A pelican covered in oil from the BP leak is cleaned in Louisiana. Photograph: Reuters The oil industry has been responsible for thousands of fires, explosions, and leaks over the last decade, killing dozens of people and destroying wildlife and the environment across America, according to a report published today. None of the individual incidents [...]

Vince Cable’s snub was hailed by Bob Crow, the general secretary of the Rail and Maritime Union. Photograph: Daniel Deme/EPA Trade unionists have withdrawn Vince Cable’s invitation to speak at the TUC congress this autumn after the business secretary had publicly confirmed he would attend. The decision to revoke the invitation to the September conference [...]

Michael Gove said last month 1,114 schools across England had applied to become academies. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Only 153 schools have applied to become academies despite a government fanfare claiming the number was more than a thousand, official figures revealed today. The education secretary, Michael Gove, said last month that teachers’ response to a [...]

David Miliband said there was a ‘big difference between straight-talking and being a loudmouth’. Photograph: Graeme Robertson David Cameron was today accused of being a “loudmouth” by David Miliband, the former foreign secretary and Labour leadership contender, over his claims that elements of the Pakistani state are responsible for exporting terrorism abroad. The prime minister [...]