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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Friday newspaper round-up: Gambling sector, FOS, Amazon

(Sharecast News) - The gambling regulator has accidentally handed over more than 4,000 sensitive documents to lawyers acting for the media tycoon Richard Desmond, in an "unprecedented" blunder during its legal battle over the £6.4bn national lottery contract, the Guardian understands. Northern & Shell (N&S), the investment group owned by Desmond, is suing the Gambling Commission for £200m in damages over its handling of the lottery licence award process. - Guardian Two former senior figures at bankrupt Woking council are to be investigated by the UK's accounting watchdog after it racked up more than £2bn in debt on a failed investment spree. The Surrey council declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023 after ploughing vast sums of borrowed money into skyscrapers, a luxury hotel and other risky commercial investments, in what was one of the biggest financial failures in local government history. - Guardian

Sir Keir Starmer has signalled plans to approve a major oil development in the North Sea despite opposition within his Cabinet. The Prime Minister on Thursday suggested he would not stand in the way of the Rosebank oil field as a license had previously been granted. The future of Rosebank, which is backed by Norway's Equinor, has been in doubt after a court overturned its permit by ruling the previous government had failed to take into account climate concerns. - Telegraph

The head of a leading consumer watchdog has been ousted amid Rachel Reeves's push to spur growth. Abby Thomas unexpectedly quit as chief executive of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) on Thursday, which is responsible for resolving disputes between City firms and their customers. - Telegraph

Amazon missed sales expectations for its cloud computing business, fuelling concerns about the tens of billions of dollars it has invested in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing business, reported fourth-quarter revenue of $28.79 billion, below Wall Street estimates of $28.84 billion. - The Times

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Thursday newspaper round-up: Höfner, Sotheby's, Christie's
(Sharecast News) - Ministers and senior MPs have warned that the UK's agreements with Donald Trump are "built on sand" after the Guardian established that the deal to avoid drug tariffs has no underlying text beyond limited headline terms. The "milestone" US-UK deal announced this month on pharmaceuticals, which will mean the NHS pays more for medicines in exchange for a promise of zero tariffs on the industry, still lacks a legal footing beyond top lines contained in two government press releases. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Grangemouth ethylene plant, Warner Bros, ChatGPT
(Sharecast News) - Jim Ratcliffe's chemicals company Ineos has been granted £120m of government funding to help save the UK's last ethylene plant at Grangemouth, in a deal expected to protect more than 500 jobs. The investment in the Scottish plant was necessary to preserve a vital part of the country's chemicals infrastructure, the UK government said. The ethylene produced there was essential for medical-grade plastics production, water treatment and in aerospace and car-building, it added. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Nissan, Morrisons, Ford
(Sharecast News) - Nissan has started the production of its latest electric car in Sunderland, a crucial step in the UK automotive industry's transition away from petrol and diesel. The Japanese manufacturer will launch the third generation of the Leaf on Tuesday, which was the first mass-market battery electric car to be built in the UK. Nissan has made 282,704 Leaf models at the north-east England plant so far. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Cryptocurrencies, jobs downturn, Cycle Pharma
(Sharecast News) - Cryptocurrencies will be regulated in a similar way to other financial products under legislation coming into force in 2027. The Treasury is drawing up rules that will require crypto companies to meet a set of standards overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Ministers have sought to overhaul the crypto market, which has ballooned in popularity as a way of investing money and making payments. Cryptocurrencies have not been subject to the same regulation as traditional financial products such as stocks and shares, which means that in many cases consumers do not enjoy the same level of protection. - Guardian

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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