News

* Air France-KLM declines to comment on Accor's decision (Adds detail, background)

Insurance and reinsurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson said it was preparing for the possibility of Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal, as it reported a 10 percent rise in first-half underlying pretax profit on Thursday.

Hong Kong billionaire businesswoman Pollyanna Chu, who made her fortune from Macau's VIP gaming parlours and margin financing, has lost nearly three-fourths of her wealth this year, a rapid decline that sees her slip down the list of Asia's wealthiest.

Saudi Arabia's stock market barely moved early on Thursday after Riyadh reported an attack on two oil tankers by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, suggesting investors do not expect the incident to have much of an economic impact.

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John Menzies Plc is selling its newspaper distribution business to private equity firm Endless LLP, buckling to long-time pressure from top investors, as it focuses on its aviation business.

* Airbus, BATS rise after results; Nokia, Kion drop (Adds quote and detail, updates prices)

Hong Kong stocks slipped on Thursday as renewed trade worries prompted caution among investors after a four-day winning streak. ** The Hang Seng index fell 0.5 percent to 28,781.14 points, while the China Enterprises Index lost 0.5 percent, to 11,021.35 points, both snapping a four-day winning streak. ** China's state planner vowed...

China's major property developers will report their first-half earnings next month, with some facing a sharp spike in interest costs and big foreign currency losses on overseas borrowing, and the hit could be harder in the second half.

Smith & Nephew's new chief executive confirmed the company's full-year guidance on Thursday after improvement in its U.S. market helped revenues for the artificial hip and knee maker to recover from a tough start to the year.