Posts by Liam Redmond
PayPal shares soar 17% after Stripe, private-equity firm make blockbuster $53B offer
Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have made a joint offer to acquire PayPal Holdings for $60.50 per share, in a deal that would value the payments company at more than $53 billion, two people familiar with the matter said. The offer, submitted earlier this month, is backed by about $50 billion in committed financing from…
Read MoreIs Netflix Bringing Back Free Trials? Eligible Countries and How the Test Works
Netflix is testing the reintroduction of free trials for new subscribers in select international markets, six years after the company phased out the perk. The pilot applies only to users who have never previously signed up for the service, and trial lengths vary by market, with reports of seven-, 14-, 15- and 30-day offers. A…
Read MoreTimothée Chalamet has ‘starstruck’ moment while meeting Cowboys cheerleaders at World Cup game
It’s not only the Knicks that can leave Timothée Chalamet speechless. The “Marty Supreme” star crossed paths with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders while attending the World Cup semifinal between France and Spain on Tuesday afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Texas. During the halftime break, Chalamet met a group of cheerleaders inside the stadium. He hugged…
Read MoreArchaeologists unearth city’s earliest Christian church beneath former fish market
Archaeologists in Italy recently unearthed the remains of a city’s earliest known Christian church — all near the site of a former fish market. The discovery was announced in a June press release by the Archaeological Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan Area of Venice and the Provinces of Belluno, Padua and…
Read MoreUpcoming IPOs 2026: SK Hynix’s Record Debut Reopens Doors
South Korea’s SK Hynix just raised $26.5 billion in its Nasdaq debut, the largest first-time US share sale ever by a foreign company. The chipmaker priced 177.9 million American depositary receipts at $149 each. On its first day, the stock closed about 13 percent higher, and the offering was more than seven times oversubscribed. For…
Read MoreBT senior correspondent Ben Paul wins Singapore Press Club finance journalism award
The veteran journalist is ‘one of Singapore’s best-known financial commentators’ [SINGAPORE] The Business Times’ senior correspondent Ben Paul won the Finance Journalism Award at the fifth Singapore Press Club Awards on Wednesday (Jul 15) night. This award, sponsored by CLA Global TS, recognises journalists who show commitment to finance reporting through insightful coverage and clear…
Read MoreGreenback steadies as Middle East escalation counters soft US inflation
Published Wed, Jul 15, 2026 · 09:06 PM [LONDON] The greenback was steady on Wednesday (Jul 15) as investors balanced renewed US strikes on Iran against softer-than-expected inflation data that reduced expectations of a near-term Federal Reserve interest-rate hike. The US dollar was little changed at 162.34 yen. The euro held at US$1.1418, while sterling…
Read MoreIan Somerhalder shares ‘controversial’ reason he ‘pulled the plug’ on Hollywood: ‘I’m out’
Ian Somerhalder revealed the cancellation of his Netflix series, “V Wars,” sparked his decision to quit acting. On the July 9 episode of the “Haley on the Go” podcast, Somerhalder recalled that he “worked really hard” on the 2019 show, and even moved his whole family to Ontario, Canada for the job. But according to Somerhalder,…
Read MoreMorgan Stanley profit rises on dealmaking boost
Published Wed, Jul 15, 2026 · 08:56 PM [NEW YORK] Morgan Stanley reported a rise in second-quarter profit, driven by strong mergers and acquisitions activity despite macroeconomic uncertainty. A lenient regulatory environment and buoyant equity markets have helped company executives across sectors to pursue large-scale deals, generating a windfall in advisory fees for investment banks.…
Read MoreCapitaLand Ascendas Reit to divest Kim Chuan Telecommunications Complex for more than twice its acquisition price
The sale to an unrelated third party is for a consideration of about S$200.4 million [SINGAPORE] CapitaLand Ascendas Reit (Clar) is divesting Kim Chuan Telecommunications Complex, a 10-storey data centre, for about S$200.4 million to an unrelated third party. The sale consideration is more than double the S$100 million that Clar paid for the property…
Read MoreRussia Sanctions Bill Update: Why China and India Face Lower Tariffs Under New Proposal
U.S. senators introduced a revised version of a long-stalled Russia sanctions bill on Tuesday, and the new draft pulls back sharply on the tariff threat that had loomed over China and India, the two largest buyers of Russian crude. Where the original proposal called for a blanket 500% tariff on countries importing Russian oil and…
Read MoreLA homeless policy: If this isn’t peak failure, what is?
Has LA homeless policy reached peak absurdity? The California Post reported that a city homeless initiative championed by Councilwoman Nithya Raman has spent more than $60 million to fill three subsidized apartments with homeless Angelenos. Meanwhile, City Hall still pumps hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars into the scandal-marred LA Homeless Services Authority –– despite…
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