The number of people out of work in Germany rose more than expected in September, labour office figures showed on Tuesday, as the job market struggles to recover in a continually weak economy, Reuters reported. In seasonally adjusted terms, the jobless figure rose by 14,000 to 2.98 million. The non-adjusted number of unemployed people in Germany last month passed the 3 million mark for the first time in a decade but fell by about 70,000 to 2.95 million again in September.

Inflation in Switzerland remained close to zero last month, according to figures released a week after the Swiss National Bank paused a series of rate cuts, the Wall Street Journal reported. Consumer prices were 0.2% higher in September than the same month of last year, matching the rate of inflation in August, Switzerland’s statistics agency said Thursday. The Swiss central bank left its key interest rate at zero at its latest meeting at the end of last month, ending a sequence of six straight cuts.

A British High Court judge ruled Wednesday that a company linked to a lingerie tycoon must repay the government more than 121 million pounds ($163 million) for breaching a contract to supply 25 million surgical gowns during the coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press reported. In an 87-page ruling, Justice Sara Cockerill found that PPE Medpro had “breached the contract” and that the Department of Health and Social Care was “entitled to the price of the gowns as damages,” though not to the cost of storing the gowns.

Icelandic low-cost airline Play ceased operations following weeks of poor ticket sales and a failed strategic shift, stranding thousands of passengers and putting hundreds of staff out of work. All of the company’s flights have been canceled, with the carrier now working with authorities to wind down operations, it said in a statement, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. “Thousands of passengers will need to reorganize their return journeys, around 400 people will lose their jobs, and the company’s partners will suffer losses,” it said.

Swedish operator Braathens is filing for bankruptcy for its Airbus-based operation, which the company has been in the process of phasing out, FlightGlobal.com reported. Braathens had opted in August to concentrate on ATR 72-600 turboprop services, and gradually dismantle the Braathens International Airways division which has been flying Airbuses. While it had been seeking to secure continuing finance while the Airbus operations were phased out, the company says this effort has “not been successful”. “All Airbus flight operations will be discontinued immediately,” it states.

The number of new Irish start-ups rose by 11% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025, according to the latest figures from credit risk analyst CRIFVision-net, BusinessPlus.ie reported. The report shows that fresh firms are emerging across a broad range of sectors, with notable county-level gains. Westmeath and Kildare both recorded a 26% increase in new businesses, while Meath rose 19% and Wexford 11%. Larger urban areas also saw a strong rise, with Limerick up 19%, Cork 14% and Dublin 6%.

Annual inflation accelerated in the eurozone last month, cementing expectations that the European Central Bank will leave its key interest rate unchanged for what is left of this year, the Wall Street Journal reported. Consumer prices were 2.2% higher than a year earlier in September, picking up pace from the 2.0% rate of inflation booked in August, and in line with economists’ expectations. Stronger-than-expected rises in inflation in key economies like Germany pushed the rate higher for the 20-nation currency union as a whole.

The U.K.’s annual rate of inflation is on track to fall to the Bank of England’s 2% target despite a recent pickup, Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported. The annual inflation rate was 3.8% in August, and the BOE expects it to rise to 4% this month before falling back. But in a speech in Cardiff, Breeden said it’s unlikely that pickup will have long-lasting consequences. “I do not see evidence that the disinflation process is veering off-track,” she said.

The Government’s latest company insolvency statistics reveal an uncomfortable truth: business failures in the U.K. are not easing, according to a commentary by Ed Rimmer, CEO of Time Finance, in GlobalData.com. In August 2025, 2,048 registered company insolvencies were recorded in England and Wales. That’s 6% higher than August 2024 and only slightly down on July 2025. Across the first eight months of this year, insolvencies have been running above 2024 levels and, more worryingly, at a similar pace to 2023 – a year that marked a 30-year high in annual insolvencies.