The pace of price rises increased to 3.7% in the year to September, driving by higher motor fuel costs.

The Competition and Markets Authority has fined Wayfair, Appliances Direct, and Gold's Gym £6m in total.

ExxonMobil's Mossmorran ethylene plant stopped production in February because it was no longer financially sustainable, affecting more than 400 employees. The Scottish government pledged £9m to support the workforce and secure a long-term future for the site. The UK government subsequently announced investment of the same scale in new projects at Mossmorran, with defence manufacturing set to be brought in.

GE Aerospace says the investment will create about 150 new jobs over the next five years.

Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft and several other technology companies of fraud in their use of the H1b visa program and a related route to permanent U.S. residency. The White House will not process any new or pending Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM) applications from Microsoft or the other firms, according to Labor Secretary Kieth Sonderling. Microsoft said 80% of its H1b filings in the last fiscal year were for existing employees, not new hires, and that its H1b workers receive the same compensation as U.S. workers.

The UK’s 2026 drought pushed the total cereal harvest to a record low, with wheat output down about three million tonnes, or 11%, according to AHDB. Some farms reported harvests falling by more than 50%, while spring barley and beans dropped by over 50%. A Wiltshire farm said the impact cost it more than £100,000.

Finland’s regulator has ordered construction work to stop at two planned Google data centres, citing the clearance of more than 300 hectares of forest and the absence of a required environmental impact assessment. The projects are part of Google’s record €13bn (£11bn; $15bn) investment in Finland. Google said it had fallen short of its own standards and would follow the regulator’s guidance.

The Group of Seven has agreed, under the International Energy Agency’s coordination, to release up to 100 million barrels of oil and diesel over four months. The plan includes a frontloaded and substantial diesel release within the first 20 days. The move aims to cool surging fuel prices and avert a possible U.S. ban on diesel exports.

Seven months after the US-Israel war with Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, Middle East oil exports have climbed back to more than 90% of prewar levels. In the final week of September, average daily flows reached 92% of the prewar baseline, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler. Roughly 40% of September exports bypassed the strait via overland pipelines, while ship-to-ship “shuttle” transfers helped maintain throughput.