Asian shares cheered by Brexit deal hopes, sterling shines

FILE PHOTO: A passenger bus passes a pro-Brexit demonstration in Westminster, London, Britain, September 30, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

SYDNEY: Asian shares took off on Wednesday and sterling held near six-month highs as Britain and the EU made headway on a Brexit deal ahead of a leaders' summit though it remained unclear if London could avoid postponing its scheduled departure on Oct 31.

Officials and diplomats involved in negotiations over the acrimonious divorce between the world's fifth-largest economy and its biggest trading bloc said that differences over the terms of the split had narrowed significantly.