Oct 27 (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

- Legal & General agrees 4.6 billion pound UK pensions buyout deal with Ford

- M&S ends IT service desk contract with Indian provider after cyber attack

- TotalEnergies ready to restart $20 billion Mozambique LNG project

- Novartis to buy Avidity Biosciences for $12 billion

Overview

- Legal & General LGEN.L has struck a deal to take over billions of pounds of pension liabilities from Ford F.N, as the insurer seeks to reinforce its dominant position in the UK’s increasingly competitive pension buyout market.

- Marks and Spencer MKS.L has ended a contract with Tata Consultancy Services to run its IT service desk just months after the Indian provider was forced to conduct an internal investigation over being the origin of a high-profile cyber attack on the UK retailer.

- TotalEnergies TTEF.PA is close to restarting one of Africa's biggest energy projects four years after it was halted by a terrorist attack.

- Novartis NOVN.S has agreed to buy Avidity Biosciences RNA.O, a biotech focused on rare diseases, for $12 billion, in the biggest acquisition by the drugmaker in more than a decade.

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)

((globalnewsmonitoring@thomsonreuters.com))