The group recently sold off a 30% stake in one of its Greenland exploration licences to Norwegian group Statoil as part of a plan to bring in a partner to share the costs of exploration in the Arctic.

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That was at the bottom of range of analyst predictions for the group which has been repositioned after disposing of its tenanted pubs and off licences.

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Churchill entered the picture by acquiring a 75% stake in four new licences for the same area, which had been awarded to the Ridlatama Group, an Indonesian company.

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Dmytro Sherembey, the HIV-positive head of the patients' pressure group which helped organise Liza's appeal in parliament, the Ukrainian Community Advisory Board, predicts licences will be issued to those who pay bribes.

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By insisting that an auction is the only fair way to allocate spectrum, the Supreme Court has cast into question other licences granted before 2009 by different means, including those of Reliance Communications and the Tata group, two giant firms.

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