PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Aug 12

Aug 12 (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

Steinhoff International, the acquisitive South African conglomerate, has increased its offer for Poundland in a bid to secure a takeover of the discount UK retailer. http://bit.ly/2b9ExlX

The Guardian

The Duke of Westminster's death has led to calls from tax campaigners to reform the system of trusts which has allowed Britain's wealthiest families to preserve fortunes through generations by avoiding death duties. http://bit.ly/2b9GGhw

Media mogul turned self-help guru Arianna Huffington is to leave the Huffington Post to launch a health-focused startup called Thrive Global to tackle stress and burnout. http://bit.ly/2b9Gmzn

The Telegraph

Sky and Channel 4 have made a joint investment in a new online service that aims to make it easier for television producers to sell their programmes to foreign broadcasters. http://bit.ly/2b9EfeM

The European Commission is launching a probe into the $130 bln mega-merger between US titans Dow Chemicals and DuPont. http://bit.ly/2b9FiLD

Sky News

Restaurant Group, the struggling owner of the restaurant chains Garfunkel's and Frankie & Benny's, is to announce on Friday that CEO Danny Breithaupt will leave after less than two years in charge. http://bit.ly/2b9FIlc

State-owned energy giant China General Nuclear Power (CGN) allegedly used a Chinese-born U.S. citizen to access sensitive information - with the aim of speeding up the progress of reactor technology in China. http://bit.ly/2b9EYg0

The Independent

The Treasury's Debt Management Office sold debt at a new record low interest rate, underlining the massive appetite from investors for British Government bonds in the wake of the Brexit vote and sparking fresh calls for the Chancellor to take advantage by ramping up its infrastructure investment. http://ind.pn/2b9FNFv

Kentucky Fried Chicken owner, Yum! Brands, has faced renewed pressure from campaigners and investors to stop using chicken routinely treated with antibiotics, a factor in the emergence of drug-resistant superbugs such as MRSA. http://ind.pn/2b9FP05

(Compiled by Vishal Sridhar; Editing by Sandra Maler)