| The latest stories from the Business section of the BBC News web site. |
| RBS chairman rejects £1.4m bonus |
| The Royal Bank of Scotland chairman, Sir Philip Hampton, has given up a £1.4m shares reward he was due later this year, the BBC learns. |
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| IMF issues austerity cuts warning |
| Inappropriate spending cuts could "strangle" growth, so austerity measures should be tailor-made by each country, the head of the IMF warns. |
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| Fines threat for credit messages |
| Firms face raids and fines of up to £500,000 for sending unsolicited text messages about credit or compensation. |
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| Tackling inequality 'a priority' |
| Growing inequality should now be the priority for leaders after the economic crisis, senior figures at the World Economic Forum say. |
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| VIDEO: Tupperware boss gives Davos advice |
| Davos veteran Rick Goings, boss of Tupperware, offers "dos and don'ts" for first-time visitors to the World Economic Forum. |
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| Davos 2012: Who's afraid of China? |
| Davos comes to terms with a new global power |
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| Davos 2012: Setting the gloom level to 11 |
| There's a gloomy mood at this year's meeting of the WEF |
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| Bank scraps charity credit cards |
| Halifax and Bank of Scotland charity credit cards which have helped to raise millions of pounds will be withdrawn, Lloyds Banking Group announces |
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| US economic growth rate picks up |
| The pace of US economic growth quickened to a 2.8% annualised rate in the three months to December, the Commerce Department says. |
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| Greece debt talks 'close to deal' |
| Greece could reach a deal with its creditors over the weekend, according to the EU's Economic Commissioner, Olli Rehn. |
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| Osborne unveils UK financial bill |
| The Chancellor George Osborne has revealed details about the new Financial Services Bill that will overhaul regulation of the sector. |
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| Fitch downgrades Italy and Spain |
| Five eurozone economies, including Italy and Spain, are downgraded by rating agency Fitch, citing financial weakness during the debt crisis. |
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| Spain jobless passes five million |
| Spain's unemployment figure rose above the five million mark in the last quarter of 2011, official figures show. |
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| Carmaker Ford's profits increase |
| US carmaker Ford has reported a surge in profits in 2011, fuelled by a one-off payment and strong sales in its home country. |
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| Hundreds of jobs to go at Serco |
| Outsourcing group Serco announces it is to cut 500 jobs in the UK, mostly at the company's head office in Hampshire. |
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| Top Euro MP quits in piracy row |
| A European Parliament rapporteur has stood down in protest as a controversial anti-piracy agreement is signed by several countries. |
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| Web economy 'to double by 2016' |
| With half the world online by 2016, the web economy in the G20 countries is set to nearly double in size to $4.2tn (£2.7tn), research suggests. |
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| Mortgage rates 'to be volatile' |
| Brokers are telling new borrowers to expect mortgage rates to see-saw in the coming months, owing to economic uncertainty. |
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| Toy maker Hornby warns on profits |
| Model train and Scalextric maker Hornby issues a profits warning after sales of its train and slot-car racing sets were hit in the run up to Christmas. |
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| BP ordered to share spill damages |
| BP must cover some but not all of oil rig owner Transocean's liabilities for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a US judge rules. |
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| Lenders face tougher regulation |
| Payday lenders and other providers of short-term credit will face much tougher regulation when a new watchdog starts work. |
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| Italian cruise firm offers payout |
| The Italian firm that owns the stricken cruise ship Costa Concordia reaches an agreement on compensation with several Italian consumer groups. |
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| Tax deadline put back by strike |
| No fines will be handed out to anyone who submits their self-assessment tax returns online in the first two days of February. |
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| Outrage at RBS boss's bonus deal |
| A £963,000 bonus in shares awarded to Royal Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester is strongly criticised by politicians and unions. |
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| Retail sales 'falling in January' |
| Retail sales fell in January as shoppers reined in their spending at the start of the year, the CBI says. |
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| US durable goods orders rise 3% |
| Orders for durable goods rose 3% in the US in December, according to official figures from the Commerce Department. |
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| Samsung in year end sales boost |
| South Korea's Samsung Electronics announces a 17% rise in profits in the last three months of 2011, as smartphone sales boosted earnings. |
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| Marston's sees 'strong' trading |
| The pubs chain and brewer Marston's reports "strong" trading over the Christmas period, with higher sales of food and drink. |
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| Intel buys RealNetworks patents |
| Intel is paying $120m (£76m) for RealNetwork's video patents. Experts say it undermines claims that a "patent bubble" has burst. |
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| Redknapp: 'I don't fiddle taxes' |
| Harry Redknapp told police he has paid "fortunes in income tax" and did not "fiddle anybody", a court hears. |
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| Olympic Village site handed over |
| London 2012 organisers take control of the Olympic Village site in a ceremony to mark six months until the Games begin. |
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| Expert warns of ground move risks |
| Relocating to a new stadium would not necessarily guarantee Lincoln City's long-term future, warns a football finance expert. |
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| VIDEO: Crackdown on spam text messaging |
| Companies who send out spam texts are being warned that investigating them is a high priority |
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| VIDEO: Struggle for opportunities in Egypt |
| Key to Egypt's economic success is getting its millions of young people into jobs. |
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| VIDEO: Your Money: To buy or not to buy? |
| In this week's Your Money, Declan Curry asks is it cheaper to buy or rent and gets advice on how to make your savings work harder - if interest rates stay low. |
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| AUDIO: 'Cautious optimism' in Davos |
| The prevailing mood at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week has been one of measured optimism, but there are still questions over whether EU leaders will agree the terms of a new fiscal pact and bail-out fund when they meet in Brussels on Monday. |
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| VIDEO: Cave diving in New Zealand |
| Brandy Yanchyk goes after adventure at the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand, experiencing the steepest abseil in the world into the black abyss of an underwater river. |
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| VIDEO: Soros warns of 'lost decade' for EU |
| Speaking from Davos, financier George Soros has warned that Europe is likely to face a "lost decade" and is concerned that the EU may be destroyed by austerity measures. |
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| VIDEO: Hemel Hempstead economic forum |
| Newsnight's economic forum in Hemel Hempstead. |
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| VIDEO: Ellen MacArthur on sustainable economy |
| Dame Ellen MacArthur is in Davos to promote a new sustainable approach for the economy. |
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| Davos 2012: Where to invest this year? |
| 'Gambling' with some of the world's top investors |
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| What has Stephen Hester achieved? |
| What has RBS boss Stephen Hester achieved? |
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| Threat landscape is 'constantly evolving' |
| Keeping systems safe from attack |
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| Is Pakistan's economy facing potential collapse? |
| Is Pakistan's economy in danger of potential collapse? |
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| Inflation-beating investment options |
| What investments can help you beat inflation? |
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| Financial risks: Danger or opportunity? |
| Does a financial crisis pose danger or opportunity? |
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| How Peacocks ran up £750m debts |
| How Peacocks collapsed under a mountain of debt |
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