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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Tue, Apr 07, 2026 07:25 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Neil Ashton

Senior Researcher, Oxford eResearch Centre, University of Oxford

Dr Neil Ashton is a Senior Researcher at the Oxford e-Research Centre. He is an expert in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), with a particular focus on turbulence modelling. He has worked on a number of EU projects with leading companies such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen and DLR to develop new turbulence models suitable for complex industrial flows.

He completed his MEng and PhD at the University of Manchester and later worked at the Lotus Formula 1 team, where he was responsible for helping to develop the CFD and HPC methodology for the aerodynamic department. Since returning to academia he has focused on developing improved CFD methods and software to enable a truly virtual design process using large-scale HPC facilities. He has given invited talks at NASA, Boeing, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre and others on his work and was recently a visiting scientist at NASA Ames Research Centre.

He is a Chartered Engineer through the IMechE, a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) as well as the NAFEMS CFD working group. He has also written for a number of leading international science magazines on science and engineering.

The real future of supersonic flight doesn't depend on Richard Branson – but it might depend on Trump

Nov 18, 2016 15:37 pm UTC| Technology

Sir Richard Branson wants to bring back supersonic travel. Thirteen years since Concorde ended operations, the Virgin tycoon has revealed the prototype design for a new generation of supersonic business jets developed by...

Economy

ECB Warns of Rising Inflation Risks Amid Iran War Energy Shock

The European Central Bank faces mounting pressure to act decisively as inflation risks intensify across the euro zone. ECB Governing Council member Dimitar Radev has cautioned that price expectations could shift more...

Energy Prices and Dollar Climb as U.S.-Iran Conflict Grips Global Markets

The U.S. dollar remained close to recent highs on Tuesday as global markets braced for a critical deadline set by President Donald Trump, demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping or face...

China's Fermented Feed Push: Cutting Soybean Dependence Amid Trade War

China is rapidly scaling up the use of fermented animal feed as part of a broader strategy to reduce its reliance on imported soybeans a shift driven equally by trade tensions with the United States and long-term food...

U.S. Futures Slip as Iran Rejects Ceasefire and Trump Deadline Looms

U.S. stock index futures edged lower Monday evening as investors remained on edge over escalating tensions in the Middle East, with President Donald Trumps deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz fast approaching...

Gold Prices Drop for Third Consecutive Session Amid Iran Tensions and Inflation Fears

Gold prices continued their downward trend in Asian trading on Tuesday, marking a third straight session of losses as markets grappled with mounting inflation concerns and escalating geopolitical tensions tied to U.S....

Politics

Trump May Delay Iran Military Strike If Diplomatic Deal Shows Promise

President Donald Trump is reportedly open to postponing planned military action against Iran should credible signs of a diplomatic breakthrough emerge, according to multiple media outlets citing an Axios report. U.S....

Iran-Israel War Escalates as Trump's Ceasefire Deadline Looms

Tensions in the Middle East reached a critical flashpoint as Iran and Israel continued exchanging strikes, with Tehran firmly rejecting a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal just hours before a deadline issued by President...

Vance Visits Hungary to Back Orban Ahead of Pivotal 2025 Elections

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Hungary this week in a show of political solidarity with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces his most difficult re-election battle since coming to power in 2010. The two-day...

China's Push to Steal Taiwan's Chip Technology and Talent Raises Security Alarms

Taiwans National Security Bureau has raised serious concerns about Beijings escalating efforts to infiltrate the islands world-class semiconductor industry. According to a report submitted to Taiwanese lawmakers, China is...

UN Security Council Votes on Watered-Down Strait of Hormuz Resolution Amid China Opposition

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote Tuesday on a resolution aimed at protecting commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, though the proposal has been significantly weakened following resistance from...

Science

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...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

Technology

Samsung Electronics Posts Eightfold Profit Surge Driven by AI Chip Demand

Samsung Electronics delivered a stunning financial turnaround in the first quarter of 2025, projecting operating profit of approximately 57.2 trillion won (roughly $38 billion) a more than eightfold increase compared to...

Apple's Foldable iPhone Faces Engineering Setbacks, Mass Production Timeline at Risk

Apples highly anticipated foldable iPhone is running into significant engineering hurdles during its test phase, raising concerns about potential delays in both mass production and product shipments, according to a report...

Britain Courts Anthropic Amid US Defense Department Dispute

The United Kingdom is actively working to attract Anthropic, the company behind the popular Claude AI app, to expand its footprint in the country. This diplomatic push comes as Anthropic finds itself in the middle of a...

OpenAI Executive Shake-Up Ahead of Anticipated 2026 IPO

OpenAI is navigating a significant leadership restructuring at one of the most pivotal moments in its history. The AI powerhouse confirmed that Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap is transitioning into a newly created...

Elon Musk Ties SpaceX IPO Access to Mandatory Grok AI Subscriptions

Elon Musk is reportedly making Grok subscriptions a prerequisite for banks and advisers involved in SpaceXs highly anticipated initial public offering. According to the New York Times, citing insiders familiar with the...