- Swaggering champions Madrid rout relegated Granada
- 'Miracle' survivor found 5 days after S.Africa building collapse
- Thousands rally in Tbilisi against 'foreign influence' bill
- Kane to miss Bayern's last home game with back injury
- Hundreds protest outside German Tesla factory
- 'Fine' Djokovic dons cycling crash helmet after Rome bottle drama
- Al Hilal keep Ronaldo trophy-less in rich Saudi league
- Thousands rally in Tbilisi against 'foreign influence' bill: AFP
- 'They drowned together': Lives swept away by Afghanistan floods
- Ireland's Eurovision entry shares cryptic post ahead of final
- Burnley relegated from Premier League after loss at Spurs
- In Nigeria, Prince Harry promotes Invictus Games for veterans
- Man City close in on Premier League title, Burnley relegated
- Cologne great escape still on after stunning comeback
- Brazil's catastrophic weather spawns spate of conspiracy theories
- Man City have title 'destiny' in our hands: Guardiola
- Pogacar wins again on Giro d'Italia mountain
- Madrid eagerly awaits Mbappe after PSG exit confirmed
- Russia claims gains in ground offensive in Ukraine's Kharkiv region
- 'England great' Anderson will make last Test appearance in West Indies clash
- Martin wins French MotoGP sprint to pad championship lead
- Nadal eyes French Open bid despite early Rome exit
- Gvardiol double sinks Fulham as Man City go top of Premier League
- Kewell wary after Yokohama edge Asian Champions League final opener
- Nadal falls to Hurkacz in Rome Open second round
- More than 300 dead in Afghanistan flash floods: WFP
- In Nigeria for Invictus, Prince Harry plays volleyball with veterans
- Anderson will make last England Test appearance in West Indies clash
- Departing Mbappe 'a PSG legend', says Luis Enrique
- Iraq hopes oil reserves will exceed 160 bn barrels: minister
- Swiatek battles into Rome last 16, Djokovic 'fine' after bottle strike drama
- Russia claims more advances after Ukraine ground offensive
- Israel strikes Gaza as more Rafah evacuations ordered
- Swedish police probe 'intimidation' at Eurovision
- Djokovic 'fine' after bottle strike drama at Rome Open
- Malaysia football kicks off under heightened security after attacks
- Djokovic 'fine' after being hit on head with water bottle at Rome Open
- More than 200 dead in Afghanistan flash floods: UN
- Hundreds evacuated from Ukraine border after Russian offensive
- Israel strikes Gaza as US report criticises war conduct
- French art group uses brainwaves and AI to recreate landscapes
- Nuggets, Pacers claw back in NBA conference semi-finals
- Lomachenko unruffled by brash Kambosos ahead of world title fight
- Eurovision in Gaza's shadow as Israel competes in final
- No.1 Scheffler prepares to face fatherhood as PGA looms
- Scheffler sizzles ahead of PGA as Koepka, McIlroy eye major win
- China consumer prices rise at faster rate in April
- Nembhard the hero as Pacers down Knicks to claw back in series
- US slams Israel's use of American weapons in Gaza
- Pyongyang to deploy new multiple rocket launcher this year: KCNA
London stocks hit new record peak on takeovers
London's stock market fired its way to another record peak on Friday, with investors gripped by a series of eye-catching takeovers this week for listed UK companies.
The British capital's benchmark FTSE 100 index jumped to 8,136.52 points, notching up a record high for the fourth session running in a hectic week for merger and acquisition activity which also buoyed eurozone indices.
Cybersecurity firm Darktrace on Friday became the latest target, joining mining heavyweight Anglo American and music rights owner Hipgnosis Songs Fund on the takeover roster.
Investors were awaiting the release of the US Federal Reserve's preferred gauge of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, hoping for an idea about its plans for interest rates ahead of next week's policy meeting.
- 'Yet more takeovers' -
Back in London, Anglo American on Friday rejected a blockbuster $38.8-billion takeover bid from Australian rival BHP, slamming it as "highly unattractive" and "opportunistic" and sending its shares down one day after soaring on initial news of the offer.
Darktrace meanwhile accepted a $5.3-billion takeover offer from US private equity firm Thoma Bravo, sending its share price shooting higher.
A battle also brewed to buy UK music rights owner Hipgnosis Songs Fund after US rival Concord increased its takeover offer, slightly beating a bid by Blackstone.
"What a fantastic week for the FTSE 100. We've had new record highs, yet more takeover action, and everyone is talking about UK stocks in a positive way," said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
He added that first-quarter NatWest results also buoyed market sentiment, as the UK bank's pre-tax profit fell but beat expectations.
Added to the mix, forecast-topping earnings from Microsoft and Alphabet helped soothe investor worries that a tech-fuelled global markets rally may have been overdone.
In Asia, major equity markets rose, while the yen hit a fresh 34-year low after the Bank of Japan stood pat on interest rates.
However, the mood was clouded by fresh worries about the economic outlook after worse-than-expected US data combined with a forecast-topping print on core inflation that fanned speculation the country could top into stagflation.
Asia has, however, enjoyed a largely upbeat week on the back of a healthy earnings season, which partially offset fading hopes for Fed rate cuts.
The rally has been helped by blockbuster reports from heavyweights Microsoft and Alphabet, which topped estimates, while the latter also announced its first dividend. Social media company Snap also provided a bullish revenue projection.
All three soared in after-hours trade, helping push up US futures.
Investors were keeping a close eye on Tokyo after the yen sank further after the BoJ held interest rates after raising them for the first time in 17 years last month.
The unit hit 156.82 to the dollar on Friday, fuelling fresh speculation of an intervention after several officials lined up in recent weeks to warn they were ready to step in to support the unit.
- Key figures around 1030 GMT -
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,105.13 points
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 8,030.32
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.7 percent at 18,048.76
EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.7 percent at 4,971.71
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 37,934.76 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 2.1 percent at 17,651.15 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,088.64 (close)
New York - Dow: DOWN 1.0 percent at 38,085.80 (close)
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.60 yen from 155.65 yen on Thursday
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0733 from $1.0730
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2512 from $1.2514
Euro/pound: UP at 85.78 pence from 85.74 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.4 percent at $89.33 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.4 percent at $83.93 per barrel
burs-rfj/lth
H.Seidel--BTB