Price of first class stamps to rise to £1.80

Paul SeddonPolitical reporter PA Media The education secretary has defended Labour’s U-turn over offering all workers the right to claim unfair dismissal from their first day in a job. Instead, ministers now plan to reduce the qualifying period from the current two years to six months, in line with a deal agreed by some unions…

It said: “Given Mr Niccol’s chief executive role, the enhanced media attention to which Mr Niccol and Starbucks are subject, and the current threat landscape, the security study for Mr Niccol also recommended that Mr Niccol use private aviation for all air travel, whether for personal, commuting, or business purposes.”

These ships, typically oil tankers such as the one Ivan is stuck on, are more often ageing vessels of obscure ownership, unseaworthy, likely uninsured, and operationally hazardous. And they typically sail under flags of convenience or FOCs – the ships are registered in countries with very limited regulatory oversight.

There might also be a more direct impact on food. “Some elements of crude oil are used in fertiliser, and so there could be a cost implication in terms of food prices,” Benjamin Goodwin, partner at banking advisory firm PRISM Strategic Intelligence told the BBC.

“Locally, the prices are very much linked to geopolitical instability, they’re linked to supply and demand at global level… and money markets, currency exchange rates, which again there’s no ability for people in Northern Ireland to control,” explained Smyth.