BP (LON:BP.) reported that drilling work was underway in an effort to intercept and then plug the oil well that is spilling oil in the US Gulf of Mexico. The company reckons it will take around three months to complete the operation. Meanwhile, “rapid progress” is being made on a large steel canopy that BP intends to lower over the leak site in just over a week’s time. Containment costs to BP are currently thought to be around $6m per day and rising. One analyst said this morning that the total cost of the clean up could run to $16bn. The company’s shares fell 4.17% to 551p.

Security group G4s Plc (LON:GFS) said it had performed robustly in the first quarter of 2010, in a market which continues to be challenging. It reported year-on-year revenue growth of 4%, at constant exchange rates, and up 2.1% at actual exchange rates. In its secure solutions business, organic growth was 2.5% as a strong performance in government and New Markets was partly offset by lower growth overall in Europe and North America commercial services. Its shares were up by 2.9% to 275.2p.

Carillion (LON:CLLN) , the construction group, has picked up two new contracts in Abu Dhabi, together worth around £110m. The deals were secured through the group’s Al Futtaim Carillion joint venture and takes the total value of contracts won in Abu Dhabi over the last two weeks to some £680m. The latest work involves delivering Stage 3 of the new UAE University project along with the construction of a new outlet for Swedish retailer IKEA on Yas Island. The company’s shares were down 1% at 339.6p.

Shares in Astrazeneca (LON:AZN) rose more than 1% to 2,819p on news that its Vivomo treatment for arthritis patients had been approved by the US Food & Drug Administration. The single-pill drug is targeting a proportion of the 27m American osteoarthritis sufferers who are at risk from gastrointestinal ulcers caused by traditional pain relief medication.

Finally, Bluebutton Properties, a 50:50 joint venture between British Land Co Plc (LON:BLND) and fund manager Blackstone, has agreed a provisional deal to construct a new building on the site of 4 and 6 Broadgate in London for banking group UBS. The move is important because is means that…

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