Tuesday newspaper round-up: Ukraine, RBS, AstraZeneca

13th May 2014 06:18

Separatist leaders in Ukraine's volatile Donetsk region formally asked to become part of Russia on Monday, going beyond the simple independence question raised in a referendum and advancing the threat of Ukraine's break-up. The declaration bore some resemblance to the referendum and annexation scenario that played out in Crimea earlier this year, but signs of a different approach by Russia are starting to emerge. - The Wall Street Journal EuropeCitizens Financial, the US retail bank owned by Royal Bank of Scotland, filed for its initial public offering, restoring momentum to a process that looked threatened in March when the unit failed the Federal Reserve's annual stress tests. Morgan Stanley is running a dual-track process on behalf of RBS that could result in a stock market listing for Citizens or its sale. - Financial Times The public overwhelmingly opposes Pfizer's takeover of AstraZeneca according to polls showing the scale of the challenge faced by the US drugs company in overcoming doubts about its £63bn offer. As the bosses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca prepared for a showdown in front of MPs today, several prominent business leaders, including Mike Lynch, the former boss of Autonomy, stepped forward to speak out against the buyout. - The TimesConsumer groups and MPs have accused Centrica and the other "big six" energy companies of making huge profits while failing to cut bills when wholesale gas and power prices fall. Outside the meeting in Westminster protesters demonstrated over issues ranging from excessive profits to the environmental impact of fracking. The group warned on annual profits last week but forecast higher earnings in 2015. Chairman Rick Haythornthwaite told investors that Centrica understood calls for cheaper power and gas prices. - The Daily ExpressThe Conservatives recorded their first opinion-poll lead in more than two years, boosting their hopes that the economic recovery is beginning to deliver a political benefit. Separate surveys placed the Tories two points ahead of Labour, whose lead has been narrowing in recent months. A telephone poll carried out by Lord Ashcroft indicated that 34% of people backed the Tories, with Labour on 32%, Ukip on 15% and the Lib Dems fourth with 9%. - The Times What many believe is a growing divide between London and the rest of the country has been underlined by a study from the Centre for Cities and the Centre for London. Published on Tuesday it concludes most people who live outside the capital strongly believe it gets a much better deal than the rest of the UK. Only a quarter of non-Londoners feel the capital benefits the economy where they live while almost two-thirds say the location of central government in Westminster means political decisions favour the city over everywhere else. - The Guardian AB