A French court does not place IMF head Christine Lagarde under investigation over a payout made when she was finance minister, making her a key witness instead.

London's leading shares lose further ground in Friday trading, extending Thursday's global sell-off.

News Corp announces it will officially split its publishing and entertainment businesses on 28 June, two years after the UK phone-hacking scandal involving the News of the World.

Co-operative Bank has stopped offering new business loans amid concerns over its capital position and talks with UK regulators.

Shares in Japan have closed 0.89% higher, one day after Thursday's global sell-off in shares.