British Energy close to sale deal
French energy firm EDF and British Gas owner Centrica are close to buying British Energy, the BBC learns.

Boss of BP Russia venture leaves
BP says the chief executive of its Russian venture TNK-BP has temporarily left Russia because of "sustained harassment".

UK retail sales fall 3.9% in June
Retail sales in the UK fell 3.9% in June, reversing a sudden and unexpected 3.6% record surge seen in May.

Easyjet plans cuts as costs bite
Airline Easyjet will cut flights this winter to offset a challenging economic climate and high fuel prices that have hurt profits

US home sales still on the slide
US homes sales fall 15.5% from a year ago, raising fresh fears about the US economy and triggering a slide on Wall Street.

Carmakers tackle profit problems
Three of the world's top carmakers unveil plans to help them survive as the industry faces slumping demand.

Arctic 'has 90bn barrels of oil'
The Arctic is estimated to hold some 90bn barrels of oil, according to data from the US Geological Survey.

Moscow tops list of pricey cities
Moscow tops the league of the most expensive cities to live in for expatriates, followed by Tokyo and London.

Bank phishing attacks on the rise
Attempts by internet fraudsters to con people into revealing their bank account details are rising, a banking body says.

B&Q pushes up Kingfisher's sales
Home improvements retailer Kingfisher says same store sales at its B&Q chain have risen indicating its improvement plan is on track.

President Bush explains the credit crunch: 'Wall Street got drunk'
A secret recording shows US President George W Bush explaining the problems afflicting the US stock markets: "Wall Street got drunk."

Sad birthday?
The glory of the Model T can't hide Ford's problems

Slippery business
BP faces battle to keep Russian joint venture

Extra time
Nationwide saves world's oldest football annual

Talking tough
The regulator is out to get mortgage fraudsters

Clubbing Together
Small bookstores are trying to match the big boys

Scottish & Southern warns of rise
UK utility firm Scottish & Southern has warned customers it is likely to increase electricity and gas prices.

Housing rescue bill passed in US
The US House of Representatives passes a massive housing rescue bill after President Bush says he will not veto it.

Net firms in music pirates deal
Six top UK internet providers are believed to have signed up to a government-backed plan to tackle illegal file-sharing.

Inflation in Vietnam passes 27%
Vietnam reports an inflation rate of 27.04% in July, the highest so far this year, but experts say worse is to come.

Baidu profits boosted by Olympics
Leading Chinese search engine firm Baidu.com sees quarterly profits rise sharply, as traffic rises thanks to the Olympics.

Credit Suisse returns to profit
Credit Suisse's second-quarter profits beat expectations, helped by a good performance from its private banking arm.

Amazon profit doubles
The online retailer Amazon beats forecasts by doubling its profits as high petrol prices encourage home shopping.

Three-way split on rate decision
The majority of Bank of England policymakers voted to keep rates at 5% this month, but one voted for a cut and another for a rise.

MPs scrap France's 35-hour week
France's parliament passes a law which effectively ends the country's compulsory 35-hour working week.

Brazil increases interest rates
Brazil increases interest rates to 13% from 12.25%, in an attempt to counter rising inflation

Mortgage approvals hit fresh low
The number of new mortgages approved by the major banks fell to a new record low in June, and is down 67% on the year.

Ryanair price error 'to be fixed'
Ryanair says it will fix a fault on its website that means it is breaking official rules on price clarity.

Glaxo unveils plan to diversify
Global drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline wants to broaden its product base as it grapples with tough competition from generic drug makers

Dreamliner hits Boeing's results
Delays to a military order and the 787 Dreamliner project take their toll on Boeing's three-month results.

Mortgage advisers 'are failing'
Most mortgage advisers are doing a poor job when giving advice, according to research by the consumers association Which?

New Northern Rock boss appointed
Northern Rock appoints Barclays' Gary Hoffman as its new chief executive as the last original board member leaves.

Credit union rules to be reformed
Measures to strengthen the finances of credit unions are set to be brought into force by the government next year

Fuel sellers start cutting prices
UK drivers are set to benefit after a number retailers including Asda, Morrisons and BP said that they would cut petrol prices.

Oil slides lower from record high
The price of oil keeps on sliding as US demand wanes and a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico takes a favourable course.

Indian stocks up after key vote
Indian stocks rise more than 5% after the government wins a vote of confidence that could enable key reforms.

US mortgage rates increase again
The cost of taking out a mortgage in the US rises again following fears over two key lenders, consumer figures indicate.

EU suspends funding for Bulgaria
The European Commission suspends aid to Bulgaria worth hundreds of millions of euros amid concern about organised crime.

Overseas sales boost McDonald's
Fast-food group McDonald's reports higher-than-expected quarterly profits, helped by solid overseas sales

Vodafone in surprise share move
Vodafone will buy £1bn of its own shares after a disappointing trading update saw its stock fall 14% on Tuesday.

Top US lender suffers $3bn loss
Leading US mortgage lender Washington Mutual sees a $3.3bn quarterly loss following a rise in loan defaults.