The UK’s cost-of-living crisis is fueling a record surge in shoplifting as people increasingly turn to the black market for food, The Guardian has reported, citing official data. Estimates by the British Retail Consortium show that retail thefts cost the industry £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in 2023, the newspaper said. Meanwhile, Home Office data shows…

The Russian currency has grown stronger as European energy importers switch to ruble payments Russia’s currency has hit its strongest level against the euro since June 2015 as more European companies appear to be complying with Moscow’s demand that natural gas imports should be paid for in rubles.

A heat wave in the region is straining power grids and spurring demand for thermal coal and fuel oil, Bloomberg reports Asian imports of Russian energy used for electricity generation have surged in recent weeks due to high demand amid unseasonably warm weather, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing ship-tracking data from Kpler.