Image copyright AFP / Getty Images Image caption Exxon Mobil chief Rex Tillerson has been appointed as the next US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, tipped to be President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state, runs the world’s most valuable, publicly traded oil company. The 64-year-old head of Exxon Mobil has …

Image copyright Ryan Longmuir Image caption Ryan’s life had spiralled out of control in his teens At his lowest point, Ryan Longmuir took drugs every day “just to feel normal”. He was also dealing them, and at one point faced a possible jail sentence. Born in the Scottish new town …

Media captionCoventry’s car-making heyday remembered The last Peugeot to be made at the company’s Coventry plant rolled off the production line 10 years ago. It could have been the death knell for the city’s automotive industry, but new technology is inspiring confidence once more in the UK’s “motor city”. Ten …

Image caption Passengers across the South East have been severely affected by strike action A group of rail users have failed in an attempt to charter a train from Surrey to London on strike days. Reigate, Redhill District Rail Users Association (RRDRUA) began talks with the Train Chartering Company about …

Image copyright Thinkstock The traditional British fish supper could be replaced by the likes of squid as the waters around the UK’s shores grow warmer, say government scientists. Squid and fish that thrive in warmer waters, such as sardines and anchovies, are flourishing around the North Sea, according to fisheries …

Artist Graham Short, from Birmingham, has engraved 5mm portraits of Jane Austen on four £5 notes, which could make them worth £20,000. They have all been spent in the UK, so check your pockets.

Image copyright Getty Images The London market slid despite shares in oil companies being boosted by a jump in oil prices. The FTSE 100 started the day higher, but by the close, the index was down 63.79 points at 6,890.42. The fall came despite oil majors BP and Royal Dutch …

Media captionThe incident took 120 firefighters to bring under control but there were no injuries On a chilly Monday afternoon in late November, an email landed in my bulging inbox with information about a “potential safety issue”. “Hi there,” it began. “I wanted to make sure you were aware of …

Media captionSamsung Galaxy Note 7: What went wrong? You know your product’s got problems when it becomes the subject of jokes on late-night television. In the US, the comedian Stephen Colbert leant into the camera on the Late Show recently and said: “I have a special message for anyone watching …

Image copyright AP Image caption Samsung has a battle on its hands to restore its reputation A company disaster on the scale of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 crisis is like rolling thunder – it doesn’t just end with a plummeting share price, a quarterly profits warning, and a product …