FOX Business Digital: Time to ditch AI anxiety — experts say there’s a lot less to fear than we think Experts

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

More than two thousand years ago, Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus coined the phrase, "Change is the only constant." That observation has remained true since his death, but now change is happening even faster, largely due to generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) technology such as ChatGPT or Claude. And that is making many workers even more anxious than usual. But there’s also some good news for people willing to learn.

"Change is always stressful," Liz Bentley, a workplace and career consultant at Liz Bentley Associates in New York, told FOX Business.  Britain’s Industrial Revolution in the 1700s was stressful, too. New industries put people out of work, but new jobs were created. "At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, people didn’t know there would be new jobs," she says. We now know the 1700s inventions, including steam trains and mechanical weaving, brought prosperity to the U.K. then to other economies. READ MORE HERE.

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Pay Transparency: Britain and the EU on Divergent Routes As a key deadline for EU firms approaches, UK firms take a different approach toward pay disclosures. Which will work better?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Businesses have long been less than transparent about who gets paid what. But back in 2018, Britain broke the mold and led the way on mandatory gender-pay-gap reporting. It was a landmark step toward pay equity. And at the time, the UK was the largest economy to have embraced such rules. 

But the world of pay is changing fast. The UK is reconsidering its existing pay-transparency rules, which are largely voluntary. And the neighboring European Union is attempting to leapfrog the UK with tighter rules.

Meanwhile, many states and cities in the US have put laws on the books requiring job postings to list pay ranges. “The EU saw what Britain did and copied it, then went further,” says Ben Frost, Korn Ferry’s senior client partner in EMEA.

READ MORE HERE.

STREAMING THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, FEATURING SIMON CONSTABLE, JIM MCTAGUE, SNSTOL LIEVRN, THURSDAY 4-2-2026.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

LISTEN HERE.

This transcript from The John Batchelor Show features a series of discussions regarding the global impacts of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Batchelor and his colleagues examine how these wars have triggered a commodity crisis, specifically noting the sharp rise in oil, diesel, and fertilizer prices affecting farmers in both France and Pennsylvania. The dialogue critiques President Trump’s recent address, with analysts suggesting his rhetoric failed to stabilize volatile global markets or clarify American war aims. Additionally, the speakers explore the strain on NATO, observing that European allies are increasingly hesitant to support U.S. military actions as they prioritize their own energy security. The program concludes by highlighting the interconnected nature of modern warfare, where regional disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz directly threaten the economic stability of the entire Western world.

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FOX Business Digital: High taxes, over-regulation and risk aversion are strangling the UK economy, experts say

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

In the 1800s, the United Kingdom was clearly the richest country in the world, with consistent, solid economic growth, a focus on science and engineering, plus all the benefits of trade across the oceans. But now the country seems to have lost its mojo. The country’s living standards have fallen far behind those of other developed economies.

Contrary to popular perception, Britain’s GDP per capita (the income generated by the average person) has lagged behind that of the vast majority of the 50 United States plus Washington D.C., last year, according to forecasts in the third quarter of 2025 by the U.S. government, plus recent International Monetary Fund data. Projections are needed as the final annual GDP figures were not published at the time of writing.

When those states (plus Washington D.C.) compared their GDP per capita, the U.K. would have ranked 50th, behind Alabama, which is forecast to have a nominal per capita GDP of $60,265 in 2025. Britain was slightly worse off, at $60,010, according to the latest data from the U.S. government and the International Monetary Fund. Topping the list was Washington DC with $113,369. Analysts note that the figures don't include the cost of living; however, even with that accounted for, the U.K. still lags significantly behind the U.S. national average. READ MORE HERE.

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CBS: China’s Strategic Monopoly on Rare Earths.

Simon Constable breaks down the reality of rare earth elements, noting they are not rare but difficult to refine.

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CBS: Commodity Markets and European Economic Hardship.

By SIMON CONSTABKE

He reports on high energy prices and diesel shortages in France and analyzes how the Iran war affects global commodities like copper and gold, while also discussing controversial new EU-aligned domestic legislation.

Listen more here.

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Briefings Magazine: Too Close to the Sun

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Look into the sky and much of the time you’ll see the Sun, at least during the daytime. And much of the population is aware that humans, animals, and plants couldn’t survive without the Sun’s presence. This massive star, central to our solar system, with a circumference of 2.7 million miles, provides our tiny planet with warmth and vitamins, plus it’s crucial to growing our food. Five thousand years ago, humans knew the Sun mattered, so many routinely prayed to the Sun god. We still use that name for the seventh day of the week: Sunday.

But the Sun isn’t always kind to the Earth. Sometimes the solar surface is very active, with many dark spots. The really bad news is that when there are a large number of spots, there is an increase in solar flares, aka explosions, which cause disruptions on Earth. “Sometimes after a big solar storm, there can be power outages,” says Arnab Rai Choudhuri, a professor at the Indian Institute of Science and an expert on solar activity. Indeed, the events often don’t make big headlines, but the last major solar storm, in May 2024, created various disruptions on Earth to GPS, radio, and power grids, particularly in the midwestern United States. Farmers there reported “possessed” tractors going in circles, with the GPS mayhem causing a reported $500 million in damage. READ MORE HERE.