Vince Cable rebuts claim government massively undervalued Royal Mail

Vince Cable has continued to contest claims that the government significantly undervalued Royal Mail, costing taxpayers £750m on the day of the postal service was privatised in October.

French president meets rival German and US bidders for Alstom

French president François Hollande met rival German and US bidders for Alstom, one of France's prime industrial assets, on Monday amid concerns that the company will fall into American hands.

Barclays in $280m settlement with US regulators

Barclays agreed to a $280m (£167m) settlement with the US Federal Housing and Finance Authority (FHFA).

Wal-Mart Names China CEO to Head Asia as Regional Sales Slow

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) named its top China executive to head its Asian operations amid store closures and sluggish sales in the region that have hampered the retailer’s attempts to counter slowing growth in the U.S.

Microsoft and Nokia complete mobile phone unit deal

Microsoft has completed its purchase of Nokia's mobile phone business for 5.44bn euros ($7.5bn; £4.5bn).

Facebook earnings surge on mobile advertising

Social networking giant Facebook has reported profits of $642m (£383m) during the first quarter of 2014, beating analyst expectations.

GM accused of hiding ignition flaws in 2009 bankruptcy

Lawyers pressing cases against General Motors say the automaker concealed the controversial ignition defect when it "took billions of dollars in taxpayer money" during its government-sponsored bankruptcy in 2009.

Pharmaceutical shares soar after Novartis and Glaxo deal

Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline have agreed a multibillion dollar swap of assets under which the two pharmaceutical companies will join forces in the consumer healthcare sector combining brands including Aquafresh, Beechams and Tixylix and exchange their oncology and vaccine businesses.

Halliburton reports $622m profits

US oil exploration firm Halliburton has reported better-than-expected first quarter profits, helped by robust drilling activity in Russia, Saudi Arabia and Angola.

Toyota Motor aims to double sales in China to 2 mn vehicles in future

BEIJING: Toyota Motor Corp plans to make and sell hybrid versions of its Corolla and Levin sedans in China next year, fitting them with locally-made components, in its first bid to entirely manufacture gas-electric hybrids outside Japan.

Weibo shares pop 19% in IPO

Weibo shares rallied on the first day of trading Thursday, in what could be a positive sign for other Chinese technology companies hoping to list on the U.S. market.

RBS cleared of forcing clients into insolvency to buy up assets

Royal Bank of Scotland has been cleared of deliberately engineering the collapse of some of its business customers, but has decided to sell off the £3.2bn commercial property portfolio at the centre of the row.

GlaxoSmithKline says it is investigating bribery claims in Jordan and Lebanon

GlaxoSmithKline, the UK's largest drug firm, is investigating claims that its staff in Jordan and Lebanon have bribed doctors.

GM asks bankruptcy judge for special protection to head off lawsuits

General Motors revealed in court filings late Tuesday that it will soon ask a federal bankruptcy judge to shield the company from legal claims for conduct that occurred before its 2009 bankruptcy.

Google buys solar-powered drone maker Titan Aerospace

Internet search giant Google has bought US high-altitude drone maker Titan Aerospace for an undisclosed sum.

Peugeot Citroen outlines recovery plan

Struggling French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen has announced a major recovery plan after recording net losses of 7.2bn euros ($10bn; £5.9bn) over the past two years.

Tesco pays the full price for failure to offer discounts

The supermarket business is conducted in the language of wars – price wars – so embattled Tesco boss Philip Clarke probably needs to channel his favourite military hero if he is to survive the barrage heading his way.

Documents show GM's sluggish response to deadly defect

(Reuters) - Documents made public on Friday by a U.S. House of Representatives committee provided fresh details on General Motors Co's awareness of problems surrounding ignition switches in millions of its cars - long before the Detroit automaker recalled the vehicles.

JPMorgan profits fall 19% as mortgage business fades

US banking giant JPMorgan Chase has reported a sharp fall in profits at the start of 2014, which it blamed on declines in its mortgage business.

BlackBerry may exit handset business if it can't make profit, says CEO

The struggling handset and services company BlackBerry may stop selling handsets if it cannot do so profitably, its chief executive officer John Chen says, as he looks to expand its corporate reach with investments, acquisitions and partnerships.

Rolls-Royce engineer loses tribunal case on 'whistle-blowing dismissal'

An employment tribunal has dismissed a claim from a senior Rolls-Royce engineer saying he was sacked for blowing the whistle on allegations of potentially serious problems with the company's jet engines.

Samsung Electronics forecasts drop in profits

Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest maker of TVs and mobile phones, has forecast a drop in profit for the second quarter in a row.

Sun Pharmaceutical to acquire Ranbaxy in $4bn deal

India's Sun Pharmaceutical has agreed to acquire rival Ranbaxy - majority owned by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo - in an all-stock deal worth $4bn (£2.4bn).

Barclays sells its United Arab Emirates retail business

Barclays has agreed to sell its retail banking arm in the United Arab Emirates to Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB).

Tesco facing fresh turmoil after finance director resigns

Tesco was facing fresh turmoil on Friday as the supermarket confirmed that Laurie McIlwee, its embattled finance director, has quit just days before the company is expected to announce a new decline in profits.

New car sales hit 10 year high in March

Sales of new cars rose at their fastest pace for a decade, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has said.

Credit card companies face FCA competition inquiry

Credit card providers will come under the spotlight of the City regulator, amid concerns that vulnerable customers are being offered "payday loans with plastic" and paying high interest rates which subsidise wealthier borrowers.

Pilots' strike grounds Lufthansa flights

German airline Lufthansa has cancelled around 900 flights at the start of a three-day strike that is expected to affect some 425,000 passengers.

Asos chief defends investment strategy after profit slowdown

The chief executive of young fashion website ASOS defended his investment strategy and said it will allow the group to be truly global.

Apple and Samsung patent row back in court

The latest round in a bitter tit-for-tat legal row between the two biggest players in smartphones will be resumed later in California.