While working as an NHS consultant anaesthetist, I wrote about myopic short-term approaches to complex problems. Contracting out cleaning and catering to the cheapest providers led to surges in hospital-acquired infections and patient malnutrition, and so to increases in morbidity, mortality – and costs. Public finance initiatives to build new hospitals resulted in long-term debts and fewer beds. Targets caused distortion of clinical priorities: treating a hundred extra varicose veins within five weeks was more politically expedient than 10 urgent joint replacements.

The stock market added insult to the deep wounds endured by Apple after its results disappointed investors this week, driving down its share price to the point where it lost its crown as the world's most valuable company.

Perhaps traders really do believe the adage that if you say something enough times it will come true. Perennial bid target, oil and gas specialist BG Group, was back on the lips of fast-talking traders today. Dealers insisted the rumour could come true this time and the shares spurted to the top of the benchmark index, 25.5p better at 1,145p today.

Family said to believe killing on Brussels street had hallmarks of assassination

Shell said that its Fram field in the North Sea would be up and running within three years and will provide 5 per cent of Britain's gas at peak production, after winning government approval for the project.

Esso and one of its contractors are to be prosecuted over the death of a sailor at one of Europe's largest oil refineries, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said today.

Britain's bus companies have a better ethical record than the new tech giants Apple and Google, according to a global sustainability league table published today.

The Sunday Times: RBS to offload Hoare Govett as new cuts bite

US oil supermajor Exxon Mobil is understood to have sounded out London-listed Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) over a possible deal that could value the Kurdistan-focused group at around £7bn.

The oil giant has defied Iraq's government by signing up to drill in disputed territory

US Outlook: The "data-driven evaluation" to which Hewlett-Packard has belatedly subjected the proposed spin-off of its personal computer business, probably did not need to go further than measuring the share-price decline on the day it was announced. It was 20 per cent.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has apologised for claiming he felt "raped" playing in the lower-profile Players Tour Championship (PTC) series.

"This is another shining

One group seemingly immune to the impact of inflation, unemployment, economic stagnation and all the other woes afflicting this country is the men (it's usually men) who sit around the boardroom tables of Britain's biggest public companies. Income Data Services (IDS), which totted up pay, bonuses and various share awards, says FTSE 100 directors pocketed an average 49 per cent rise in the last financial year to bring their annual remuneration to an average £2.7m. Chief executives made do with a 43 per cent rise, poor lambs.