Henson given Wales’ second chance May 13, 2014 RUGBY UNION: Head coach Warren Gatland has opened the door for utility back Gavin Henson’s return to the Wales team after he was selected to play in a trial match for the international “probables” against the “possibles”. Henson, 32, last featured against England in August 2011.
Melck cleared to play in semi-final May 13, 2014 RUGBY UNION: Flanker Justin Melck is free to play in Saracens’ Premiership semi-final this weekend, after his red card picked up against Leicester was overturned by the Rugby Football Union. Melck was sent off after being adjudged to have gouged Neil Briggs on Saturday.
First Tory poll lead since 2012 May 12, 2014 DAVID Cameron’s Conservative party is fighting back in the battle to win the 2015 general election, having taken a lead for the first time since 2012, according to two new polls. Both surveys, one by ICM and the other by Lord Ashcroft, have the Conservatives in front of Labour on 33 and 34 per cent [...]
Pfizer jets in to face MP grilling over drug deal May 12, 2014 PFIZER bosses hoping to take over Astrazeneca flew into London last night ahead of today’s crunch meeting with MPs, amid a renewed charm offensive by the group to win over sceptics. Scottish boss Ian Read led a small army of senior executives into the capital late last night ahead of this morning’s appearance before the [...]
AT&T planning $50bn bid to take control of satellite giant DirecTV May 12, 2014 A TELECOMS megamerger was in the offing last night as AT&T prepares a $50bn (£29.6bn) takeover of DirecTV. The pair have been known to be in talks since the end of last month, when reports emerged of the negotiations. DirecTV’s share price has shot up by more than 15 per cent since, to close at $87.16 [...]
RBS kicks off stock market sale of US arm Citizens May 12, 2014 RBS PRESSED ahead with its plan to sell off its US arm Citizens, last night filing the first official documents in the process of floating the bank on the New York stock market. Analysts believe Citizens could be worth as much as $15bn (£8.9bn), and RBS is floating off at least 25 per cent this [...]
US shares hit new record highs as bulls charge on May 12, 2014 BULLISH investors drove US stock markets to record highs last night, as a potent combination of economic confidence and relative political stability pushed prices upward. American shareholders were inspired by strong performances across European stock markets earlier in the day, where shares rose despite the referendum in eastern Ukraine. The S&P 500 index hit its [...]
Why British politics has started to become interesting again May 12, 2014 TWO POLLS don’t make a trend. But something seems to be going on in British politics right now, and it’s not good news for the Labour party. For the past two years, opinion polls have consistently put the Tories behind Labour – until yesterday, when not one but two polls gave David Cameron’s party a [...]
Retailers cheer as Easter buyers flock to shops May 12, 2014 SHOPPERS flooded back to high streets and shopping centres this April, with sales surging during the late start to Easter, according to a major trade group. This mornings’s figures on retail sales from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG show a 5.7 per cent jump in spending last month, when compared to the same [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 13 May 2014 May 12, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Allergan: Valeant bid would hit R&D Allergan has launched a robust defence against a near-$50bn bid by rival drugmaker Valeant and activist investor Bill Ackman, warning that a takeover would crush research and severely impair its ability to sell its products, including Botox. Allergan also said it had doubts about the viability of [...]
