Wednesday newspaper round-up: WH Smith, card payments, BBC News

(Sharecast News) - Small suppliers including the charity Help for Heroes are to lose at least half the money owed to them by the former WH Smith high street chain if a planned restructure is voted through this week. The books to paperclips retailer, which has 450 stores, was bought by the private equity firm Modella Capital last year and rebranded TG Jones. It has said it is likely that it will have to call in administrators if creditors, including shop landlords, do not approve an amended restructuring plan, seen by the Guardian, designed to cut costs in a vote on Wednesday. - Guardian Shoppers reported problems with making card payments at British pubs and supermarkets on Tuesday after a power outage affected one of the world's largest payment processing platforms. Customers said contactless payments were not working at a number of stores including Tesco branches at a time when football fans were watching the World Cup group game between England and Ghana at pubs, screenings and restaurants. - Guardian

Andy Burnham should scrap Heathrow's plans for a new runway crossing the M25 and throw his weight behind a cheaper rival project, airlines have urged. Sir Keir Starmer's resignation and the anticipated exit of Rachel Reeves will deprive Heathrow of the most prominent political backers for its £49bn expansion plan. - Telegraph

BBC News is to target international viewers as it seeks to make more money from its TV channel overseas. Jonathan Munro, the interim chief executive of BBC News, said the broadcaster would prioritise international audiences as it sought to shore up its finances. The broadcaster carried out a controversial merger of its BBC News and BBC Worldwide channels in 2023 as part of wider cost-cutting efforts. - Telegraph

A UK construction group chaired by the former chancellor Lord Hammond of Runnymede originated from a "fraudulent scheme" in which assets and staff were unlawfully taken from a rival business, according to allegations in a High Court dispute. Innovo, a London-based company, has been accused by ASGC, a Dubai conglomerate, of "gutting" its business by unlawfully taking its principal assets, court filings show. - The Times