Vodafone says that its talks about selling its 45% stake in Verizon Communications are "advanced" as it puts a value of $130bn (£84bn) on the stake.

The UK is failing to implement European rules designed to give equal pay to agency workers, according to the trade union umbrella body, the TUC.

China's manufacturing activity picks up speed in August, hitting a 16-month high, allaying some fears of a sharp slowdown in its economy.

A Leeds man is turning cold calls into profit by making marketing companies use his higher-rate line.

India is considering a proposal to shut fuel pumps at night as it looks at ways to cut its oil import bill, oil minister Veerappa Moily says.

Venezuela's finance minister Nelson Merentes says the economic policies of late President Hugo Chavez and his successor have not yet succeeded.

Motorists who call their insurer only to inquire about making or reporting a minor claim can find the information is recorded and used against them when it comes to renewing cover, BBC Radio 4's Money Box programme hears.

UK factories are "booming again", a survey of the manufacturing sector says, with output and new orders growing at their fastest rates since 1994.