The U.K. may be on the verge of an unprecedented experiment in public accountability. The courts may soon be invited to consider the following question: Should government officials face prosecution if the actions they took to support the financial system during the credit crisis stink in hindsight? In late 2007 and early 2008, with markets in a meltdown and …

  DUBAI / Reuters Gulf stock markets saw lacklustre trade on Wednesday as low oil prices and weak earnings weighed on investor sentiment. Crude prices declined for a third day, hovering near $50 a barrel for the first time in three weeks, amid doubts that OPEC members will agree to a cut output. “Investor sentiment appears to be weak in …

London / AFP World stock markets mostly retreated on Wednesday, weighed down by miners’ shares and oil prices, while Apple dragged Wall Street lower, traders said. After declines for the bulk of Asia’s stock markets, Europe’s top indices were showing losses of up to 1.2 percent compared with Tuesday’s closing levels. The heaviest faller on London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index …