July 25 (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 Informa ( IFPJF ) said it had reached a deal to buy Cannes Lions Festival owner Ascential ( AIAPF ) for 1.2 billion pounds ($1.6 billion),...

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The yen rose to its strongest level against the dollar in 2-1/2 months on Thursday and scaled multi-month highs against other currencies ahead of next week's Bank of Japan (BOJ) meeting, as yen carry trades unwound and risk appetite soured. The dollar, euro, sterling and other major currencies slumped more than 1% against the yen by the mid-morning...

(Reuters) -Oil prices eased on Thursday as concerns over weak demand in China, the world's largest crude importer, and expectations of a nearing ceasefire deal in the Middle East overcame gains in the previous session after draws in U.S. inventories. Brent crude futures for September fell 63 cents, or 0.8%, to $81.08 a barrel by 0355 GMT. U.S. West Texas...

CANBERRA, July 25 (Reuters) - An Australian judge will rule on Thursday on whether Bayer's Roundup weedkiller can cause a type of blood cancer, a closely watched decision that follows some jury verdicts in similar U.S. cases that have found for the plaintiffs. On Thursday, Justice Michael Lee of Australia's Federal Court will only rule on whether Roundup can cause...