Paris: US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced Monday it had reached a deal to buy biotech firm Seagen, specialising in innovative cancer treatment, for $43 billion.

KUWAIT: Nomo Bank, the Digital Bank of the Bank of London and the Middle East “BLME”, a subsidiary of Boubyan Bank Group, announced the launch of its new multicurrency account which allows customers to perform banking transactions in 6 different currencies and to link them all to one card in a major step towards employing the digital bank’s services in providing easier, more convenient, and secure digital payment solutions.

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank is poised to raise interest rates again on Thursday to tackle inflation, but the sudden collapse of a US lender has fuelled concern about the health of the banking system as borrowing costs climb higher.

LONDON: UK hospital doctors on Monday began a three-day strike over pay at the start of a week that will also see teachers, train staff and civil servants walk out, in the latest wave of industrial action.

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration, brushing aside climate concerns from environmental groups, approved a controversial oil drilling project on Monday on Alaska’s North Slope.

LONDON: Britain’s technology and life sciences sectors are at “serious risk” following the closure of the Silicon Valley Bank, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warned on Sunday.

FRANKFURT: German giant Volkswagen is set to follow Tesla’s lead with a high-profile price drop as the battle for global dominance in the electric car segment intensifies, and local challengers race ahead in key market China.

RIYADH: Saudi Aramco said on Sunday it achieved “record” profits totaling $161.1 billion last year, drawing an outraged response from activists warning about the ravages of climate change.

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden and top EU official Ursula von der Leyen announced Friday the start of negotiations on granting access to European producers seeking to export critical minerals for EV batteries under a new US program to stimulate the green economy.