Mothercare is crawling towards a recovery as chief executive Simon Calver insisted the UK company was on target to break even within two years.

Global investors grew skittish on Thursday as concerns about reduced central bank easing and slower growth in China rattled Japan and other markets that have registered large gains this year on the back of loose monetary policies.

The boss of Flybe has hit out at "punitive" charges and taxes that have pushed the troubled regional airline to end flights in and out of London from next March.

The updated figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the UK's dominant services sector, which accounts for three quarters of national output, drove the recovery - growing 0.6pc over the three months.

The newspaper will become part of a new �Professional� unit in a yet-to-be-decided structure that mean will FT Group ceases to exist as a separate business.