Lloyd's of London sees loss after natural catastrophes

The insurance market Lloyd's of London has announced a loss for 2011, saying it was its worst year for catastrophe claims.

Apple could up China investment as Tim Cook visits

Apple has indicated it will consider higher investments in China, as chief executive Tim Cook visited Beijing to meet Chinese officials.

Game appoints administrators but PwC pins hopes on sell-off

The video games specialist Game has officially entered administration, appointing PwC prior to a swift restructuring that is expected to result in heavy job losses and the closure of half the firm's 600 UK stores.

Honda's automobile unit resumes operations in Thailand

Honda Automobile Thailand (HATC) has resumed production at its plant in Ayutthaya after severe floods halted operations in early October.

FedEx says economy isn't as robust as it hoped

NEW YORK: FedEx says the global economy isn't growing as strongly as expected and customers are reacting by choosing cheaper means of shipping packages.

Game Group shares suspended

Fears for the future of retailer Game have intensified after its shares were suspended and it admitted the business has no value.

Nissan brings back Datsun budget brand

Nissan has announced a plan to revive Datsun as a low-cost marque, 31 years after removing it from its line-up.

Cisco Systems to secure employees' personal devices

Cisco Systems is expanding its services to enable companies to manage and secure private mobile devices used by employees at work, aiming to benefit from the trend widely known as BYOD or Bring Your Own Device.

Apple to pay dividend and buy back shares

Apple has said it will use its cash to start paying a dividend to shareholders and to buy back some of its shares.

Minimum alcohol price 'illegal', claims Scotch Whisky Association

In a letter to Downing Street, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), whose members include Diageo, the Edrington Group and Chivas Brothers, says the policy would act as an “illegal” barrier to free trade within Europe.

Unions ought to alter strategies

As multinational corporations like McDonalds and Microsoft continue their global economic dominance, labor unions have lost their relevance within American politics.

Sarkozy wants Internet giants like Google, Facebook, Twitter to pay tax in France

PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday he wants "Internet giants" to pay tax in France, shortly before he was due to meet the founder of the micro-blogging site Twitter.

French Connection reviews UK stores as profits fall

Fashion retailer French Connection has said it is reviewing its UK store operations after reporting a sharp fall in profits.

PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi focused on retention, not succession

NEW YORK: With the lackluster performance of PepsiCo under her leadership, chief executive officer Indra Nooyi clearly faces pressure to perform. So it's natural to smell a succession race brewing with the company's March 12 announcement of a new global structure and the hiring of Wal-Mart Stores executive Brian Cornell.

C$27 billion suit versus Big Tobacco starts in Montreal

Reuters) - Canada's three biggest tobacco companies, all with multinational parents, face C$27.25 billion ($27.43 billion) in damages and penalties as the largest civil lawsuit in the country's history to go to trial started on Monday.

Indian companies prefer face-to-face meetings over social networking

NEW DELHI: Social networking sites might be catching the public's imagination but Indian companies still feel face-to-face meeting will be the most effective way to lure customers in the next two to three years, says a survey.

EDF Energy agrees to pay a £4.5m 'fine'

Energy supplier EDF has agreed to pay a package worth £4.5m - including £3.5m to customers - after an Ofgem investigation into how it tried to make sales to customers.

Nokia maps fightback against cheap Android phones, plans cheaper Windows models

HELSINKI: Finnish group Nokia aims to revamp its feature phone offering this year and add more and cheaper Windows smartphones to fight back against the fast-rising popularity of Google's massmarket Android phones.

Tokyo prosecutors charge Olympus and former executives

Tokyo prosecutors have charged camera-maker Olympus and three of its former executives in connection with a $1.7bn (£1bn) accounting cover-up.

Nissan to build new car in Sunderland

Nissan is to build a new compact model, called the Invitation, at its Sunderland factory.

Gingerly, Foreign Investment in Europe Starts Anew

PARIS — Last summer, as the mounting European debt crisis was forcing many businesses in the region to scale back, the multinational Dow Chemical made a seemingly contrarian move: rather than hunker down, it doubled down.

G.M. Again Pauses Production of Chevy Volt

DETROIT — General Motors said on Friday that it planned to halt production of the Chevrolet Volt for five weeks beginning later this month because dealers had more than they needed.

Apple and Samsung patent cases dismissed

Apple and Samsung have both had patent lawsuits - taken out against each other - thrown out by a German court.

Companies Profiting The Most From War: 24/7 Wall St.

Global sales of arms and military services by the 100 largest defense contractors increased in 2010 to $411.1 billion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The increase reflects a decade-long trend of growing military spending. Since 2002, total arms sales among the 100 largest arms manufacturers have increased 60%.

Malaysia Airlines shares dip on 2011 loss

Shares in Malaysia Airlines have dipped after the carrier said it was in a "crisis" as it reported a loss for the last financial year.