US Outlook Nobody mentioned the name Greg Smith, though it is barely two months since the London-based trader quit Goldman Sachs citing a "toxic" culture where clients were regarded as "muppets" to be ripped off wherever possible.

The Professional Footballers Association want to make racist abuse on the field a sackable offence next season.

Georgian Railway shelved its London shares sale yesterday blaming market conditions. The float was meant to raise up to $250m (£159m) and value the company at $1bn. It is a setback to the London Stock Exchange, which has seen little initial public offering activity over the past year.

Victims of the collapse of Christmas hamper firm Farepak had "no inkling" that "about £1m a week" of their money was being dipped into, as directors of its parent company sought to prop up other loss-making units of the group, according to allegations made in the High Court yesterday.

Republic of Ireland keeper Shay Given has been given the green light to resume training next week after visiting a knee specialist in London.

Liverpool's owners have brought in a familiar face to help run the financial side of the business with the announcement they have appointed Billy Hogan as chief commercial officer.

Conservationists have condemned plans that would allow buzzard nests to be destroyed and the birds of prey taken into captivity to protect pheasant shoots.

Shares in the Mozambique explorer Cove Energy shot up 12 per cent yesterday as Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production made a £1.2bn offer, trumping a bid from Shell.

A welfare-to-work company owned by David Cameron's former families tsar has been accused of being involved in a vast fraud scandal in which there was "systemic" misuse of public money.

Donations of £250,000 a year will buy you dinner with David Cameron, the Conservative Party co-treasurer Peter Cruddas told undercover reporters in March. He had to resign as soon as his words – which Mr Cameron described as "completely unacceptable" – appeared in The Sunday Times.

Formula One's share flotation rolled on to the starting grid yesterday as venture capitalist CVC sold a $1.6bn (£1bn) stake in the business to three investment groups including BlackRock.

Nearly 6,000 bogus payment protection insurance (PPI) compensation claims were made to the ombudsman last year, figures showed today.

The threat of a strike by BBC journalists and technicians over the Diamond Jubilee weekend has been removed after talks over pay.