Wednesday Papers: B&B to launch £300 million rights issue -- bid news and gossip

Bradford & Bingley to launch £300 million rights issue.

* Bradford & Bingley to launch £300 million rights issue

* Aviva to raise £800 million of lower Tier 2 hybrid debt; to use new funds to repay short-term debt

* Private equity groups shut out from the first round of the £7 billion auction of Royal Bank of Scotland's insurance business

* Taylor Nelson Sofres rejects revised 241.5p-a-share offer proposal from WPP Group

* G4S placing priced at 222p raising £281.4 million

* Eurasian Natural Resources says it will not make an offer for Kazakhmys at present; continues to evaluate value-creating opportunities including acquisitions

* Hewlett-Packard to buy Electronic Data Servicesfor $13.2 billion in cash

* Carphone Warehouse insists it is still in the bidding race for Tiscali

* Rio Tinto hits new high on talk of BHP Billiton raising its bid

* FirstGroup is to announce an equity placing of over £200 million

* Investment banks poised to sell off Alliance Boots' £9 billion debt

* African Minerals acquires 17.5% stake in Baobar Resources

* Utilico lifts stake in Billing Services to 13.88%

* Government to auction £900 million index-linked gilts maturing 2037 on May 22

* Mercator Gold offer talks ended

* Hat Pin calls in administrators; non-executive chairman Bob Morton resigns

* BAE Systems wins $9.7 million Defence Logistics Agency combat helmet deal