Taxing Times for Top Firms, Barclays Stake Sale & Oil Supply Cuts

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes. On today's podcast: (1) Britain's 100 largest companies saw their tax bill rise 7.25% in the past year to a total of £90 billion ($113 billion), accounting for a 10th of all of the government's receipts. (2) Qatar's wealth fund is offloading almost half of its shares in Barclays, a surprise move that comes as the bank's executives ready a strategic overhaul for early next year. (3) Lloyds Banking Group has received £1.2 billion from the owners of the Telegraph newspaper, marking an end of the bank's involvement in a saga that's spawned government investigations and sparked a nationwide discussion on freedom of the press. (4) Rishi Sunak's government raised the salary requirement for people applying to live in the UK, one of a series of measures designed to show voters his ruling Conservative Party has a plan to deliver on its pledge to reduce net migration ahead of a general election expected next year. (5) The OPEC+ oil production cuts can "absolutely" continue past the first quarter if needed, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said, as he pledged the curbs would be delivered in full. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.