WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING
FINANCIAL TIMES
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE DRAWS FIRE OVER BORSA SYNERGIES
The LSE’s takeover of the Milan bourse five years ago “has not fulfilled expectations either in Italy or London” in terms of stimulating cross-border capital flows or increased investment in Italian companies, the Italian securities regulator has claimed.
QUINN CASE THROWS LIGHT ON IRISH BANKING CRISIS
The family of bankrupt Irish businessman Sean Quinn Snr won the right on Thursday in the High Court to challenge their liability for €1.8bn in loans advanced by Anglo Irish Bank on the grounds that the bank issued the loans to prop up its own share price.
BLUEPRINT FOR CHINA TO OPEN UP MARKETS
China should accelerate the loosening of capital controls, its central bank said in a report outlining the path to a freely tradeable currency and more open capital markets.
DEUTSCHE TELEKOM TO INVEST $4BN IN US ARM
Deutsche Telekom will invest $4bn to modernise its US networks in an attempt to stem a dramatic fall in customer numbers T-Mobile USA suffered during the German group’s attempt to sell its American division to AT&T for $39bn. The group was forced to shoulder an impairment loss of £2.8bn in the fourth quarter, mostly owing to the continued decline in T-Mobile USA.
THE TIMES
OSBORNE MOVES ON WEALTHY WHO DODGE PAYING HOMES TAXES
George Osborne is set to disappoint Liberal Democrats who are pressing him to deliver a massive windfall in the Budget from tighter stamp duty rules. The chancellor is poised to make it harder to move properties offshore and so dodge tax by transferring ownership into companies.
FRENCH KEEN TO GET ON TRACK IN BRITAIN
The French state railway is increasing its interest in the British network. SNCF is the 51 per cent partner in a joint venture with Go-Ahead Group that hopes to win the Essex Thameside franchise (c2c) from National Express.
The Daily Telegraph
CHARLOTTE CHURCH SETTLES WITH NEWS OF THE WORLD
Charlotte Church, the singer, has settled her damages claim against the News of the World for phone hacking, her solicitor said today. Miss Church’s total compensation, including legal fees, is expected to be between £380,000 and £500,000.
DAVID CAMERON’S BACK TO WORK TSAR EMMA HARRISON QUITS AMID FRAUD ALLEGATIONS
Emma Harrison has resigned from her Government post following a series of fraud allegations surrounding her training company. A4e is at the centre of a police investigation following the arrest of four of its former employees.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
JK ROWLING PLOTS A BOOK FOR GROWN-UPS
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has left behind the world of magic and Muggles and written an adult novel. Publisher Little, Brown startled the book world on Thursday by saying it would publish Ms Rowling’s first title aimed at adults.
PUTIN, IN RALLY, CASTS HIMSELF AS UNIFIER
Confident of a return to the presidency, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin cast himself on Thursday as a unifying leader, appealing to the legions of Russians who have taken to the streets against him “not to run to the other side… but to join us.”