BT buys TalkTalk out of administration, keeping broadband running for its 1.5 million homes; a competition review must report by 19 October

The rest of the day

13 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Glasgow lifts its threat to sack and rehire staff

   Glasgow City Council and Unison, its biggest union, reached a deal on Monday over a new pay system. [7][8] The council had told all 23,000 of its non-teaching staff they could be dismissed and taken back on new terms. [8] The new system is meant to end years of unequal pay for women, but it would have cut wages for 11% of the staff assessed so far. [7] Those wages will now be protected for three years. [7][8] Unison will ballot its members over four weeks. [7]

   11 of 100

   staff whose wages the new pay system would cut

   Why it matters — The workers who were facing cuts now have three years before any loss arrives. [7] The council says no more money is coming, so what happens after those three years is still open. [7]

2. 03

   Tories promise to scrap the tax on 2m-pound homes

   Andrew Griffith, the UK Conservative party's shadow chancellor, spoke at its conference in Birmingham on Monday. [9] He said he hoped to scrap at least one tax in every Budget if his party wins power, but only when the country can afford it. [9] First on his list is an extra council tax on homes in England worth more than 2m pounds, due to start in 2028. [9] He also said the party would keep the state pension triple lock, which raises pensions every year. [9]

   Why it matters — The surcharge falls only on the most expensive homes, so scrapping it helps a small group of owners. [9] The Conservatives are in opposition, so none of this changes until an election. [9]

3. 04

   A 50,000-pound cheaper home, checked

   The Conservatives say cutting building rules would take up to 50,000 pounds off the cost of a new home in England and Wales. [10] BBC Verify found the figure comes from estimates by the housebuilding industry, and the party has not given a full breakdown. [10] The plan assumes builders pass the savings to buyers rather than keep them as profit. [10] E3G, a climate think tank, says dropping the rule that new homes need heat pumps and solar panels would add about 1,000 pounds a year to their energy bills. [11]

   Why it matters — A buyer could pay less on the day they buy and more every year they live there. [10][11] The 50,000 pounds only reaches buyers if builders choose to cut their prices. [10]

4. 05

   UK five-year fixed mortgages reach 6%

   The average five-year fixed-rate mortgage in the UK has reached 6.00%, the highest since September 2023, says Moneyfacts, a firm that tracks loan prices. [12] The average two-year fix is 5.98%. [12] At the start of September there were 1,494 fixed deals priced under 5%, and now there are nine. [12] On a 250,000-pound loan, 6% costs 158 pounds a month more than the 4.94% average in February. [12]

   Start of September1,494

   Now9

   Why it matters — This lands on people whose old fixed deal is ending and on anyone buying a home now. [12] Nationwide, a building society, says yearly house price growth halved in September. [12]

5. 06

   Sainsbury's and Morrisons held merger talks

   Sainsbury's, the UK's second-biggest supermarket, held talks this year about merging with Morrisons, the Guardian reports, citing the Financial Times and Sky. [13] The talks are no longer live. [13] Together they would hold 23.6% of the grocery market, behind Tesco's 27.8%. [13] In 2019 the Competition and Markets Authority blocked a deal between Asda and Sainsbury's, saying it would mean higher prices. [13] Lidl's British sales rose 10%, to more than 13bn pounds, in the year to February. [13]

   Tesco27.8%

   Sainsbury's and Morrisons together23.6%

   Sainsbury's alone15.2%

   Why it matters — Fewer big supermarkets usually means less pressure to keep food prices down, which is why such a deal would face the same regulator now judging BT. [13] Shoppers are already moving to cheaper stores like Lidl. [13]

6. 07

   Australia's poorest buried in shared, unmarked graves

   A Guardian Australia investigation found more than 100 unmarked graves in New South Wales used to bury people too poor to pay for a funeral. [14] Each grave usually holds four to six strangers, at Rookwood cemetery in Sydney. [14][15] They include two Vietnam war veterans, though a federal fund exists to pay for poor veterans' funerals. [14] In six cases, family or friends were not told in time to pay for a burial themselves. [15] NSW Health has apologised. [14]

   Why it matters — The state takes charge of the remains when nobody can pay, which means about 98 burials a year in New South Wales. [15] Families who would have paid lost the chance to say so. [14]

