HSBC Reports 10% Profit Rise As It Exits Brazil

Profit before tax at the UK's largest bank has risen by 10% to £8.7bn in the first six months of the year. The profit rise came off the back off a 6% increase in revenue to  £21.1bn. The results for the first half of the financial year come a little over a month after HSBC announced that it would axe up to 8,000 jobs in the UK as part of a global restructuring. On that same investor call in June, the bank also outlined its plans to exit its Turkish and Brazilian operations, the latter of which it confirmed this morning as it revealed the sale of its Brazilian subsidiary to Bradesco for $5.2bn (£3.3bn). This move sees HSBC move further away from its once global ambition to be the "world's local bank"....

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Will Smith Addresses Split Rumour 'Foolishness'

Will Smith has taken to Facebook to once again deny reports he is to divorce his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Speculation has surrounded the couple's relationship for years and Smith has admitted he does not usually feel the need to "respond to foolishness".  The Hollywood star and Pinkett Smith have been married since 1997 and have a son, Jaden, and a daughter, Willow. Smith wrote on his Facebook page: "Under normal circumstances, I don't usually respond to foolishness. (Because it's contagious). "But, so many people have extended me their 'deepest condolences' that I figured - 'What the hell ... I can be foolish, too!' "So, in the interest of redundant, repetitious, over & over-again-ness ... Jada and I are ... NOT GETTING...

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Singer Gwen Stefani Files For Divorce

Singer Gwen Stefani has filed for divorce from her British husband Gavin Rossdale. The No Doubt singer has been married to fellow singer Rossdale for almost 13 years. They have three sons together, the youngest of whom is aged one. Stefani filed her petition for divorce on Monday, Los Angeles Superior Court spokeswoman Mary Hearn said. She cited irreconcilable differences. The couple, who married in 2002, are seeking joint custody of their children Zuma, Kingston and Apollo. Rossdale is the lead singer of the band Bush. In a statement the couple said they were committed to raising their children together. The statement said: "While the two of us have come to the mutual decision that we will no longer be partners in marriage,...

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New Girl! Zooey Deschanel Welcomes First Baby

Zooey Deschanel is enjoying a double celebration after giving birth to her first child and reportedly marrying her partner Jacob Pechenik. The New Girl actress and her producer husband became parents to a baby girl in Austin, Texas, last month, according to Page Six. The actress' representative said: "I am thrilled to confirm that Zooey Deschanel and her husband Jacob Pechenik are new parents to a beautiful healthy baby girl." Meanwhile, it has been reported that the pair have also secretly tied the knot. They announced they were expecting a baby in January and became engaged shortly after.  No details about the wedding ceremony have been given...

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Banderas Tells Chilean Miners' Story In New Film

Antonio Banderas and his co-stars in a film about the ordeal of 33 Chilean miners have met the country's president and held a news conference ahead of its release. The Spanish actor has brought the story of the men trapped underground for two months to the cinema, five years after the drama of their rescue gripped TV viewers all over the world. The men were trapped 700m (2,300ft) underground after their gold and copper mine collapsed in Chile's northern Atacama Desert. They were feared dead until on the 17th day, knocking was heard on a drill head which had reached the depths of the mine. Rescuers then found a note attached to the drill reading: "The 33 of us in the shelter are well." After 69 days underground, they were lifted out...

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Amy Schumer Campaigns For Gun Control

Comedian Amy Schumer has joined her US senator cousin in calling for increased gun control following the death of two women in a shooting at a screening of her film Trainwreck. The pair appeared together in New York to say "enough is enough" when it comes to gun violence. John Houser killed two women and then himself at a Lafayette, Louisiana, cinema on 23 July, using a gun he was able to purchase legally even though a 2008 court order sent him to a mental health facility. Schumer called for a more thorough background check system as she shared details about the lives of shooting victims Jillian Johnson, 33, and Mayci Breaux, 21. "My heart goes out to Jillian and Mayci, to the survivors, to the families and everyone who was tied...

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