THE DAILY BRIEFING

BAIL BID Chinese technology group Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, 46, is pleading to be bailed from a Canadian prison over fears for her health. She was arrested by Canadian authorities at the request of the US on December 1 after being accused of breaching US curbs on selling goods to Iran. FINE FALL A total of £27.6m in fines has been paid to the Financial Conduct Authority this year, down 88pc from the £229.5m it raked in during the previous 12 months, as the legacy of the financial crisis fades.

SUPPLY BLOW Energy group One Select has become the latest small energy supplier to cease trading this year amid continued turmoil in the sector. Regulator Ofgem will choose a supplier to take on its 36,000 customers ‘as quickly as possible’.

TOP LIST The London Stock Exchange has held on to the title of Europe’s top exchange in 2018 in terms of initial public offerings with 75 companies choosing to list in London this year with a combined value of £9.7bn. FARM ROBOTS The John Lewis Partnership has signed a three-year deal with the agri-tech firm Small Robot Company to use its robots at Waitrose’s farm in Hampshire. DISCOUNT DROP Profits at discounter Poundstretcher fell 24.2pc to £2.1m in the year to March 31, with sales also dipping to £387m, 2.5pc lower than a year earlier.

FIRM RULES The Wates Principles, guidelines, developed by the Financial

Reporting Council and construction group boss James Wates, mean privately-owned companies will be expected to do more to prove their governance is up to scratch.

DEFENCE DEAL Radiation detector maker Kromek Group has landed a £1.6m contract with a US Department of Defence agency to develop an initial product for a biological threat-detection system.