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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Sat, Feb 07, 2026 09:37 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Alan Llwyd

Professor of Welsh, Swansea University
Alan Llwyd is one of Wales’ most prominent poets for generations. In 2023, he won the Chair in the Llŷn and Eifionydd Eisteddfod. Previously, he managed to win the 'double', namely the Chair and the Crown in the same year - twice - in 1973 and 1976. He is the first poet since the relaxation of the ‘twice only’ rule to win the Chair for the third time.

Alan lives in Morriston, Swansea and was born in Dolgellau in 1948. He lived in the village of Llan Ffestiniog in Meirionnydd until 1953, and from the age of five he grew up on a farm in Llŷn. He spent the rest of his childhood as well as his adolescence in Llŷn. He was a pupil at Ysgol Botwnnog until 1967, when he went to the Bangor University to study Welsh.

He graduated in 1970, after which he worked in the Awen Meirion bookshop in Bala for two years, before moving to Swansea in 1976 to work as an editor for Gwasg Christopher Davies. Between 1980 and 1982 he worked for the Welsh Joint Education Committee in Cardiff, and from 1982, he worked full-time for Cymdeithas Barddas.

He worked for Barddas for almost thirty years, promoting poetry, and editing the Society's magazine and publications. He published more than 300 books during his periods as publisher and editor for various organisations. Alan Llwyd, together with the late Penri Jones, founded Llanw Llŷn, Pen Llŷn's local paper.

As a poet and writer, he has published more than 80 books, including three complete collections of poems. It won the Nonfiction-Creative Book of the Year category in 2013 and 2020, and the Poetry Book of the Year category in 2019. In 2018, it won the Cwlwm Cyhoeddwyr Cymru Award for a special contribution to the publishing world. He has won over 50 literary awards so far.

In 1993, he won the BAFTA Cymru award for Best Film Script in Welsh, namely the script of the film Hedd Wyn, which was nominated for an Oscar.

Economy

China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices

Chinas central bank has continued to strengthen its gold reserves, extending its buying streak to a 15th consecutive month in January, according to the latest data released by the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC). The move...

Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal

President Donald Trump has signed a landmark executive order removing the 25% penalty tariff on Indian goods, signaling a major shift in U.S.India trade relations and global geopolitical alignment. The move functions as...

Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order that could impose tariffs of up to 25% on countries that continue to do business with Iran, marking a significant escalation in Washingtons pressure campaign...

U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains

The United States and India have taken a significant step toward a long-anticipated bilateral trade agreement by releasing an interim trade framework aimed at lowering tariffs, reshaping energy ties, and strengthening...

Dow Hits 50,000 as U.S. Stocks Stage Strong Rebound Amid AI Volatility

U.S. stocks surged on Friday, posting their strongest session since May 2025, as investors regained confidence following a turbulent week marked by sharp losses in technology shares and uncertainty around the artificial...

Politics

Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a 33-year-old Ohio man accused of threatening to kill U.S. Vice President JD Vance during the vice presidents visit to the Ohio region in January, according to the...

New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients

New York has officially joined a growing number of U.S. states allowing medical aid in dying after Governor Kathy Hochul signed landmark legislation into law on Friday. The new New York medical aid in dying law permits...

Trump Says “Very Good Talks” Underway on Russia-Ukraine War as Peace Efforts Continue

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that very good talks are ongoing regarding Russias war in Ukraine, signaling potential movement in long-running diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Speaking briefly to...

China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit

China has issued a strong warning to the United States, signaling that any additional arms sales to Taiwan could seriously jeopardize U.S. President Donald Trumps planned visit to China in April. According to a report...

Trump Allows Commercial Fishing in Protected New England Waters

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation permitting commercial fishing in a previously restricted marine protected area off the coast of New England, a move that has sparked renewed debate over ocean...

Science

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...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

Technology

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang reaffirmed his bullish stance on artificial intelligence, calling the massive capital expenditure flowing into AI infrastructure both appropriate and necessary as the industry...

Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) delivered a mixed but closely watched earnings report, beating Wall Street expectations on revenue while unveiling a massive long-term investment plan that unsettled investors. The e-commerce and...

Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch

Major PC manufacturers including HP, Dell, Acer, and Asus are reportedly exploring the option of sourcing memory chips from Chinese semiconductor companies for the first time, as a prolonged global supply crunch continues...

OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering

OpenAI is significantly accelerating its enterprise AI strategy by hiring hundreds of new employees for its technical consulting division, according to a report by The Information, citing a person familiar with the...

SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off

SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) shares tumbled sharply on Thursday, tracking a steep decline in Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:ARM) after the UK-based chip designer reported weaker-than-expected earnings for the December quarter....