The Serious Fraud Office is investigating liquidity auctions held by the Bank of England during the financial crisis, the bank says.

Four secondary ticket-selling websites have agreed to be more transparent, following pressure from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

China, the world's second-largest economy, has set its growth target at about 7% for this year, the government said.

Asian markets traded mostly lower on Thursday with the focus on China after the government set its official growth target at 7% for this year.

The world's biggest restaurant chain, McDonald's, will stop US purchases of chicken injected with antibiotics important to human medicine.

Brazil's central bank lifts interest rates to a six-year high of 12.75% in an attempt to restrain inflation.

Virgin Money, the financial services provider which floated on the stock market in November, reports "record performance and profits" for 2014.

UK house prices fell 0.3% in February leaving the average house price at £192,372, according to the Halifax.