... Business

• Vatican records 4.1m deficit

The Vatican has seen its third consecutive financial loss, with a €4.1m deficit in 2009.

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• Quiet week ahead on London market

Inflation and unemployment figures and the annual meetings of British Airways and Marks & Spencer should make up for a quiet results schedule on the London market this week.

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• US judge slashes download penalty against Boston student

A US judge drastically cut a €533,000 award against a Boston University graduate who was found liable for illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs online.

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• Connemara raises 1m through share placing

Connemara Mining, the AIM listed zinc exploration company, has raised £1.06m through a placing of 5,283,000 new ordinary shares of €0.01 each at a price of 20 pence per ordinary share.

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• Another rise for FTSE

The FTSE 100 Index ended a buoyant week with its fourth winning session in a row today as mining stocks continued their recent push higher.

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• China gives go-ahead for Google to continue

China today renewed Google’s licence to continue operating in the country, securing the search giant’s foothold in the country’s fast-growing internet market despite tensions over censorship.

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• FTSE advances almost 2%

The FTSE 100 Index advanced almost 2% today as the International Monetary Fund’s upgrade of global growth prospects boosted sentiment.

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• Consumer prices down

Consumer prices fell slightly in June, only the second month this year to see costs come down, official figures revealed today.

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• Dow up almost 3%

The Dow Jones Index rose 274.66 points, or 2.8%, to 10,018.28 last night.

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• Affluent Americans curb luxury spending

Affluent Americans went back to tightening their belts in June after months of showing other shoppers how to spend, raising concerns for the overall economy.

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• IMF upgrades global growth forecast

The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its forecast for global economic growth.

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• Gain for Frankfurt market

FRANKFURT: the DAX 30 closed up 51.9 at 5992.9.

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• Asian markets down at close

HONG KONG: the Hang Seng index closed down 227.1 at 19857.1.

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• Developer mounts legal challenge to NAMA loans transfer

The owner of the Jervis St Shopping Centre in Dublin is taking legal action against NAMA.

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• Chinese firm wins EU approval to buy Volvo

European Union regulators have given Chinese manufacturer Geely the go-ahead to buy Sweden’s Volvo Cars.

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• European markets on the rise

PARIS: the Cac-40 index closed up 81.3 at 3413.8.

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• FTSE rebounds

The FTSE 100 Index roared almost 3% ahead today as investors looking for bargains in the mining sector pushed the market higher.

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• Sluggish session for FTSE

The FTSE 100 Index edged lower in an sluggish session today despite rumours over funding plans from beleaguered oil giant BP sparking some interest.

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• Cabin crew to vote on new BA offer

British Airways cabin crew will start voting tomorrow on a new offer aimed at averting fresh strikes in their long-running row with the airline over cost-cutting.

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• UK services sector growth slows

The services sector grew at its slowest pace for nearly a year in June as austerity measures dealt a blow to confidence, it was revealed today.

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