6: Ahead of winter, the British government says it will pick up half the tab for businesses’ energy bills for six months starting Oct. 1. Increased government spending and debt, however, makes it trickier for the Bank of England to navigate its way out of soaring inflation.
99: US gasoline prices stopped falling for the first time in 99 days on Wednesday. The latest average price of $3.68 per gallon — up seven-tenths of a cent – is a far cry from its $5 high in June, but if gas prices start rising again it could further push up inflation.
12 million: An elderly man set himself on fire Wednesday in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki government district to protest next week’s pricy state funeral for assassinated former PM Shinzo Abe. The estimated $12 million cost of the ceremony has divided Japan and hurt PM Fumio Kishida’s approval rating in recent weeks.
3.6: Indigenous landowners from Australia’s Tiwi Islands secured a major legal victory on Wednesday when a federal court halted a $3.6 billion natural gas development project led by the Aussie energy company Santos. The company said it plans to appeal.
