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Friday newspaper round-up: Facebook, Morrisons, Ultra Electronics, Vectura

(Sharecast News) - The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday refiled its antitrust case against Facebook, arguing the company holds monopoly power in social networking and renewing the fight to rein in big tech. The agency also dismissed a request from Facebook that its chair, Lina Khan, step aside in the case because of her criticism of them in the past. - Guardian Morrisons has agreed a £7bn takeover by the US private equity group Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in the latest round in a fierce fight for control of the country's fourth largest supermarket chain. The Bradford-based grocer confirmed on Thursday night it had accepted an improved offer of 285p per share from the private equity firm that bettered the offer on the table from rival suitor Fortress. - Guardian

Ministers blocking the £2.6bn sale of Ultra Electronics to a private equity-backed buyer would be an act of "political and economic suicide", a top shareholder has warned. The takeover of the defence company by Cobham must go ahead despite national security concerns or international investors will question Britain's commitment to open markets, the shareholder told The Telegraph. - Telegraph

The chief executive of Philip Morris International has lashed out at opponents of his widely condemned bid for the British inhaler maker Vectura, accusing them of "settling old scores" against the tobacco industry. Jacek Olczak claimed critics of the £1.1bn takeover, which include the charities Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, were "not interested in progress" and seeking to prevent the company moving away from cigarette sales. - Telegraph

Lloyds Banking Group's push into residential letting appears to be more ambitious than it had previously disclosed, with internal documents showing it aims to own 50,000 homes for rental within nine years. An internal job advertisement for a director role in Citra Living, its new property rental division, reveals the scale of its intentions, with a target for it to make £300 million in annual profit by 2025. - The Times

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Friday newspaper round-up: Elon Musk/Skydance, North Sea wealth fund, retiring entrepreneurs
(Sharecast News) - Elon Musk has reportedly invested approximately $1bn in Skydance, the new media empire led by David Ellison. The deal comes alongside fresh equity infusions from existing investors, including board member Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs's widow. Semafor first reported the news. The investment follows Paramount's recent $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery, a huge acquisition that brought the media companies together under the Skydance name. At the head of the new media empire is David Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle co-founder and Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison. - Guardian
Thursday newspaper round-up: AI companies, Waitrose, gas standing charges
(Sharecast News) - AI companies have told ministers they have 12 months to head off public opposition to datacentres in the UK or risk US-style protests that could threaten their construction. Successive dry summers and rising energy bills are increasing public scrutiny of plans for the huge computer warehouses that are used to train and run AI models, says a submission to the Labour government from a group including the AI infrastructure companies Nvidia, Microsoft and Cisco. - Guardian
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(Sharecast News) - The UK government has approved the controversial Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, a widely expected move that will nonetheless dismay environmental campaigners and a number of Labour MPs. While Labour's 2024 election manifesto committed to a ban on new drilling licences in the North Sea, the companies behind Jackdaw and the Rosebank oilfield project, which is being decided on separately, have sought environmental approval for existing licences. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: SpaceX, NatWest, Anthropic
(Sharecast News) - The UK government has approved the controversial Jackdaw gasfield in the North Sea, a widely expected move that will nonetheless dismay environmental campaigners and a number of Labour MPs. While Labour's 2024 election manifesto committed to a ban on new drilling licences in the North Sea, the companies behind Jackdaw and the Rosebank oilfield project, which is being decided on separately, have sought environmental approval for existing licences. - Guardian

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