COMPANIES

Speculations about a possible successor to the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway has resurfaced along with the news of his prostate cancer.

A decline in sales growth for Heineken in western Europe was offset by growth in other regions of the world, helping the brewer deliver solid first quarter sales.

Recently Fitch Ratings revised its long-term outlook for Ladbrokes Plc, Britain's second-biggest bookmaker, to Stable from Negative with long-term IDR (Issuer Default Rating) at 'BB+' and short-term IDR at 'B'. The betting and gaming group is scheduled to release its first-quarter trading update on Thursday.

SABMiller Plc plans to revamp breweries with $2.5 billion investment in Africa as the group sees strong prospects for increasing its volumes, revenues and profitability.

'Mass Effect: Paragon Lost' is the first of its kind animated film from FUNimation and Production IG (joint venture) in association with BioWare that depicts the events preceding 'Mass Effect 3' game.

Shares weaker in pre-market trading as profits drop 24 percent

Electronic Arts (EA) seems to be in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, with Mass Effect 3 (ME3) hurtling from one controversy to another notwithstanding. To add fuel to the fire, the game maker is reportedly banning angry gamers from EA's servers after the latter expressing their displeasure on the BioWare Social Network (BSN) forums.

ASML Holdings NV reported a drop in its first-quarter earnings by 24 percent, as its backlog orders from top clients such as Intel and Samsung shrinked. Shares of the group fell as much as 3.5 percent at 0928 AM CEST on Amsterdam Stock Exchange.

The world's largest primary silver producer said its silver output for the first quarter met expectations, while its gold output exceeded them.

Demand for luxury goods increasing in Asia and the US.

Tesco posted a rise in its underlying pre-tax profits of 1.6 percent to £3.9 billion and announced it will spend over £1 billion to make the UK shopping trip better for customers.

Hunting Plc started its FY 2012 on a solid footing, as the energy demand remains firm. With a wide product and service offerings for its customers, the group has a global manufacturing presence in key energy regions around the world.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner plans raise international concern, hit Repsol shares

Shares of GKN, a global engineering group, rose 4.7 percent last week as Credit Suisse raised its rating to "Outperform" from "Neutral" and sets price target at 240 pence though during last month the group's shares underperformed the sector by shedding 9.9 percent, compared to 8.2 percent decline for the sector.

Weather disruptions blamed for decline as investors pull back on shares

Falling sales in M&S's general merchandise were only just offset by increasing food sales at the upmarket British retailer.

Marks and Spencer has reported a drop in its UK like-for-like sales by 0.7 percent for the 13 weeks ended in March, but reported a growth in food sales by 1 percent. Analysts forecasted a rise of 0.4 - 1.6 percent.

Agribusiness and food company, Bunge has confirmed acquisition of Climate Change Capital Group for an undisclosed sum.

Raincoat maker sees 18 percent pop in second half sales; investors book profits

British fashion entrepreneur, Harold Tillman has sold majority of his stakes in luxury brand, Jaeger to a private equity firm Better Capital for just £19.5 million.

A Financial Times report confirms three top Angolan government officials have stock in Cobalt's local partners in their west African oil venture.

While the Mass Effect 3 franchise is hurtling from one controversy to another, ominous signs loom large with the Old Republic franchise's dwindling fanbase and BioWare's own inexplicable woes.

A little over two years ago, Tata Corus closed down their Teeside Cast Products plant in Redcar with the loss of 1,600 jobs by late February 2010. With the parent company in India expressing a willingness to sell the steel mill, Geoff Waterfield, Chairman of the Multi-unions at Redcar, expressed the hope in mid-2010 that a buyer would be found and that steel would again be produced at the site by Christmas that year, but this proved to be far too ambitious.

Global transportation and logistics business hit hard by increasing costs and a large antitrust fine.

Burberry Group says it remains focused on implementing its proven core strategies to attain long-term growth while continuing in the demanding macro environment. The group is scheduled to release its trading update for the six months ended March 31, 2012 on Tuesday.

The title update/patch for the face import bug with the hit Sci-Fi RPG (Role Playing Game) action adventure game - Mass Effect 3 (ME3) - is stirring up quite a bit of ruckus for many Xbox 360 as well as some hapless PS3 players. The latest game update renders the game unplayable with intermittent crashes after loading.

March's warm weather might have helped Marks and Spencer as shoppers were encouraged to buy into spring clothing collections. While the older and wealthier customers are becoming more confident about their finances.

The Latest comments and Spring Forecast from Ernst and Young for the British economy, state that although Britain may have averted a double-dip recession, growth will be minimal in 2012.

Online Retailers Jump Aboard 'Mass Effect 3' Bandwagon, Offer 50 Percent Discount and Game Coupons