Canada’s Weston family buys Boots for $8.9bn
Former Selfridges owners buy UK high street institution from long-term backer Stefano Pessina
Royal Mail to cut up to 2,500 head office and support jobs by end of next year – as it happened
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warns energy shock, public debt and AI boom threaten global growth, as Brent crude rises above $101 a barrel and government bond yields rise
South West Water owner taps investors to fix infrastructure after sewage spills
Pennon slashes dividend and launches £550m cash call ‘to drive improved outcomes for customers and communities’
Australia is building a lot of new homes. But is the datacentre boom holding us back?
Housing construction is at its strongest level since 2016, but it’s AI that is sucking up resources for builders
The Jaguar Type 01: a £150k gargantuan getaway vehicle utterly useless in the city
Too costly for most, too large for UK car parks, and wheels bigger than a warlord’s pickup truck. But it does come in ‘London red’
Royal Mail to cut up to 2,500 jobs amid restructure and fall in letter deliveries
Postal service says cuts will focus on head office and ‘support function roles’
Millionaire tax no more? Rightwing groups lead effort to repeal Washington state law
An initiative on November’s ballot aims to overturn the 9.9% tax on earnings above $1m – who’s winning the fight?
McDonald’s sued for allegedly using AI tool to determine pricing for franchises
Suit says AI tool allows independently owned franchises to exchange nonpublic price and sales information
IMF chief urges governments to tighten belts as global debt levels soar
Kristalina Georgieva says big economies will have to make ‘very touch choices’ as soaring bond yields hit budgets
Skepticism mires Trump’s Iowa steel plant project: ‘Promises are not the same as jobs’
The project has sparked doubts over whether the plant will be built and delivered as promised, given Trump’s record
Shell expects refineries to almost double the profit from every barrel of fuel made
Record prices caused by global shortages amid shutdown of war-damaged refineries in Middle East and Russia
UK house prices flatline as rising mortgage costs weigh on market
Average cost of home in September was £298,441, says Lloyds – about the same as year earlier and in August
Apparent exodus of super-rich suggests UK is no longer billionaires’ playground
If recent complaints are believed, London and the UK are no longer welcoming for ultra-high net worth individuals
Wednesday briefing: Is it time to end the Bank of England’s independence?
In today’s newsletter: As MPs launch a fresh inquiry into the Bank, leading economists make their case for rethinking one of Britain’s most powerful institutions
O2 signs record deal to keep London venue’s naming rights
Exclusive: 10-year sponsorship extension at a 50% premium on last agreement crowns bonanza year for live venue