7. 08

   Sykes refunds a widow after a death-certificate demand

   A woman's husband booked a 2,400-pound cottage with Sykes Holiday Cottages for an 80th birthday, then died 10 days before the trip. [16] Sykes refused to move the booking into her name without a death certificate, which she could not get because an inquest had been ordered. [16] It then sent emails to her late husband asking if he had enjoyed the stay. [16] After the Guardian's consumer column asked, Sykes refunded the 2,400 pounds and added 150 pounds. [16]

   Why it matters — Sykes has no written policy for customers who die, so a family's money depended on one complaint reaching the press. [16] The firm says it is reviewing its processes. [16]

8. 09

   Trump lets truckers use untaxed farm diesel

   President Donald Trump signed an order on Monday letting dyed diesel, the untaxed fuel meant for farms, be used on US roads. [17] It defers the federal fuel tax of 24.4 cents a gallon until the end of the year. [17] US diesel prices are at record highs, and at least 10 states had already done the same. [17] Trump said a typical trucker would save more than 100 dollars on every fill-up. [17]

   Why it matters — Food and many other goods move by truck in the US, so dear diesel pushes up their prices. [17] The tax is deferred, not cancelled, unless the US Treasury finds a way to drop it. [17]

9. 10

   Pakistan puts petrol up and diesel down

   Pakistan's government raised petrol by Rs0.88 a litre to Rs393.64 and cut diesel by Rs1.88 to Rs397.76, from Tuesday. [18] Prices are now set every day because of the war with Iran. [18] Petrol peaked at Rs458.41 in April, after starting the war at about Rs266. [18] Pakistan's government still takes Rs114 a litre in taxes on petrol and Rs100 on diesel. [18]

   Petrol before the war266 Rs

   Petrol at its April peak458.41 Rs

   Petrol from Tuesday393.64 Rs

   Why it matters — Petrol fuels the motorbikes, rickshaws and small cars of middle- and lower-income families. [18] Diesel moves goods and runs generators, so its price reaches almost everyone. [18]

10. 11

    Spain's election will turn on rents

    Pedro Sanchez, Spain's prime minister, has called a snap general election for 29 November. [19] It came after parliament narrowly voted down his measures to stop evictions and improve tenants' contracts. [19] Anger over rents has grown in recent days, the BBC reports. [19] Polls put the conservative People's Party on about 34% and his Socialists on 26%. [20]

    Why it matters — Renters in Spain now wait for an election to decide whether any new protections come at all. [19][20] A right-wing government could include Vox, which voted against the tenant measures. [19][20]

11. 12

    Ireland's public workers start work-to-rule over pay

    More than 100,000 public workers in Ireland, including nurses, school staff and civil servants, began work-to-rule last week. [21] That means doing only the duties their contracts require, with no unpaid extra hours. [21] Their last pay agreement with the Irish government ended on 30 June, and no talks are taking place. [21] Teachers' unions planned to join from 5 October, with one-day strikes on 14 and 21 October. [21]

    Why it matters — Schools could close on the strike days, which lands on working parents. [21] The unions want cost-of-living help at the start of any talks, and Ireland's government wants talks first. [21]

12. 13

    Enniskillen factory workers win a 4% rise

    About 130 workers at Pilgrim's Europe's food factory in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, voted to accept a pay deal and end their strike. [22] They had been on strike since the start of September. [22] The deal gives all shop-floor workers a 4% rise and pays them fully for their breaks. [22] The plant makes brands such as Fridge Raiders and Richmond sausages. [22]

    Why it matters — Paid breaks add to take-home money without changing the hourly rate. [22] Talks on next year's pay start at the end of this year. [22]

13. 14

    US holiday flights cost a third more

    US airfares in August were 23.4% higher than a year earlier, CNBC reports. [23] Hopper, a fare-tracking app, says a round trip over Thanksgiving costs 402 dollars, up 31%. [23] Christmas fares are up 23%, at 452 dollars. [23] Airlines have passed higher jet fuel costs on to passengers since the war with Iran began in February. [23]

    Why it matters — Families travelling home for the holidays are booking anyway, and booking earlier than usual. [23] Delta, the first big US airline to report this season, gives its outlook on Friday. [23]