Saturday, 7 November 2026
Legislation, regulation and public programmes.
European auditors say only 36% of examined public-administration recovery measures delivered significant results, raising questions over how €49.1 billion was allocated and monitored.
A parliamentary committee says England's ten-year obesity ambition still has no measurable endpoint or coordinated delivery plan, and gives ministers three months to explain how they will deliver it.
A federal environmental audit credits a new monitoring programme with useful results but says Health Canada has not evaluated regulatory action for two of four highest-risk pesticides.
Federal auditors say Canada's projected emissions reduction has slipped to 28% against a 40%–45% target, while two government procurement measures missed their expected climate results.
A new EU customs handling charge applies per distinct imported item alongside an existing €3 duty, with platforms and sellers responsible but able to pass costs to customers.
Britain's new procurement rules envisage domestic investment obligations for selected foreign defence contracts, with annual internal oversight and only limited public release of agreement details.
Selected overseas defence awards of at least £50 million will carry requirements for UK industrial or economic benefits under a new policy, applied case by case from April 2027.
A new CBSE circular removes three planned curricular components for the affected cohort while retaining compulsory vocational study and clarifying which subjects require board examinations.
Federal disability evaluations now use updated cardiovascular listings, including new criteria for aortic valve disease, cardiomyopathy and complications after heart transplants.
New employment rules strengthen employers' harassment-prevention duties and create a statutory route for unions to seek physical or digital workplace access.
Two proposed industry standards would address workplace culture and venture-capital access, while a separate support programme for women-led scale-ups is planned for 2027.
A first joint review of water utilities in England and Wales finds persistent pollution problems despite high drinking-water compliance and planned infrastructure investment.
EU Council figures show public climate finance increased from 2024, while private funding mobilised through public interventions declined ahead of COP31.
Ofcom says photo identification, banking checks, digital IDs and facial age estimation could help enforce the proposed restrictions, but implementation rules are not yet final.
Canada's auditor general says work on a promised ban on thermal coal exports effectively ended in 2024 without documented official direction or public notice, even as exports remained above 2021 levels.
The Scale UK Connect pilot will offer a year of advice and investor connections to selected businesses, with applications opening on 29 October and the cohort starting in February.
New rules effective 29 October cover nicotine-free vapes, pouches and proxy purchases, while restricting promotional giveaways and vending-machine sales.
The European Central Bank left its deposit rate at 2.50% on 29 October, warning that rising energy prices could lift inflation while tighter credit conditions restrain growth.
Britain has accepted a 3.9% increase in statutory minimum pay rates, with the adult rate rising by 50 pence and separate increases for younger workers and apprentices.
Britain will work with technology employers and investors on two voluntary standards and plans a 2027 support programme for women-led businesses.