http://www.ft.com/home/ukhttp://www.ft.com/rss/home/ukFT.com - UK Homepageen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times.support@ft.comFri, 16 May 2008 00:15 BSTFri, 16 May 2008 00:18:16 BSTNewspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/home/uk(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/017b75f8-22d2-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/017b75f8-22d2-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlThe UK's biggest banks are preparing to swap £80bn-£90bn of mortgage-backed assets for Treasury bills with the Bank of England – nearly twice as much as the central bank originally envisaged when it unveiled its scheme to unblock the frozen bank-lending marketFri, 16 May 2008 00:06 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e00d35dc-22bd-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e00d35dc-22bd-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlGordon Brown has agreed to let the cash-strapped ministry break one of its main accounting rules so it can finally give the green light to a £4bn contract for two aircraft carriersFri, 16 May 2008 00:15 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1b424856-22a8-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1b424856-22a8-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlBlackstone, which made big profits last year by flipping commercial properties at the height of the market, is considering buying back into some of those assets at distressed prices as part of an effort to cash in on the credit crisisThu, 15 May 2008 23:11 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8ed3aee-22c6-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8ed3aee-22c6-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlNews of increased capital expenditure and a negative swing in interest charges prompts some analysts to shave 20% from the 2008/9 forecasts for the electronics retailerThu, 15 May 2008 23:23 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f741a670-2281-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f741a670-2281-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlCarl Icahn, the billionaire investor, unleashed a proxy fight to remove the Yahoo board and resurrect a takeover bid for the internet company by MicrosoftThu, 15 May 2008 19:16 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/10075210-22a8-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/10075210-22a8-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlEnergias de Portugal is to press on with an IPO of up to 25 per cent of its renewable energy arm – potentially the biggest European float this year in a sign equity markets are still open to companies with attractive prospectsThu, 15 May 2008 19:11 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c75c33a-22a7-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c75c33a-22a7-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlWal-Mart said it is to pursue a "passion for fresh and delicious food" and "the highest level of customer service" in new small grocery stores that will be competing head-on with Tesco's fledgling Fresh & Easy US storesThu, 15 May 2008 23:26 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a0030040-227a-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a0030040-227a-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlThe sharp rise in the expected death toll indicates hopes are fading for tens of thousands of people trapped under collapsed buildings as rescuers struggle to reach themThu, 15 May 2008 19:27 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad328320-2276-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad328320-2276-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlOpec trimmed its forecast for global growth in oil demand in 2008, the latest sign that record oil prices are slowing consumption in the industrialised worldThu, 15 May 2008 13:05 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb224a2e-2271-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb224a2e-2271-11dd-93a9-000077b07658.htmlThe US broadcast network said it had agreed to pay $1.8bn in cash to acquire CNET Networks, a technology and entertainment website operatorThu, 15 May 2008 23:32 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d1f94010-21e8-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d1f94010-21e8-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.html The German president, a former head of the International Monetary Fund, called for tougher regulations and the reconstruction of a 'continental European banking culture' Wed, 14 May 2008 20:14 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f7095674-21a7-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f7095674-21a7-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlThe UK economy is set for a sharper, more prolonged slowdown in growth than the Bank thought likely in February, but the short-term spike in inflation will be much more severe and persistent than anticipatedWed, 14 May 2008 21:36 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d2e7ea80-21de-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d2e7ea80-21de-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlHSBC could be in breach of best practice on pay, shareholders of the UK bank have been warned, ahead of the vote at the annual meeting on remuneration Wed, 14 May 2008 23:32 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c5367320-21f7-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c5367320-21f7-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlBradford & Bingley faced a swell of criticism over its handling of a £300m rights issue designed to shore up the bank's battered capital base after heavy writedowns on its holdings of exotic Treasury assetsWed, 14 May 2008 21:59 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/68fc3cd4-218e-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/68fc3cd4-218e-11dd-a50a-000077b07658.htmlTesco is breaking its decade-long pursuit of overseas organic growth, with a nearly £1bn purchase of a chain of hypermarkets in South KoreaWed, 14 May 2008 20:23 BST