Australia approves construction of a second international airport in Sydney, nearly 70 years after the idea was first debated.

China's demand for gold is expected to rise by about 20% by 2017, as the country's population becomes increasingly wealthy, the World Gold Council says.

Department store chain Debenhams reports a 25% fall in half-year profits after what it calls a "challenging" trading period.

Global drinks giant Diageo announces it will launch a $1.9bn tender offer to acquire a majority stake in India's United Spirits Ltd.

UK's inflation rate, as measured by the consumer prices index, fell to 1.6% in March, the Office for National Statistics says.

The rate at which UK house prices are rising has continued to increase, official figures show, with prices up 9.1% in the year to February.

A group of investors buys UK pawnbroker Albemarle & Bond out of administration, but not all of its stores are included in the deal.

Nestle reports its worst first-quarter sales growth since 2009, blaming unusual weather, a late Easter, poor sales in emerging markets and cost-conscious Europeans.