Britain's top shares rose on Friday, aided by Vodafone amid speculation its Verizon Wireless joint venture would not buy rival Sprint, while Marks & Spencer edged up after a profit warning from the clothing retailer rekindled talk it may be taken over. In an otherwise quiet session, Shire Pharmaceuticals and chemical company ICI also gained, buoyed by positive analyst comments. The FTSE 100 share index closed up 29.8 points, or 0.6 percent, at 4,854.1 -- a fresh 2-1/2 year high -- to seal its fourth weekly gain. The index held steady after U.S. employment data showed the United States was continuing to expand, albeit at a slightly slower pace than expected. Most sectors rose, with telecoms firms and banks such as Barclays , Lloyds TSB and Royal Bank notching up gains of around 1 percent. On Thursday, Royal Bank of Scotland was rumoured to be eyeing Dutch financial giant ABN AMRO. On Friday, even a profit warning from M&S failed to dampen market spirits, with shares in the ailing retailer adding 2.7 percent to 348 pence. --More 2122 Local Time 1822 GMT
