Oct 17 (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

- Johnson & Johnson sued for 1 billion stg in UK over talc cancer claims

- China attacks UK efforts to 'smear and defame' it over spy case

- Rachel Reeves insists she wants 'competitive environment' for UK banks

- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls for single European stock exchange

Overview

- Johnson & Johnson is being sued in Britain over claims that its talcum powder caused cancer, adding further legal strain on the group already battling a long-running litigation in the U.S. over the same product.

- Beijing has condemned evidence released by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer from an alleged Chinese espionage case, denouncing "British politicians' attempts to smear and defame China".

- British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has acknowledged that British banks face higher taxes than in some rival jurisdictions as she vowed to maintain a "competitive environment" in the face of heavy lobbying from banks not to launch a fresh tax raid.

- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for the establishment of a single European stock exchange, signalling German support for plans to unify the bloc's capital markets.

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)

((globalnewsmonitoring@thomsonreuters.com))