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UK interest rates, Ueno account freeze, JTI’s Russian operations

The Bank of England has increased its interest rate to 4%, its first rise since August 2023, with the next decision due on 17 December. In Paraguay, Ueno Bank’s liquidation has left customers unable to access accounts and tied up pension and healthcare funds. A decree by President Vladimir Putin has placed Japan Tobacco International’s Russian businesses under temporary management, removing the company’s control.

Also in this edition

Business dailycovering Published By AveNews SI desk4 minBusiness

Written by AveNews superintelligence (SI) from AveNews articles and their sources.

A painted stone building with columns under a blue sky, crossed by a glowing upward-stepping line and the text “4%.” SI illustration
Table of contents

Economy

Bank of England raises interest rate to 4%

The Bank of England raised its rate for the first time since August 2023 to contain the wider effects of higher energy prices. Governor Andrew Bailey said another rise could be warranted, with the next decision due on 17 December.

Companies

South West Water must submit leak plan within 6 weeks

South West Water must produce a plan to tackle leaks after years of missed targets. Regulators say the losses put customers at greater risk during drought, while the company says it is repairing leaks and moving water through its network.

Markets

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Also today

Economy

  1. Azerbaijan proposes ₼4 billion for special defense projects

    A man holding a blank sheet looks into an empty room. Behind him, workers stand near apartment buildings and scaffolding, with mountains in the distance. SI illustration

  2. US Treasury publishes determination naming four Cuban sectors

    A painted Cuban flag stands beside a circuit board, metal parts, two ships and a coiled network cable, while a hand holds a blank sheet of paper. SI illustration

  3. France’s National Assembly rejects budget revenue section unanimously

    A painting of people scattered across curved red benches in a parliamentary chamber, with a French flag and a document on a central desk. SI illustration
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  1. Norway’s central bank holds policy rate at 4.5%

    Painted portrait of a woman in a dark top beside the text “4.5%” and a Norwegian flag, against a red, white and blue background. SI illustration

  2. South Korea proposes delaying digital-asset tax to 2029

    A painted scene of a man and woman looking at a phone in a broad plaza, with a South Korean flag and a domed building behind them. SI illustration

  3. Judge rejected New York City’s second-home tax rollout, not the tax

    A painted apartment entry hall with rows of gray mailboxes, a tray of unmarked envelopes, and more envelopes on a table beside potted plants. SI illustration

Companies

  1. Sony says Wolverine sales exceed 2.4 million copies

    Rows of blue game cases sit beneath Sony and PlayStation logos, with a sign reading “2.4 million+” in front. SI illustration

  2. Honda commits 3.3 billion reais to expand Brazil motorcycle plant

    A painted Honda factory with motorcycles outside and two translucent building outlines beside it, surrounded by trees with water in the distance. SI illustration

  3. US regulator makes Amazon ad pricing allegations public

    Illustration of an Amazon sign and a stack of papers with thick black bars in front of a large columned building. SI illustration
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  1. Germany agrees to 50% stake in KNDS’s German business, report says

    A painted armored vehicle chassis rests on yellow stands in a workshop, beneath large KNDS lettering on the wall. SI illustration

  2. BT cuts workforce by 7,731 as profit rises 12%

    Two workers lay purple cables outside a building marked “BT Group,” with cable reels nearby and rising gold and falling grey lines across the sky. SI illustration

  3. Grab agrees to fee cuts and driver compensation in Vietnam, commission says

    A painted scene shows a man beside a white car, a large phone displaying the Grab logo, folders and a green band beneath “32%.” SI illustration

  4. Aspirity commits $135 million to Hoxton Wealth in minority investment

    A painted office scene shows four people at computer desks, with plants and a world map on the wall; an empty workspace is visible through glass doors. SI illustration

  5. AstraZeneca offered $10 billion for Rhythm, sources say

    A painted AstraZeneca sign stands beside three capped vials, a flask, a beaker and a shallow dish on a laboratory counter. SI illustration

  6. ORIX Aviation agrees to buy AerFin

    A jet engine with its casing open rests on a yellow stand in a hangar, with engine parts on a workbench and a passenger plane visible outside. SI illustration

  7. Azerbaijan’s SOCAR signs $1.65 billion US gas deal with Comstock

    A painted gas field with wellheads and pipelines leading to a processing facility, bordered by trees. A blank white shape overlaps the upper right corner. SI illustration

  8. Unilever agrees to sell Myanmar joint-venture stake to Centig

    White bottles and cardboard boxes sit on a conveyor belt in a sunlit factory, beneath a Myanmar flag. SI illustration

  9. Armeconombank signs $10 million loan for Armenian businesses

    A woodworker passes a blank sheet across a counter while a tailor cuts fabric and a food worker arranges dough beneath an Armenian flag. SI illustration

  10. David Jones enters administration, putting thousands of jobs at risk

    A painted low-angle view of a woman holding papers and a gray shirt on a hanger in a clothing store, with another woman among racks behind her. SI illustration

  11. Meta acquires Conductor as cloud service faces shutdown

    Overhead illustration of a person connecting an external drive to a laptop on a blue desk, beside a plant and a mug. SI illustration

  12. Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote launches $2.5 billion Namibia fuel depot

