Alliance & Leicester paces FTSE rise

Alliance & Leicester has jumped 6.1% to 1,190p. Santander Central Hispano SA, Spain's largest bank, is in exclusive talks to buy A&L for more than £6.5bn, according to newspaper City A.M. On the downside, BG has lost 1% to 748.50p, BP has fallen 0.8% to 676p and Royal Dutch Shell Plc has declined 0.8% to 1,853p. Crude oil for June delivery fell 3.2% in New York yesterday after a US government report showed increasing gasoline stockpiles. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average was closed for a public holiday. In the US, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 38.58 points, or 0.34%...