Mobile phone giant Vodafone said today that it had agreed to buy ailing telecoms group Cable & Wireless Worldwide for £1.04bn (€1.27bn).

Mobile phone giant Vodafone was today mulling a takeover bid worth around £900m for ailing telecoms group Cable & Wireless Worldwide.

Vodafone is mulling a potential takeover bid for struggling telecoms firm Cable & Wireless Worldwide, the mobile phone giant confirmed today.

London’s leading shares index pushed higher today amid hope that Greek prime minister George Papandreou would drop his plans to hold a referendum on the eurozone rescue deal.

A raft of solid earnings from household names encouraged investors to overlook the unfolding chaos in the eurozone and send London’s blue chip index higher.

Traders shrugged off sovereign debt woes and sustained violence in Libya as reassuring results from Next and B&Q owner Kingfisher boosted the retail sector.

International telecoms group Cable & Wireless Communications today said that its Caribbean operations were suffering amid ongoing economic troubles.

The FTSE 100 Index failed to make headway today as a surprise fall in retail sales weighed on sentiment.

Shares in Cable & Wireless Worldwide tumbled today after the telecoms group warned British government spending cuts would hurt full-year earnings growth.

The FTSE 100 Index lost ground for the second session in a row today after US home sales plunged to a record low during May.

An attempted rally by the FTSE 100 Index fizzled out today as a lower opening for US stocks wiped out earlier gains.

The FTSE 100 Index lost ground today in a lacklustre end to the trading week but held firm above the 5700 mark breached in the previous session.

The London market slipped into the red today as investors absorbed details of European plans to provide debt-laden Greece with a financial safety net.

BP shares slumped more than 4% today after the oil giant was punished for its failure to meet the City’s estimates on fourth quarter profits.

The FTSE 100 Index shed almost 2% today as worries over Chinese growth and mixed results from US banks sent tremors through world markets.

The FTSE 100 Index struggled to hold its ground today in a subdued end to the trading week after Thursday’s sell-off.

London's blue chip share index recovered some of its poise today as miners returned to favour following yesterday's sell-off.

The end of lengthy searches for top bosses at blue chips ITV and Marks & Spencer provided the focus in an otherwise quiet session for the FTSE 100 Index today.

The FTSE 100 Index pulled back from 14-month highs today as investors took the chance to take some money off the table.

London’s blue chip share index staged a sharp recovery today after a smaller-than-expected £25bn (€27.9bn) money boost from the Bank of England.

The London market followed Wall Street lower today amid more nerves over prospects for economic recovery.

The FTSE 100 Index finished a see-saw session on the front foot today as mixed company results gave investors food for thought.

Miners topped the blue-chip fallers board today as London investors braced themselves for another lacklustre session on Wall Street.

London's blue chip share index overcame early jitters to resume its 25-year record summer rally today.

London’s FTSE 100 Index secured its fifth day of gains today as blue chip stocks including British Airways drove the market higher.

Embattled airline British Airways led a fifth day of gains on the FTSE 100 Index today after announcing emergency funding plans.

A broker upgrade helped BT shares storm ahead today, but the wider market failed to make headway in lacklustre trading.

BT shareholders were given a much-needed boost today after shares surged 5% in the wake of an upgrade from a leading investment bank.

Grim annual figures from British Airways plunged the stock into the red today as the airline's woes overshadowed more stable trading elsewhere.

A grim set of annual figures from British Airways sent the stock nose-diving into the red today and overshadowed more stable trading elsewhere.

London’s blue-chip stocks fell almost 3% today as warnings over the UK and US economies shook fragile market sentiment.

The London market was rocked back on its heels today following economic warnings on both sides of the Atlantic.

The FTSE 100 Index slid more than 3% today amid more woes in the banking sector and fears of bankruptcy among major US carmakers.

The London market was under pressure again today as the break-up of the Dunfermline Building Society sent tremors through the bank sector.

The FTSE 100 Index shed more than 2% today as markets reacted with initial disappointment to US economic rescue plans.

Miners left the FTSE 100 Index in negative territory today as traders awaited economic rescue plans from the US.

The London market began the wind-down to Christmas today as the market drifted lower amid thin trading volumes.

A strategy update by new Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao got a warm welcome today after shares in the mobile phone company jumped 10%.

Telecoms group Cable & Wireless is planning to announce a £4.5bn (€5.7bn) demerger of its international operations as early as this month, according to a report today.

The FTSE 100 Index slid more than 2% today as some miserable high street results did nothing to ease fears of a looming UK recession.

Persistent fears over the economy and weaker metal prices dragged the London market more than 2% into the red today.

Losses for consumer-facing firms failed to stop the London market making strong gains today as oil and metal stocks traded higher.

Mobile phone company Vodafone is to create 200 new retail jobs after announcing plans to roll out a further 50 stores in the UK.

The London market posted gains of almost 2% today as oil and commodity stocks fuelled a blue-chip rally.