The London market finished on the front foot today buoyed by a positive start across the Atlantic while Standard Life drew plenty of buying interest during its first session over here.

Tesco was today said to be lining up an €800m bid for nearly 300 supermarkets in Poland.

Maritime officials today inspected damage to a passenger ferry that ran aground in north-eastern Sweden after it was being towed during a heavy storm, the Swedish Coast Guard said.