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5 Things You Need To Know, Today, on Monday 9th January 2023
5. The billionaire founder of Ant Group, Jack Ma, is to give up control of the Chinese fintech giant after a regulatory crackdown, after the change no-one would have overall control.
The formerly flamboyant Mr Ma has seldom been seen in public since criticising China's financial sector in 2020.
4. British house prices slid in December, capping the largest quarterly drop since the financial crisis more than 10 years ago, data from mortgage lender Halifax showed.
The average house price fell by 1.5% month-on-month in December, following a 2.4% fall in November and marking the fourth consecutive monthly decline, Halifax said.
3. Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed.
It is not clear when the ban will come into effect, but it follows similar moves already made by Scotland and Wales.
2. Ministers are due to hold separate talks with health, teaching and rail unions to try to bring an end to the country's various strike actions.
On Sunday, Rishi Sunak said he wanted to have an "honest, two-way conversation" about pay. Unions welcomed the remarks, but insist pay rises for nurses in this financial year must be addressed in the talks.
1. A new scheme to support firms with their energy bills will be announced in the House of Commons today, which will offer a discount on wholesale prices rather than a fixed price.
The total level of government support is expected to fall sharply - by more than half - from the £18.4bn the current six-month scheme is estimated to have cost by the time it ends.