Shadow chancellor Ed Balls urges unions and the government to "give ground" to avert Wednesday's "hugely disruptive" public sector strike.

The planned independence referendum is an additional risk that adds to the costs of investing in Scotland, it is claimed.

Official estimates for public sector job losses are too conservative to meet government spending cuts, an independent forecasting group says.

Iraq signs a $17bn deal over 25 years with Royal Dutch Shell and Mitsubishi to capture flared gas at southern oilfields.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has pulled back from threats to reform strike laws in the confrontation with public sector unions