Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Sat, Apr 18, 2026 08:26 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Rhys ap Gwilym

Senior Lecturer in Economics, Bangor University
Dr Rhys ap Gwilym is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Bangor University’s Business School. He trained as a macroeconomist at Cardiff University, gaining his PhD on the “Macroeconomic Implications of Behavioural Finance Models” in 2009. His academic research has involved developing models which introduce behavioural factors into macroeconomic analysis (including DSGE models) and the analysis of financial instruments in a general equilibrium setting. He has published in journals including the Journal of Banking and Finance, Economics Letters and the Southern Economic Journal.

More recently, his research interests have evolved to cover spatial economics and public finance. He is currently working on a project examining how geographical differences in access to finance influence regional economic disparities; in particular the links between the financialization of land and regional economic development.

Rhys has a strong interest in regional development policy and its role in Wales in particular. He has been a principal investigator on two grant-funded research projects for the Welsh Government relating to land value tax and tourism taxes. He is a member of the Institute of Welsh Affairs’ Economic Policy Group, where he has been involved in the development of discussion papers on the Welsh economy. He recently contributed to the “expert roundtable on the Welsh tax base & implications for public policy”.

Why you should expect to pay more tourist taxes – even though the evidence for them is unclear

May 09, 2024 07:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

In April 2024, Venice began its controversial experiment to charge day trippers 5 (4.30) to visit the city on some of the busiest days of the year. But its not just the lagoon city, with its 30 million visitors a year...

Economy

Australia Extends Fuel Sulphur Relaxation Amid Iran War Supply Disruptions

Australia has extended its temporary easing of fuel-quality standards through September, as ongoing disruptions from the Iran war continue to strain the countrys fuel supply chains. Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed...

IMF Warns Middle East War to Deepen Economic Divide Across Latin America and Caribbean

The ongoing Middle East conflict is expected to widen economic inequality across Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the International Monetary Fund. While oil-exporting nations stand to gain short-term...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady Amid Iran Peace Talks and BOJ Rate Hike Uncertainty

Asian currencies traded in a narrow range on Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of further U.S.-Iran peace negotiations, while the Japanese yen slipped after the Bank of Japans governor signaled little urgency to...

South Korea's Capital Markets Rebound as Foreign Investors Return

South Koreas financial markets are staging a powerful comeback, drawing foreign investors back after a turbulent March that saw billions in capital flee. A combination of easing Middle East tensions, surging demand for AI...

U.S. and Philippines to Build 4,000-Acre Tech Hub Under Pax Silica Initiative

The United States and the Philippines are set to develop a massive 4,000-acre (1,620 hectares) industrial hub as part of a growing Washington-led effort to secure global AI and semiconductor supply chains. The announcement...

Politics

UNICEF Condemns Killing of Aid Workers Delivering Water in Gaza

The United Nations childrens agency UNICEF has expressed outrage following the fatal shooting of two contracted truck drivers who were delivering clean water to families in the Gaza Strip. The deadly incident occurred on...

Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz Amid Fragile Ceasefire and Ongoing Nuclear Tensions

Iran has temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, sparking cautious optimism in global markets. However, Tehran issued a stark warning...

Trump Teases Imminent Release of UFO Documents After Government Review

President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administrations review of classified UFO-related materials has uncovered a number of interesting documents, with the first batch expected to be made public very soon....

South Korea Denies U.S. Intelligence Restrictions Over North Korean Nuclear Site Disclosure

South Koreas Unification Ministry stated Friday it has no knowledge of any formal U.S. protest or intelligence-sharing restrictions, following media reports suggesting Washington expressed frustration over a cabinet...

Peru Election 2025: Vote Count Delays Spark Calls to Remove Electoral Chief

Pressure is mounting on Perus electoral authority amid a slow and controversial vote count following the April 12 presidential election. Piero Corvetto, head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), is facing...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

Iran’s AI memes are reaching people who don’t follow the news – and winning the propaganda war

A Lego-style Iranian military commander raps over a gangster beat: Our inbox is flooded with Americans saying they dont watch the news. They listen to our songs instead since your media is full of shit. This is the opening...

OpenAI's $20 Billion Cerebras Deal Signals Massive AI Infrastructure Push

OpenAI is reportedly set to spend over $20 billion with AI chip startup Cerebras over the next three years, marking a significant expansion of an already substantial computing partnership. According to The Information, the...

Tesla's Terafab: AI Chip Factory Eyes Taiwan's Semiconductor Talent

Tesla is actively recruiting semiconductor engineers in Taiwan for its ambitious Terafab project a fully vertically integrated AI chip manufacturing facility that aims to consolidate logic, memory, packaging, testing, and...

Japan to Subsidize Sony's Image Sensor Plant in Kumamoto with $380 Million

The Japanese government has announced plans to provide Sony with subsidies of up to 60 billion yen, equivalent to approximately $380 million, to support the construction of an image sensor manufacturing facility in...

NiSource Signs Long-Term Energy Deals with Alphabet and Amazon to Power Indiana Data Centers

NiSource, a U.S. utility company, has secured a long-term energy supply agreement with an Alphabet subsidiary to power a major data center in northern Indiana. The announcement also included an expanded partnership with...