UK to tax bankers' bonuses
Britain's finance minister announces a public sector pay freeze and bank bonus tax as he tackles budget difficulties.

US bank bail-out fund extended
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announces the $700bn US financial bail-out fund will be extended until October next year.

Gatorade drops Tiger Woods
Pepsi axes its Gatorade Tiger Woods-endorsed drink, but says it is not related to recent scandals surrounding the golfer.

Tough 2010 Irish budget unveiled
The Irish government unveils one of the most severe budgets in the Republic's history, including public sector pay cuts.

AOL Time Warner completes split
Media firm Time Warner and AOL formally split into two companies, almost 10 years after their much-lauded merger.

Japan's economic growth lowered
Japan's economy expanded by much less than first estimated in the July to September period, revised official figures show.

Volkswagen to buy 20% of Suzuki
Germany's Volkswagen is to buy a 20% stake in Japan's Suzuki Motor for 222.5bn yen ($2.5bn), the two firms announce.

S Korea in $10bn Ghana homes deal
A South Korean firm will build 200,000 houses in Ghana over the next six years in a $10bn deal, Korean officials say.

UK trade gap widens unexpectedly
The UK's trade deficit with the rest of the world widened in October, the ONS says, after imports rose faster than exports.

Poor nations await UN Kyoto cash
Poor countries suffering from the effects of climate change are yet to receive a penny from a flagship United Nations fund, the BBC learns.

Feud between the chef and the owner closes Oslo's top restaurant
Oslo's only Michelin-listed restaurant will close before Christmas after the head chef and all the staff resigned.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
ESPN secures FA Cup match rights
The Football Association agrees a four-year £35m television deal with ESPN to show FA Cup ties from 2010.

England vaunts 2018 World Cup bid
England officials say they believe they could deliver the most "commercially successful" 2018 World Cup.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
Silverstone deal saves British GP
Silverstone agrees a 17-year deal to host the British Grand Prix from 2010, ensuring the race remains on the Formula 1 calendar.

Budget DIY
Irish Republic faces an uphill battle to balance its books

Marriage split
Why the media tie-up of the decade didn't work

Cost of corruption
Indonesians feel bite of graft in little and big matters

Venezuela scandal
Bank corruption sees resignation of key Chavez aide

Global players
Soaring car sales in China raise the stakes abroad

Inheritance tax threshold frozen
Chancellor Alistair Darling drew an election battle line by announcing that he will freeze the inheritance tax threshold.

CBI raps National Insurance rise
The CBI business group criticises the plan to raise National Insurance by 0.5% from 2011, saying it will hit job creation.

Fines to double for tax dodgers
The maximum penalty for offshore tax dodging will double to 200% of the unpaid tax, the government says.

Small firms welcome tax deferral
Small firms hail the chancellor's decision in his pre-Budget report to defer the planned rise in their corporation tax.

FTSE reshuffle promotes Aggreko
The power generator provider Aggreko, which supplies events such as the Glastonbury music festival, is to enter the FTSE 100.

'No payout' for Rock shareholders
Northern Rock shareholders should not receive compensation for the lender's nationalisation, an independent valuer says.

Zimbabwe predicts economic upturn
Zimbabwe's first budget since its unity government began sharing power 10 months ago predicts a healthy economic future.

Eskom to get loan for power plant
South African energy firm Eskom gets a 1.86bn euro loan ($2.77bn) to finance the building of a new power plant.

CIT to exit bankruptcy protection
US lender CIT Group's reorganisation plan is approved by a judge, paving the way for it to exit bankruptcy protection within days.

Obama announces job creation plan
President Obama sets out proposals aimed at boosting employment, including winding up the US bank bail-out fund.

Blackberry plans China sales push
Blackberry mobile handsets and internet services will be offered to individual Chinese consumers for the first time in major sales push.

Japan in $81bn stimulus package
Japan agrees a 7.2 trillion yen ($81bn) stimulus package designed to prevent the country from slipping back into recession.

German factory output falls back
German industrial production fell unexpectedly in October by 1.8%, official figures show.

Talks between UK and France off
A scheduled meeting between the UK and France, which may have addressed the EU banking regulation dispute, is off.

Dubai shares continue to tumble
Dubai's stock market slides for the second consecutive day on continuing fears about leading companies' ability to repay debts.

Four Dubai banks have ratings cut
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's cuts the credit ratings of four Dubai-based banks because of their exposure to Dubai World.

Tata makes water filter for poor
The Indian industrial conglomerate Tata launches a new low-cost water purifier, aimed at the rural poor.

GM plans new small car for India
General Motors plans to form a new venture with its Chinese partner, SAIC, to focus on the small car market in India.

'More burden' on pension schemes
Experts criticise fresh changes to the pension system as adding a greater burden to employers running schemes.

Boiler scrappage scheme unveiled
Chancellor Alistair Darling unveils measures to cut emissions from homes, plus plans for job creation in the "low carbon sector".

Banks face new tax on big bonuses
The chancellor announces plans for a one-off payroll tax on bankers' bonuses as part of his pre-Budget report.

Youth jobless guarantee extended
Young people who are unemployed for six months will be guaranteed work or training, Chancellor Alistair Darling announces.