Editor Brian Harrod Provides Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, with aggregated news from sources all over the world from the Roundup Newswires Network
HSBC is shelling out £10bn to take its Hong Kong subsidiary private, in a move it said was designed to take advantage of the financial hub’s role as a “super-connector” between China and global markets.
The deal will result in Hang Seng Bank’s shares being taken off the local stock exchange as London-headquartered HSBC doubles down on its Asian business and snaps up the 36.5% of shares it does not already own.
Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza gathered in what has come to be known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv after the announcement.
“President Trump, thank you very much. We thank him, our children will not have returned home without him,” said Hatan Angrest, whose son Matan is among the hostages.
Water bills for millions of households in England will increase by even more than expected after the competition regulator gave the green light for five water suppliers to raise charges to customers – but rejected most of the companies’ demands.
An independent group of experts appointed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally decided to allow the companies to collectively charge customers an extra £556m over the next five years, it said on Thursday. That was only 21% of the £2.7bn that the firms had requested.