England’s Lisa Hall set her sights on becoming the first three-time winner on this season’s Ladies’ European Tour after taking the halfway leads at the Dubai Ladies’ Masters but Laura Davies was hard on her heels at the Emirates Golf Club.

SWISS drugmaker Novartis unveiled one of the biggest-ever deals in the European biotech sector yesterday, taking on an experimental treatment for lung disease from two British firms for up to $375 million.

EUROPE'S three biggest drug companies will showcase new products at three keenly-awaited research and development presentations in the coming weeks, but none has a quick fix for sceptical investors, analysts say.