PRESS DIGEST-British Business - March 13

March 13 (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

- Britain's petrol retailers are facing an investigation into claims that they are profiting from the conflict in the Middle East by unjustifiably raising fuel prices at the pumps.

- A House of Commons committee has condemned Fujitsu 6702.T for failing to contribute "a single penny" toward the 2-billion pound ($2.67 billion) Post Office Horizon compensation bill, despite the firm continuing to profit from major public contracts while taxpayers shoulder the redress costs.

The Guardian

- Former Google Europe chief Matt Brittin is reportedly the frontrunner to become the next BBC Director General, a move that would signal the broadcaster's aggressive pivot toward a "media tech" future.

- The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned that a real-terms funding freeze for the BBC World Service risks "opening the door" to state-backed propaganda from Russia and China, undermining a primary instrument of UK soft power.

The Telegraph

- Estée Lauder EL.N has filed a lawsuit against Jo Malone CBE, her company Jo Loves, and Zara, alleging trademark infringement and "passing off" over the use of her name in their global fragrance collaboration.

- Ineos chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe has issued a stark warning to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, labeling the Iran war a "wake-up call" and demanding an immediate reversal of Labour's ban on new North Sea drilling to ensure national security.

Sky News

- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Sky the US Navy will soon begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran's new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, threatened to close the strategic waterway, a move that has already helped push oil prices back above $100 a barrel.

- UK Defence Secretary John Healey has tasked military planners with developing options to defend shipping in the Strait of Hormuz alongside the E5 group of European powers, as the Royal Navy prepares to deploy HMS Dragon and autonomous mine-hunting systems to the region amid escalating Iranian threats.

($1 = 0.7487 pounds)