Charity Retail Closures: The British Heart Foundation plans to close 150 shops by March 2028, including two County Durham stores, after reporting a £3.3m net retail loss and warning returns are “not sustainable” amid rising costs and changing customer habits. Broadband Boost: Sky says it’s rolling out its fastest full-fibre packages, with 1.6Gbps available to 79% of UK homes (and up to 5Gbps for 14%), via Openreach and CityFibre where available. Consumer Confidence & Spending: Retail sales worsened in September as confidence dipped and costs stayed high, with retailers cutting order volumes at the fastest pace on record, according to the CBI. Mortgage Pressure: Barclays and NatWest have raised some fixed-rate mortgage deals, adding to a “dark week” for borrowers as rate rises spread across the market. Banking Outage: Santander customers reported app and online banking outages, leaving some unable to log in or make payments while the bank apologised and worked to restore services. Diesel Near Record: RAC data puts diesel at 198.32p a litre, close to the 2022 record, with prices driven by global oil supply pressures. Illegal Vapes Crackdown: Wales councils boarded up four vape shops after raids found hidden storage and illegal tobacco/vapes, including sales linked to children. EV Choice Grows: The AA says EV readiness is up (60/100) as EV sales near one in three new cars, with Chinese brands expanding options. EU-UK Car Tariffs: The EU is urging the UK to raise tariffs on Chinese EVs to avoid “Made in Europe” export barriers and prevent the UK becoming a backdoor route. Food & Drink: Aldi has started fresh produce handling at its £500m automated Bardon warehouse, while CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide adds thousands of pubs, including venues in Rutland and Lincolnshire. Home Deals: Dunelm is advertising a discounted sofa bed for Christmas hosting, cutting the price from £419 to £335.20.