The company, which owns and operates about 2,000 pubs, is coming to the end of a six-month review of its assets following pressure to spin off its entire 5.5bn property portfolio into a tax-efficient real estate .

M&B has invited , , Topland, London & Regional and Tchenguiz’s own property company, R20, to submit bids for jointventure sale and leaseback deals ranging in value from 500m to 4bn.

By selling part of the assets, shareholders could retain ownership and take advantage of rising property prices. The cash from a property partner could be used to give investors a or boost prices and earnings by buying back shares.

The outcome is being keenly watched and is expected to set a template for others in the pubs industry. Analyst Jamie Rollo of investment bank Morgan Stanley predicts that even a modest sale and leaseback of only 20% of the portfolio could substantially enhance earnings.

M&B told the City it would report back on its plans on Tuesday alongside first-half results, which are expected to show an 11% rise in sales to 988m and a five% profit improvement to 151m.

chairman Sir Philip is weighing up plans to raise cash by selling off small chunks of the group’s property portfolio in jointventure deals - despite reports to the contrary.

Speaking exclusively to Financial Mail, Hampton said the supermarket giant was looking at several options but would stop short of a major deal to split the business into separate property and operating companies.

‘We are not averse to property joint ventures, but we are not ready for a big-bang “PropCo/OpCo deal”,’ he said.

Other stories:
Britvic snaps up C&C soft drinks arm
Marston’s pubs go to Fergie’s fund
Punch banks on smoking-ban lift
Boots Battle: Hands vs Pessina
‘Pure’ pubs storm into the Footsie
Admiral in Punch pubs coup
La Tasca likes taste of Tchenguiz 100m
Bidding war erupts for La Tasca
Whitbread’s property plot to beat raiders
Greene King makes locals more local

Li Ka- shing, whose empire stretches from ports and bridges to mobile phone firm 3, said he was increasingly worried about dazzling valuations on the Shanghai exchange.

‘There is a bubble in the China stock market,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to see the bubble bursting, but investors should be careful about that.’

The warning came as US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke added his voice to fears about the debt-fuelled private equity takeover boom. He said the Fed is looking into ’significant risks’ associated with takeover financing.

Li’s words will cast a shadow over world markets, as set new records every day. A brief setback in Shanghai in February prompted declines across the globe. Many analysts fear that was just a dress rehearsal for the real thing.

China’s main index is up 86% this year alone. Analysts have calculated the main Shanghai market trades at around 50 times earnings, compared with only 13 in London.

The boom has come as Chinese citizens open hundreds of thousands of share accounts every day, yanking their cash out of banks and plunging it into equities.

While the Chinese government has pledged to slow the pace of growth and damp down asset prices, its efforts have done little to dent savers’ ‘irrational exuberance’, said Gerard Lyons, of Standard Chartered.

‘There’s no doubt that it’s overheating. I would-n’t be surprised if there is a near-term setback,’ he said.

‘What we are seeing is a reflection of a booming economy. People are looking for an avenue for their savings. Recently it was in housing, now it’s in the stock markets.’

Last week the Chinese government eased its restrictions on overseas investments to divert savings from domestic equities, but Li said the amounts involved were too small.

Other stories:
China fails to dampen investor demand
China boom fears hit shares
China slams US piracy complaints
Fears grow of China ‘bubble’
Branson bets on casino in China

The US Government requires Financial institutions to verify Business TAX ID information on all account holders and new accounts ? a new database makes these EIN Numbers easy to uncover and verify. FEINSearch.com, a service of NOBLE Ventures has compiled one of the nations largest Business TAX ID Database repositories of over 7.5 million EIN records.

Palm Coast, FL (http://www.prweb.com/) May 16, 2007 — The US Government requires financial institutions to verify Business TAX ID information on all account holders and new accounts ? a new database makes these EIN Numbers easy to uncover and verify. http://www.FEINSearch.com , a service of NOBLE Ventures, has compiled one of the nations largest Business TAX ID Database repositories of over 7.5 million EIN records.

FEINSearch is offering a limited free search period (including 10 free searches) to new registrants. http://www.FEINSearch.com users can search over 7.5 million U.S. business entities and Trusts as well as 501(c)(3) non-profits to locate and verify the Business TAX ID number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service.

