Christian charity Benefact Trust has awarded a grant of £67,000 to XLP, a London charity that uses music and the arts to bring harmony into the lives of young people growing up in communities with a lack of opportunity. It will use the grant to supply youth workers with recording studio equipment to use in the hearts of communities. They aim to create safe spaces for young people who struggle daily with issues like family breakdown and gang violence. Jonathan, one of the youth workers on the project, said, ‘Music is an incredible way to experience freedom when opportunities around you feel chained up and you can't see a way out.’ XLP works with over 2,500 young people across nine inner-city London boroughs, empowering young voices to seek positive futures. It was set up in 1996, in response to a stabbing in a school playground.

UK businesses, hospitals, schools and charities will have their energy bills cut by half their predicted level under a support package that fixes wholesale gas and electricity prices for six months from 1 October, shielding businesses from crippling costs. The scheme will be reviewed after three months and possibly extended for vulnerable businesses. Government officials have not said how much the package will cost taxpayers: Cornwall Insight estimates £25bn. Energy-intensive industries, like steel manufacturing, could close because of energy costs surging after Russia's invasion. Household bills would be limited to £2,500 annually until 2024 under a separate scheme. Business analyst Simon Jack said few businesses plan with only a six-month time horizon. There will be some whose plans to cut production, close premises and let staff go will not change in spite of this intervention. Retail and hospitality organisations see this as giving them a fighting chance over the commercially crucial Christmas trading period.

The Bank of England has raised interest rates to 2.25%, the highest level for 14 years. This will make it more expensive to borrow, which should - theoretically - encourage people to borrow less and spend less. It should also spur people to save more. However, there is also a risk that it can drag on growth, harming the economy. The bank's monetary policy committee, which sets rates, believes that the economy is already shrinking, which would officially push the UK into recession. The Bank of England has also warned that the government’s energy price freeze will push up inflation in the medium term. With energy bills rising less sharply, households will have more money to spend on other goods and services (although some people are already having to skip meals due to rising bills).

On 24 August a total of 33 cargo ships carrying 719,549 tons of foodstuffs left Ukraine, under a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey. Although the pace of exports has risen in September, volumes are well below last season’s levels. Ukraine also has a rail link to Moldova that could be used to carry ten million tons of freight a year. See On 2 September American media reported that Ukraine says Russia is using cargo ships to ferry weapons to the Black Sea. Kyiv has asked Turkey to block passage of sanctioned vessels making journeys from Syria through straits controlled by Ankara. See also the world article on the Horn of Africa.