Business & Economy

Published: 15 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The UK government must take seriously the growing warnings from artificial intelligence experts while making the most of the technology’s potential to transform public services, strengthen businesses and accelerate scientific progress, first secretary Louise Haigh is expected to tell trade union leaders. Speaking at the Trades Union Congress conference, Haigh will argue that artificial intelligence could deliver major...

Published: 15 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Millions of pensioners across the UK are on course for another significant increase in their state pension after official wage figures indicated that payments could rise by 3.9% next April under the government’s triple-lock system. The latest earnings data show that total pay increased by 3.9% over the year, making wage growth the leading candidate for determining next...

Published: 15 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. For more than a decade, some of the world's most prominent scientists, technology executives and artificial intelligence researchers have warned that increasingly powerful AI could create consequences beyond human control. From Stephen Hawking's early concerns about machines eventually surpassing humanity to recent warnings from researchers inside leading AI companies, the message has repeatedly been stark: unchecked development could...

Published: 15 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has warned that a future Reform UK government could move to prevent trade unions from financially supporting the Labour Party if proposed legislation blocks £72 million in donations announced for Reform UK. Farage's warning has intensified an increasingly heated dispute over political party financing in Britain, with the government considering tighter restrictions on...

Published: 15 September 2026.The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Several leading retailers in the United Kingdom are facing serious criticism after a consumer investigation found that some major online shops repeatedly failed to provide customers with refunds they may be legally entitled to when returning unwanted purchases. An investigation by consumer organisation Which? found that a number of prominent retailers either failed to reimburse the original delivery charge,...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Reform UK is facing growing scrutiny over two unprecedented £36m political donations after the party declined to disclose exactly when the wealthy donors behind the contributions returned to, or spent time in, the United Kingdom. The donations, worth a combined £72m, were made by cryptocurrency entrepreneurs Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne and have raised fresh questions about proposed...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Thames Water has revised plans for a major reservoir in Oxfordshire as the struggling water company attempts to move forward with one of the largest water infrastructure projects ever proposed in the south-east of England, despite strong opposition from local councils, residents and campaigners. The White Horse reservoir, planned near Abingdon, is designed to hold around 150 billion...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Oil prices moved higher on Monday after a series of drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut its strategically important East-West crude pipeline, intensifying concerns over the security of global energy supplies at a time when oil and gas markets are already facing significant disruption across the Middle East. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. US President Donald Trump’s ambitious programme of construction and renovation in Washington DC is facing growing criticism from architects, preservationists and other observers, who argue that a series of large-scale projects could permanently alter the character of the American capital. The projects include a major ballroom at the White House, a proposed triumphal arch, extensive changes to historic...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Leading artificial intelligence executives in the United States have unexpectedly united behind calls to slow the pace of advanced AI development, raising fresh questions about whether the industry is genuinely prepared to accept stronger safety measures or whether the latest warnings are another attempt to shape regulation on its own terms. The debate intensified after Anthropic chief executive...