The Business week in pictures

Promethean, the education company which floated in March and recently entered the FTSE 250, is backing a British attempt to smash the world landspeed record with Bloodhound SSC, the world's first 1000mph car Photograph: PR

In a Guardian.co.uk article the City minister Mark Hoban gave his strongest hint yet that banks could be hit with a financial activities tax on profits and pay Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

The coalition government unveiled plans for pro-market NHS reforms that would give private companies the chance to expand their role in the healthcare system Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Price-slashing by retailers and a reduction in the cost of petrol at the pumps helped to bring inflation down to 3.2% in June Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

Business travel was hit hardest by a sharp decline that saw visits abroad fall by 15% in 2009. The British, it seems, are embracing the idea of a UK-based 'staycation' Photograph: Alamy

Barnes & Noble is locked in a fierce courtroom battle to stave off threats from electronic reading devices, discount online retailers and a maverick private equity tycoon with aggressive intentions
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Online retailer Asos saw its first-quarter sales rise by 54%, while co-founder Nick Robertson scooped £15m by selling a fifth of his shares Photograph: Asos

Unemployment figures dipped but the reality was part-time working reached record levels and the number of long-term unemployed also rose Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters

M&S and Sainsbury's executives faced shareholders at AGMs where investors voiced concern over executive pay. More than 16% of M&S shareholders failed to support its remuneration report, but Sainsbuury's won 98% support Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

China's economic growth slowed to 10.3%, as the world's third-largest economy saw the impact of stimulus easing and Beijing curbing the credit boom Photograph: Alexander F Yuan/AP

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was forced to apologise to Stelios Haji-Ioannou after firm's ad portrayed easyJet chief as Pinocchio figure Photograph: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The chancellor, George Osborne, and business secretary, Vince Cable, demanded assurances from banks that credit will start to flow to small businesses Photograph: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Rex Features

Boats participating in BP's Vessels of Opportunity programme search for signs of oil from the Deepwater Horizon. BP stopped the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since April Photograph: James Edward Bates/AP