Systematic Fraud at McAlpine Quarry External study of Alfred McAlpine quarry uncovers 'wide and systematic fraud' that cost the business £40m, police have been asked to follow up, personal gain was not motivation and no civil proceedings planned 24.04.07 BBC, Fraud

FSA Stepping Up Commodity Oversight Financial Services Authority plans to step up supervision of commodity markets, rising interest among fund managers is bringing risk of poor controls and less experienced staff 27.03.07 Telegraph, FSA Press Release, Capital Markets, Financial Services Authority

Tata to Pay More for Corus Pension Indian steelmaker Tata has raised its bid for Anglo-Dutch Corus by £400m to ward off rival bid from CSN, board delayed recommending CSN due to concern at effect on £13b pension liabilities 11.12.06 Telegraph, Capital Markets, Pensions

EU REACH Deal on HazChems The EU has come to a deal on REACH, registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals, tougher rules on hazardous chemicals, including increased use of animal testing 04.12.06 BBC, Animal Rights, EU Law, Health & Safety

Copper Theft Is Spiralling Theft of railway signalling cable has risen 50% on last year, 1k incidents so far this year at a cost of £3m 04.12.06 BBC, Criminal Justice

Poison Pill Healthy for Mittal Arcelor Arcelor put profitable Canadian subsidiary Dofasco into trust to make takeover by Mittal more difficult, anti-trust deals confirmed Dofasco would have to be sold, but trust structure makes it unattractive, leaving Mittal Arcelor with unexpected cashflow 03.11.06 NY Times, Capital Markets, Mittal v Arcelor

Good Copper, Bad Copper International Wrought Copper Council has complained to EU that London Metal Exchange is abusing monopoly position, taking advantage of copper shortages to push up fees for its brokers 05.10.06 Telegraph, EU Competition

Arcelor Slips Away Luxembourg based steel-maker, having this week agreed to consider bid from Mittal, now says it will merge with Russian producer Severstal 26.05.06 BBC, EU Competition, Mittal v Arcelor

Mittal Bid Today Steel-maker Mittal to make formal €21b bid for Arcelor today, regulatory approval in place from Luxembourg, Belgium, France and US, still waiting for nod from EU 18.05.06 BBC, EU Competition, Mittal v Arcelor

Heart of Darkness Key shareholder in London AIM darling, Congo cobalt miner Camec, Conrad Muller Rautenbach is fugitive from fraud charges involving Hyundai dealerships in South Africa 15.05.06 Sunday Times, Capital Markets, Fraud, World Trade