B&Q-owner Kingfisher says it made a "strong" start to the year, with warm weather in the UK and France helping to boost sales.

Belarus asks the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for an emergency loan of up to $8bn (£5bn; 5.6bn euros).

Thousands of council and local authority jobs could be at risk of being outsourced abroad, the Unite union warns.

Public sector pay settlements were running at zero in the three months to April, for the first time since records began in the 1960s, research suggests.

Chinese PC maker Lenovo agrees to buy German electronics retailer Medion in a bid to boost its market share in Europe.

Asian shares fall as weak economic data from the US raises concerns about a slowdown in the global economic recovery.

Hackers in China have compromised personal e-mail accounts of top US officials, military personnel and journalists, Google says.

Japanese air travel drops 31% in April as destruction caused by the quake and tsunami and fears of nuclear crisis dent demand.