted 10p pieces are entering circulation for the first time for about four years, this time with a new design.
The Royal Mint says shoppers and collectors should discover the coins, which were minted and dated in 2023 and 2026, across the country.
Find the BBC article here.
Sport Aberdeen: Chairman Tony Dawson announces he’s to retire as details of ‘sexualised behaviour’ complaint revealed
Sport Aberdeen chairman Tony Dawson has told The Press and Journal he will end his involvement with the charity.
He did so in a statement after being asked for comment on an upheld complaint about his “sexualised behaviour” which is said to have taken place during his first term as chairman.
Aberdeen City Council’s arms-length leisure operator was thrown into turmoil last October, and the retiring Mr Dawson was asked to return on October 31.
Read the P&J article here.