PRESS DIGEST-Financial Times - February 19

Feb 19 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Headlines

- Liberty Global agrees to buy out Vodafone in Dutch joint venture for €1bn

- UK to require tech firms to remove abusive images within 48 hours

- Trump renews attack on Starmer’s plan to cede UK ownership of Chagos Islands

- Warrington council asks for £354mn from government to avoid bankruptcy

Overview

- Liberty Global LBTYA.O has agreed to buy Vodafone’s VOD.L stake in their Dutch telecoms joint venture, and completed a 2 billion pound ($2.70 billion) deal to acquire the UK’s fourth largest broadband operator, as it strengthens its European operations.

- Technology companies will have to take down abusive images from the internet within 48 hours or risk having their services blocked in the UK, under new laws proposed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

- U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his attack on UK PM Starmer’s plan to transfer ownership of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, as he highlighted the potential use of the Diego Garcia military base in any strikes on Iran.

- Warrington council has asked toborrow 354 million pounds from the government to fund day-to-day services and stave off bankruptcy after years of warnings that the authority’s high-risk investments could threaten its financial viability.

($1 = 0.7414 pounds)