Oil prices record steepest annual fall since Covid pandemic

Oil markets have recorded their steepest annual fall since the Covid pandemic and could be on track to plummet further as oil producers continue to pump more crude than needed by the global economy.Oil prices slumped by almost 20% in 2025, marking the biggest annual loss since 2020 and the first time that the oil market has recorded three consecutive years of annual losses.The steady slide in prices has emerged despite ongoing conflict in some of the world’s most important energy-producing regions due to a “cartoonishly” oversupplied market, according to analysts.Crude fell below $60 a barrel for the first time in almost five years last month as political leaders began to inch towards a Russia-Ukraine peace deal which could increase the glut in the global market if western sanctions are lifted on Russian exports.The International Energy Agency expects supplies to outstrip demand for crude by about 3

Wall Street ends 2025 near record highs after year of economic upheaval

Wall Street finished 2025 near record highs on Wednesday, as ballooning tech valuations and hopes of lower interest rates helped stock markets defy a year of economic uncertainty.The benchmark S&P 500 rose 16.4% over the course of the year, closing at 6,845.50 on New Year’s Eve in New York, as investors largely shrugged off geopolitical uncertainty and the frenzy around artificial intelligence continued.It fell 0

Waitrose urges customers not to drink Deeside water over shards of glass risk

Waitrose customers are being urged to return and not drink large bottles of Deeside mineral water over fears they could contain shards of glass.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a consumer alert over the still and sparkling 750ml bottles of Waitrose No 1 Deeside mineral water because of the possibility of glass fragments, making them unsafe to drink.The potentially contaminated mineral waters, which are bottled specially for Waitrose from a spring near Balmoral Castle in Scotland’s Cairngorms national park, cost about £1.60 each in store.The supermarket has removed the bottles from its shelves and customers who have already bought them are being asked to call the retailer or return the product in person to get their money back

Eurostar slowly resumes but passengers face more cancellations and delays

Rail traffic through the Channel tunnel slowly resumed on Wednesday with more cancellations and delays after an electricity failure on Tuesday stranded thousands of passengers and trapped some for a night in a powerless train.Two London-Paris trains were cancelled and most trips were delayed in both directions as Eurostar warned of “knock-on impacts” on New Year’s Eve.Thousands of travellers in the busy run-up to the new year faced hours of delays after the train operator cancelled services between London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels on Tuesday because of an overhead power supply problem and a failed LeShuttle train.A spokesperson said “an overhead line fell on to a Eurostar train linking London and Paris, near the entrance to the Channel tunnel”.Some services had resumed on the single available line by Tuesday evening, with Eurostar saying there were “further issues with rail infrastructure overnight”

ITV agrees to invest £3m in fitness app created by Joe Wicks

The broadcaster ITV has agreed to invest up to £3m into the health and fitness app The Body Coach, created by Joe Wicks, who shot to fame by getting people exercising in their living rooms during the Covid pandemic.It is the latest deal made through the group’s media for equity investment fund ITV AdVentures Invest. As part of the agreement, The Body Coach will advertise on ITV’s channels and its video platform ITVX.Wicks launched the app in late 2020, capitalising on the prominence gained during the Covid-19 lockdowns when he streamed daily workout videos online. It offers personalised workout plans, alongside a range of healthy recipes and access to a online group to keep users motivated

London stock exchange beats Wall Street with best FTSE 100 year since 2009

Britain’s stock market has increased in value by a fifth over 2025 – its biggest annual gain since 2009 – in a strong year for shares around the world.The FTSE 100 index of blue-chip stocks closed up 21.5% on New Year’s Eve compared with the start of January, beating Wall Street returns. The wider all-share market was 19.75% higher