Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Mandelson 'called Epstein best pal' in birthday message
Lord Mandelson called the late Jeffrey Epstein his "best pal", according to a letter in an alleged "birthday book" that has been released by US lawmakers.
In the message for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003, Lord Mandelson - UK ambassador to the US since last year - describes him as an "intelligent, sharp-witted man", who "parachuted" into his life.
The existence of the letter from Lord Mandelson was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July, when the newspaper published details of the alleged birthday note.
Read the full story on the BBC website.
Sick days at highest level in 15 years
The number of sick days taken by British workers has risen to the highest level in more than 15 years, as bosses are urged to offer staff greater flexibility to help them to stay in employment.
Staff have taken an average of almost two full working weeks off because of illness over the past 12 months, an increase from just over a week before the pandemic, according to a survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
The sharp rise in sick days has been attributed to an ageing workforce and a rise in long-term health conditions, with mental health the leading cause of absences of four weeks or more.
Read the full story in The Times.
Murdochs reach deal in succession battle over media empire
A years-long succession battle within Rupert Murdoch's conservative media empire has drawn to a close, with his son Lachlan set to control the news group.
The deal, which the family announced on Monday, will ensure the ongoing conservative leaning of Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post after 94-year-old Rupert's death.
Under the agreement Lachlan will control a new trust while siblings Prudence MacLeod, Elisabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch will cease being beneficiaries of any trust with shares in Fox or News Corp.
Read more on the BBC website.
Badenoch 'worried' UK may need IMF bailout
Kemi Badenoch has said she is "really worried" that the UK might be forced to embark on a 1976-style bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
The Conservative leader told BBC Newsnight that the UK could be forced to go "cap in hand" to the IMF unless the government delivers a plan for economic growth.
She made her remarks as she offered to work with Sir Keir Starmer "in the national interest" to cut welfare spending, saying cuts and growth were needed to help the government out of a "doom loop" of rising taxes and precarious public finances.
Read more on the BBC website.