Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s pursuit of mobile phone operator O2 in a potential £10bn deal represents his biggest move yet in a long buying spree of UK assets.

The richest people got richer in 2014, adding $92bn (€75.6bn) to their collective fortune in the face of falling energy prices and the geopolitical turmoil incited by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

EU competition regulators will decide by June 20 whether to clear Hutchison Whampoa’s €700m offer for Telefonica’s 02 Ireland mobile phone business after receiving further details about the Hong Kong-based group’s concessions.

Hutchison Whampoa is offering to help a smaller rival become Ireland’s fourth mobile operator in a bid to win EU approval for its acquisition of Telefonica’s O2 Ireland unit, according to sources.

Hutchison Whampoa has offered to give network access to several virtual network operators in a bid to win EU approval to buy Telefonica’s Irish unit, according to sources.

Three Ireland has reported strong growth as part of its parent company Hutchison Whampoa, whose interim results showed the ports and telecoms conglomerate’s net profit totalled €1bn.

Billionaire Li Ka-shing’s Hutchison Whampoa Ltd made a bid of about €2bn for Eircom Group, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Mexico telecoms czar Carlos Slim topped the Forbes annual world’s richest list, holding the edge over Microsoft’s Bill Gates who continued to give away billions to charity.

Tens of thousands of people have voiced anger over Hong Kong’s skyrocketing property prices and government policies at an annual march marking the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule.

American utility PPL snapped up its second major UK electricity network today after striking a deal worth £3.5bn (€4.1bn) with Germany’s E.ON.

IT’S a beautiful day for U2’s Bono and the Edge who have seen their stake in Facebook elevate to new heights.

Around 170,000 miles of electrical network covering London, the South East and eastern England was sold by France’s EDF today in a deal worth £5.8bn (€6.9bn).

MOBILE communications network provider, 3 Ireland has increased its customer base here by over 60,000 people since the end of last year and is likely to break even, on a financial footing, by the end of this year.

A climber scaled a 73-storey Hong Kong skyscraper barehanded today in his latest attempt to draw attention to global warming by conquering the world’s tallest buildings.

Asia’s richest man is today reported to be eyeing a potential takeover of United Utilities’ electricity distribution business.

MEXICAN telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helú has overtaken Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the world’s richest person, Mexican financial website Sentido Comun has reported.

The conglomerate that owns Superdrug and mobile phone operator 3 was today reported to be preparing a $1bn (€828m) bid to buy Formula 1.

The confirmed deaths in a mammoth Asian quake and tsunami soared above 60,000 today as worst-hit Indonesia readied bulldozers to dig mass graves for corpses in a rush to ward off disease, which the UN health agency said could double the toll.

Hutchison Telecommunications International, controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, fell on its share-trading debut yesterday on concern it will not pay a dividend because expansion costs will reduce profits.

The potential bidder circling telecoms group Cable & Wireless pulled out of the running today after a weekend of intense takeover speculation.

Telecoms group Cable & Wireless will receive a £2.4bn (€3.6bn) takeover approach from a Hong Kong-based firm later this week, it was reported today.