Bupa calls for 15% industry price cut

Britain's biggest private healthcare company has told the BBC that it is charging its own customers too much money and that the industry needs to urgently rethink how it sets prices.

U.S. regulators looking into UBS, Deutsche Bank speed trading operations

(Reuters) - Germany's Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Switzerland's UBS (UBSN.VX) said they were caught up in an inquiry by U.S. regulators, who are looking into whether broker-run stock exchanges gave an unfair advantage to high-frequency traders.

BSkyB in £5bn deal to create Sky Europe

BSkyB is paying £4.9bn to take over Rupert Murdoch's pay TV companies in Germany and Italy.

GM profits hit by recall problems

Earnings at the carmaker General Motors (GM) have slumped because of costs related to its vehicle recalls. Second-quarter net profits fell 85% from a year ago, to $190m (£112m), the company said.

Amazon posts huge loss in second quarter, despite sales rise

Amazon has reported a rise in sales on Thursday but posted a bigger-than-expected $126m (£74m) loss for its second quarter, sending shares sharply lower in after-hours trading.

McDonald's halts nuggets sales in Hong Kong

Fast food chain McDonald's has suspended sale of chicken nuggets and some other products in Hong Kong. It said it had imported chicken and pork from Shanghai Husi Food, the Chinese firm that allegedly supplied out of date meat to fast food firms.

Barclays defends itself against US allegations over 'dark pool' trading

Barclays is mounting a vigorous defence against allegations that it defrauded its customers – accusations levelled by the US attorney general last month that sparked a fall in its share price and led to customers withdrawing their business.

RBS bosses 'wilfully obtuse' over alleged mistreatment of small firms, say MPs

Senior executives at the Royal Bank of Scotland have been accused of being “wilfully obtuse” in answering MPs questions about the alleged mis-treatment of the bank’s small business clients.

Yahoo buys app analytics firm Flurry

Yahoo has acquired an app analytics firm, Flurry, to help boost its advertising revenue from smartphones.

Yum, McDonald's apologize as new China food scandal hits

(Reuters) - Yum Brands Inc YUM.N and McDonald's Corp MCD.N are facing a new food safety scare in China, denting the fast-food companies' efforts to shore up reputations and businesses that were hurt by a 2012 safety scandal in one of their biggest markets.

RJ Reynolds told to pay wife of cancer victim $23.6bn

A US court has ordered the country's second largest cigarette company to pay $23.6 billion (£13.8bn) to the wife of a smoker who died of lung cancer.

Google seen best placed for growth as it transitions to mobile

(Reuters) - Google Inc is the best placed of any company to benefit from the shift to mobile, increased local advertising and wearables, analysts said after the search giant posted its 18th straight quarter of 20 percent-plus revenue growth.

Microsoft to slash 18,000 jobs in deepest cuts in tech giant's history

Microsoft is embarking on the deepest cuts to its workforce in its 39 year history, axing 18,000 jobs over the next year, as it absorbs its newly acquired Nokia phone business and takes out layers of management.

eBay profits rise despite 'challenging quarter'

Online retailer eBay reported profits of $676m (£395m) during the period from March to June, beating analyst expectations.

Buoyant jobs market largely fails to translate into pay rises, figures show

The squeeze on British households will return to centre stage this week as official figures confirm a buoyant jobs market is failing to deliver pay rises for most workers.

Microsoft to overtake Yahoo in global digital ad share

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is expected to surpass Yahoo Inc for the first time in the $140.2 billion worldwide digital advertising market, according to estimates by research firm eMarketer released on Tuesday.

Pizza Express sold to Chinese private equity group Hony Capital for £900m

British restaurant chain Pizza Express has been bought by a Chinese equity firm for about £900million.

BNP, tax evasion: US still dictates its economic law

Although its diplomatic clout is compromised on several fronts, the United States still dictates its economic law around the globe and has even expanded its reach, at the risk of raising hackles.

Wells Fargo profits rise as US economy improves

Profits at Wells Fargo rose 3% in the second quarter, as the US's largest bank benefitted from a pick-up in the US economy.

Taxpayers 'lost £1bn' on Royal Mail sale, MPs say

Taxpayers may have lost out on about £1bn from the undervaluing of Royal Mail, a committee of MPs has said.

Apple targets rising water use, production partners' emissions

(Reuters) - Apple Inc acknowledged on Wednesday it needs to address manufacturing partners' carbon emissions and its own rising water consumption, though the iPhone maker said it had cut back sharply on greenhouse gas output.

Lufthansa considers launching cheap long-haul flights under new brand

Lufthansa may launch low-cost long-haul flights under a new brand as part of plans to attract more price conscious travellers and battle competition from Middle East carriers and low-cost airlines, its new chief executive has said.

Rolls-Royce sees record 33% boost in luxury car sales

Engineering firm Rolls-Royce has seen a record 33% rise in luxury car sales in the half year to June compared with last year.

Network Rail fined more than £50m for late trains

Network Rail has been fined more than £50m by the regulator for causing trains to run late – with the Treasury pledging to plough some of penalty back into the railways to provide faster Wi-Fi on commuter trains.

Apple poaches another luxury executive as iWatch nears

(Reuters) - Apple has poached a senior executive from Swiss luxury watch brand Tag Heuer, which could be to help it with the launch of its iWatch expected this autumn.

British Gas staff mis-sold deals, says regulator Ofgem

The UK's biggest energy supplier, British Gas, mis-sold energy deals by making exaggerated claims to potential customers, the regulator has said.

Google reverses decision to delete British newspaper links

(Reuters) - Google Inc on Thursday reversed its decision to remove several links to stories in Britain's Guardian newspaper, underscoring the difficulty the search engine is having implementing Europe's "right to be forgotten" ruling.

Small businesses are the UK's greatest advantage – we must help them look overseas

After weathering the recession, recent data suggests the British economy is finally mounting a sustained recovery.

Target bans guns from its stores after demonstration

US retail giant Target has asked customers not to bring guns into its stores, after Texas gun rights activists demonstrated in a Texas shop with rifles slung over their shoulders.

Japan firms see bigger spending, outlook mixed: BOJ tankan

(Reuters) - Major Japanese companies plan to increase spending more than expected this year, Bank of Japan's "tankan" survey showed, adding to signs the country's economic recovery will get back on track after an expected slip in the second quarter.

GM recalls 8.4 million more cars due to ignition defect

Embattled US car giant General Motors is recalling another 8.4 million cars - 7.6 million in the US.