Britain’s markets watchdog has proposed banning car dealers and brokers from receiving commission linked to interest rates on loans, a step it said would save consumers £165m (€188m) annually.

Chinese workers who often spend more than 60 hours per week assembling iPhones and iPads for Apple will have their overtime curbed and their pay increased following an audit.

An independent group has begun inspecting the Chinese factories where Apple's iPads and iPhones are assembled, amid growing criticism over claims of horrendous working conditions.

Apple has announced that an independent group, the Fair Labor Association (FLA), has started inspecting the working conditions in the Chinese factories where its iPads and iPhones are assembled, a move inspired by the spate of bad press for its factories.