Water companies are the most persistent polluters of England's rivers and beaches, with “pitiful” fines failing to curb their behaviour, it has been revealed.

A government minister with responsibility for fracking suggested in a private meeting that the innovative gas drilling process could cause houses' walls to shake, it is reported.

Fresh details emerge of how financier accused of one of the world's biggest frauds was tracked down

The planning minister has lost powers over wind farm policy because his brother works for a major turbine manufacturer, it has been disclosed.

Drilling began at 11.15am at the West Sussex site as demonstrations entered their ninth day

Investors in the world's second-biggest listed oil group were yesterday left shell-shocked after news of a 60 per cent fall in profits. Royal Dutch Shell's second-quarter results were 23 per cent below analysts' consensus forecasts and Richard Curr, head of dealing at broker Prime Markets, said they "came totally out of the blue".

Although forever identified with Algeria and its former colonial ruler France, Henri Alleg was originally a Londoner, his Russian Jewish grandparents having fled the poverty and pogroms of the 19th century to install themselves in the East End.

Deputy PM wants to more than quadruple industry, but critics say lack of clear targets is holding back confidence

Shares in Shell tumbled by 5% today as the FTSE 100 company announced a “clearly disappointing” 60% dive in its profits for the second quarter.

British Gas has said it could offer free electricity on Saturdays in a bid to reduce demand on weekdays.

The House of Representatives easily passed a bill on Wednesday to tighten sanctions on Iran, showing a strong message to Tehran over its disputed nuclear program days before President-elect Hassan Rouhani is sworn in.

Outlook Now his business is concentrated about as far from Britain as you can get, Tony Hayward is ideally placed to comment on our looming energy crisis. A manifesto published by the former BP boss the other day urged the Government not to turn its back on fossil fuels, to build our own nuclear power stations instead of hoping the French will do it for us and to slash subsidies for on and offshore windpower. Sounds easy.

Outlook Complaints from senior politicians over profiteering, criticisms that bosses treat customers poorly – the predictable reactions to Centrica's results get more and more like those that afflict the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Centrica, the owner of British Gas, has flown into a fresh storm of controversy after unveiling a 9 per cent surge in half-year operating profit to £1.58bn only months after hiking household bills.