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* HSI financial sector sub-index is 0.6 percent higher; property sector down 1.1 percent

London hub seeks to clear backlog after hundreds of flights cancelled since Wednesday

UK shares were slightly lower on Friday, dragged down by Wall Street offering no respite after reeling in the red for most of the last full week of trading in 2018, as oil and related stocks weighed, while M&A in the food delivery sector boosted Just Eat.

European shares opened in negative territory on Friday, following in the footsteps of U.S. and Asian markets hit by the threat of a U.S. government shutdown and of further hikes in U.S. borrowing costs.

SoftBank Group Corp is nearing a deal to invest $1.5 billion in Grab, three times a previously expected $500 million, as Southeast Asia's biggest ride-hailing firm looks to expand, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

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Sweden's Folksam has acquired half of Swedish national pension fund AP1's preference shares in Geely-owned Volvo Car Group, the insurance and savings group said on Friday.

China's primary money rates fell this week after the central bank resumed liquidity injections through its regular open market operations, following a long hiatus, and as it introduced a tool for targeted lending with lower interest. On Monday, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) injected...

Ireland's tax authorities have demanded that drugmaker Perrigo, formerly known as Elan, pay 1.64 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in taxes relating to the calendar year 2013, a U.S. securities filing showed.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday it resolutely opposed "slanderous" accusations from the United States and other allies criticising China for economic espionage, urging Washington to withdraw its accusations.

European shares opened in negative territory on Friday, following in the footsteps of U.S. and Asian markets which were hit by the threat of a U.S. government shutdown and of further hikes in U.S. borrowing costs.