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China was once one of the most attractive and fastest-growing markets for many American brands.With its population of more than 1.4 billion people and massive opportunities for businesses, companies were racing to take advantage of the boon that China could offer. But in recent years, some consumer brands, including Nike, Starbucks and General Motors, have begun to see the tide turn. With rising geopolitical tensions, a surge in domestic competition and a disconnect from the Chinese consumer, American companies have lost ground in the region that once offered fuel for growth.”China is such a big market. The numbers are so…

In theory, the inquiry should be impartial and informative – a learning process focused solely on improving passenger safety. But in the case of AI171, the information revealed by the investigation so far has triggered a major backlash from safety campaigners, pilots’ groups and lawyers acting for the bereaved relatives.A key factor in this has been the preliminary report issued by the AAIB a month after the accident. The 15-page document did not draw any conclusions about the causes of the crash, or make any recommendations.Nonetheless, just two short paragraphs generated a great deal of controversy.First, it was noted that…

According to an Indeed Hiring Lab analysis, women now hold more payroll jobs than men in America. It’s only the third time this has ever happened. The first two times, during the Great Recession and just before COVID, the gap snapped back once construction and manufacturing started hiring again. This time looks different. Between February 2025 and February 2026, women added 298,000 jobs while men lost 142,000. Male labor force participation has fallen to its lowest level since tracking began in 1948, outside the pandemic. Roughly one in three prime-age and young men is neither working nor looking for work.…

In central Manchester, 23‑year‑old Ashleigh agrees with Joel that the state pension is unlikely to be coming her way: “At this rate I don’t think anyone’s ever going to retire, I think everyone will just have to fend for themselves in the end.”But as someone on a lower income, her pension choices are less squirrel‑like. When working for a big retailer, she says that she chose to stop contributing to her employer’s auto-enrolment pension.”I opted out of it. I need the money now.” She explains: “I’d rather save for a house and then at least I have something to show…

Royal Mail has once again missed its delivery targets for first and second class post, but said it is making progress towards the goals as its turnaround plan continues. The postal service delivered 85% of first class deliveries the next day between March and June, up from 76% in the same three months of 2025, but below regulator Ofcom’s 90% target. Second class mail was delivered within three days 91% of the time, another improvement from the previous year, but short of Ofcom’s 95% target.Royal Mail said the results are “encouraging and show that the work we are doing to…

Morningstar’s Jeff Ptak recently examined the 100 largest active U.S. stock funds and found something that should make investors pause. The funds, in aggregate, underperformed. However, the failure was not due to their owning the wrong stocks. They lagged because what the managers did after the purchase—trading, trimming and rearranging portfolios—destroyed value.That distinction matters. Investors often assume active managers underperform either because they are poor stock pickers or because the market is too efficient to allow outperformance beyond what is randomly expected. Ptak’s analysis suggests a more subtle and, in some ways, more troubling explanation: many managers may have had…

Panama Canal’s operator is to cut the number of vessels passing through the key waterway due to low rainfall caused by El Niño.The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) told shipping firms on Thursday that 32 vessels a day will be able to pass through it from 15 September, compared to 36 currently.El Niño, a pattern of periodical sea surface warming, affects weather systems globally. This year is expected to be particularly strong, with its effects made more intense by climate change.The shipping industry is already dealing with severe disruptions due to the Iran war causing a large reduction in the number…

The government borrowed slightly more than expected in July, according to figures published as Chancellor John Healey draws up his first Budget.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said borrowing was £2.3bn more than official forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).Borrowing, the gap between what the government spends and what it takes in tax receipts, was £1.8bn in July, two thirds higher than the same month last year.Economists warned the figure will restrict Healey and Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s room for manoeuvre as they target measures aimed at easing the cost of living for households, with little room to…

According to Jonathan Nicholson at the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), for the airline industry, lithium-ion batteries are “if not number one, within the top three risks for a good few years now”.A US recent study showed, external the industry was affected by two lithium-ion battery related incidents a week worldwide, he adds. Those incidents could range from passengers belatedly realising they’d left a device in checked baggage, to devices smoking or catching fire in airport baggage halls, or on flights.But the results can be far more extreme. In January 2025 an Air Busan plane was destroyed on the tarmac…

Dozens of people have accused TUI River Cruises of operating vessels with faulty facilities including persistently broken air conditioning, after they spent thousands of pounds on holidays.Earlier this year passengers on the Skyla, a ship operated by TUI, contacted BBC Your Voice to say they had been stranded in Budapest during a heatwave with little to no air conditioning.Following that report more people got in touch to say they faced similar problems on both the Skyla and its sister vessel, the Isla. They criticised TUI’s customer service and said the refunds offered were inadequate.TUI apologised to customers where trips “fell…