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PRESS DIGEST-British Business - Feb 9

Feb 9 (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

** Jeremy Hunt has come under pressure from the CBI to announce tax breaks for businesses at the budget as a "last chance" to help the economy avoid a recession this year.

** Europe's market-leading lorry manufacturer must pay Royal Mail and BT about 20 million pounds ($24.12 million) as part of a landmark cartel damages ruling that could pave the way for further compensation orders.

The Guardian

** Volodymyr Zelenskiy made an appeal to the UK to supply Ukraine with fighter jets on a surprise visit to the UK, forcing Rishi Sunak, previously opposed to handing over UK jets, to order a defence ministry review into whether Zelenskiy's request can be met.

** The UK's competition regulator has ruled that Microsoft's $68.7 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard, the video game publisher behind hits including Call of Duty, will result in higher prices and less competition for UK gamers.

The Telegraph

** Trade union Unite claims the walkouts will effectively shut down the Drax Power Station, in North Yorkshire, straining electricity supplies and making it harder to keep the lights on.

Sky News

** Jared O'Mara, who represented Sheffield Hallam from 2017 to 2019, was on trial at Leeds Crown Court for submitting "dishonest" invoices to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

** Fixating on the short-term damage caused by Brexit is a "fake conversation", the new Business and Trade Secretary has said, adding that it will "take time" for the shape of Britain's new economic arrangements to become clear. ($1 = 0.8292 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)