Friday newspaper round-up: 21st Century Fox, Black Friday, driverless cars
Cable and media giant Comcast has reportedly approached 21st Century Fox about a possible acquisition, a move that comes after Disney was also reported to be circling Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. 21st Century Fox’s share price shot up in after-hours trading following the news on Thursday, first reported by CNBC. It is unclear whether the cablecompany is exploring a purchase of all or part of Fox, which owns Hollywood studios 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight as well as the Fox news and sports channels. – Guardian
British shoppers are expected to spend £10.1bn in the week of Black Friday, nearly 4% higher than last year as more retailers take part in the US-inspired promotional day. But the bargain fever seen in earlier years is thought unlikely to materialise as most activity will be online with experts warning that the discounts are likely to be less exciting on the day, which falls on 24 November this year. – Guardian
Jaguar Land Rover has quietly started testing driverless cars on British roads that are simultaneously being used by the general public, in a clear indication that Britain’s biggest manufacturer is determined the country will play a leading role in the race to develop autonomous vehicles. Coventry-based JLR has been putting its computer-controlled vehicles. – Telegraph
Siemens does not expect to enforce compulsory redundancies in the UK as part of plans to cut 6,900 roles worldwide. The industrial group said half of the jobs would be slashed in Germany, with around 1,100 to go in the rest of Europe and 1,800 in the US. – Telegraph
Britain’s biggest debt collector has pulled its plans for a London flotation, blaming poor and volatile market conditions amid claims it was overvalued. In what would have been one of the market’s biggest listings of the year, Cabot Credit Management had hoped to complete the pricing of its shares this week. Yesterday it said that moving forward with the initial public offering “would not be in the best interest of the company or its shareholders”. – The Times
The Serious Fraud Office has charged two people in an investigation into the oil and gas company Unaoil. Ziad Akle and Basil Al Jarah have been charged with conspiracy to make corrupt payments to secure contracts in Iraq to Unaoil’s client SBM Offshore between June 2005 and August 2011, the SFO said. – The Times