Weir Group's first half profit falls 40 percent hurt by slump in oil

(Reuters) - Weir Group Plc posted a 40 percent fall in first-half pretax profit as the valve and pump maker struggled with a slump in U.S. oil and gas drilling activity. Pretax profit for the six months to June fell to 108 million pounds from 182 million pounds a year earlier. (Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)