PARIS/HONG KONG (Reuters) -BNP Paribas has signed an agreement with China's Fosun Group to acquire its around 9% stake in Belgian insurer Ageas for a sum the French bank estimates at 730 million euros ($777 million). Ageas and BNP Paribas are long time partners via a joint shareholding in AG Insurance, Belgium's leading insurer. Ageas owns 75% and BNP the...

MADRID (Reuters) -Spanish drug maker Grifols, battling a plunge in its share price this year, plans to add independent directors to its audit and compensation committees to improve its governance, its chairman said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday. Grifols' market value has shed billions of euros since short-sheller Gotham City Research released three reports in early January accusing...

April 15 (Reuters) - U.S.-based hedge fund Shah Capital wrote to the Novavax ( NVAX ) board on Monday to push for the instalment of two new independent directors, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Shah Capital also wants a pivot in the biotech company's sales strategy for its Covid-19 shot, which is based on traditional vaccine technology, to target...

April 15 (Reuters) - Italy's Prysmian will acquire Encore Wire ( WIRE ) for $290.00 per share in cash, the companies said on Monday. According to the terms of the transaction, Encore Wire's ( WIRE ) implied enterprise value is about 3.9 billion euros ($4.15 billion), the firms said. ($1 = 0.9392 euros) (Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing...