PRESS DIGEST- Financial Times - Dec 22

The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Headlines

- Ryanair cancels UK routes in dispute with regulator - SoftBank launches SPAC and may buy one of its own investments

- UK debt office pushes back after MP scrutiny of government bond sales - More areas of England set to enter tier 4 in race to curb new strain

Overview - Ryanair Holdings Plc has cancelled 12 international and domestic United Kingdom routes, following a disagreement with UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator that the company said left operation of the flights “impossible” ahead of Brexit. https://on.ft.com/2WBSvTS

- SoftBank Group Corp has filed to raise up to $604 million through a blank-check company, saying the vehicle could acquire a business the Japanese conglomerate has previously invested in via its $100 billion Vision Fund. https://on.ft.com/3mEMyjA - The UK’s Debt Management Office has defended one of its main ways of financing the government’s spending after Mel Stride, a Conservative MP that chairs Parliament’s Treasury select committee, questioned whether it was harming taxpayers. https://on.ft.com/2JgriTC

- More areas of England are likely to enter the highest level of tier 4 restrictions in the new year as the country braces for the spread of the new strain of coronavirus, Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser has said. https://on.ft.com/34QA6ar (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)