Thursday newspaper round-up: US-China deal, RBS, Sky, Barclays
President Trump has offered China an audacious grand bargain: the promise of a stable trade relationship between the world’s two largest economies in return for its help in neutering North Korea’s nuclear programme. The White House believes that Kim Jong-un’s regime is on course to build a nuclear missile capable of reaching the West Coast of America by the end of Mr Trump’s four-year term. - The Times
The European Commission has warned that a £750m plan that will allow Royal Bank of Scotland to abandon a troublesome sale of its Williams & Glyn business could eventually deal a £1.5bn hit to the taxpayer-backed lender. Brussels has launched an investigation into a package of measures the UK Government has proposed that would see RBS boost competition in small business banking and would replace a forced sale of RBS’s 300-branch W&G division. - Telegraph
The Murdoch family's pursuit of full control of Sky has received a boost, as most rivals in the British media have declined to raise objections over their latest takeover bid. It is understood that of major outlets only The Guardian, a longstanding thorn in the side of the dynasty, has complained, with other traditional antagonists including the BBC and BT not responding to an Ofcom consultation on the potential impact on media plurality of the acquisition of Sky by 21st Century Fox, according to informed sources. - Telegraph
More than half a million EU citizens were employed in Britain’s retail, hotel and restaurant industries last year, according to a government study published yesterday — highlighting the country’s reliance on migrant labour. A further 400,000 EU citizens worked in the financial and business services sector, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). - The Times
The boss of Barclays who twice tried to unmask an anonymous whistleblower could be in breach of his contract, a legal expert warned yesterday. A copy of Jes Staley’s contract, seen by The Times, makes clear that he could be fired on the grounds of bringing the bank into disrepute, breaching its internal code of conduct and breaking confidentiality rules.
Brexit uncertainty and fears of increasing car prices and running costs could hit the nation's motor industry to the tune £6.5billion, a new study estimates. AA Cars, a used car website under the vehicle breakdown firm's banner, said 377,000 motorists are thinking twice about buying a new car while the UK's separation from the EU takes place. - Mail
Seeking to quell the uproar over a man being dragged off a plane, United Airlines announced on Tuesday that it would refund the tickets for all customers who were on the flight when the man was removed and that it would no longer ask police to remove passengers from full flights. The airline said that passengers on United Express Flight 3411 on Sunday would be compensated equal to the cost of their tickets and could take the compensation in cash, travel credits or miles. - Guardian
KPMG has fired its top auditor in America and four other partners for “unethical behaviour” in connection with leaked information that gave them advance warning of the audits that a US watchdog was about to inspect. The accountant said the five partners and another employee had improper advance notice of the inspections or were aware that their colleagues had received the information and failed to report the leak in a timely manner. - The Times
Facebook is at risk of a criminal prosecution in Britain for refusing to remove potentially illegal terrorist and child pornography content despite being told it was on the site, The Times can reveal. The social media company failed to take down dozens of images and videos that were “flagged” to its moderators, including one showing an Islamic State beheading, several violent paedophilic cartoons, a video of an apparent sexual assault on a child and propaganda posters glorifying recent terrorist attacks in London and Egypt. - The Times
The Women’s Institute is urging supermarkets to do more to help consumers reduce their domestic food waste, after a survey of its own membership revealed widespread confusion about “best before” and “use by” labelling on packaging. Its new analysis of products on supermarket shelves found that “once-opened” instructions were often contradictory and often failed to make clear whether they were a guide to food safety or quality. - Guardian
The amount of waste from single-use plastic bottles in London has risen out of control, according to a report from the London assembly environment committee. It calls on the mayor to consider introducing a deposit return scheme and to provide free tap water as an alternative. - Guardian