Five UK majors in the world's top 20

FIVE British companies rank among the world's biggest 20 corporations, according to the Global 1,000 list published in Business Week magazine.

The list, which is an unofficial global Footsie, has the Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell in eighth place, BP (9), Vodafone (12), HSBC (14) and GlaxoSmithKilne (16).