The BBC Trust’s report that was prompted by speculation over the salary it paid Jonathan Ross and other presenters drew accusations that “the BBC seems to be doing precious little to manage top talent costs” (Times, 3 June) despite ‘talent’ being “the lifeblood of the BBC” (BBC, 2 June).

Another abysmal showing from Britain in the Eurovision song contest was enough to bring strong hints from host Terry Wogan that he might not make another appearance, after declaring that Eurovision was “no longer a music contest”

Centrica’s “management statement” set off a “storm of protest” (Times, 13 May)

After three months of discussions, Microsoft walked away from its bid to buy Yahoo

The level of criticism aimed at the eagerly awaited launch of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA) was miniscule compared to other computer games that are reputed to glorify violence

Days of “frenzied speculation” about an impending rights’ issue by Royal Bank of Scotland (Guardian, 22 April) were confirmed in the wake of the Bank of England’s announcement of the issuing of £50bn worth of Treasury bonds to shore up banks’ lending positions.

The Guardian joined the ranks of the right-wing press putting pressure on Gordon Brown by describing him as “the sub-prime minister”

The relay of sports people, celebrities and businessmen carrying the Olympic flame through London was turned into a “turbulent day” by pro-Tibet protesters (Times, 7 April)

The long-awaited new voluntary code for high street banks which promised they would be "sympathetic and positive" when dealing with debtors was launched by the British Banking Association (BBA) and largely ignored by the press.

Just days ahead of the opening of Heathrow’s Terminal 5, airport operator BAA came under pressure over plans to fingerprint all passengers as a security measure against ‘passenger switching’.

David Cameron rattled a few cages at the launch of the Conservatives’ policy paper on corporate social responsibility, not least those of the leaders of business organisations. Announcing a voluntary series of ‘responsibility deals’ Cameron insisted the Tories could be "both pro-business . . . and also passionate about responsible business"

Lord Mancroft, the outspoken hereditary peer, stirred up a hornet’s nest when he accused nurses at the Royal United Hospital in Bath of being "grubby, drunken and promiscuous"

There was a rather predictable shout of “publicity stunt” when Virgin became the first airline to use biofuel mixed with aviation fuel in a commercial flight.

The heavyweight merger tussle between Microsoft and Yahoo admitted a new entrant this week with Rupert Murdoch apparently mulling over a ‘white knight’ deal which would see Newscorp’s MySpace merged with Yahoo in return for 20% ownership.

GCap Media’s recently appointed CEO Fru Hazlitt is under increasing takeover pressure from media heavyweight Charles Allen, ex-ITV CEO now chairman of Global Radio, and tried to shore up her defences by announcing plans to back out of digital radio, but her presentation to shareholders was termed “far from compelling” by Peter Thal Larsen (FT, 12 Feb).

Egg, bought from Prudential by Citigroup in 2007, risked a consumer revolt by withdrawing credit cards from 160,000 customers having what it termed a “higher than acceptable risk profile” (Daily Mail, 3 Feb).

Passengers wearing cattle masks and brandishing fake tickets in protest at First Great Western’s “late, overcrowded and expensive train service” (Times, 28 Jan)

Press on the left and right of the political spectrum rounded on Ken Livingstone, but those in the centre largely ignored his latest spat with the C4 Dispatches programme aired on 21 Jan. Both the Guardian and the Daily Mail/Evening Standard took the opportunity to stick several knives into Livingstone’s campaign for re-election as London’s mayor:

The prospect of Tony Blair earning an estimated £2½m a year from his new role providing "strategic advice and insight on global political issues and emerging trends”

Npower’s announcement of a large hike in both gas and electricity prices, described by Giuseppe Di Vita, managing director of its residential business, as a “fact of life”....