RSM analyst Thomas Pugh said August public net borrowing rose sharply YoY, complicating the upcoming budget and making an October tax increase likely. Fiscal-year-to-date net borrowing is £77.3 bln, well above the Office for Budget Responsibility’s £69.2 bln forecast. With inflation rising and the budget likely to include additional spending commitments, borrowing is expected to continue materially outpacing forecasts. Investors are watching each borrowing print for signs of the government’s fis

Canada's trade minister said agreements with the Philippines and ASEAN are part of diversification efforts and are not directed at any specific country.

At the BOE Global Innovation Partner Conference on Sept. 22, BOE chairman Chen Yanshun said AI, integrated circuits, future energy, quantum technology and life sciences will be the core tracks drawing global technology and capital. He outlined five intelligent-era evolution vectors—human life, silicon–carbon integration, energy infrastructure, intelligent platforms and social governance—and flagged brain–computer interfaces as key to closing information‑reception gaps. Chen said large‑scale deployment of advanced new‑energy technologies will support rising compute‑power demand, and called for optoelectronic integration and collaboration to underpin industry development. He added a comprehensive AI social‑governance framework should emerge.