A decent start to the session on Wall Street helped steady European nerves as fears continued to mount over Greece's exit from the euro.

The FTSE 100 Index was 1.3 points higher at 5438.7 points but had been below the 5400 barrier at one stage after newly-elected Greek politicians were unable to form a coalition government, forcing a new election to be held in mid June.

Facebook has said that 25% more shares will be sold as investors clamour for a piece of the year's hottest stock offering.

Facebook said in a regulatory filing that about 421 million shares will be sold, up from 337 million under earlier plans. That total does not include more than 63 million additional shares the deal's underwriters can sell to cover excess demand.

The Government has welcomed a fall in unemployment and the number of dole claimants but admitted there were too many people in part-time jobs who wanted full-time work.

The jobless total fell by 45,000 to 2.6 million in the quarter to March, the lowest since last summer, while the number on jobseeker's allowance last month was down by 13,700 to 1.59 million.

The shockwaves from Greece's failure to form a coalition government have continued to reverberate around markets, although upbeat US economic indicators gave the more positive-minded investor something to latch on to.

Greece is headed for another general election next month after nine days of unsuccessful talks since the May 6 poll yielded a split vote with no single party able to govern on its own.

A mild winter for coughs and colds and pressure on prescription income has failed to prevent Alliance Boots lifting profits in UK health and beauty.

The group, which has more than 2,500 UK stores, was helped by demand in beauty and toiletries as last year's launch of its exclusive Champneys range of bath products helped revenues in this area lift 2% to £2.15 billion.

Nokia has been bumped off the top spot as the world's largest mobile phone company after 14 years at the peak, according to research.

Samsung sold 86.6 million mobile phones in the first quarter, inching past Nokia's sales of more than 83 million units, technology research firm Gartner said.

The boss of bakery chain Greggs stepped up his fight against the "completely confusing" pasty tax today on the eve of a showdown with the Treasury.

Greggs chief executive Ken McMeikan said customers have given "universal support" to the group's campaign against Government plans to extend the 20% VAT tax to its hot takeaway food - including pasties and sausage rolls.

Disney's Avengers superhero movie and a wet Bank Holiday weekend have proved the perfect combination for the UK's largest cinema operator.

Cineworld, which has 79 cinemas and 811 screens, said admissions rose 3.3% in the 19 weeks to May 10, with the first two weeks of Marvel's Avengers Assemble helping draw in the crowds amid the dreary weather.

The UK's battle to escape recession will be hampered by the loss of output due to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the Bank of England has said.

The four-day holiday weekend may encourage some people to take longer breaks or encourage businesses to arrange extended closures.

A fish farm operator hopes to create 100 new jobs in an £80 million expansion of its Scottish operation.

Norway-based Marine Harvest already runs 38 farms in Scotland, supporting about 460 jobs.