Drugs and chemicals maker Merck KGaA (MRCG.DE) said it agreed to acquire Sigma-Aldrich (SIAL.O) for $17 billion in cash to boost its Merck Millipore lab supplies business in the biggest takeover in the German group's history, lifting its shares.
Industry
China September factory activity edges up on stronger orders but employment shrinks
Activity in China's manufacturing sector unexpectedly picked up in September even as factory employment slumped to a 5-1/2-year low, a survey showed on Tuesday, a potential source of worry for Communist leaders who prize social stability above all else.
Facebook to introduce new advertising platform : WSJ
Facebook Inc is set to unveil a new advertising platform to improve effectiveness of online ads, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Asia braces for the worst from China factory survey
Asian shares slipped on Tuesday as a periodic bout of angst over China combined with the U.S. dollar's recent meteoric run to pile pressure on commodity prices.
Air France strike crisis deepens as both sides dig in
A bitter Air France labor dispute deepened on Monday as management pledged to press ahead with its low-cost airline ambitions and pilots said that an eight day-old strike over the proposals would continue indefinitely as a result.
Latest News
Independent health advisers to the World Health Organization (WHO) have assessed that there should be no general ban on travel or trade with countries reeling from an Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the U.N. agency said on Monday.
Germany's economy remains robust, the country's central bank said on Monday, predicting a generally positive end to the year despite a slowdown so far.
The Rockefellers, who made their vast fortune on oil, and other philanthropies and high-wealth individuals on Monday will announce pledges to divest a total of $50 billion from fossil fuel investments.
Tesco (TSCO.L) has lowered its forecast for first-half profit by 250 million pounds ($408.50 million), its third warning this year, after finding a fault in its accounts, in the latest blow to the reputation of Britain's biggest grocer.
As it strives to energize its Cadillac brand that once led the U.S. luxury auto market, General Motors Co said on Friday it will begin production of a new "top-end, high-technology car" by the end of 2015.
Workers at German warehouses of online retailer Amazon.com took strike action again on Monday as labor union Verdi pressed its demands in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
The underwriters of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA.N's IPO have issued additional shares, according to the Wall Street Journal, bringing the IPO's size to about $25 billion and making it the largest initial public offering in history.
The University of California voted on Friday to maintain its investments in fossil fuels, frustrating a student-led effort to divest its portfolio in oil, natural gas and coal.
Asian shares got off on the back foot on Monday after an uninspiring session on Wall Street, while the dollar gave back a little of its recent solid gains in early trading.
