• Publishing giant Pearson continues to expect growth in sales and operating profits this year, having traded in line with expectations in the first quarter.
• Highly acquisitive media giant WPP has had a strong start to 2012 with like-for-like revenue growth coming in ahead of expectations in the first quarter.
• Salamander Energy, the independent upstream oil and gas exploration and production business focused on South-East Asia, is asking its shareholders to put their hands in their pockets to accelerate its drilling programme.
• Ultra Electronics, the technology company with interests in defence, transport and energy, says it will continue to face strong headwinds from both the US and UK defence market.
• Speciality chemicals producer AZ Electronic Materials said both of its core businesses performed well in April after a tough first quarter.
• Imagination Technologies Group, the system-on-chip intellectual property developer, has signed a licence agreement with Sunplus Technology for intellectual property from Imagination's PowerVR SGX graphics division.
• Perform, the multimedia sports content company, has put its livesport.tv platform on to Facebook.
• The growth story at media and digital communications group Aegis continued in the first quarter of 2012, albeit at a slower rate than the breakneck speed seen in 2011.
• Edinburgh Dragon Trust, the FTSE 250 Asian investment trust, has seen its net asset value outperform its benchmark in the first half despite volatile conditions in equity markets.
• Revenue was up at Colt, the business communications firm, during the first three months to March 31st with the company experiencing growth across all major product categories.
• Polymers maker Victrex has appointed a new Managing Director for its Invibio biomaterials business.
• The lack of harmony arose from a group of Barclays' shareholders who believe executive pay does not reflect the share price performance.
• UK Coal returned to profit for the first time in four years and more than halved its debt in 2011.
• Oil and gas producer BG Group has agreed to sell its 40 per cent interest in a company called GNL Quintero (GNLQ), the owner of a liquefied natural gas terminal in Chile.
• Online video company Forbidden Technologies has rocketed after revealing a big jump in capacity and impressive sales.
• North Sea focused oil company, Xcite Energy, says it has secured funding for the first phase of development of its wholly-owned Bentley field.
• Sweett Group, an international property and infrastructure consultancy, is expecting booming Asian Pacific markets to continue to pick up the slack from a struggling Europe.
• Asset manager Schroders is to take a substantial stake in the Indian asset management business of Axis Bank.
