Alcohol drinking 'continues fall'
Alcohol consumption has fallen faster than ever, figures from the British Beer and Pub Association suggest.

Europe agrees finance watchdogs
The European Union agrees to reform financial supervision, with new agencies to oversee banks, insurers and financial markets.

House prices fall again in August
House prices fell for the second month in a row in August, according to the Nationwide building society.

Four power firms face sales probe
Four of the "big six" UK energy suppliers are to be investigated amid concerns of mis-selling to customers, the regulator says.

Dell pulls out of battle for 3Par
Dell withdraws its bid for 3Par after rival Hewlett-Packard raises its offer for the data storage company to $2.1bn.

RBS to cut a further 3,500 jobs
Royal Bank of Scotland is planning to cut 3,500 jobs from its technical and back office division.

Burger King is sold for $3.26bn
Burger King is being sold to private equity firm 3G Capital in a deal valued at $3.26bn (£2.1bn), it has been announced.

Plans for more £5 notes in ATMs
All banks and building societies have put in place plans to begin dispensing £5 notes from the cash machines, a report reveals.

Explosion on Gulf of Mexico rig
An explosion rips through an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the blast in April that caused a huge oil spill.

Russia extends grain export ban
Russia will consider lifting its grain export ban only after the next year's harvest has been reaped, Vladimir Putin says.