U.K. & Ireland
BP to Pay $7 Billion for Devon's Assets in Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Caspian BP Plc will pay Devon Energy Corp.
$7 billion for assets in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and
Azerbaijan, adding fields that may extend its production lead
over Exxon Mobil Corp.
Brown Tries to `Perversely' Benefit From U.K. Relapse Risk Before Election Gordon Brown is trying to turn the
threat of a double-dip U.K. recession into an advantage.
Lloyds Banking Group to Allow Additional Mortgage Repayments Until 2011 Lloyds Banking Group Plc, Britain’s
biggest home-loan lender, will allow customers to increase
mortgage repayments without penalty, as the bank seeks to cut
its 1.03 trillion-pound ($1.55 trillion) balance sheet.
CPP Group's Initial London Offering Said to Value Company at $687 Million CPP Group Plc, a U.K. company that
provides protection from credit-card and identity theft, may be
valued at as much as 457 million pounds ($687 million) after its
initial public offering, two people familiar with the sale said.
FTSE Benchmark Index Retreats, Led by Mining Companies; Home Retail Gains U.K. stocks retreated from the
highest level in 21 months as mining companies declined with
base-metal prices on concern China may take further steps to
cool its economy.
HSBC Private Bank Suisse Says 15,000 Clients Are Affected by Theft of Data HSBC Holdings Plc’s Swiss private
bank said a former employee stole details on 15,000 existing
accounts, as banking secrecy comes under growing pressure from
nations keen to crack down on tax evasion.
Old Mutual Resumes Dividend Payment, Plans to Sell Unprofitable U.S. Unit Old Mutual Plc, the biggest
insurer in Africa, may sell some U.S. assets to reduce debt
after posting a loss for 2009.
Pink Floyd Full-Album Contract Applies to Downloads, British Court Rules EMI Group Ltd. should only sell the
music of Pink Floyd, the band that recorded the best-selling
album “The Dark Side of the Moon,” in full album format and
can’t sell single songs online, a London judge ruled today.
Manchester United Red Knights Hire Nomura as Adviser on Bid for Champion Manchester United fans calling
themselves the Red Knights hired Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan’s
largest brokerage, to advise them on a possible purchase of the
English soccer champion.
Morrison Sees `Challenging' Outlook for 2010; Profit Climbs on Discounts William Morrison Supermarkets Plc,
the smallest of the U.K.’s big four supermarket owners, forecast
a “challenging” 2010 after profit rose 30 percent last year on
increased food and alcohol discounts.
British Airways Lurches Closer to Cabin Crew Strike as Union Talks Fail British Airways Plc’s 12,000 flight
attendants moved closer to a strike after talks with Europe’s
third-largest airline over pay cuts broke down.
Four Lawmakers Plead Not Guilty to False Expense Charges as Election Looms Four U.K. lawmakers told a London
judge that they would plead not guilty to false accounting
charges in relation to their expenses.
Ex-Cazenove Partner Jailed for 21 Months for Five Insider Trading Counts A former partner at JPMorgan Chase &
Co.’s Cazenove unit was sentenced to 21 months in prison, the
second-longest sentence for an insider trading case filed by the
U.K. Financial Services Authority.