THE DAILY BRIEFING

■ MERGER MOVE Secret talks have reportedly taken place between Scottish Widows and rival Standard Life in a deal to create one of Britain’s largest life insurers.

■ EXPORTS BOOM British exporters have outperformed Germany and France for the last 15 months thanks to a surge in manufacturing orders driven by the weak pound.

■ Efforts to save the struggling Co-op Bank could be sunk by a spat over its pension pot.

■ DRIVING FORWARD Profits at the RAC were £67m last year, up from a £6m loss the year before.

■ SHOP SALE online retailer Shop Direct could be snapped up by a San Francisco private equity house.

■ MARS MISSION Silicon Valley billionaire Elon Musk has called for an epic mission to colonise Mars so that humanity can survive even if Earth becomes uninhabitable.

■ CHARGING DECISION The Serious Fraud office could criminally charge Barclays this week over claims it illegally paid £322m to Qatari investors who helped save the bank during the financial crisis.

■ CRUISING ON river cruise company Riviera Travel has reportedly been put up for sale with a £250m price tag.