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One of the largest investors in International Nuclear Solutions (INS:AIM) has slated a £39.8 million offer by Babcock International (BAB) to gain full ownership of the nuclear decommissioning group. The investor, who wished to remain anonymous, says they were ‘very... READ MORE >>

Steam cleaning specialist Proventec (PROV:AIM) has won a 14-month tender from the NHS Purchase and Supply Agency to become the sole provider of specialist steam cleaning equipment to help fight... READ MORE >>

M&A newsflow in the insurance sector continues to move share prices, with Heritage Underwriting (HUA) dropping around 15% to 117.5p after Cayman Island-based insurer Ironshore halted takeover talks. An indicative proposal for Heritage came from Ironshore in December, but it... READ MORE >>

A trading update last week by Taylor Wimpey, the house builder seems to have reassured investors about the company’s fate. Full year results will be in line with expectations despite ‘exceptionally challenging’ conditions in the US, where selling prices... READ MORE >>

Gold could hit $3,500 an ounce by 2012 if economic policies do not change, according to mining mogul Harry Dobson. The chairman of Aim-quoted Kirkland Lake Gold (KGI:AIM) claims the 240%-plus price rise since late 2000 is only the first stage of gold’s current bull run. ‘Gold... READ MORE >>

The combination of a profit warning, the failure of a takeover bid and the admission fresh funding may be needed finally proved too much for the management team of video games maker SCI Entertainment (SEG) last week. Founder and chief executive Jane Cavanagh, her husband and managing... READ MORE >>

The fortunes of US oil services giant Schlumberger (SLB:NYSE) are often seen as providing a useful barometer on the state of the oil industry. If that principle still holds then investors could be forgiven for thinking the signs aren’t particularly... READ MORE >>

In the race for Christmas winners Morrisons (MRW) can claim the lead among supermarkets after reporting underlying sales growth of 9.5%, far stronger than its rivals. Sales were especially buoyant in the south and the increased emphasis on fresh foods paid off with its Market Street... READ MORE >>

Several directors of Easyjet (EZJ), led by the CEO Andrew Harrison and the chairman Sir Colin Chandler have been busy buying up stock over the last week. Harrison invested some £250,000 while Chandler bought 10,000 shares and some other directors made smaller... READ MORE >>

Plant based biotech Phytopharm (PYM:AIM) has won a $1.16 million funding package for its Parkinson’s disease treatment Cogane from the Michael J Fox Foundation. The grant will be used to help fund the products pre-clinical development which has so far shown signs that it could help... READ MORE >>

Growing interest is surrounding precision instruments supplier Spectris (SXS), one of the few bullish engineering companies in a sector that has been hammered by concerns over a US economy... READ MORE >>

High street retail firm WH Smith (SMWH) is believed to be ready to launch a large share buyback programme. The company is due to unveil how it performed over Christmas in a trading update next Thursday (31 January) and Nick Bubb, retail analyst at Pali International, believes that an... READ MORE >>