News

2017 was a particularly interesting year in the global energy markets as crude oil declined from around $55 per barrel in January to around $43 per barrel in June before rising again to end the year around $65 per barrel. OPEC's move to cut oil production levels as a proactive move to end the 3-year supply glut in oil started bearing fruits in 2017 and the bullish trend is building up momentum to continue in 2018. Crude oil is already...

The director of an illegal Islamic school where pupils were taught in filthy, unhygienic and unkempt classrooms has been banned from teaching for life. Extremist terrorist literature was found at Bordesley Independent School where children were found working in "squalid" conditions. Naveed Hussain, 39, was boss of the Birmingham-based school before Ofsted closed it down in November 2015. Inspectors found boys and girls were segregated and being taught on dirty mattresses as well having no access to running water in...

Unbelievably, a decade after the global banking collapse the British taxpayer has been asked to bail out one of Britain’s largest contractors for public projects as it owes the banks - including those we bailed out - hundreds of millions. Carillion had asked the Government to bail it out with uncertainty hanging over thousands of jobs and public projects contracted out to the failing giant all over Britain from hospitals to HS2. Yet again while the risks are borne by...

Momentum has secured a landslide victory in elections to the National Executive Committee, with the group's founder hailing the result as a victory for "21st century socialism". Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum, was among three new members elected in the vote, with Yasmine Dar and Rachel Garnham joining Lansman. Comedian Eddie Izzard lost out. As Labour's supreme decision-making committee, the NEC plays a key role in the overall direction of the party as well as helping set the rules for...

A top police boss is to be hauled before a misconduct panel over allegations he injured a fellow officer by hurling a stress ball at his throat. Essex Police's Deputy Chief Constable Matthew Horne is accused of throwing he rubber stress ball 'for no apparent reason' while in his office with two colleagues. The ball hit a junior officer in the throat and allegedly left him with a 'red mark' following the incident on an unknown date between October 2015...

England cricketer Ben Stokes has been charged with affray, police said today (Mon). The 26-year-old all rounder has been charged along with two other men. A spokesman for the CPS said: "The CPS was passed a file of evidence by Avon & Somerset Police on November 29 2017 in relation to an incident of disorder in Bristol city centre. "Further material was subsequently received in late December. "Following a review of all the available evidence, the CPS has today (Mon...

A pro-Brexit group of economists has claimed Britain will gain £651 billion from a "no deal", whereas the European Union will lose more than £500 billion. The Economists for Free Trade group - formerly known as Economists for Brexit - used a classic trade model to predict that GDP will spike by nine per cent, amounting to a one-off gain of £180 billion, if Britain leaves on March 29, 2019, without a deal. They predict the UK would make an additional...

The imminent collapse of Carillion could not have come at a worse time for the NHS, according to Nursing Notes, with essential services threatened by the groups demise. Following several days of negotiations, the board of the NHS’s largest external contractor, Carillion, has said that it had “no choice but to take steps to enter into compulsory liquidation with immediate effect’’. Carillion employs around 20,000 people in the UK with around 8,000 of these working as subcontractors for the NHS....

Wheelchair users are still unable to use one of Britain’s busiest libraries after a £6million revamp – because the lifts are too small. Oxfordshire County Council forked out millions in taxpayer cash upgrading its flagship library but failed to install new lifts which can fit standard sized wheelchairs. Mum-of-three wheelchair user Suzi Horsley, 34, said it is ‘ridiculous’ she is unable to use the library, which is inside Oxford’s Westgate Shopping Centre. The council has blamed ‘demand in the construction...