PRESS DIGEST- Financial Times - Dec 7

Dec 7 (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

- KPMG staff cheated on professional tests, U.S. regulator says

- Sunak moves to lift de facto ban on onshore wind farms in England

- Asda to open 300 convenience stores by end of 2026

- U.S. and UK pledge to maintain high levels of LNG trade

Overview

- A U.S. agency tasked with overseeing the audits of public companies on Tuesday said it imposed $7.7 million in fines and sanctioned three firms across KPMG's global network for violations of professional auditing standards, quality control standards and other rules.

- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government on Tuesday said it would ease restrictions on building onshore wind farms, heading off a revolt by his party's lawmakers who had demanded they should be permitted with local support.

- British supermarket group Asda said it planned to open 300 convenience stores by the end of 2026, aiming to become a player in the smaller shop market to help drive growth, and creating 10,000 new jobs in the process.

- Britain and U.S. have pledged to maintain high levels of liquefied natural gas trade between the two countries as part of a new "energy partnership" that aims to reduce reliance on Russia and accelerate the push to net zero. (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)