BT Share News (BT.A)

BT has rejected a simpler takeover of O2 in favour of exclusive talks to buy Britain's biggest mobile operator, EE, for £12.5bn. However, according to The Telegraph, the combined entity will control "an unrivalled chunk of Britain's mobile airwaves" and the merger is likely to raise regulatory concerns.The Financial Times reports that Russia's central bank has lifted its benchmark interest rate from 10.5% to 17%, just five days after the last rate hike. "The decision was driven by the need to limit the risks of devaluation and inflation, which have recently significantly increased," the central bank said in a statement.The gunman who held a group of people hostage in a café in the middle of Sydney's financial district was killed along with two hostages as Australian officers stormed the building, according to The Times.Chancellor George Osborne has said the plunge in the oil price is "overall a very good thing" for Britain and Western economies, The Telegraph reports. While he acknowledged that the UK has an important oil and gas industry, he said the recent collapse in prices would be a "net positive".Big Six energy group EDF could be in line with a £3.3bn windfall over the new three years on the back of a new controversial government plan to pay power companies to guarantee their help in keeping the UK's lights on, The Guardian writes.Guy Hands' private-equity firm Terra Firma is mulling a sale of its 68.6% stake in renewable energy group Infinis Energy, according to The Scotsman. The holding is worth £450m following the company's flotation last year.The National Australia Bank is offloading £1.2bn of risk UK commercial property loans as it accelerates its British exit, writes the Financial Times. The bank is selling the portfolio to US private-equity firm Cerberus.