Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
NHS Grampian diverting patients to other hospitals ‘due to extreme pressure’ at ARI
NHS Grampian has declared a critical incident, citing “very high” demand on its services and partner agencies.
While patients requiring life-saving care will still be treated at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), other patients are being redirected to alternative hospitals “where clinically appropriate”.
It’s understood patients are being re-routed to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness – over 100 miles away from ARI – and Ninewells in Dundee (70 miles away).
Typhoo Tea falls into administration after 121 years
Typhoo Tea has fallen into administration after 121 years.
The vapes and batteries maker Supreme has said it is in talks over a potential rescue deal to snap up Typhoo, which filed a notice to appoint administrators on Wednesday, according to official filings.
The collapse follows several years of declining sales, mounting debts and even a break-in at its Wirral factory last year.
Telegraph deal in limbo as bidder given open-ended extension
The sale of The Telegraph has been thrown into limbo after the leading bidder was handed an effective open-ended extension to takeover talks.
Dovid Efune, the little-known publisher behind The New York Sun, is in exclusive discussions to buy The Telegraph from Abu Dhabi fund RedBird IMI in a deal expected to be worth £550m.
The period of exclusivity began six weeks ago and was scheduled to end on Friday. However, this deadline has now been delayed as Mr Efune scrambles to gather funding.
House prices and sales across UK expected to rise in early 2025
House sales are expected to accelerate over the next four months as buyers seek to benefit from tax breaks that are due to run out in April 2025, according to the online property website Zoopla.
The number of home sales increased across the UK this year, pushing up prices by 1.5% in the year to October.
Next year prices are expected to rise by 2.5% and transactions will jump by 5%, the website said.
Canada watchdog sues Google over alleged anti-competitive conduct
Canada's Competition Bureau is suing Google for alleged anti-competitive conduct in its online advertising.
In a statement, the country's antitrust watchdog alleged Google had illegally linked two advertising tools to maintain market supremacy and used this dominant position to distort ad auctions by preferring its own tools.
The agency said it had filed an application with the Competition Tribunal, a court-like independent body, that would require Google to sell two of its ad technology tools.
Chamber members' night of success at OEUK Awards
Around 600 energy industry professionals gathered last night at the annual OEUK Awards at P&J Live.
The mood was reflective after a challenging year for the sector but everyone agreed that - given the right conditions - the companies and people in the room can drive the clean energy transition everyone wants. In his opening address, Simon Roddy of event sponsor Shell talked of the importance in this regard of the North Sea Taskforce work being led by British Chambers of Commerce.
And it was a successful evening for a number of Chamber members.
Dylan Fettes of Ithaca was named Apprentice of the Year in the category sponsored by Opito. Amy Connelly of Shell won the accolade of Early Career Professional of the Year sponsored by Wood. In the Innovative Supply Chain Company category sponsored by Harbour Energy, SLB and Aisus Offshore carried off the Large Enterprise and SME gongs respectively. And in the D2Zero-sponsored Good Neighbour category voted for on the night by attendees, the winner was Spirit Energy.