One of the UK’s best-known business families claimed a “resounding victory” yesterday in a long-running legal battle over control of a £1bn (€1.18bn) company which owns three of London’s most famous hotels.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has expressed confidence in the secretary general of his department following controversy over correspondence he had with two British billionaires.

Fianna Fáil has waded into the email exchange controversy between the secretary general of the Department of Finance, John Moran, and representatives of billionaire investors David and Frederick Barclay.

A property developer is waiting to hear whether he has won the latest stage of a legal battle with two of the UK’s best-known businessmen over control of a £1bn (€1.16bn) company which owns three of London’s most famous hotels.

A British judge wants lawyers to write less in a case involving Irish property developer Patrick McKillen’s battle for a control of a £1bn (€1.16bn) firm that owns three of London’s top hotels.

Property developer Patrick McKillen has told a judge that former British prime minister Tony Blair acted as an “honest broker” who he felt could “smooth over issues” for him in his court battle for control of three of London’s leading hotels.

Property developer Patrick McKillen has told a High Court judge in London about the hundreds of millions he had borrowed from banks.

Bono joined two businessmen and a billionaire Saudi prince on a yacht in the south of France as a multimillion-pound deal to sell one of the world’s most famous hotels was finalised, a British High Court judge was told yesterday.

Nama raised €2.7bn from divestments through to the end of September last year, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said.

Billed as an Irish-British grudge match, Paddy McKillen is taking on the Barclay twins — owners of the Ritz London and ‘Daily Telegraph’ among more — for ownership rights to London’s most prestigious hotels, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

A businessman regarded as the face of Coroin, the hotel group, regularly used hotels owned by the firm and ran up a large unpaid bill, developer Patrick McKillen told the High Court in London yesterday.

Two billionaire brothers have been keeping afloat the developer Derek Quinlan, once one of Ireland’s richest men, a British court heard yesterday.

DEVELOPER Patrick McKillen, who holds 36% of Maybourne Hotels Ltd, is suing fellow shareholders Daily Telegraph owners David and Frederick Barclay in a dispute over a deal involving the landmark London hotel operator’s debt.

The National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has sold the Claridges, Connaught and Berkeley hotels in London for €800m.

PROPERTY investor Paddy McKillen and his companies have won their Supreme Court appeal aimed at preventing the National Assets Management Agency acquiring their €2.1 billion loans.

The boss charged with reviving the Woolworths brand as an online venture today said he was confident the reincarnation would go down well with consumers.

British high-street brand Woolworths is to be relaunched as an online store after the name was today bought by the UK’s biggest internet and home shopping retailer.

Shares in British Airways took a hit today, amid fears that planned strike action by cabin crew staff could cost the firm as much as £100 million.

Fashion retailer Primark picked up 120 Littlewoods stores today in a £409m (€594m) deal for some of the UK’s most prominent high street sites.

Bidding for 119 Littlewoods stores in the UK was today said to be down to a single party after fashion chain New Look reportedly pulled out of the running.

Staff at axed British catalogue business Index will today discover if their jobs are likely to be among 3,200 to be cut by the chain’s owner Littlewoods.

British retail group Littlewoods is to cut up to 3,200 jobs after announcing plans today for the closure of 126 of its Index catalogue-based outlets.

The takeover of the UK's Telegraph titles by the Barclay brothers will not be challenged on public interest grounds.

Former BBC director general Greg Dyke’s departure from the broadcaster following the Hutton report today saw him plummet down an industry list of Britain’s most influential media figures.

The Barclay brothers have ended months of uncertainty about the future of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph by buying both newspaper titles in a multi-million pound deal.

Newspaper publisher Hollinger International has won a judgement from a Delaware court against its former chief executive, ex-Daily Telegraph boss Conrad Black.

THE British billionaire businessmen the Barclay brothers are set to rejoin the battle for control of the Telegraph newspaper.

BRITISH establishment newspaper The Daily Telegraph could soon be in the hands of a man who made his fortune from pornographic magazines, after an American court blocked a deal to sell control of the paper.

Hollinger Inc. has sued its Chicago-based subsidiary, Hollinger International, to prevent it from blocking a proposed sale of a controlling interest in the publishing company.

Hollinger Inc., the Toronto-based holding company controlled by newspaper baron Lord Black of Crossharbour, announced that one of its independent directors has stepped down just four days after being named to the post.

Billionaire twins David and Frederick Barclay have struck a £260m (€377m) deal for Conrad Black's controlling stake in the Hollinger media empire. The deal gives them Lord Black's 30% stake and his 73% voting rights at Hollinger.

THE billionaire Barclay brothers added the Daily Telegraph to their portfolio of British newspapers after agreeing a £260 million (€377m) takeover of Hollinger Inc.

Argos-owner GUS today announced the £590m (€814m) sale of its home shopping businesses in the UK, Ireland and Sweden to the millionaire Barclay brothers in a move designed to cut its debts.

UK Retail group Littlewoods is to be bought by reclusive media entrepreneurs the Barclay brothers in a £750m deal, it was announced today.