Nigeria-based energy firm Oando Plc said it closed $1.63 billion to purchase the assets of US-based firm ConocoPhillips in the country, in a bid to become the top producer for the biggest oil exporter of Africa.

Paris, France-based travel startup Evaneos raised $6 million from a Series B funding round led by XAnge Private Equity for its expansion to other European countries.

After struggling with increased book sales from online rival Amazon and others, German Catholic Church-owned publishing house Wetbild filed for insolvency and placed 6,000 jobs on the line, the Financial Times reported.

Alcatel-Lucent is in talks with interested buyers, including Unify GmbH & Co. KG, for the sale of its enterprise business, according to sources interviewed by Bloomberg.

Despite a slowdown in venture capital fundraising last year, there were more venture firms that closed capital in 2013 compared to that of the previous year, according to the Wall Street Journal blog Venture Capital Dispatch citing data from DJX LP Source.

Activist investors like Elliott Associates are seeking for an overhaul of the property portfolio of Wm Morrison, the fourth largest supermarket chain in Britain, the Financial Times reported.

A report from the Australian Financial Review said Telstra Corp, the largest phone company in Australia, is already in the advanced stages of talks with a private equity firm to sell Sensis in a deal worth $2.7 billion, Reuters reported.

Assemblyman Jeff Gorell has proposed to put a measure before California's voters to halt bond sales to finance the state's high-speed rail system, Reuters reported.

Pimco Total Return Fund, the biggest bond fund in the world, increased its US government-related holdings in December to 45% from 37% in November, Reuters reported.

Monster Beverage Corp, an energy drinks maker, is still an ideal target for beverage companies like Coca-Cola Co seeking to augment its sales, Bloomberg reported.