The Government faces a major challenge to its controversial plans to privatise the Royal Mail after postal workers’ leaders decided to go ahead with a national strike ballot.

Around 500 union representatives vote unanimously to press ahead with strike ballot

The privatisation scramble extends far beyond all of these aspects of our everyday lives, into the critical exercises of the power of the state over individual citizens

There is no sign yet of the improvement in the economy feeding through to the public finances as official figures showed that government borrowing in June was up slightly on the same month in 2012.

The Independent on Sunday: Cameron advisor joins US giant 

Heathrow rules out fourth runway

Outlook Am I the only one who finds it hard to get worked up about the fate of the Royal Mail? The internet means I barely ever use the post.

Of the seven City institutions appointed to steer through the IPO, only one is British

Business secretary Vince Cable sets out out key parts of plan to sell off postal service, including giving 10 per cent of shares to employees

Chinese firm buys Lloyd’s building

Bank bailout  talks to continue

Is Mosquito, the high-pitched alarm only under-25s can hear, a blessing or a bane? Jamie Merrill sounds it out

Sir George Buckley, the British industrialist who until last year headed the US conglomerate 3M, will return to the UK corporate spotlight as the new chairman of FTSE 100 engineer Smiths Group.

The French energy giant EDF is set for a showdown with British unions over pay for more than 5,000 workers at its money-spinning power stations, in a dispute that could lead to strikes.