Sources say the meeting between a U.S. representative and an Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Araghchi was pre-arranged; the Qatari prime minister attended most of the talks.

The Financial Times reports global banking executives warned that raising bank taxes would shift investment out of the UK and told Prime Minister Burnham's government it could further damage London's status as a financial centre.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said on Tuesday its monthly factory orders balance rose to -9 in September from -25 in August — a two-month 36-point gain, the largest since the series began 49 years ago. The report said the UK economy has shown recent resilience and manufacturing output grew robustly. The survey's output-expectations indicator for the coming months improved. The expected-prices index fell to 12 from August's 22 but is at its highest level since March. CBI senior economist Cameron Mather said there are increasing signs manufacturers' operating conditions are stabilising.