Andrea Egan calls for same political focus on teachers, care sector and NHS and says Jackdaw decision ‘a serious misstep’

• UK politics live – latest updates

The leader of the UK’s biggest trade union has called for the same political focus to be given to NHS, education and care sector workers as there has been on those employed in North Sea oil and gas.

Andrea Egan, the general secretary of Unison, said too often public sector workers were treated as an “afterthought” by the government compared with the “massive political focus” on protecting jobs in the North Sea.

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© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer

I experienced war’s subterranean future as drones dominate the skies. I didn’t like it.

© Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times

Oil giant comes under fire from climate campaigners, as its earnings reach $8.46bn while ‘innocent civilians suffer’

BP’s quarterly profits have been labelled “obscene” after they hit an 18-year high of $8.46bn (£6.3bn), as the war in the Middle East drove up oil and gas prices.

The energy company hailed a “banner quarter” on Friday, with its underlying ​replacement ⁠cost profit – a key measure of its income – almost quadrupling in the three months to the end of September, from $2.2bn in the same period ​a year ​ago. The jump meant BP’s quarterly profits hit their highest level since the $8.9bn recorded in 2008.

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© Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

© Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

© Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

Oil giant hails ‘banner quarter’ as earnings reach $8.46bn, prompting anger from climate campaigners

BP’s profits have hit their highest level in almost two decades as the war in the Middle East drove up oil and gas prices and led to “significantly higher” trading.

The energy company hailed a “banner quarter” on Friday, with its underlying ​replacement ⁠cost profit – a key measure of its income – almost quadrupling to $8.46bn (£6.3bn), from $2.2bn ​a year ​ago.

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© Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

© Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

© Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

Energy firm to return $5bn to shareholders as climate campaigners criticise high profits

• Business live – latest updates

Shell has doubled its profits in the last quarter after the Middle East conflict drove up the price of oil and gas and created shortages in the global market.

Shell reported on Thursday morning that it made an adjusted profit of $10.8bn (£8.1bn) in the July-September quarter, up from $5.432bn in the third quarter of 2025. The results beat analyst expectations for a rise to $10.33bn.

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© Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

© Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

© Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

Energy firm to return $5bn to shareholders as climate campaigners criticise high profits

• Business live – latest updates

Shell has doubled its profits in the last quarter after the Middle East conflict drove up the price of oil and gas and created shortages in the global market.

Shell reported on Thursday morning that it made an adjusted profit of $10.8bn (£8.1bn) in the July-September quarter, up from $5.432bn in the third quarter of 2025. The results beat analyst expectations for a rise to $10.33bn.

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© Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

© Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

© Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

The luxury MV Odyssey ship slated for a years-long voyage around the world suspends operations amid high fuel prices

A luxury cruise ship that had embarked on a years-long voyage around the world was forced to suspend its operations and leave passengers stranded in Cambodia because of high fuel prices.

The ship, known as the MV Odyssey, had been carrying 203 passengers, mostly Americans, along with 156 crew members, Cambodian officials told the Associated Press. The ship has a 650-passenger capacity.

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© Photograph: Heng Sinith/AP

© Photograph: Heng Sinith/AP

© Photograph: Heng Sinith/AP

The luxury MV Odyssey ship slated for a years-long voyage around the world suspends operations amid high fuel prices

A luxury cruise ship that had embarked on a years-long voyage around the world was forced to suspend its operations and leave passengers stranded in Cambodia because of high fuel prices.

The ship, known as the MV Odyssey, had been carrying 203 passengers, mostly Americans, along with 156 crew members, Cambodian officials told the Associated Press. The ship has a 650-passenger capacity.

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© Photograph: Heng Sinith/AP

© Photograph: Heng Sinith/AP

© Photograph: Heng Sinith/AP

The Biden administration had sought to crack down on methane leaks, a big driver of climate change. Those rules are now being scaled back.

© Susan Montoya Bryan/Associated Press

Interviews and documents show a Russian energy giant secretly funded a U.S. firm. The deal has been discussed in talks to end the war in Ukraine.

© Daniel Acker/Bloomberg