Under the USA Patriot Act, all financial institutions such as banks, brokers, insurance and even shipping companies must record and verify (http://www.FEINSearch.com) the Identity and Tax ID of all account holders. Accountants and financial planners often refer to the Trust Tax ID or EIN in preparing documents, tax returns, and required filings. FEINSearch.com will prove to be a valuable tool to locate and verify TAX ID numbers of businesses and Trusts in the U.S., and a useful tool in USA Patriot Act and AML (Anti Money Laundering) Compliance. HR 3162 is also known as the USA Patriot Act and requires financial institutions to install certain compliance procedures. In 2004 the U.S. Customs and Border Protection began requiring EIN data reported on customs forms for those U.S. entities receiving shipments from abroad.

FEINSearch (http://www.FEINSearch.com) is a powerful tool to financial compliance and risk professionals, state and federal contracting officers, corporate investigators, compliance agents and law enforcement agencies. Local and county business tax officials use the portal to verify proper business occupational and professional licensing. Additional search features include: ability to verify Tax Exempt, Non-Profit status, locate Business Federal Tax Liens, and verify Business Officers or Signatories. The database is built and maintained by http://www.NOBLEVentures.com , a leader in analytics data, risk management and direct marketing databases.

Contact Information:
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NOBLE MEDIA, Div. NOBLE Ventures.com
POB 352109
Palm Coast FL 32137
(800) 299-8280

# # # –>

A POLICE motorcycle used by Scottish forces poses a “serious and continued” threat to riders’ lives, a coroner has ruled.

Dr James Adeley yesterday said he intended to write to chief constables warning them of the “catastrophic result” which can occur with the Honda motorbike.

Dr Adeley was speaking at the conclusion of the inquest into the death of police motorcyclist David Shreeve, who was thrown from his bike while on a training exercise. The father of two, who worked for Merseyside Police, was crushed to death under a lorry after he fell from his Honda Pan European ST1300.

The Scotsman has learned that police riders in Scotland have been told not to exceed 100mph on the bikes amid concerns.

Merseyside Police withdrew all its models after the accident.

But there are still about 400 ST1300s in use across England and Wales while in Scotland a number of forces still use the bikes.

Strathclyde Police said it had 31 1300s in use. A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said its fleet of 12 ST1300s had been modified and individually risk-assessed since the death.

A police source said: “A speed limit of 100mph has been put on the bikes. It is something that forces are working with ACPOS [the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland] to address.”

The inquest in Lancaster heard PC Shreeve lost control of his vehicle after it began to shake violently while travelling at high speed.

The phenomenon, known as high-speed weave, refers to a sideways snaking motion which can cause the rider difficulty steering and makes the bike uncontrollable.

Dr Adeley told how after the death several bikes of that particular model underwent comprehensive safety checks.

In one of the tests an examiner broke his leg and fractured both wrists after being thrown from the Honda, which experienced an identical high-speed weave.

PC Shreeve, 38, was travelling at about 110mph along the M58 motorway near Skelmersdale, Lancashire, on 9 November, 2005 when he crashed.

The inquest was told the problems affected only police models of the motorcycle, which has been specially fitted with heavy emergency and communications equipment. The extra kit altered the centre of gravity of the machines.

The ST1300 was released in the UK in March 2002 and the police specification model was delivered at the beginning of November that year. The first reports of high-speed weave problems were made by officers in January the following year.

A Honda spokeswoman said: “For Honda the safety of our riders is paramount. We will continue to liaise with the police in light of the coroner’s verdict.”

Meredydd Hughes, the head of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Uniformed Operations Business Area, said: “The death of any police officer while on duty is a tragedy, and on behalf of all our colleagues I offer my sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues.”

Mr Hughes, also the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire, added: “Where officers have complied with ACPO guidelines and testing procedures, no-one has been killed or injured as a result of this issue.

“The ACPO committee will consider the coroner’s comments and any new evidence presented to the inquest to consider what - if any - further measures need to be taken. As always, ACPO’s primary consideration will be officer safety.”

Paul Smith, the founder of road safety campaign group Safe Speed, said all police forces should withdraw the model until the problem is fixed. “There have been rumours about the safety of this bike in police circles for years now,” he said.

“There have been various complaints and a couple of police officers have died. It would seem a sensible move to withdraw the bikes from service until they get to the bottom of the problem.”

Related topic

- http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=307
http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=307

The wheels appear to have fallen off a Saskatoon proposal fora bike helmet bylaw.

On Monday, Saskatoon city councillors talked about a draft bylaw that would force bicyclists, skateboarders and in-line skaters to wear helmets. The proposal would mean fines of up to $25 for people who violate the law, but the fine would be waived for those who buy helmets.

Proponents of the law said it would encourage people to wear helmets and help prevent head injuries. Opponents said it was unworkable and would only discourage people from using bicycles.

In the end, councillors decided to simply accept the bylaw as information and agreed to focus on public education instead.