Online auction house Ricardo.de's share price was still suffering this morning amid doubts over its planned buyout by QXL.com.

The German company's shares slid 16 per cent to E32.6 on the Neuer Mart yesterday after QXL issued a statement saying it had received "certain information" from Ricardo since the deal was announced in May. Today its share price remained unchanged.

According to reports, QXL CEO Jim Rose said he hoped to reach a decision about Ricardo - which uses ex-Compaq chief Eckhard Pfeiffer as its figurehead - "within a week".

He was unable to give details on yesterday's statement, but told The Express: "What I can say is that there's nothing illegal, illicit or fraudulent".
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Clive James is to be the figurehead of a new online venture to attract yet more antipodeans to the UK. Welcome Stranger recently launched aussieinlondon.com, an information service for Australians in the big smoke.

It plans to set up similar sites for South Africans and Kiwis. James said he will lend the company his business experience in exchange for a "pitifully small" shareholding.

Electronic Arts has secured the rights to publish games based on the massively successful Harry Potter series. Fans of the book will be able to test their skills at "Quidditch" - a game from the books played on broomsticks with four differently sized balls. The company's online division also has exclusive programming rights for AOL's games channel, and will design Harry Potter games for the Internet.®

For more dotcom financial antics, check out Cash Register.