EU to accuse Apple of taking illegal tax aid from Ireland, reports say

The European Union will accuse Apple of taking illegal aid from the Irish state through sweetheart tax deals over two decades, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

BlackBerry looks to long turnaround despite sliding sales

BlackBerry posted a net loss of $207m (£127m) in its second quarter as it revealed that revenues are continuing to fall, just days after launching a new handset.

Ford recalls 850,000 cars with airbag fault

US car giant Ford says it is recalling about 850,000 cars in North America over a "potential issue" with airbags.

Apple says bent iPhones are 'rare'

Apple has responded to claims that its new handsets are prone to bending by saying such damage would be "rare" during normal use.

Japanese probe comes up empty on Boeing Dreamliner's battery problems

TOKYO: The Japanese probe into a battery problem that forced the emergency landing of a Boeing Dreamliner last year wrapped up today with investigators saying they still haven't found the root cause.

RBS cuts price for Citizens Bank sell-off in US

Royal Bank of Scotland has been forced to cut the price for the flotation of its Citizens Bank business after investors expressed doubts about the US bank’s potential profitability.

Barclays fined £38m for putting clients' assets 'at risk'

Barclays has been fined a record £38m by the City regulator for failing to keep its clients' assets separate from its own.

Tesco suspends execs as inquiry launched into profit overstatement

Tesco has suspended four executives, including its UK managing director, after the supermarket overstated its half-year profit guidance by £250m.

Apple voted United Kingdom's coolest brand as Twitter slumps

Apple has retained its title as the coolest brand in Britain for the third year running but Twitter has fallen out of favour to make way for rival Instagram, according to an annual survey.

Microsoft cuts another 2,100 jobs as it nears 18,000 target

Microsoft has confirmed another 2,100 redundancies as part of a plan to cut 18,000 jobs, some 14% of its workforce.

Vodafone to buy 140 Phones 4u stores

Vodafone has agreed to buy 140 Phones 4u stores, saving almost 900 jobs at the stricken retailer. The mobile phone operator said it had no plans to cut staff in the stores and that all 887 employees at the outlets would be kept on.

UK retail sales boosted by vacuum cleaner sales

UK retail sales rose by 0.4% during August, helped by shoppers looking to snap up high-powered vacuum cleaners ahead of an EU ban on the products.

Sony counts cost of smartphone failures with £1.3bn projected loss

Sony will not pay a dividend for the first time in its 56-year history as a public company after it warned that troubles at its smartphone division will push it into an annual loss of more than ¥230bn (£1.3bn).

Alibaba raises price of share sale as demand increases

Chinese online giant Alibaba has increased the price range of its initial public offering (IPO), meaning it could raise more than $25bn (£15bn) when it lists in New York.

Small business economic confidence grows

Confidence among small business continues to improve, according to a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Its regular quarterly survey showed three-fifths of firms expect to grow in the next 12 months.

Apple keeps customers happy – and paying a little more each year

Does the wisdom of crowds apply to Apple? Because there is a large crowd of people who hate it. But usually with American companies that make huge amounts of money – such as mobile carriers or TV companies – the hatred comes from their own customers.

Virgin Money preparing for IPO after appointment and profits quadruple

Sir Richard Branson and the US billionaire he bought Northern Rock from the government with are preparing to float the operation, rebranded as Virgin Money, in a move that could value it at up to £2bn.

RadioShack seeks rescue and warns of bankruptcy

US electronics retailer RadioShack has said that it is in talks to restructure the firm but warned that if an investment is not secured soon, it could be forced to declare bankruptcy.

RBS will leave Scotland if voters back independence

Royal Bank of Scotland has drawn up plans to shift its head office from Scotland – where it has been based since 1727 – in the event that next week's referendum backs a break away from the rest of the UK.

BP urges Scotland to vote against independence

BP, one of the North Sea's biggest investors, has urged Scotland to vote against independence next week, arguing that oil wealth would best be protected by remaining inside the UK.

Apple unveils watch and new iPhones

Apple has unveiled a smartwatch - the Apple Watch - its first new product line since the first iPad and the death of Steve Jobs.

'Big six' energy firms lose further market share

Britain's big six energy companies are continuing to lose market share to smaller independent suppliers, new figures show.

Apple doesn't need another charismatic leader. It needs Tim Cook

Steve Jobs always had his "one last thing" – the hotly anticipated moment at the end of presentations when he would reveal the latest innovation to Apple's adoring fans.

Volkswagen to invest 1 billion euros in Thai plant - Wirtschaftswoche magazine

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen plans to invest 1 billion euros (0.80 billion pounds) to build a new manufacturing plant to produce fuel efficient cars in Thailand, a German magazine said on Saturday.

HP alleges Autonomy email warning of falling revenues and 'imaginary deals' shows fraud

Hewlett-Packard has made public an internal email from the former chief financial officer of Autonomy to its founder Mike Lynch warning of revenues falling away that had been “covered up”, and of sales staff chasing “imaginary deals”.

Standard Life shares jump 10% on sale of Canadian business

Shares in Standard Life rose 10% on news it is selling its Canadian unit to Manulife Financial for $4bn Canadian dollars ($3.7bn; £2.2bn) in cash.

China Targeting Foreign Companies, American Chamber Says

China is targeting foreign companies with opaque laws and rules, according to a group representing U.S. businesses there, contributing to a deteriorating environment for investment in the nation.

Heineken sells Mexico packaging unit to US firm Crown

Heineken has sold its Mexican packaging business to US firm Crown Holdings in a deal worth $1.23bn (£740m).

Barclays sells Spanish businesses

Barclays Bank has agreed to sell part of its Spanish business for £633m to the country's third largest lender CaixaBank.

Malaysia Airlines cuts 6,000 jobs

Malaysia Airlines is to slash its staff numbers by a third, cutting 6,000 jobs, after the airline suffered the two worst disasters in modern aviation only five months apart.