A potential stumbling block to a takeover of Woolworths emerged today after the fine print of a key contract revealed a change of control clause.

Greencore board member Gerald Corbett is being lined up to become chairman of drinks group Britvic when it floats on the stock market, it was reported today.

RAIL firm Thames Trains was facing unlimited fines yesterday after pleading guilty to breaking health and safety laws in the Paddington rail disaster.

A Greek scholar who sent explicit letters and a pink thong to glamour model Jordan was obsessed with the 25-year-old, a court heard today.

Some of the lesser lights of the London market should get their chance in the spotlight this week as no blue-chip companies are scheduled to report figures. However, economic news will be prominent, with inflation figures due on Tuesday.

Poor maintenance led to the points failure which caused the Potters Bar crash, an official report into the May 2002 accident said today.

Arsenal insist they remain committed to their new stadium project at Ashburton Grove, rather than switching to Wembley, despite delays which are likely to hit boss Arsene Wenger’s transfer kitty over the next few seasons.

Premiership footballers including Alan Shearer and David Beckham are compromising education campaigns by accepting promotion deals from fatty, salty and sugary food brands, a survey claimed today.

Investors returning from the Christmas break were given a jolt today as the FTSE 100 Index tumbled to its lowest close since October 10.

Investors recovering from the Christmas break suffered a blow today as the FTSE 100 Index lost more ground.

Two people were hurt in the UK today after a train carrying up to 400 people was understood to have hit the buffers at a station.

Railtrack is to offer compensation to the victims of the Potters Bar rail crash, even though no blame has yet been allocated for the disaster.

A lorry was left hanging over a railway line today following an accident on a bridge.

Virgin Trains chief Sir Richard Branson has defended its extra £100m (€158m) in subsidy.

Beleaguered British Transport Secretary Stephen Byers finally threw in the towel today.

Maintenance company Jarvis says photographic evidence appears to back its claim that sabotage may have caused the Potters Bar rail crash.

Relatives of victims of the Potters Bar rail crash tonight attended a special community church service.

Engineers today began moving the rail carriage which crashed into Potters Bar station.

Grieving relatives are at Potter’s Bar railway station as Transport Secretary Stephen Byers disclosed that vandalism and individual error were still among the possible causes of Friday’s rail disaster.

A points failure tonight emerged as the likely cause of the Potters Bar rail disaster which claimed the lives of seven people and injured dozens more.

The cause of the Potters Bar rail crash, which left seven people dead and dozens injured, could be known within days, it emerged today.

A full search of the Potters Bar rail crash scene is underway today as police worked to discover what caused the disaster which left seven people dead.

Police feared that death had returned to the railways today after a three-carriage passenger train derailed, apparently smashing into a railway bridge north of London.

Beleaguered telecoms group Marconi is set to come under further pressure, after it emerged that Railtrack is to sue it for £20m (€32.6m).

The front carriage of a rush-hour train was derailed in London today after it hit the buffers.

Railtrack’s biggest shareholders were today considering their next move after Transport Secretary Stephen Byers failed to show them documents relating to his decision to put the company into administration.

The FTSE-100 Index was ahead by 16.4 points at 5152.7 after an hour's trading, helped by a healthy finish on the US markets.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service has advised that no charges should be made over the Paddington rail crash, in which 31 people were killed.

In the City, experts said that, after its initial fall, the market would now pause for breath and see how the military action unfolded.

The Footsie index of 100 leading stocks is down 51.6 points by mid-morning at 4984.4, although this marks something of a rebound from an earlier 133-point slump.

Woolworths is set to replace Baltimore Technologies in the FTSE 250 index when it floats next week.

The FTSE-100 Index has recovered from a sluggish start to move up 27.0 points to 5692.7.

The FTSE-100 Index has nudged below the 5,700 mark, as markets respond to a downbeat session on Wall Street on Friday.

Technology and telecoms stocks are the main casualties on the London Stock Exchange as the FTSE-100 lost 68.3 points.

A profit warning from Nokia sent shares in London reeling as the FTSE-100 Index continued to slide.

London shares have plunged more than 90 points as traders have taken their lead from a poor opening on the US markets.

The London market is subdued, with the FTSE-100 index losing 41.5 points.

Railtrack has announced pre-tax losses of £534m after the Hatfield accident in which four people died and the costly programme of track repairs which followed it.

Blue-chip stocks suffered a late fall as the FTSE-100 Index fell back from the all-important 6,000 barrier.

The FTSE-100 Index failed to break through the 6,000 barrier today, as a strong start by blue-chip stocks petered out during the session.

Tech stocks are coming under pressure on the London Stock Exchange after fibre-optic component maker Bookham disappointed the City with its first-quarter results.

The London market is holding its ground despite a disappointing session for tech and telecom stocks.

Railtrack has announced a nationwide offensive to renovate miles of track over the Easter holiday.

A major transport operation was under way today to prevent traffic problems as thousands of football fans travelled to FA Cup semi-final matches.