DEALS

Private equity firm Blackstone Group LP posted a forecast-beating quarterly profit and said it is gearing up for more deals and IPOs as the lending and equity markets recover.

Microsoft Corp and Google Inc secured separate agreements to access real-time content from Web phenomenon Twitter, intensifying their battle for a search market that Google dominates.

Microsoft Corp has sealed agreements to access real-time content on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, a boost for its fledgling Bing search engine.

Volkswagen AG set out plans to raise as much as 10 billion euros ($14.9 billion) from shareholders, which analysts said would be enough to make fresh acquisitions as well as merge with Porsche.

Google Inc's growth machine is back in gear.

Private equity houses, including U.S. firms Blackstone and KKR, are showing greater flexibility in approaching target assets as they face more pressure to deploy their capital, an M&A banker said.

Spanish infrastructure firm Abertis (ABE.MC) is eyeing projects in China and India to boost growth beyond its stronghold in southern Europe, but is not in a hurry for any deals, its chairman said on Thursday.

Russia and China bolstered their close but increasingly imbalanced relationship on Tuesday when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ushered through a tentative gas supply agreement and deals worth $3.5 billion.

American International Group has struck a deal to sell its Taiwan life insurance unit for $2.15 billion, marking its largest disposal of a unit since a government bailout saved it from collapse last year.

American International Group struck a deal to sell its Taiwan life insurance for $2.15 billion, marking its largest disposal of a division since a government bailout last year saved it from collapse.

PC maker Dell Inc is eyeing more acquisitions as part of a turnaround plan and is developing merger expertise, Chief Executive Michael Dell told Bloomberg in an interview on Monday.

Citigroup Inc is expected to be fined $600,000 by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority over derivatives transactions that helped foreign clients avoid taxes on dividends, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Adaptec Inc, a beaten-down technology company fending off hedge fund Steel Partners, accused the fund of wanting to break up the company and use its cash balances to acquire a bank.

The world's two largest diversified healthcare companies struck deals on Monday that will propel them into vaccines, a red-hot area for investors because of the pandemic flu threat and potential high profits for preventing other diseases.

U.S. stocks jumped on Monday as more merger and acquisition activity in the last days of the third quarter encouraged investors following three sessions of losses.

The global market for initial public offerings rebounded decisively in the third quarter, on the strength of large deals in Asia and a U.S. market that emerged from its doldrums.

Cadbury Chief Executive Todd Stitzer noted that past deals in the industry have been agreed at higher multiples than that implied by the offer from Kraft, according to a Bank of America/Merrill Lynch note obtained by Reuters.

Walden Media has rubbed the lamp and picked up Gene, a modern take on the classic genie story from writer Randi Mayem Singer.

This year's Toronto film festival lowers its final curtain this weekend after 10 days of red carpet premieres and industry networking that produced few movie deals but showcased some good bets for Oscars.

Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein said on Thursday that he sees potential for more IPOs from Carlyle's portfolio companies and said leverage for new deals is returning.

Exclusive deals between mobile phone makers and carriers got support on Thursday from two Republican members of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which is probing if the arrangements harm consumers in rural markets.