German drug and pesticide company Bayer has agreed to pay up to $10.9 billion to settle thousands of US lawsuits over claims that its widely used weedkiller Roundup caused cancer.
It comes after a year of talks that have led to the firm's share price plummeting.
Bayer has settled terms with 75 per cent of the 125,000 claims, it said on Wednesday.
It inherited the legal claims after its $63bn (Dh231.4bn) takeover of Monsanto in 2018.
The settled cases over Roundup and other glyphosate-based weedkillers account for about 95 per cent of those set for trial, it said.
"The Roundup settlement is the right action at the right time for Bayer to bring a long period of uncertainty to an end," said its chief executive, Werner Baumann.
The company said it would make a payment of between $8.8bn and $9.6bn to resolve the Roundup litigation, including an allowance expected to cover unresolved claims, and $1.25bn to support a separate class agreement to address any future litigation.
The company, whose management in April regained shareholder support for its handling of the litigation process, has denied claims that Roundup or its active ingredient glyphosate causes cancer.
It said decades of independent studies have shown the product is safe for human use.
Monsanto began selling Roundup in 1974, and while the formulation is no longer patent-protected, Roundup remains widely available.
Bayer has repeatedly said the product is safe and important to farmers who use it in combination with the company's genetically modified seeds.
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Big%20Ape%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20LucasArts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20PlayStation%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Background: Chemical Weapons
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 0 Southampton 3 (Ings 49', Armstrong 54', Redmond 79')
