Aug 16 (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
Pepkor Europe, owner of Poundland, is ready for a 4-billion-euros ($4.44 billion) sale or flotation next month, after refinancing its high-interest debts and untangling itself from its scandal-ridden parent company Steinhoff International Holdings SNHJ.J . banks have warned the government that they will have just hours to turn around their systems if the UK crashes out of the European Union without a deal on October 31, potentially creating chaos. Guardian
Burford Capital Ltd BURF.L is replacing its chairman and chief financial officer in an effort to appease shareholders after a U.S. hedge fund made allegations of poor governance and murky accounting practices. groups have voiced fears that the UK government is preparing to row back on fracking regulations after officials at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said they were considering reviewing earthquake safeguard rules. Telegraph
Boeing (NYSE:BA) Co BA.N has put development of an ultra-long-range version of its new 777X airliner on hold as it scrambles to fix the 737 Max that has left its best-selling plane grounded. investor Ataer Holding has been selected as the preferred bidder for British Steel, safeguarding thousands of manufacturing jobs, with an announcement due on Friday. News
The founder and chief executive of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Ren Zhengfei, has said "the UK won't say no to us" when it comes to including Huawei in its critical infrastructure. Bank Plc has apologised to its customers after they were unable to use its digital banking services on Thursday morning due to issues that were fixed three hours later. Independent
A company using live facial recognition software to scan hundreds of thousands of unwitting people in London is under investigation by the Information Commissioner. = 0.9008 euros)