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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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Wednesday newspaper round-up: Aviva Investors, HSBC, car finance
(Sharecast News) - One of the UK's biggest pension funds has lost more than £350m on a series of "calamitous" investments in incinerator power plants that are expected to go bust in the coming days. The Guardian understands that Aviva Investors will put three incinerators into administration this week after pouring millions of pounds into what has been described as the country's "dirtiest form of power generation". - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Starling Bank, Asos, Morrisons
(Sharecast News) - Staff have resigned at Starling Bank after its new chief executive demanded thousands of workers attend its offices more regularly, despite lacking enough space to host them. In his first major policy change since taking over from the UK digital bank's founder, Anne Boden, in March, Raman Bhatia has ordered all hybrid staff - many of whom were in the office only one or two days a week, or on an ad-hoc basis - to travel to work for a minimum of 10 days each month. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Energy bills, Black Friday, Lloyds Bank, Sephora
(Sharecast News) - Household energy bills across Great Britain are set to rise at the start of next year, analysts predict, putting more pressure on household finances. Officially, the price cap for January-March 2025 will be set on Friday morning by regulator Ofgem, limiting what energy providers can charge in England, Scotland and Wales. - Guardian
Sunday newspaper round-up: Kursk, AstraZeneca, BAE Systems
(Sharecast News) - America's President has authorised Ukraine to employ long-range ATACMS supplied by the US to strike targets inside Russia. More specifically, Kyiv will now be allowed to strike targets within the Kursk region, the New York Times reported. Speculation may increase that permission from Britain, the US and France to do the same with Storm Shadow missiles could follow. Joe Biden's decision is said to have been triggered by the appearance of North Korean troops in the Kursk region. - The Sunday Telegraph

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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