PRESS DIGEST - British business - Dec 5 =6

Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, has ruled that Abbey broke guidelines set last year by repeatedly making silent phone calls to customers. Silent calls take place when call centres use automated systems to dial several numbers at once, but then fail to connect the call to an agent. The bank is bracing itself for fines that could run into thousands of pounds.

QATAR TO BE LSE'S BIGGEST INVESTOR

A deal is being hammered out which will make Qatar the largest shareholder in the London Stock Exchange (LSE.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). Under the deal, Borse Dubai, the LSE's largest investor at present, has agreed to trade about five percent of its holding in exchange for Qatar's 9.98 percent stake in OMX OMX.ST, the Nordic Exchange group which it is taking over. State-owned Borse Dubai currently owns 20 percent of the LSE, while the Qatar Investment Authority owns 15 percent, making them the number one and number two shareholders in the bourse.

Prepared for Reuters by Durrants.