Housing & Infrastructure Funding: New Zealand confirms councils can charge development levies from 2029 to make “growth pays for growth,” aiming to cut cross-subsidies and better recover costs tied to water, transport and community infrastructure. Water Rules: Salt Lake City permanently caps daily water use for new nonresidential buildings at 200,000 gallons, while also studying whether the limit should go lower and offering incentives for smarter irrigation. Payments & Consumer Fees: India’s RBI backs a new UPI Merchant Discount Rate for certain high-value merchant payments above Rs 2,000 from Oct 15, while keeping person-to-person UPI free and merchant payments up to Rs 2,000 at zero MDR. Retail & Consumer Protection: A UK court case highlights the real-world brand-loss impact of counterfeit hauls after a £2.4m fake goods plea; meanwhile, a Philippine consumer group urges the NBI to crack down on online counterfeit sellers despite platform takedowns. Food Safety: A Swindon restaurant reopens after a rat infestation closure, with follow-up hygiene results published. Toys & Licensing: Mattel expands Bluey across major brands via a multi-year licensing deal with BBC Studios. Local Business Growth: A family Greek grocery store in Long Island plans a bigger second-location expansion to handle rising online orders. Energy & Cost Pressure: Spain’s inflation jumps to 4.3% as fuel prices surge, squeezing household purchasing power ahead of pension-related costs.