Business & Economy

Published: 9 March 2026 The English Chronicle Desk The English Chronicle Online — Business & Economy Global financial markets were thrown into turmoil on Monday as oil prices surged to their highest levels in years, prompting the Group of Seven (G7) nations to call an emergency meeting to address the rapidly escalating energy crisis. The meeting, set to take place later today, comes amid deepening instability in the Middle East...

Published: 09 March 2026 The English Chronicle Desk The English Chronicle Online Global oil prices surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 today after Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain ayatollah, as its new supreme leader, defying US threats and plunging the Middle East deeper into conflict . Benchmark Brent crude jumped more than 20 per cent in early Asian trading, briefly topping $114...

Published: 09 March 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Yorkshire Water funding has been thrust into the spotlight again as fresh investment moves ahead despite mounting public outcry. The controversy comes amid heavy fines for sewage pollution and a deepening political row over executive pay at the utility provider. A leading European investor has agreed to provide fresh funding for Yorkshire Water, even as environmental watchdogs and...

Published: 09 March 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Office attendance across the UK has surged, reaching its highest point since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to recent research. Workers are returning in large numbers, with data showing office occupancy levels are no longer in decline but stabilising. Experts describe the trend as a sign that employees are adjusting to hybrid and flexible working norms while companies adapt...

Published: 09 March 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Global energy markets were shaken on Monday as the price of crude surged beyond $100, prompting urgent discussions among leading economies. The sharp rise has been driven by escalating conflict in the Middle East, pushing policymakers to consider measures designed to stabilise supply and reassure financial markets. Officials from the Group of Seven nations are preparing to discuss...

Published: 09 March 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Oil prices surged dramatically this week as the growing conflict involving Iran disrupted global energy supplies. Within hours of new attacks across the region, oil prices climbed above one hundred dollars per barrel. This marks the first time oil prices crossed that symbolic threshold since the turmoil of 2022. Financial markets worldwide reacted sharply as traders anticipated prolonged...

Published: 08 March 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. BrewDog, the self-styled “punk” beer company, has sold its Highland estate in Scotland for a surprisingly low price after abandoning plans to plant what it had billed as Scotland’s “biggest ever forest.” The company’s co-founder, James Watt, had promised that the Lost Forest project at Kinrara in the Cairngorms National Park would cover a “staggering area” and capture...

Published: 08 March 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Caffè Nero has announced steady global growth while warning that coffee prices could rise again. The company says rising operating costs and geopolitical tensions may increase prices in cafés. Executives also confirmed that expansion plans will continue across the United Kingdom and international markets. However, industry pressures are shaping how quickly the business can grow during the coming...

Published: 06 March 2026 The English Chronicle Desk The English Chronicle Online A venue on Leeds' famous Otley Run route has applied for retrospective planning permission to change from a restaurant to a bar, it has emerged . Taylor's Sports Bar and Grill opened in March 2023 on Otley Road in Headingley, which is famous for its 2.5-mile fancy dress pub crawl involving 19 venues . The Otley Run, originally a student...

Published: 06 March 2026 The English Chronicle Desk The English Chronicle Online Ireland's domestic economy expanded by almost five per cent last year, official figures have confirmed, defying persistent fears over US trade tariffs and geopolitical instability . Modified Domestic Demand (MDD), the preferred measure for stripping out the distorting effects of multinational activity, grew by 4.9 per cent in 2025, according to the Central Statistics Office . Consumer spending rose by...