US President Barack Obama says it would be "inexcusable" for lawmakers to fail to fund the government to the end of the year to avoid a shutdown.

Policy makers at the US Federal Reserve differ over the course future monetary policy should take, minutes from their last meeting reveal.

Energy customers who fail to shop around are paying £170 more a year on bills than they need to, the energy regulator says.

The Bank of Japan is preparing to meet to discuss its next response to the disaster which threatens to derail the fragile economy.

Asia's developing economies are expected to grow by just under 8% in 2011, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says.

Satyam and PricewaterCoopers agree to pay a combined $17.5m in fines to settle a US probe into one of India's biggest corporate scandals.

South Korea may cut oil taxes if crude prices continue to rise further, the government has said.

Marks and Spencer announces its sales did not fall, as had been expected, in the past three months.