4 d. ago Wealthy Americans pour record sums into private credit funds

Individual investors among the biggest sources of growth as institutional demand slows

Economics

1 week ago Disaster at Sea: The Piper Alpha Story review – this oil rig horror is up there with Chornobyl

Shocking and superb, this documentary is packed with terrifying details of the notorious 1988 catastrophe, from the fire that could be seen from 120 miles away to the squashed tomatoesOn the evening of 6 July 1988, the Piper Alpha oil production platform in the North Sea suffered a catastrophic gas explosion, followed by a conflagration that destroyed the structure; 167 people were killed, and almost all the physical evidence of what had occurred became charred debris, lost to the waves. After the disaster, a public inquiry struggled to form a complete picture of the event, for reasons that also make it a hard subject for documentary-makers.Disaster at Sea: The Piper Alpha Story copes with the challenge superbly, leaning heavily on survivor testimony – 61 men escaped from the rig – and combining it with a simple 2D diagram of the platform’s layout to give us the fullest picture possible. It doesn’t have the special-effects budget that would be required to simulate the ferocity of th...

Events

3 w. ago Business news live: UK economy growth slows as leaders demand ‘no more business taxes in Autumn budget’

Stock market news and latest business and finance updates from Wednesday

Economics

3 w. ago Surge in global oil production will meet slowing demand growth, warns IEA

Paris-based energy advisory body makes fifth consecutive monthly cut to demand outlook

Events

3 w. ago US gold futures surge to record high after Trump tariff blindsides global market

Unexpected levy from Trump administration could redraw trade in the metal, analysts and investors warn

Politics

4 w. ago More than 200 lobbyists at UN’s plastic treaty talks will limit progress, campaigners warn

Environmental group says industry figures will be obstructive and aim to reduce overall ambition of meetingMore than 200 industry lobbyists are attending the UN’s meeting to hammer out a global plastics treaty, raising fears that moves to prevent runaway plastic production may be undermined.The 234 lobbyists from the oil, petrochemical and plastics industries outnumber the combined delegations of all 27 EU member states, and far exceed the number of people attending with the delegation of scientists as well as Indigenous peoples at the Geneva talks. Continue reading...

Events