BBC Business

UK unemployment fell 26,000 in the three months to May to 2.45m, but the claimant count increased in June, official figures show.

The Conservatives will join Labour and the Liberal Democrats in urging News Corporation to withdraw its bid for BSkyB.

The UK's total liability for funding public sector pensions reaches £1.1 trillion, the Office for Budget Responsibility says.

China's economy slows further in the second quarter after the government steps up its battle against inflation.

There has been a continued rise in the number of people looking for homes to rent, a survey of landlords suggests.

The phone hacking crisis engulfing News Corps' British newspapers could spread to the US. An influential senator has called for an investigation of the media giant's American interest.

Suppliers to several big clothing brands such as Adidas, Nike and H&M are polluting two of China's main rivers with hazardous chemicals, according to an investigation by Greenpeace.

The UK economy is still under pressure with one in four small businesses increasingly nervous of a double-dip recession.

The International Monetary Fund asks Italy to ensure "decisive implementation" of spending cuts to reduce the nation's debt.

Fashion retailer Burberry reports better-than-expected quarterly sales, helped by strong growth in Asia.

As government cuts begin to bite, many employers are offering staff a choice between losing their jobs, or taking a pay cut.

Brazil's Abilio Diniz suspends plans to merge his supermarket chain Grupo Pao de Acucar with the local arm of France's Carrefour.

Marks and Spencer reports higher market share in food and clothes, as poor trading conditions see non-food sales stagnate.

The European Commission is to reveal plans to reform the fishing industry after an admission that the current policy has been a failure.

Shares in Supergroup jump 11% after the the Superdry and Cult clothes chain owner reports a doubling in annual profits.

Every year it is claimed tens of thousands of tonnes of dead fish are thrown back into the sea, effectively wasted, as part of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy.

The debt crisis in Europe deepens as officials try to get to grips with increasingly worrying developments.

Shares of Chinese car and battery maker BYD fall at the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges after a profit warning.

It is politically difficult to slow down China's economy

News Corp announces plans to buy back $5bn (£3.2bn) of its shares as it attempts to contain the phone-hacking scandal.