-
Cocoa supply chains face fresh pressure from EU deforestation rules. West African exporters are spending heavily on farm mapping and traceability, while concerns are growing that compliant beans could be in short supply during the regulation’s initial phase.
-
Government has opened its statutory review of telecoms security rules. Providers have eight weeks to submit evidence on whether the framework introduced under the 2021 Act is effective and proportionate.
-
US pressure is intensifying around Europe’s corporate sustainability rulebook again. Washington wants tighter limits on the reporting, due diligence, and enforcement obligations imposed on American companies, despite substantial EU simplification already agreed this year.
-
Apple will overhaul advertising consent prompts across most EU markets. Germany’s competition authority has secured changes intended to put Apple and third-party developers on a more comparable footing when requesting users’ permission to process advertising data.
-
Virgin Trains has cleared another regulatory hurdle towards European services. HS1 access has been pre-approved for up to 20 daily return services linking London with Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam from 2030.
-
Heathrow has reduced planned spending on third-runway noise mitigation measures. The proposed budget has fallen from £241m to £52m, adding another contested cost and community-impact issue to the regulatory and parliamentary scrutiny surrounding airport expansion.
-
Ofwat is considering rules that could widen scarcity-linked water pricing. Proposed charging changes would let companies give greater weight to water scarcity and efficiency, potentially accelerating tariff experiments during a summer of drought, restrictions, and rising bills.
-
Planning changes will favour station housing while tightening pub protections. The revised framework raises density expectations around transport hubs and makes pub conversions harder, as ministers try to accelerate homebuilding without hollowing out local high streets.
-
BP secured Venezuela’s Loran licence alongside XRG and UCC partners. The BP-led consortium can develop up to four trillion cubic feet of gas from the second phase of the offshore field, with three partners holding equal interests.
-
Urenco’s order book jumped 28% as nuclear demand strengthened globally. The London-headquartered enrichment group now has €27.3bn of contracted business extending into the 2040s as it expands capacity in the UK, US, and Europe.