Image copyright AFP Image caption Most Africans are online today thanks to cheap Chinese smartphones Google's decision to withhold its Android software from Huawei is being seen as the beginning of a technology cold war that could compel African countries - in the future - to choose between US and Chinese technology, analysts have told…

Image copyright Newscast Sales in the UK arm of baby goods retailer Mothercare plunged almost 9% last year as its losses widened to £87.3m.The firm said its sales had fallen following reduced consumer confidence after last year's restructuring.That led to it closing almost a third of its stores. It is now left with 79 and…

They're vital tools for science and medicine - especially for finding harmful germs and viruses. But the person who invented the first microscope, three centuries ago, didn't have such noble aims in mind. He was a money-minded businessman who wanted to check he wasn't being sold shoddy goods, as Aaron Helsehurst explains.Video by Jeremy Howell

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Topshop has "lost appeal", say retail analysts High Street retail chain Arcadia claims to be in serious trouble, facing what it calls "significant liquidity issues".The answer, it believes, is a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), a series of proposals to its creditors which is due to be issued on Wednesday.But…