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Original title: Kenya Plans to Auction 10 Oil Blocks in September Under New Law Kenya plans to offer 10 oil exploration blocks in the first licensing round since it adopted new legislation six years ago to govern the petroleum sector. “We have 50 blocks in four sedimentary basins, of which 10 are ready for marketing,” Mohamed Liban, principal secretary for petroleum, said in a phone interview on Monday. The blocks on offer this month are in the Anza and Lamu basins, according to Commissioner for Petroleum Joseph Otieno. ...

Original title: Pakistan Inflation Cools Though Floods Risk Stoking Prices Pakistan’s inflation unexpectedly eased last month, though torrential monsoon rains risk disrupting supply chains and boosting prices. Consumer price index rose 3% in August from a year ago, according to data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Monday. That’s lower than the median estimate for a 4% in the Bloomberg survey . Inflation accelerated to 4.1% in July. Original article ...

Original title: South Africa Agribusiness Mood Falls on Animal Disease, Tariffs A gauge measuring sentiment among South African agricultural businesses declined for a second straight quarter as the industry grapples with a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and the new tariff regime in the US. The confidence index compiled by the Agricultural Business Chamber, known as Agbiz, and the Industrial Development Corp. fell to 63 points in the third quarter, from 65 in the prior three months. ...

Original title: Indonesia’s Finance Chief Vows Better Policies After Home Looted Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati pledged to improve the government’s policies after protesters looted her house over the weekend, a signal of reassurance for investors that she’ll continue to manage the economy. In a pair of posts on her personal Instagram account on Monday, Indrawati thanked people for their sympathy and support “in facing this misfortune.” Original article ...

Original title: A €2 Trillion Dutch Pension Headache Is Coming for European Bonds There’s a near €2 trillion ($2.3 trillion) upheaval coming for European bond markets to cap a 2025 already marked by tariff twists and turns, deficit worries and now a political crisis in France. The storm is centered on a long-planned reform of the Dutch pension system, the European Union’s biggest. It’s already pushing up yields on longer-dated bonds and traders are positioning for volatility in the euro swaps market, which the funds use for hedging. Things could become more extreme at the turn of the year, when a large tranche of funds are set to transition, due to lower liquidity at that time. ...

Original title: Russia’s Energy Partners Are Moving a Bit Closer Welcome to our guide to the commodities markets powering the global economy. Today, senior reporter Dan Murtaugh writes on the energy triangle between China, India and Russia as their leaders meet in Tianjin. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s get-together could hardly have come at a better moment for China’s leader. At a time when the US is amping up its aggressive rhetoric, Xi Jinping and his Russian and Indian counterparts have been in the port city of Tianjin declaring friendship and “privileged partnership.” ...

Original title: iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple’s Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. A cutout for a significantly larger rear camera bump that spans the entire width of the device, as widely rumored already. A white rounded rectangular area surrounding the MagSafe system, instead of the previous circle with a line below it. Compatibility with Apple’s rumored Crossbody Strap magnetic lanyard. The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Clear Case Apple also tested special “tinted” editions of the iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case, which might be released later, according to Majin Bu. Apple’s annual iPhone event is a little over a week away, so we will find out of this redesigned Clear Case is the real deal soon. ...

Original title: Liverpool agree British record £125m fee for Isak Liverpool have agreed a British transfer record fee of £125m to sign striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. Sources close to the deal have told BBC Sport that an agreement for the Sweden international to move to Anfield is now in place. Newcastle sources claim the deal could be worth as much as £130m with add-ons. Isak is expected to have a medical on Monday before signing a six-year contract. Liverpool had an original £110m offer rejected in August but are now set to land their first-choice target of the summer. The protracted saga involving the 25-year-old appears set to come to an end on the final day of the transfer window, and it follows Newcastle having signed striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart last week. Liverpool have already broken their club transfer record this summer by signing Germany attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz in a deal worth an initial £100m, with a further £16m in add-ons. Isak’s arrival would top that outlay. After also bringing in Hugo Ekitike, Milos ...

Original title: Jewellery boss in £170m scam told shop staff to pretend to be customers Jewellery boss in £170m scam told shop staff to pretend to be customers 6 hours ago Share Save Richard Bilton BBC Panorama Share Save BBC Vashi Dominguez fled the UK after his jewellery business collapsed Staff at a luxury jewellery retailer were told to pose as customers to trick investors in the UK’s biggest diamond scam, BBC Panorama can reveal. The deception helped diamond dealer Vashi Dominguez get fresh cash from investors to prop up his business, which collapsed in 2023 with £170m of debts. Those investors lost everything when the Vashi retail chain’s promised £157m stock of diamonds was later only valued at about £100,000. Mr Dominguez disappeared, but both the Metropolitan Police and the Serious Fraud Office have decided not to investigate. BBC Panorama has spoken to former shop staff, investors and the financial experts combing through the wreckage of the company to piece together how Vashi Dominguez fooled so many people - and to ask why authorities are not looking for him. ...

Original title: I chose my Caesarean date to be eligible for earlier childcare funding I chose my Caesarean date to be eligible for earlier childcare funding 1 hour ago Share Save Vanessa Clarke Education reporter Share Save Rachel Williams Rachel Williams chose a Caesarean date that would make her eligible for support at the earliest opportunity The final phase of the largest-ever expansion of publicly funded childcare support has begun in England, as thousands of working parents receive more help with their nursery costs. Those eligible are now able to access 30 hours of childcare per week during term-time, paid for by the government, for their children aged nine months to four years. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was a “landmark moment” for working families, and that the scheme would “put money back in working parents’ pockets”. But parents say they are facing long waiting lists for places, with nurseries warning that staff shortages are limiting their availability. How working parents can get 30 hours of free childcare Ministers say the scheme can save pare ...