(Corrects company name in fourth item to John Lewis from John Lewis of Hungerford. The press digest was earlier corrected to change date in headline to Jan 4, from Dec 4)
Jan 4 (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
* Shire appears to be inching towards an agreement with Baxalta, the producer of specialist treatments for cancer and haemophilia, that the Dublin-based pharmaceuticals company has been trying to buy since last summer. (http://thetim.es/1JSdWAT)
* Lloyds Banking Group is set to become a fully privately owned company by the summer for the first time since its 20 billion pounds ($29.47 billion) taxpayer-funded bailout as the UK sells its remaining 9 percent stake. (http://thetim.es/1JSec2K)
The Guardian
* Dong Energy (IPO-DONG.CO), the biggest operator of offshore wind farms in Britain, has said it plans to spend a further 6 billion pounds in the UK by 2020, convinced that the government is serious about supporting wind power. (http://bit.ly/1JSetmf)
* Record-breaking discounts on offer in the post-Christmas sales have so far failed to attract a rush of bargain hunters to the high street, raising fears that Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and Next Plc will be forced to report disappointing trading figures for the festive period. (http://bit.ly/1JSeB5m)
The Telegraph
* UK hedge fund manager Crispin Odey has warned that a series of threats to the global economy, including the potential bubble in the UK housing market, will make 2016 a difficult year for investors. (http://bit.ly/1JnQd0q)
* A third of eurozone countries will be ineligible for the European Central Bank's 1.5 trillion euros ($1.63 trillion) bond buying programme by 2017, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. (http://bit.ly/1JnQlgA)
Sky News
* UK's former business secretary Vince Cable has accused the Chancellor and Governor of the Bank of England of "lacking motivation' to crack down on abuses in the banking sector. (http://bit.ly/1JnQoc3)
* One of the groups campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union, Vote Leave, has reignited its row with the UK's biggest employers' body by claiming only a fraction of the CBI's members are supportive of its stance on the looming referendum. (http://bit.ly/1JnQwZ9)
The Independent
* Marks & Spencer Group has parted ways with its global director for loyalty and insight, Suzanna Broer, for allegedly using racist language. (http://ind.pn/1JnQIHW) ($1 = 0.6786 pounds) ($1 = 0.9213 euros) (Compiled by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)