Here are the business stories making the headlines locally and across the country this morning.
Blackout risk lower this winter, says National Grid
The risk of blackouts in Britain will be lower this winter as new gas generation capacity and greater electricity imports from Europe should ensure a larger buffer against potential shortages.
Electricity supply margins are expected to increase to 9.4% this winter, up from 7.4% last year, under the “base case” scenario of National Grid’s Electricity System Operator, the company responsible for keeping the lights on.
Increased capacity from interconnectors, which import energy from Europe, alongside new gas generation, the growth in battery storage and more grid connections are expected to improve the supply balance year-on-year.
The buffer, which is a measure of available excess generation and the reserves held by the ESO above the electricity needed to meet demand, is the largest since the winter of 2020 and is higher than a margin of 6.6% in 2022, when Europe was plunged into an energy crisis after the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
Interest rate cut for euro area but no commitment to more
The 20 countries using the euro currency have seen interest rates cut from record highs following progress in the battle against inflation over the past two-and-a-half years.
The Frankfurt-based European Central Bank (ECB) said on Thursday it was "appropriate" to trim its main deposit rate from 4% to 3.75%.
It followed an assertion last month by its president, Christine Lagarde, that the pace of price increases was now "under control".
But the Bank declared in a statement that the battle was not won - signalling data-driven caution on future policy decisions in the months ahead.
Woman sues Netflix over Baby Reindeer character
A Scottish woman who allegedly inspired the character Martha in the hit Netflix drama Baby Reindeer is suing the streamer for defamation, negligence and privacy violations.
Fiona Harvey, who says Martha is based on her, argued in a lawsuit filed in a California court on Thursday that Netflix told "brutal lies" about her to over 50 million viewers around the world.
The lawsuit seeks over $170m (£132m) in damages for Ms Harvey, who claims the Baby Reindeer series falsely depicted her as a convicted criminal who spent time in prison for stalking.
Netflix did not immediately respond to BBC's request for comment.
British tech tycoon cleared in US fraud trial
British tech tycoon Mike Lynch has been cleared of fraud charges he faced in the United States over the $11bn (£8.6bn) sale of his software firm to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
A jury in San Francisco found him not guilty on all counts, a stunning victory for Mr Lynch, who had been accused of inflating the value of his firm, Autonomy, ahead of its sale.
Mr Lynch, who faced more than 20 years in prison if convicted, had denied the charges, taking the stand to defend himself.
In his testimony, he maintained he had focused on technology, not accounting, distancing himself from other executives, including the company's former chief financial officer, who was already successfully prosecuted for fraud.