More spring cleaning and fund-raising at Thorn EMI Plc: it has had no takers for its defence business so has taken it off the market but is now in talks with BEI Electronics Inc to sell one bit, the Systron Donner Corp unit in the US while trying to develop the rest of the defence businesses itself: it also wants to sell its 28% holding in Thames Television Plc and the other 28% holder, BET Plc, also wants out – and all eyes in the market turned to Carlton Communications Plc, whose shares cringed another 35.5 pence to 555 pence as traders remembered that Carlton reached agreement to buy the stakes a couple of years back, only to be blocked by the Independent Broadcasting Authority – but that body has had its teeth drawn in the interim.
