Shane Croucher

New orders drop the most in three years as UK manufacturing sector slows further into the second quarter

The Lloyd's of London insurance market, the world's oldest, has said it suffered no significant first quarter losses after a difficult 2011.

Barclays' Bob Diamond and Aviva's Andrew Moss have felt the wrath of angry shareholders in rows over executive pay.

Guy Hands's Terra Firma private equity group has agreed to buy Four Seasons Health Care in an £825m deal.

Andrew Moss, chief executive of Aviva, had turned down a pay rise after shareholders voiced their concerns on executive pay.

Retail sales in Germany were up by 0.8 percent in March according to the Federal Statistics Office.

Police confirm suspect arrested at scene of central London bomb and hostage scare on Tottenham Court Road.

Tottenham Court Road bomb scare: Michael Green said to be the man at the centre of a bomb scare in London, says Sky News.

Worker at besieged Tottenham Court Road office in London tells reporter alleged hostages freed by man identified as Michael Green.

BREAKING NEWS: Police seal off Tottenham Court Road and open negotiations with alleged hostage-taker in office building.

Twitter reports bomb scare in Tottenham Court Road office as police cordon the area off.

Germany and France, the two biggest economies in the eurozone, have been hit by rapidly worsening retail sales in the single currency area.

Nearly 73 percent agree to payout despite sharp criticism and slumping Barclays equity returns

Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP, the world's biggest advertising firm, posted strong first quarter results and improves its full year profit forecast.

Opposing Dutch politicians are trying to agree a 2013 budget that will meet the EU's deficit target after the coalition government collapsed when it could not agree.

Volvo, the world's second biggest truck manufacturer, benefited from recovering demand in crisis-hit Europe and a good sales trend in the US.

Pernod Ricard, the French drinks business that owns the Absolut and Jameson brands, posted strong third quarter sales.

Despite turnover and profits only seeing slight growth for GSK in the first quarter, the pharmaceutical giant still eyes a Human Genome Sciences takeover.

The world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, helped lift Virgin Media's number of superfast broadband customers in the first quarter of 2012.

Huge construction sector slump plunges UK into "double-dip" territory as the UK economy contracts for the second consecutive quarter.

BofA Merryl Lynch also cut its rating of BSkyB stock, knocking the price, as James Murdoch is grilled at the Leveson inquiry.

The Office for National Statistics says public borrowing hit £18.2bn in March, but government on target in deficit reduction.

Revenues up significantly for online poker and casino business but caution over its ability to re-enter the US market sent its stock tumbling.

World's largest supplier of vehicle interiors boosted by North American and Asian markets.

Orbis, C&W's biggest shareholder, says Vodafone Group's £1 billion takeover bid is too low

The UK's broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it is investigating Sky News after it admitted hacking private email accounts in pursuit of the "canoe man" story.

Thinktank forecasts cost of living will rise at least 2.7 percent this year on back of high oil and commodity prices.

Vodafone nabs C&W to gain access to UK's largest fibre network after rival Tata drops out of running.

With a medley of events across the summer, from the London 2012 Olympics to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, betting-mad Britain is odds on for a punt.