Feb 5 (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 Telegraph
FCA WIDENS RIGGING PROBE TO OTHER BENCHMARK RATES
Regulators are investigating allegations that several London-based benchmarks used to price financial products could have been rigged, according to Martin Wheatley, the chief executive Britain's Financial Conduct Authority. ()
PUNCH TAVERNS IN LAST MINUTE PLEA TO LENDERS OVER DEBT DEAL
Punch Taverns, Britain's second biggest pubs group, will warn its lenders on Wednesday that failure to pass a controversial debt restructuring deal could lead to at least five years of "mess" and "uncertainty". ()
CANDY BROTHERS PLAN MAJOR DUBAI DEVELOPMENT
Billionaire property developer brothers Nick and Christian Candy have plans to partner a development of 3 million square feet in Dubai that, if completed, would be about three times the size of the London Shard. ()
The Guardian
UK SHOP PRICES FALL FOR NINTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH
Prices in Britain's shops fell at the fastest rate in more than seven years in January as retailers resorted to aggressive discounting on clothing, furniture and electrical goods to encourage consumers back into stores after the festive period. ()
HOUSING CRISIS WILL CONTINUE FOR 10 YEARS, GEORGE OSBORNE WARNS
British Finance Minister George Osborne has warned that the country's housing shortage is likely to persist for at least 10 more years. He insisted the coalition's controversial planning shakeup was having a positive effect, and played down fears of a property bubble. ()
The Times
BP COULD CUT INVESTMENT IN INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND
The chief executive of BP has waded into the row over Scottish independence by warning that the British oil group could cut investment in the North Sea if Scots vote "yes"in September's referendum. ()
LLOYDS PLANS FOR SHARE SALE DESPITE DIVIDEND SETBACK
Ministers are pushing ahead with plans for a 5 billion pound ($8 billion) sale of shares in Lloyds Banking Group by Easter, in spite of a tough stance from regulators that have dashed the bank's hopes it could resume dividend payments next month. ()
The Independent
TALKTALK UP TO 436 MLN STG AS MORE TUNE INTO VALUE DEALS
Telecom company TalkTalk's strategy of dodging the costly pay-TV wars between BSkyB and BT and offering "value" deals for customers who only want "a little bit" of premium TV content looks to be working. ()
MICROCHIP MAKER ARM HOLDINGS HIT BY SMARTPHONE SALES SLOWDOWN
Microchip-designer ARM added to fears of a slowdown in the smartphone market today, as it revealed flagging shipments of high-end smartphone chips in the fourth quarter. ()
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