Three stories worth knowing today, in plain English: what happened, why it matters and what comes next.
Bank Rate is 3.75%. In a Reuters poll of 63 economists, 54 expect a quarter-point rise to 4% when the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee next decides. It voted 6-3 to hold rates in September.
Why it matters: Inflation rose to 3.5% in September, up from 3.1%, mainly because of dearer motor fuel. A rise would lift payments on tracker and variable mortgages, but not on fixed deals until they end.
What next: The decision is on 5 November. The next ones are on 17 December and 4 February.
Sources: Office for National Statistics, CPI September 2026 · HomeOwners Alliance, citing the Reuters poll
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said a tanker hit a mine on Friday on an unauthorised route. UK Maritime Trade Operations said another was struck on Thursday night by explosives attached to its hull. Brent crude rose about 2.4% to $117.56 a barrel, and is up about 15% in October.
Why it matters: The US-Iran war is in its ninth month. Dearer fuel was the main reason UK inflation rose to 3.5% in September, with motor fuel prices up 29.8% on a year earlier.
What next: Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Friday working on a deal. US midterm elections are on 3 November, and Trump had said the US would not strike Iran before them.
Sources: The National, oil prices and Hormuz incidents · Office for National Statistics, CPI September 2026
The World Health Organization reports 9,704 confirmed cases and 4,687 deaths from Bundibugyo-virus Ebola, nearly all in the DR Congo, as of 20 October. Kenya has nine cases in one cluster. Nigeria confirmed one imported case on 20 October.
Why it matters: WHO rates the risk to the world as low. But no vaccine or specific treatment is approved for this strain, and spread is still sustained in the DR Congo.
What next: WHO is revising its risk assessment, last set on 14 August. A vaccine trial began in Bunia, DR Congo, on 23 October.
Sources: World Health Organization, Disease Outbreak News, 23 October 2026