FTSE flattened by Corus takeover rumours

Corus gained 11.24% to 94p on the back of reports it is in talks with Russian rival Evraz on a possible merger. But BP and Royal Dutch Shell came in weaker after crude prices slumped by more than $2 overnight as the April contract expired. BP fell 0.53% to 654p and Shell declined 0.71% to 1,809p. Miners fell back on a bout of profit taking after metal’s recent strong run. Xstrata fell 2.11% to 1,762p, Rio Tinto dropped 1.06% to 2,711p and BHP Billiton was 1.48% lower at 962p. And Aviva moved 2.18% lower to 830p after Merrill Lynch downgraded the life insurer to "neutral" from "buy" as...