A to Z of the Sunday newspapers

By This Is Money
Updated: 11:44 EDT, 8 May 2005

HERE is This is Money's round-up of some of the bigger stories from the Sunday newspapers.

Observer

Barclays

The bank has clinched a deal to buy a £2.8bn controlling stake in Absa, one of the largest banks in South Africa, after seven months of tortuous talks. An announcement is expected this week. It will be the British bank's biggest purchase since its acquisition of the Woolwich for £5bn in 2000 and its largest ever foray overseas.

Marconi
Telecoms company Marconi agreed to delay the announcement of major job losses until after Thursday's election to avoid embarrassing the government, according to industry insiders.

Supermarkets
Insiders fear that a new milk contract negotiated by supermarket giant Morrison's could reignite price wars, the brunt of which would be felt by farmers.

Sunday Times

Economy
THE Bank of England will keep the base rate on hold at 4.75% tomorrow, analysts say, amid new predictions of prolonged weakness in consumer spending.

HSBC
The banking giant is to conduct a worldwide review of its huge property estate to find ways of releasing capital and of outsourcing management of its facilities.

Royal Mail
Chairman Allan Leighton is preparing to push for a John Lewis-style privatisation of the government-owned company under which Royal Mail would be part-owned by its workers.

Sunday Telegraph

Compass
Sir Francis Mackay is to stand down as chairman of Compass, the food services giant, which he effectively created with Sir Gerry Robinson in the mid 1980s.

EasyMobile
The mobile company set up by the Greek entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou has failed to make serious inroads into the UK market and has only signed up about 5,000 customers in the two months since it was launched.

Manchester United
Malcolm Glazer's controversial £800m bid for Manchester United is expected to be submitted this week, in a move that will finally resolve the future ownership of the world's largest football club.

MFI
The struggling DIY group faces a shareholder revolt over the pay and conditions of its senior executives at its next annual meeting.

Independent on Sunday

Hedge funds
John Tiner, the chief executive of the Financial Services Authority, has launched a wide-ranging investigation into the workings of hedge funds in London which is expected to lead to a massive shake-up in the way they are regulated.

The Business

Airlines
Fuel costs have exacted a heavy toll on the 2004 results of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, the airlines will reveal this week.

Internet
Yahoo! is developing a search facility that it is feared could deliver a knockout blow to the already reeling music industry by allowing fans to locate downloadable song from anywhere on the internet.