Budget Watch (Malaysia): Malaysia’s Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry is pushing to keep subsidy and consumer-affairs funding in Budget 2027, warning fuel-subsidy costs have ballooned and squeezed fiscal room. Power & Water Disruptions (US): Storms left thousands without power in Columbus, Georgia, while Kalamazoo, Michigan issued a citywide boil-water advisory after E. coli/coliform positives. Consumer Refunds (Nigeria): Ikeja Electric has started refunds for customers who paid for electricity meters under the MAP program, using credits and urging safe behavior around power lines. Retail & Consumer Spending (UK): British shoppers increased overall retail volumes in August, with online and department stores helping offset higher fuel costs. LPG Subsidy Rules (India): From Oct. 1, domestic LPG customers must complete biometric Aadhaar authentication to book subsidized refills; otherwise they’ll pay market price. FTC Refunds (US): Amazon Prime customers unknowingly enrolled may get automatic FTC settlement refunds up to $200, with expanded eligibility starting Oct. 1. Off-Price Retail (US): Cato plans to close 120 stores, highlighting cracks in off-price apparel as rivals like Ross and TJX keep gaining. AI & Consumer Tech (US/Global): CoreWeave says it’s charging higher prices for AI compute as demand stays strong, while Samsung reportedly shifts more DDR5/SSD production to outside partners to free capacity for advanced HBM.