Energy & Utilities: South Africa’s annual consumer inflation eased to 4.3% in July as fuel inflation cooled and food pressures stayed calmer, but households still feel higher electricity, water and insurance costs. UK Cost of Living: UK CPI rose to 2.9% in July, with energy bills again driving the jump while food inflation eased—competition in grocery is helping, but heat and drought risks loom. Consumer Protection Crackdowns: Dubai launched back-to-school checks across stores and online to ensure clear pricing, receipts, and honest promotions; Kuwait’s consumer protection inspectors flagged missing prices, receipts, and unclear product origin. Pricing Transparency Watch: The UK CMA opened probes into Virgin Atlantic package holidays plus Trainline and Red Driving School over “drip pricing” and failure to show total costs upfront. Solar for Homeowners: Freyr Energy rolled out SiC-based residential rooftop solar inverters with smart monitoring and a 10-year warranty for India. Retail Tech & Operations: Qatar’s Al Meera signed Yardi to centralize retail property management, leasing, forecasting and tenant services. Food & Innovation: Tufts launched a food-tech hub to help companies scale prototypes into commercial products. Consumer Markets & Finance: Australia moves to strengthen retirement-fund protections by targeting predatory lead generators and improving access to safe advice. Crypto Payments Trial: JCB, Digital Garage and Lawson will test stablecoin in-store payments in Japan using USDC.