ABF’s bakeries arm would be likely to exit the market entirely if the deal did not proceed, CMA finds

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A £75m deal for the owner of Kingsmill to buy Hovis to create the UK’s biggest bread brand has been cleared by the competition watchdog.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled that Associated British Foods’ proposed takeover of Hovis did not raise competition concerns because if the deal did not go ahead “the most likely outcome” would be ABF’s bakeries arm leaving the UK market entirely.

Deal still under UK scrutiny with new investigation, and could face lawsuit from state attorneys general

Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has decided to approve the $111bn merger of Paramount Skydance, controlled by the Ellison family, and Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of networks like CNN and HBO.

The deal was approved by the justice department’s anti-trust division after months of review, and despite the concerns of many people in the entertainment and media industries who believe it will hurt competition by reducing the number of film studios and – most likely – merging two news networks, Paramount’s CBS News and CNN.