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An evening view of the financial central district of Hong Kong, China October 3, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency said on Friday 20 people had been arrested suspected of taking bribes to help people apply for early withdrawal of government pension funds with false documents, amid a row over new passports offered by Britain.Hong Kong pension funds have been in the spotlight since the emigration of more than 140,000 Hong Kong people to Britain after 2020 when China imposed...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 12, 2023. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsTEL AVIV/WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday that Iran would not gain access any time soon to $6 billion in Iranian funds parked in a Qatar bank last month as part of a prisoner exchange and that Washington retained the right to completely freeze the account.The question of Iranian access to the funds has been in the spotlight since Iran-backed Palestinian...

Oct 11 (Reuters) - Birkenstock's (BIRK.N) stock ended more than 12% below its initial public offering (IPO) price on Wednesday in an underwhelming Wall Street debut that signaled investors remain cautious about new listings.Shares of the 250-year-old German sandal maker started trading at $41 after the IPO had priced at $46. That offering raised $1.48 billion, priced at the midpoint of the indicated range of $44 and $49 on Tuesday. The stock closed at $40.20, down 12.61%.The 11% decline from Birkenstock's IPO price on Tuesday to its opening price on...

Oct 11 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist.A slump in U.S. bond yields, after another Federal Reserve official signaled that the central bank's interest rate-hiking cycle is over, will put Asian markets on a positive footing on Wednesday, despite renewed stress in China's property sector.Investors in the region also have key Japanese business activity indicators and South Korean current account figures on their plate on Wednesday, and there will no doubt be headlines coming from the IMF and World...