Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Widow of former student gives £3m to Aberdeen university
The widow of a renowned Scottish doctor has left a “transformative” gift of more than £3 million to his former university in her will.
Ruth Smith instructed that the multimillion pound legacy should be given to Aberdeen University, where her husband, Dr Bernard Smith, received his medical degree.
He was born in the Peterculter suburb of Aberdeen in 1917 and graduated with a first in medicine in 1940.
Read the full story in The Times
Tesco job offer to closure-threatened Dobbies staff
Tesco has offered jobs to workers affected by the closure of a Dobbies in Inverness.
Earlier this week, the garden centre business saidit planned to shut the store as part of UK-wide restructuring.
The closure would affect six full-time and 27 part-time posts.
Tesco, which has four supermarkets in Inverness, said jobs would be offered subject to satisfactory applicant screening.
Oil price surges on fear of Israeli strikes against Iran
The price of oil hit its highest level in more than a month amid fears that Israel may conduct retaliatory strikes on Iranian oil facilities.
When asked whether America would support Israel striking Iranian oil production, President Biden said: “We’re in discussion of that,” before adding, “I think that would be a little … anyway” in a shortened comment.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped by as much as 5 per cent to $77.54, the highest since September 2, and closing in on the $80-mark last reached at the end of August. West Texas Intermediate rose 5.02 per cent to $73.62.
Shares in Shell and BP rose 1.7 per cent and 0.6 per cent, taking the total increase in their market values to £6.5 billion since the start of this week.
Click here to read the full story.
Huntly hotel to create 80 jobs after extensive renovation
A Huntly hotel which has been closed since 2021 will create 80 jobs when it reopens next year after an extensive renovation.
Work is underway to turn the Castle Hotel in Huntly into a luxury destination for whisky fans and other tourists.
The hotel was bought in 2020 by family-owned merchant Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky (DTSW) and closed the following year.
It’s expected to reopen next spring with special offers planned for people living within the local AB54 postcode.
Read the full story in the P&J.
It's no-one for Pimm's as owner Diageo scraps sale
Diageo, the FTSE 100 alcoholic beverages giant, has scrapped the sale of its Pimm's brand after failing to reach a deal with potential buyers.
Sky News has learnt that Diageo, which has been under mounting pressure from investors after a slowdown in sales, has abandoned an auction process which kicked off earlier this year.
The quintessentially English drink brand Pimm's was one of several, alongside Safari, a fruit liqueur, and Pampero, a rum brand, that it was examining a sale of.