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Asian markets were higher Monday, led by gains in Shanghai as investors bid up oil and real estate issues, as the region returned to business as usual following a week of holiday-quieted trading. Shanghai's Composite Index jumped as much as 3.22% in the first day of trading on mainland exchanges since April 28. Monday also saw the lifting of a one-year suspension of the issue of new shares and  ...

By Jonathan Cable LONDON (Reuters) - Support services group Connaught said on Monday first-half pretax profit had risen 33 percent and that a positive start to the second-half should produce a record performance in 2006. "It has been an excellent first half, a solid performance which I think will underpin the full result in 2006 ... We are trading in line to meet all external expectations," Chai ...

LONDON (Reuters) - SkyePharma has announced a long-awaited partnership deal for its biggest drug hope, saying Kos Pharmaceuticals will help develop and market Flutiform for asthma in the United States. Delays in finding a partner for Flutiform, which SkyePharma believes could become a $1-billion-a-year seller, were one of the main reasons behind a shareholder rebellion earlier this year that remo ...

LONDON (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 surged higher on Monday, led by gains in the banking, oil and mining sectors, but BSkyB fell as investors displayed disappointment over its new football deal. By 8:18 a.m., the FTSE 100 index was 37 points higher at 6,128.7 points, having earlier touched 6,133.5 -- within a few points of a five-year high at 6,137.1. Banks such as HSBC (HSBA.L: Quote, Profile, Research) rose, tracking gains made in the U.S. banking sector on Friday on hopes borrowing costs in t ...

LONDON (Reuters) - SkyePharma (SKP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) has announced a long-awaited partnership deal for its biggest drug hope, saying Kos Pharmaceuticals (KOSP.O: Quote, Profile, Research) will help develop and market Flutiform for asthma in the United States. Delays in finding a partner for Flutiform, which SkyePharma believes could become a $1-billion-a-year seller (537.5 million pounds), were one of the main reasons behind a shareholder rebellion earlier this year that removed th ...

The consortium of investors that made a £2.7bn ($5bn) approach to acquire the Mitchells & Butlers pub and restaurant group has decided not to make an offer. M&B, owner of the Harvester and All Bar One chains, had already rejected the approach and refused to discuss a deal. The R20 consortium led by tycoon Robert Tchenguiz said it reserved the right to return with another offer in the next six months if the situation changed. It had proposed merging M&B's pub chain with Mr Tchenguiz's Lau ...

By Megan Davies OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) - Billionaire U.S. investor Warren Buffett said he wants to use some of his firm's $40 billion (21.5 billion pounds) cash to invest in overseas companies, and pinpointed Europe and Japan. The world's second-richest person wants to put his insurance and investment conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s (BRKa.N: Quote, Profile, Research) cash pile to better use and ideally shrink it to $10 billion. Buffett, Berkshire's (BRKb.N: Quote, Profile, Research ...

Japanese stocks made a good start on Monday morning after the “Golden Week” holiday, boosted by strength in US shares the previous week. By midday, the Nikkei 225 was 0.8 per cent higher at 17,286.16. The Topix rose 0.9 per cent to 1,753.57. // But the gains were generally stronger in domestically focused stocks – reflecting fears about the impact of a stronger yen on exporters. Banking, a key d ...

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp. (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Sunday christened its new chips for laptop and desktop computers "Core 2 Duo," hoping to reignite interest in its products amid tough competition from rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) . Formerly known as Conroe and Merom, the microchips boast two processing cores, meaning they a ...

Jon Rees, Mail on Sunday7 May 2006 CUTTING COSTS: NTL will axe one third of its workforce as it slashes costs WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: Sky loses two live football deals GUIDES: Broadband advice SWITCH & SAVE: Cut broadband costs OTHER STORIES Shipbuilding giants plot tie-up Market report: Friday close Insurers face legal turmoil Taxman wins right to pry EMI steps up Warner bid THE EDITOR'S CHOICE TOP TOOL: Broadband deal finder TOP REPORT: Laptop 'p ...