Life & Society

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Violence involving Islamist extremist groups in Africa’s Sahel region is on course to reach its highest recorded level this year, according to figures compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project, or Acled, highlighting the continuing expansion of militant activity across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The latest figures come 25 years after the 11 September...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online At least three people have died after an NBC news helicopter crashed and caught fire in the Chatsworth neighbourhood of Los Angeles, with the accident occurring while news crews were covering a separate fatal bus collision nearby. The helicopter came down on Tuesday evening close to a single-storey commercial building in the San Fernando Valley. Los Angeles fire...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online The discovery of the bodies of seven women in and around the area near Johannesburg’s international airport has renewed widespread anger and fear in South Africa, where campaigners have long demanded stronger action against gender-based violence and femicide. Five of the women were found within the space of a week, while the other two deaths were discovered earlier...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Residents of the Oxfordshire village of Piddington have voted overwhelmingly in favour of symbolically declaring independence from the United Kingdom, using an unusual local referendum to express opposition to government plans for a large asylum accommodation centre nearby. The unofficial poll, held on Tuesday, was organised by campaigners seeking to demonstrate the strength of local feeling over proposals...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online The UK government is preparing to strengthen protections against online harassment and doxxing, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy warning that social media platforms must take greater responsibility when users publish private information or target people with intimidation. Nandy criticised Elon Musk’s X after the platform did not attend a meeting she hosted with social media companies to discuss...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Mayors and other local leaders could be given greater powers to oversee water companies under proposals being considered by the UK government as part of efforts to increase public control and accountability across the water industry. The plans could allow regional authorities to influence certain company spending decisions and provide greater scrutiny of executives over household bills, infrastructure...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Britain’s already deteriorating road network could face further damage in the coming months as the effects of an exceptionally hot summer combine with the legacy of a wet winter, according to warnings from the RAC and road-surface specialists. The organisations say motorists should prepare for more potholes as prolonged heat and intense ultraviolet radiation weaken asphalt surfaces, leaving...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Young people across Britain face sharply different prospects when searching for work, with a new analysis showing that the availability of suitable job vacancies varies dramatically between local areas. The research, produced by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), found that Rotherham in South Yorkshire had one of the lowest levels of online job opportunities relative to...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. New historical research has uncovered further evidence of the Church of England’s financial and institutional connections to the transatlantic enslavement of Africans, adding to an increasingly detailed record of how slavery was supported by religious, commercial and political networks in Britain. The findings come as the Church of England continues to debate how it should respond to its...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. New historical research has found that wealth generated through the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of Africans was deeply connected to Britain’s financial system, including the early development of the Bank of England and other major financial institutions. The research, compiled through the Register of British Slave Traders, suggests that the involvement of financial institutions and prominent financiers in...