Trescothick set for ankle surgery April 23, 2012 ● CRICKET: Somerset captain Marcus Trescothick has been ruled out for at least six weeks after he was told he needs surgery on an ankle injury. The former England opener suffered a recurrence of the problem in the County Championship match against Nottinghamshire on Friday.
Hallissey awarded team GB place April 23, 2012 ● OLYMPICS: London Marathon star Claire Hallissey has been rewarded for her personal best performance with a place in the Team GB squad for London 2012. Hallissey, 29, who finished 11th in the women’s race, is preferred to Jo Pavey.
FTSE hit by Eurozone jitters April 23, 2012 The FTSE 100 slipped this morning as investors reacted badly to uncertainty in France as Nicolas Sarkozy lost the first round of the country’s presidential election. Sarkozy was narrowly beaten by socialist Francois Hollande who has said that he favours spending to boost growth rather than austerity. Meanwhile Spain’s economy probably contracted 0.4 per cent [...]
Astra agrees to buy Adrea for $1.2bn April 23, 2012 AstraZeneca has agreed to buy US company Ardea Biosciences for $1.26bn (£782.31m), giving it a new gout drug to bolster its weak pipeline in a deal that fuels a wave of M&A in the biotechnology sector. The $32-a-share acquisition – a 54 per cent premium to Ardea’s closing price – is worth $1bn after deducting [...]
France’s hopeless politicians will determine all of our futures April 23, 2012 WHAT a race. And what a mess. The useless Nicolas Sarkozy was given a bloody nose; the awful, economically illiterate Francois Hollande is in the lead ahead of the second round of the French presidential elections; and the horrendous national front grabbed almost a fifth of the vote. Listening to the candidates last night, it [...]
Vodafone agrees to pay £1bn for C&W Worldwide April 23, 2012 Vodafone has agreed to buy corporate telecoms company Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CWW) for £1.04bn, in a deal that adds a British fixed line network to its wireless network. Vittorio Colao, chief executive of Vodafone, said: “The acquisition of Cable & Wireless Worldwide creates a leading integrated player in the enterprise segment of the UK [...]
Nestle to buy Pfizer baby food unit for £7.3bn April 23, 2012 Swiss food group Nestle is to buy US drugmaker Pfizer’s infant nutrition business for $11.85bn (£7.35bn), beating out French rival Danone in the battle to gain preeminence in the lucrative baby food market. Nestle, the world’s biggest food company, was already seen as a favoured bidder due largely to its deep pockets, and is paying [...]
Hollande beats Sarko in French first round April 22, 2012 FRENCH Socialist François Hollande won the first round of a tight presidential election yesterday, beating incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy into second place. But his success was overshadowed by a huge surge in support for the National Front, the extreme nationalist party led by Marine Le Pen. Le Pen – daughter of the party’s previous leader – [...]
MPs go to war with Treasury over lack of scrutiny for all-powerful Bank April 22, 2012 THE TREASURY will today face its last chance to strike a deal with angry MPs who have demanded fundamental changes to its flagship financial services bill. In an unprecedented move, the Treasury Select Committee (TSC) has tabled an amendment that would force a vote on the government’s plans to give the Bank of England sweeping [...]
Friends defend director at heart of Barclays pay row April 22, 2012 FRIENDS of the senior Barclays director responsible for pay awards were last night suggesting that she is being unfairly singled out for the row that has engulfed the bank. The re-appointment of Alison Carnwath as head of the bank’s remuneration committee is likely to be rejected by up to 15 per cent of shareholders, with [...]
