Business & Economy

Published: 21 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Air passengers across parts of Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland faced disruption on Monday after a technical fault affected air traffic control operations at Prestwick in Scotland. Airlines including British Airways and easyJet cancelled or delayed services as engineers investigated the problem. The disruption is the second significant technical issue to affect National Air Traffic Services, known...

Published: 21 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Labour’s flagship foundation apprenticeship programme has come under renewed scrutiny after official figures showed that only 160 young people had started the scheme during its first eight months. The figures have prompted warnings that the government’s wider ambition to tackle youth unemployment and expand access to skilled work could face significant challenges unless the route into apprenticeships is...

Published: 21 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Unions, thinktanks, environmental organisations and charities are calling on the UK government to significantly strengthen the financial capacity of the National Wealth Fund, arguing that a larger public investment institution could help unlock private capital, support industry and reshape the country's economic prospects. The coalition wants ministers to transform the National Wealth Fund into what it describes as...

Published: 21 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has rejected predictions that artificial intelligence could cause the extinction of humanity within the next few years, describing such warnings as exaggerated “doomsday narratives”. His comments come amid growing international debate over the rapid development of increasingly powerful AI systems and concerns about whether governments and technology companies are adequately prepared to manage...

Published: 21 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have announced plans to strengthen cooperation between France and Canada, as both countries confront a changing international environment and Ottawa seeks closer economic, political and security relations with Europe. The two leaders met on Sunday in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory in the North Atlantic off Canada’s...

Published: 19 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Reform UK is facing an internal debate over how to use a record £72 million in political donations after some grassroots activists questioned party leader Nigel Farage’s plan to spend a substantial portion of the money on professional campaign managers and other paid staff. The donations, worth £36 million each, were made by cryptocurrency billionaires Ben Delo and...

Published: 19 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. More than 1.1 million low-income families living in rented accommodation could face increasing financial pressure unless the UK government takes action to address a growing gap between housing support and actual private rents, according to a warning from the Resolution Foundation. The thinktank has called on the government to reconsider the freeze on Local Housing Allowance, saying the...

Published: 18 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Retail sales across Great Britain returned to growth in August, offering a fresh indication that consumer activity remains more resilient than some recent economic forecasts had suggested. Official figures showed that the volume of goods purchased increased by 0.5% during the month, reversing the decline recorded in July and exceeding expectations for a modest fall. The latest figures...

Published: 18 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has taken a full-time senior position at Palantir, joining the US artificial intelligence and data-analysis company at a time when its growing role in British public services is facing political scrutiny. Watson, a Labour peer and former government minister, has been appointed senior vice-president at Palantir and will work alongside the company's...

Published: 18 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. South Korea will not deploy its military to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country directly into the war involving Iran and the United States, President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday, ending recent speculation about whether Seoul could send forces or military assets to the Strait of Hormuz. Lee’s statement comes after growing...