BUSINESS

Growth in China's manufacturing sector slows unexpectedly in April, underlining concerns that its economic recovery remains fragile.

Apple raises $17bn (£10.9bn) via a bond sale, the biggest ever by a non-banking company, to help fund its plan for extra payouts to shareholders.

A competition which released billions of mobile call records in Africa has been used by IBM to redraw bus routes in Ivory Coast.

Glow-in-the-dark ice alerts and other road revamps

Sri Lanka's electricity price rises shock the poor most

Mexico's Congress passes a bill aimed at making the telecoms industry more competitive, in a move that could challenge the world's richest man.

Fifa honorary president Joao Havelange resigns after being named in a report as having received bribes.

RBS Group's US subsidiaries reach settlements worth $14m (£9m) with bank regulators after failing to comply with consumer protection laws.

Royal Dutch Shell beats France's Total to a multi-billion-pound deal to develop a gas field with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

Deutsche Bank's shares rise more than 5% as its move to issue shares to boost its capital reserves and strong first quarter results cheer investors.

Mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse agrees to buy out its joint venture partner Best Buy, giving it full control of its retail operations across Europe.

Lloyds Banking Group reports a big rise in profits for the first three months of the year, making a total of more than £2bn.

Parliament in Cyprus approves the country's international bailout deal after warnings that the alternative would be financial collapse.

Eurozone joblessness surges to a new high, while inflation hits a three-year low, raising expectations that the European Central Bank will cut interest rates.

Microsoft adds Skype video calls and instant message to its Outlook.com webmail product, but analysts say it may not be enough to catch up with Gmail.

Oil giant BP reports a fall in underlying profits for the first three months of the year, but the figure still beat analysts' expectations.

Spain's economy shrank for a seventh consecutive quarter between January and March as domestic demand slumped.

The growth of big coffee chains has not only transformed the high street, but also our taste for coffee.

Swiss bank UBS returned to profit in the first three months of the year, after racking up big losses related to the Libor scandal at the end of 2012.

US carmaker Ford becomes the latest foreign company to announce plans to enter the Burmese market, after investment sanctions are suspended.