Here are the business stories making the headlines across Scotland and the UK this morning.
Six By Nico to reduce capacity at its Aberdeen restaurant
Six by Nico has announced plans to cut capacity at its Aberdeen restaurant as part of a “strategic review”.
The new operating model will see Six by Nico now offer four sittings instead of five at its Union Street venue.
Founder and chief executive Nico Simeone said the business was making the changes at all its restaurants across the UK. This will see the new business model reduce the overall capacity of their restaurants by 15%.
Read the full story in the P&J.
Anger as SNP government to end rent controls in Scotland
The Scottish Government is to lift rent controls in Scotland in a move criticised as "deeply irresponsible".
The Scottish housing minister told The Herald that the current rent control regime would end next month.
It prompted a strong response from Living Rent, the tenants’ union, who raised concerns over the potential rising cost of rent, while from within the housebuilding industry it was said that a window of new investment would be created.
Aberdeen brewery Fierce Beer fizzing with new supermarket deal
Aberdeen’s Fierce Beer has brewed up a major win with a new supermarket deal.
The company’s new Iron Brew beer cooler, a fizzy, fruity creation, has scored a deal with retailer Scotmid.
The quirky concoction—part beer, part nostalgic soft drink—is the latest innovation from the city’s only brewery.
Click here to read more.
Diageo scraps medium-term guidance amid tariffs and uncertainty
The threat of US tariffs and uncertainty in many of Diageo’s markets has forced the drinks group behind Guinness, Johnnie Walker whisky and Tanqueray gin to scrap a long-standing sales growth target.
The world’s largest spirit maker had been targeting organic sales growth of between 5 and 7% over the medium term, a goal set under its former chief executive, the late Sir Ivan Menezes, in November 2021.
Analysts and industry observers had called for this guidance to be lowered to more accurately reflect the state of the global spirits market.
Google drops pledge on AI use for weapons
Alphabet, the parent company of technology giant Google, is no longer promising that it will never use artificial intelligence (AI) for purposes such as developing weapons and surveillance tools.
The firm has rewritten the principles guiding its use of AI, dropping a section which ruled out uses that were "likely to cause harm".
In a blog post, external Google senior vice president James Manyika, and Demis Hassabis, who leads the AI lab Google DeepMind, defended the move.
Click here to read more.