Francis Maude said the current redundancy scheme for civil servants was ‘prohibitively expensive’. Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters Some civil servants are so “prohibitively” expensive to make redundant that they are being left “in limbo” without a proper... 

Tony Hayward had been criticised for his handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images BP has reported one of the largest losses in British corporate history because of the cost of the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and confirmed this morning... 

Adam Shaw … set up a high-street “Bank of Shaw” for a Panorama stunt. Photograph: BBC/John Rogers/BBC Monday’s edition of Panorama achieved a respectable audience of 3.2 million, but it would be interesting to know how many of those viewers tuned in because of a recent... 

Houston Astros starter Roy Oswalt delivers a pitch in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Saturday, July 24, 2010, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) PHILADELPHIA – A person with knowledge of the deal says Houston ace Roy Oswalt has agreed to waive his no-trade clause... 

Former justice secretary Jack Straw declined to attend the senate committee hearing. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Jack Straw, the former justice secretary, has rejected a demand from a US senate committee to appear in Washington next week to answer questions about the release of the man convicted...