Saturday Papers: Bridgepoint in talks to retake Alliance Medical - tips, comment and bids

Financial Times

* Bridgepoint is in talks to retake control of Alliance Medical, which faces a financing crisis and is on the brink of being taken over by its lenders; the private equity group sold Alliance Medical to Dubai International Capital in a £600 million deal in 2007.

* Ryanair’s 30% stake in Aer Lingus is to be the subject of a preliminary competition investigation in the UK, more than four years after the budget airline took a stake in the carrier.

* German retailer Metro on Friday said it was evaluating options including the sale of some or all its French electronics goods stores to investors.

* Spain's National Competition Commission said it had approved the €1.05 billion acquisition of Cuatro, owned by Spanish media group Prisa, by Telecinco after undertakings by the latter related to advertising sales and content purchasing.

* Hikma Pharmaceuticals doubled the size of its US business on Friday with the acquisition of Baxter Healthcare’s injectables division for $112 million.

* Severstal, Russia’s largest steelmaker, has made a bid for Berkeley Resources, one of Western Europe’s few uranium miners.

* India Hospitality Corporation is understood to be one of three bidders still in the hunt to buy Wagamama, alongside Morgan Stanley’s private equity unit and Investcorp, the Middle Eastern buyout group.

The Lex Column

* Lessons from Hungary - For the ultimate nightmare, Robert Mugabe is a mere lightweight.

* Halliburton/BP - Revelations could sully company’s name more than past scandals.

* Nomura Holdings - Two years on from Lehman, the financials are still mostly rotten.