* Both FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 up 0.5%

* Rotork ( RTOXF ) jumped after ABB announced a $5.5 bln takeover

* Ocado ( OCDGF ) hits 13-year low on U.S. partner concerns

(Updates after markets close)

By Tharuniyaa Lakshmi and Shashwat Chauhan

July 16 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 ended higher on

Thursday, in contrast to weakness in technology shares globally,

with consumer staples shares among top gainers, though risk

appetite remained in check amid escalating tensions between the

U.S. and Iran.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed 0.5% higher at

10,572.2 points, while the midcap FTSE 250 also climbed

0.5%.

* Beverages added 2.4%, while retailers

and personal goods climbed 1.9%

and 2.6%, respectively.

* Pharma and biotech rose 1.2% with drugmaker

GSK up 2.1% and AstraZeneca ( AZN ) up 0.5%.

* "The rotation in markets has seen money desert chip and AI

stocks, and flow to areas where these are either less prominent

or non-existent," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at

IG.

* The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 1% on Wall Street,

while the pan-European STOXX 600 tech index dipped 0.2%.

* Heavyweight banks advanced 0.5%, while oil

and gas rose 0.8%, in contrast to declining crude

oil prices.

* Oil prices inched lower, though hovered near their highs

as Iran and the United States exchanged intensified fire in a

week-long escalation, though Iran's release of a U.S. citizen

pointed towards a path to avert the resumption of all-out war.

* On the downside, precious metal miners

slipped 2.4% and industrial metal miners lost

1.5% amid weakness in metal prices.

* Rotork ( RTOXF ) jumped 66.8% after Swiss engineering group

ABB announced a $5.5 billion takeover of the British

automation company.

* Ocado ( OCDGF ) tumbled 10.4% to a 13-year low after the

British online grocery and technology group failed to show

tangible progress in talks to secure new U.S. partners to boost

its business to effectively compete with rapid delivery firms.

* Frasers Group ( SDIPF ) fell 1.9% after the British

retailer declined to provide a fiscal 2027 outlook.

* Meanwhile, Britain's economy eked out minimal growth in

May as the services industry expanded but other sectors shrank,

suggesting fragile confidence among businesses against the

backdrop of the Iran war and a change of prime minister at home.