THE DAILY BRIEFING

SKY REVIEW

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox said it ‘welcomed’ a Government review into its £11.7bn deal to buy the 39pc of Sky it does not already own.

It said: ‘We are confident this transaction would not result in there being insufficient plurality in the UK.’

CAIRN CONFIDENT

Cairn Energy says it is ‘well-positioned’ to make more money for shareholders.

It is set to see the first oil from its Catcher and Kraken developments in the North Sea this year.

Cairn also has developments in Western Sahara, Ireland and Senegal, from where first oil is expected between 2021 and 2023.

CONTRACT WIN

Engineering giant Amec Foster Wheeler has won a £43.4m contract from Italian oil company Eni.

It will build a steam-reforming plant for hydrogen production at Eni’s refinery in Gela, Italy.

GOLD PROMISE

East Africafocused gold producer Shanta Gold has reported ‘encouraging’ results from exploring the New Luika gold mine in Tanzania.

Drilling has found significant estimates of gold, with the first due to be extracted in the second quarter.

CMC DEAL

Shares in broker CMC Markets jumped yesterday after it unveiled a deal with the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. It could lead to a £24.9m revenue boost.

REVENUE RISE

Fuel cell technology developer Ceres Power said revenue of £1.5m during the past six months was triple the same period a year ago. It has also had its first major US deal and signed development agreements including with Honda and Nissan.

WELLS SALE

AIM-listed Northern Petroleum has agreed to buy more wells and facilities in Alberta, Canada and hopes to produce oil from them this year. It is buying 75pc of the assets, with its joint venture partner High Power Petroleum buying the remaining 25pc.

SLIMMER STAIRS

Plane-maker Airbus is considering doing away with the grand staircase on its Airbus A380s in order to revive sales.

It said the change would add 40-50 seats on the double-deck airliner.

VODKA SHAKE-UP

Vodka producer Stock Spirits, now run by new chief Mirek Stachowicz, has cut the number of products and replaced its Polish senior managers.

Prices are now in line with rivals in Poland, which it said would affect margins. Sales fell 0.7pc from £228.3m to £226.8m in 2016, while profit rose 24.5pc to £34m.

MEAL DEAL

Frankie & Benny’s owner Restaurant Group is cutting jobs and overhauling its menu in a bid to win back families.

The group, which operates 488 restaurants, has been hurt by competition in the casual dining market from rivals such as Nando’s.

JOB LOSS

Barclays is shutting a mortgage centre with the loss of 60 jobs. The centre in Llanishen, Cardiff, will close in the next 12 months.