Wednesday newspaper round-up: Spending review, BT, AstraZeneca

(Sharecast News) - Officials from the US and China have agreed on a "framework" to move forward on trade after two days of talks in London stemming from their confrontation over tariffs. The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, expressed optimism on Tuesday that concerns about critical or "rare earth" minerals and magnets "will be resolved" as the deal is implemented. - Guardian Rachel Reeves will raise government spending on affordable housing by nearly double on Wednesday, providing a major boost to the housebuilding sector and bringing the government's housing targets a step closer. The chancellor will announce nearly £40bn worth of grants to be spent over 10 years for local authorities, private developers and housing associations - a major increase on the previous programme. - Guardian

BT is plotting a rescue of TalkTalk as an escalating cash crisis threatens disruption in the broadband market. The former state monopoly is in the early stages of exploring a takeover of TalkTalk and its 3.2m customers, according to City sources. BT is considering a bid for Britain's fourth-largest broadband provider amid fears that its own business could be damaged by the tightening squeeze on TalkTalk's finances. - Telegraph

A notorious online message board linked to mass shootings in the United States is facing an investigation by British officials. 4chan is to be investigated by Ofcom, Britain's tech regulator, under the Online Safety Act over the suspected spread of illegal online posts. The forum, which became known for its users' vociferous support for Donald Trump and has been blamed for radicalising mass shooters in the US, is one of nine websites that are the subject of new investigations by Ofcom. - Telegraph

AstraZeneca has been accused of "turning a blind eye" to the Chinese government and putting "profits before people" as it invests billions in the country amid the long-running detention of a key executive. Leon Wang, who rose from a foreign language tour guide to become the head of international and China for the FTSE 100 drugmaker, is believed to remain in detention eight months after he was arrested in Shenzhen. - The Times