Anglo Asian Share News (AAZ)

Dow Jones smallcap news is on Twitter, allowing you to catch up on the news away from your desk. Go to http://twitter.com/DJ_UK_Smallcaps DS SMITH PLC (SMDS.LN) Wednesday said it agreed to acquire a French packaging business from Carlyle Group LP for EUR247 million to bolster its presence in continental Europe. To help fund the acquisition, the packaging company said it intends to sell 39.3 million new shares through a type of auction called a bookbuild. The amount raised and the price at which the shares will be sold will be known later Wednesday. At 0755 GMT, shares -5.3 pence, or 4.2%, at 120.7 pence. ROBERT WALTERS PLC (RWA.LN) said second-quarter group net fee income rose 59% on year as recruitment activity accelerated markedly across its global markets, but especially in its Asia Pacific unit. The recruiter said it plans to open more offices across Asia Pacific. At 0755 GMT, shares +22.8 pence, or 12%, at 218 pence. LOOKERS PLC (LOOK.LN), a car dealer, said it expects first-half results to exceed management's expectations due to ahead of plan trading at all its units, with its parts division continuing to report record results. Chief Executive Peter Jones said the firm expects record results for the first half and plans to continue to grow the business and deliver successful results for the full year, despite the economic challenges facing the U.K. retail sector. At 0755 GMT, shares +1.25 pence, or 2.5%, at 50.5 pence. CLINTON CARDS PLC (CC.LN), a greeting cards retailer, said its expects fiscal 2010 sales to be around 2% below its previous forecasts due to a "disproportionately poor" performance at its 13 stores in southern Ireland. The firm said that since its last update May 13, trading has weakened and it now expects adjusted operating profit for continuing operations to be similar to last year. At 0756 GMT, shares -3.75 pence, or 9.7%, at 35 pence. PROXIMAGEN GROUP PLC (PRX.LN) said the U.S. National Institutes of Health has agreed to fund a Phase II trial of naluzotan, an experimental treatment for epilepsy Proximagen acquired in October last year. At 0756 GMT, shares flat at 77.5 pence. ANGLO ASIAN MINING PLC (AAZ.LN), an Azerbaijan-focused gold miner, reported record quarterly production from its Gedabek mine and said it expects to increase the resource there by about 50%. At 0756 GMT, shares +1.75 pence, or 11%, at 17.75 pence. SEAENERGY PLC (SEA.LN), a renewable energy firm, said a unit it put up for sale signed a preliminary agreement with a Chinese state-owned shipbuilding company to design and build undersea support structures for wind turbines. At 0757 GMT, shares +1.5 pence, or 8.1%, at 20 pence. GREAT EASTERN ENERGY CORP. LTD. (GEEC.LN), an Indian coal bed methane producer, reported a wider fiscal-year loss, hurt by a sharp rise in finance charges, and said it is in advanced discussions about securing more sales agreements. At 0757 GMT, shares -45 pence, or 9.3%, at 440 pence. CAPE PLC (CIU.LN) said it expects 2010 trading to be ahead of management's previous forecasts due to improved operating margins, favorable exchange rates and lower finance costs in the first half. Management's forecasts weren't given, but analysts expect the support services firm to post 2010 pretax profit of GBP62.4 million on revenue of GBP660 million, according to a FactSet poll of analysts. At 0757 GMT, shares +3.25 pence, or 1.4%, at 235.75 pence. RENOLD PLC (RNO.LN), a chain maker, said profit for its fiscal first quarter was well ahead of its expectations following a rebound in sales in Western countries hard hit by recession. At 0758 GMT, shares +3.5 pence, or 15%, at 26.75 pence. BIG YELLOW GROUP PLC (BYG.LN),a U.K. self-storage company, posted a 10% on-year increase in first-quarter revenue from its stores, and said it is cautiously encouraged by its recent performance. At 0758 GMT, shares -0.7 pence, or 0.2%, at 304.1 pence. AGA RANGEMASTER GROUP PLC (AGA.LN) said Rangemaster cooker sales in the first half provided a boost to trading despite the consumer markets remaining subdued. At 0758 GMT, shares +0.75 pence, or 0.9%, at 87 pence. DJ UK Smaller Cos -0.3% AIM -0.4% -By Rachael Gormley, Jason Douglas & Hannah Benjamin, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0) 20 7842 9272; uksmallcaps@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 07, 2010 04:30 ET (08:30 GMT)