Dec 15 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
The Times
- Walt Disney Co will pay a $2.5 billion break fee to Twenty-First Century Fox if regulators scupper their proposed deal. It would come into play if the merger is blocked on grounds "relating to laws or communications laws", a regulatory filing says. http://bit.ly/2yvaHjm
- The attempt by a Singaporean billionaire to take Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Plc was cast into doubt on Thursday after three of its biggest minority investors rejected a sweetened offer. http://bit.ly/2ytYlIn
The Guardian
- Walt Disney Co has signalled it will not attempt to buy 100 percent of Britain's biggest pay-TV broadcaster if the media regulator quashes Rupert Murdoch's 11.7 billion pounds ($15.72 billion) bid for full control of Sky Plc. http://bit.ly/2yuQTwm
- Members of Parliament have called on the UK government to consider legal action against the former chief executive of the public body HS2 Ltd over 1.76 million pounds ($2.36 million) in redundancy payments made in direct contravention of civil service rules. http://bit.ly/2yu0eF0
The Telegraph
- Daily Mail and General Trust Plc, the publisher of the Daily Mail, has handed its struggling U.S. property data business Xceligent over to liquidators only two weeks after announcing a strategic review. http://bit.ly/2yust68
- Britain's indebted credit card customers could save up to 1.3 billion pounds ($1.75 billion) a year under new rules designed to help people who fall into persistent debt. http://bit.ly/2yunlyX
Sky News
- The Bank of England has said it sees a reduced risk of a disorderly Brexit following the prime minister's deal to secure trade talks with the EU. http://bit.ly/2yu0xQa
- Richard Buxton, the chief executive of Old Mutual Global Investors, is on the brink of a deal to buy a 25 billion pounds ($33.59 billion) chunk of the company, backed by private equity firm TA Associates. http://bit.ly/2yu530N
The Independent
- The European Central Bank has "substantially" upgraded its GDP growth forecasts for the euro zone, reflecting brightening economic prospects for the single currency area even as the UK's outlook is gloomy due to Brexit. https://ind.pn/2yu4J28 ($1 = 0.7443 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)