Sports Calendar

US house sales figures beat forecasts

Stock markets approach 14-month highs after strong housing market performance offset disappointment over lower economic growth

OFT quits legal battle against bank charges

Watchdog insists that it is still committed to reforming the personal current account market by other means

Investor collapse puts New York homes at risk

A thousand tenants face an uncertain Christmas, not knowing whether they will be able to keep their apartments

More house price rises seen despite squeeze

RICS says despite expected tightening next year the surge in demand for property will lead to an increase in sales

Nestle closure in Zimbabwe 'an over-reaction’

International food group is criticised for suspending operations in a dispute over President Mugabe's family's farms

Camra calls on consumers in pub fight

Campaign for Real Ale vows to launch legal challenge to OFT ruling that big pub companies are not behaving anti-competitively

Ford to sell Volvo to Geely early next year

Geely, the preferred bidder for the Swedish auto brand, is expecting a deal early in the new year after further talks

Jon Pither, of Tanfield Group

Newest member of board at former stock market darling starts with immediate effect and becomes chairman on January 1

Dentist chain finds backer

Investment firm Intermediate Capital Group is in talks to take a stake in Oasis, that runs a network of 170 practice

British hip pioneer nets a fortune in £60m sale

A british engineer has pocketed millions after selling his hip-replacement business to health giant, Johnson & Johnson

Anger at tax relief cut for climate change levy

Britain's car, steel, chemical, brick, glass and food manufacturers are putting pressure on Alistair Darling over new charge

Home of the gas-guzzler has new hybrid tenant

Camra calls on consumers in pub fight

Campaign for Real Ale vows to launch legal challenge to OFT ruling that big pub companies are not behaving anti-competitively

UK clears Ticketmaster's Live Nation merger

Competition Commission reverses its ruling in October which found that the deal may be anti-competitive

Peter Rabbit returns to children’s television

Chorion, the intellectual rights group, and Frederick Warne, the original publisher of Beatrix Potter's books, are to make series

Peter Rabbit blazed a trail still well trod

Beatrix Potter must be hailed as a visionary for inventing the world's first patented toy

Premier admits Vietnamese oil well is dry

Britain’s sixth largest oil company said the well would now be plugged and abandoned after failing to find any oil or gas

Glencore bond issue clears way for $35bn float

Swiss metals trader raises $2.2 billion in bonds that will convert into Glencore shares if it is floated

Conran Group switches focus to Asia

The company's pre-tax losses have widened from £1.1m to £7.9m, partly due to costs involved in closing a New York store

India tops rank of companies' riskiest countries

Investment interest, tempered by security concerns, puts India ahead of America and Mexico on a risk league table

Snow freezes out Christmas shoppers

BIggest shopping weekend of the year saw 6.9 per cent fewer Christmas shoppers than the corresponding weekend last year

Developers suspend shopping centre projects

Constricted credit is behind the decline in development. Retail centre floor space under construction is half that of last year

Microsoft fined $290m for patent infringement

US court ruling also prevents Microsoft from selling any versions of Word 2003 or Word 2007 after January 11, 2010

IBM to run Tory council's services in £5bn deal

The technology giant’s contract is being seen as blueprint for local government services under a Conservative government

Vodafone rules out new year iPhone price war

The mobile giant has left consumers hoping for a cheaper smartphone disappointed after revealing January launch date

TalkTalk talks Harding into top job

Former head of J Sainsbury’s convenience stores division is chief executive ahead of the split from Carphone Warehouse

All aboard for London's new Routemaster

The new bus, which will be 40 per cent more fuel-efficient than conventional diesel buses, will be introduced in 2011

Fatal coach crash sparks new row over gritting icy roads

Council admits that it can grit only one-fifth of its roads after two women die when coach crashes on icy roads on Christmas tour

Copenhagen failure puts nuclear options at risk

Leading energy industry figures say that lack of agreement from UN climate summit undermines economic case

Wind-farm investment boost for Aberdeen firm

Offshore windfarm construction specialist Subocean Group has secured £42 million of investment