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Thursday newspaper round-up: Mike Lynch, smart meters, Very Group

(Sharecast News) - San Francisco federal courthouse on Thursday as a key witness in his own criminal fraud trial, which began in March. US authorities have charged the former software tycoon with 16 counts of wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy relating to his company's acquisition deal with Hewlett-Packard in 2011. If convicted, Lynch faces up to 25 years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. - Guardian The number of gas and electricity smart meters that are not working properly is likely to be higher than government figures suggest - possibly 20% to 30% of the total - according to research from Citizens Advice. The charity said millions of households were missing out on the promised benefits from smart meters due to "problems with technology" and poor supplier customer service. - Guardian

The Barclay family have been forced to put their online retailer Very Group up for sale in a bid to tackle its mounting debts, including hundreds of millions owed to Abu Dhabi's ruling family. Brothers Aidan and Howard, who oversee the Barclays' dwindling business empire, have had to agree to either sell the entire company or a stake in the business as part of a complex rescue refinancing deal hammered out with its biggest creditors earlier this month. - Telegraph

Plans for a highly anticipated "Tell Sid" sale of NatWest shares owned by the government to the public are expected to be put on hold after Rishi Sunak called a general election. Advisers working on the deal had been poised to begin the sale process as soon as next month, but the prime minister's decision to hold a snap election on July 4 means that a retail offer in June is now highly unlikely to go ahead, according to sources. - The Times

The Crown Estate is to spend £1.5 billion over the next decade building more laboratories nationwide and will start by redeveloping the old Debenhams store in Oxford city centre. The King's property company, which looks after the royal family's £16 billion historic land portfolio, will invest £125 million to buy the former department store and will turn it into laboratory space. - The Times

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Sunday newspaper round-up: Hargreaves Lansdown, Crest Nicholson, Michael Kors
(Sharecast News) - Hargreaves Lansdown's three private equity suitors have until Wednesday to either table a formal bid for the investment platform or walk away. A £4.7bn offer presented in April was rejected. In particular, the bidders have been attracted by the firm's ability to deposit client cash at the Bank of England for a rate of 5.25%, whilst paying just 3% on a cash Isa of up to £10,000. That netted its £269m last year at no risk. - The Financial Mail on Sunday
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(Sharecast News) - The Financial Mail on Sunday's Midas column labelled shares of Oxford Instruments a "long-term buy".
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(Sharecast News) - The UK has seen an "explosion" in insecure, low-paid work in the past 14 years, according to a new report. The TUC said its study had found that the number of people in insecure work had reached a record high of 4.1 million. The analysis of official statistics shows the number of people in "precarious" employment - such as zero-hours contracts, low-paid self-employment and casual or seasonal work - increased by nearly 1 million between 2011 and 2023. - Guardian
Thursday newspaper round-up: Revolut, BT Group, housing market
(Sharecast News) - Pensioners and people on disability benefits are the winners from radical changes to the welfare system made by the Tories over the last decade, while working-age families are losing out by thousands of pounds every year, according to a report by the Resolution Foundation. The Conservatives' 14-year overhaul of social security has shifted spending away from children and housing to supporting elderly people, and broken the link between entitlement and need for some of the poorest households in the country, the report says. - 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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