EU gas coordination group said the EU's gas system is sufficiently flexible to meet demand this winter.

Former advisor Jim O'Neill said Chancellor Xili should avoid raising corporate or high‑earner taxes in this month's budget and instead accept a one‑off reduction in fiscal buffers to absorb shock from the Iran war. He estimated the UK fiscal shortfall at about £12bn and warned large tax increases would damage market confidence as the economy nears a return to healthy growth. O'Neill said he would be "very disappointed" by any rise in the capital gains tax rate and warned targeting banks with higher taxes would be futile.

Zimbabwe reaffirmed a ban on lithium concentrate exports due to take effect in January 2027, saying producers have had ample time to meet the beneficiation deadline and there is no basis for further delay. The government suspended concentrate exports in February to force domestic value‑added processing and curb illegal shipments for EV batteries, relaxed restrictions in April, and rejected producers’ requests for more preparation time, according to Nick Mangwana, permanent secretary at the information ministry.