U.S. and Iran suspend direct contacts amid rising risk of confrontation
Direct communication between senior U.S. and Iranian officials has broken down as tensions rise over Tehran’s crackdown on protests and fears of U.S...
Drugmaker Pfizer has sold its entire stake in consumer healthcare firm Haleon for approximately 2.5 billion pounds (roughly $3.24 billion), according to sources involved in the transaction.
The deal was executed at a price of 385 pence per share, with institutional investors and Haleon purchasing the shares.
Under the agreement, Haleon – known for brands such as Sensodyne, Panadol, and Advil – will buy back 44 million shares from Pfizer, which was its largest shareholder, while 618 million shares are being sold to institutional investors. This sale represents 7.3% of Haleon’s issued share capital. Haleon was established following the merger of GSK and Pfizer's consumer healthcare businesses in 2019 and was spun off from the British drugmaker in 2022.
Following Pfizer’s divestiture, BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Ltd, a unit of BlackRock, is set to become Haleon’s largest shareholder, holding more than a 5% stake, according to data compiled by LSEG. The deal was coordinated by a team that includes BofA Securities, Citigroup Global Markets Limited, and Goldman Sachs International as joint global coordinators, with Barclays and Deutsche Numis acting as joint bookrunners.
Earlier, GSK – which initially held nearly a 13% stake in Haleon – completed its full exit in May 2024. Haleon, which also manufactures popular painkillers, indicated in February that its revenue and profit growth in 2025 would be weighted towards the second half of the year.
The divestiture underscores Pfizer's strategic decision to refocus its portfolio while enabling Haleon to consolidate its shareholder base as it continues to drive growth in the competitive consumer healthcare market.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
The Trump administration will suspend all visa processing for visitors from 75 countries beginning 21 January 2026, according to a State Department memo reported by media.
The U.S. has issued an urgent security notice calling all American citizens to leave Iran immediately, citing escalating protests, growing violence and widespread communication shutdowns across the country.
President Donald Trump said on Monday any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the U.S., as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.
Apple will use Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) models for its revamped Siri voice assistant later this year, in a multi-year deal that strengthens the tech giants’ partnership and boosts Alphabet’s position in the race against OpenAI.
A coalition of women’s rights organisations, technology watchdogs and progressive campaigners is urging Apple and Google, owned by Alphabet, to remove the social media platform X and its associated chatbot, Grok, from their app stores.
Boeing booked more aircraft orders than Airbus in 2025 for the first time since 2018, official figures showed, even as the European manufacturer delivered more planes during the year.
U.S. oil major Chevron and private equity firm Quantum Capital Group are reportedly preparing a joint bid to acquire Lukoil’s international assets, as the sanctioned Russian energy company seeks to divest its overseas operations.
The U.S. dollar's share of global reserves fell to nearly 40% at the end of 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which says it's 10% lower than at the start of 2024. However, gold has risen and overtaken the dollar to be above 50% in global reserves according to the IMF data.
The U.S. dollar has strengthened against major peers on Tuesday, while the euro fell following slower-than-expected inflation in Europe. Market movements were relatively subdued as investors focused on upcoming U.S. economic data.
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