Thursday newspaper round-up: FOBTs, Sky, trade plans, BP

A cut to the maximum stake on addictive betting machines to £2 has been delayed after a senior minister led a cabinet revolt against the plans. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport planned to announce the reduction today after winning over sceptics in the Treasury but a source close to the cabinet says Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, has strongly objected to the plan. - The Times

The chairman of 21st Century Fox, Lachlan Murdoch, said the media company planned to press ahead with plans to merge with Disney and take full control of Sky on Wednesday but said the company was considering its options as cable giant Comcast prepares a higher bid. Last December Fox agreed to sell most of its cable and studio assets to the Walt Disney Company. It is also looking to acquire the shares of Sky it doesn’t already own. - Guardian

BP’s bid to sell the North Sea gas field it owns with Iran could face an eleventh hour delay as the threat of US sanctions raises concern for the industry regulator. The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is expected to pause the £300m deal agreed between the oil major and North Sea minnow Serica Energy late last year because the sale includes the Rhum gas field which is part-owned by Iran’s state oil company. - Telegraph

Ministers are facing calls to reassure businesses in key sectors including manufacturing and farming that they will be adequately defended from unfair trading practices after Britain leaves the European Union. In a new report, the Commons international trade committee expressed “serious concerns” over whether the Trade Remedies Authority, which will handle trade disputes and consider how best to protect industries, will be operational in time for Brexit next March. - The Times

Shoppers face a significant rise in food prices if the government fails to secure a free trade deal with the European Union, peers have warned. In a bleak assessment of the impact of Brexit, the Lords EU energy and environment subcommittee suggested grocery costs would rise, businesses could go bust and year-round supplies be put at risk. - Guardian

ZTE, one of the world’s largest telecom equipment makers, may be the first major casualty of a trade war brewing between China and the US. The Shenzhen-based company said it had ceased “major operating activities”, in a filing late on Wednesday to the Hong Kong stock exchange. - Guardian

Iran is “likely” to launch cyber attacks on Western businesses “within months” in retaliation for the US pulling out of the nuclear deal, security experts have warned. The businesses at greatest risk are banks and financial services, critical infrastructure providers and energy companies along with government departments. These are the same targets that felt the brunt of Iranian hacking in 2012 and 2014. - Telegraph

Robert Mueller, the special counsel, has been investigating payments made by corporations to Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen, two of Cohen’s clients said on Wednesday. AT&T and the Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis both said they were contacted by Mueller’s office in November last year, as Novartis confirmed it had paid Cohen $1.2m – significantly more than was initially disclosed. - Guardian

BMW's Rolls-Royce will today unveil its first SUV which could be the most important vehicle for luxury car-maker since its acquisition by the German carmaker 20 year ago. At noon the covers will come off the 4x4 – called the “Cullinan” – officially launching one of the most anticipated, and quite probably most expensive, cars ever. - Telegraph

Hundreds of British companies will face legal action after failing to comply with a new requirement to report the pay gap between male and female staff, Britain’s equality watchdog said this evening. All companies and charities with more than 250 employees are now legally required to publish those details on their own websites and a government site dedicated to the topic. - Telegraph/Reuters

A digital advertising start-up used by Tesco Mobile customers to reduce their bills has won a High Court injunction against Google to prevent its technology being banished from hundreds of millions of smartphones. Unlockd, an Australian company backed by investors including Lachlan Murdoch, eldest son of media mogul Rupert, alleged that plans by Google to evict it from the Play Store and cut it off from an advertising clearing house amounted to monopoly abuse. - Telegraph