PRESS DIGEST- Financial Times - Nov 19

The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Headlines

- CVC agrees $5 bln deal to buy Unilever's tea business https://on.ft.com/3Cv43L8 - Carlyle ends talks on Metro Bank takeover https://on.ft.com/3nD9raV

- Boris Johnson's revised rail plan faces backlash in northern England https://on.ft.com/3CvDaGR - UK government failed to act on COVID-19 warnings, says spending watchdog https://on.ft.com/3x1hqRQ

Overview - Unilever Plc has agreed to sell its global tea business to CVC Capital Partners for 4.5 billion euros ($5.1 billion), concluding a process of reviewing and spinning off the division that took more than two years.

- U.S. private equity firm Carlyle said on Thursday talks about a possible takeover offer for Metro Bank have ended after it approached Metro Bank earlier this month. - Britain ditched plans to link London and the northern city of Leeds as part of a new high-speed rail network, drawing accusations Prime Minister Boris Johnson was going back on a promise to fix regional prosperity gaps.

- The British government was unprepared for a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, failed to learn from simulation exercises and was distracted by its departure from the European Union, the government's spending watchdog said on Friday. (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)