    A man in a dark suit and pink tie stands beside a large white storage tank, with pipes, smaller tanks and a harbor behind him. SI illustration

  13. SpaceX raises 2027 data center target to about 13 GW, SemiAnalysis says

    Painterly illustration of rows of gray equipment cabinets in an open industrial building, with a satellite dish, lake and mountains beyond. SI illustration

Markets

  1. 54 companies object to OKXICE stock trading plan

    Painted room with a sunlit window and a moonlit city view. Two connected clear cases hold a blank pale sheet and a glowing blue block; a blank screen stands nearby. SI illustration

  2. Crédit Mutuel Arkéa says operations resume after cyberattack

    A hand holds a Crédit Mutuel Arkéa card beside a payment terminal displaying a red padlock, with groceries on the counter. SI illustration

  3. Sterling reaches its strongest level since the Brexit vote

    A painted stone building with columns stands behind a woven basket, with multicoloured ribbons stretching across the foreground. SI illustration
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  1. Brent crude futures fall 8.67% to $94.62 a barrel

    A man and a woman paint jagged, descending brown and blue lines across a large pale surface, with two dark jars nearby. SI illustration

Startups & Venture

  1. Zipline raises $1.5 billion and expands Walmart drone deal

    Workers tend to delivery drones on workbenches inside a hangar, while another drone carries a parcel over a rural landscape dotted with outlined landing sites. SI illustration

  2. Wonder files confidentially for an initial public offering

    A sealed folder lies on a food hall counter in front of prepared meals, while kitchen staff work and diners sit by large windows. SI illustration

  3. Numica raises $21 million to buy more accounting practices

    Illustration of people reviewing papers around a large office table, with stacks of documents flowing from smaller meeting rooms and a blue and red ribbon sweeping in from the window. SI illustration

Reports on this date

  • A painted crowd marches along tram tracks beneath autumn trees, carrying French flags and blank signs past a sheltered stop. SI illustration
    AveNews

    French strikes, UK interest rates, Ueno Bank liquidation

    France’s Interior Ministry counted at least 600,000 demonstrators as strikes disrupted public services, and Lecornu has called a conference on wages and purchasing power. The Bank of England raised its rate to 4%. Ueno Bank’s liquidation in Paraguay has frozen customer accounts and tied up pension and healthcare funds.

    Daily report · covering

    3 min46 sources

  • A painted Indian flag hangs behind stylized buildings linked by channels. A metal plate covers part of a crack in a central block, with a cable trailing from it. SI illustration
    Technology

    India’s cyber agency says financial firms faced repeat attacks

    India’s cybersecurity agency says Crafty Falcon breached non-bank lenders, financial technology firms and cryptocurrency exchanges, and that incomplete fixes were followed by repeat attacks. Refrigeration attacks have affected more than 100 stores across at least 11 European countries. OpenAI has released a higher-risk cybersecurity model to selected approved customers and plans to widen access.

    Daily report · covering

    4 min44 sources

  • In a flooded residential street, two rescuers in yellow jackets help a gray-haired person into a boat beside a porch. Another boat and a road barrier are visible in the distance. SI illustration
    Science

    McCaysville flood rescues, Pennsylvania measles, Singapore haze law

    A county update put overnight swiftwater rescues at about 57 as crews continued searching around McCaysville, where some flooded areas remained inaccessible. Pennsylvania state data show more than 1,400 confirmed measles cases and six associated deaths in 2026. Singapore has passed haze-law amendments that will expand enforcement powers once they take effect.

    Daily report · covering

    4 min22 sources

  • A painted studio scene contrasts a brightly lit television set with a dim wedding aisle, rows of chairs and a flower-covered arch. SI illustration
    Culture

    Married at First Sight UK cancellation, heritage risks, SoundCloud labels

    Channel 4 will redirect the budget of Married at First Sight UK to other programming after ending the show and shelving its sixth season. Historic England has added 197 sites to its heritage at-risk register. SoundCloud plans to identify the superintelligence (SI) origin of tracks published directly from ElevenLabs.

    Daily report · covering

    3 min32 sources

  • An illustrated indoor swimming pool with lane ropes, a blue starting block and an envelope on the sunlit deck. SI illustration
    Sports

    Tomoru Honda’s suspension, Alan Jones’s death, Mkhoyan relatives’ crash account

    Tomoru Honda’s 21-month swimming registration suspension will begin once receipt of his disciplinary notice is confirmed. Formula One champion Alan Jones has died after a career that included 12 Grand Prix victories. European champion Erik Mkhoyan died in the Ushi road crash, his relatives said, according to Civic.am, and a memorial service was scheduled in Lernahovit.

    Daily report · covering

    4 min36 sources

  • A painted portrait of a blonde woman in a dark blue top beside an empty chamber with curved rows of blue seats and desks. SI illustration
    Politics

    Democratic Senate control, Paraguay resignation, French strikes

    Annie Andrews’s South Carolina victory helped Democrats take the US Senate, with two races still unresolved as counting continues. Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña resigned, with Pedro Alliana set to succeed him. Strikes disrupted French public services, and Lecornu has called a conference on wages and purchasing power.

    Daily report · covering

    4 min61 sources