The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U. S. and Asian companies were reported by 1345 GMT on Friday:** Qatar is continuing its overseas buying spree, snapping up a stake in Royal Dutch Shell and reportedly also eyeing a chunk of Italian oil major ENI.

Cliff W. Vrielink will join Sidley Austin LLP as a partner in the recently opened Houston office.

Gloria Mamba has joined the firm as a Managing Director based in the firm’s Johannesburg, South Africa office.

MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ:MVIS) today announced that private investors have agreed to invest approximately $5 million in the company. The deal is expected to be completed by May 29, 2012.

Citi (NYSE: C) has been appointed by Phase4 Ventures, a leading London-based venture capital firm, to provide document safekeeping and fund administration services.

Designed for leaders of small businesses at various stages of their company lifecycles Harvard Business School (HBS) has announced a new Executive Education program, Leading Your Small Business Through Its Lifecycle, running June 24–27, 2012 on the HBS campus.

Coupa Software, announced today the completion of a $22 million in Series E financing round led by new investor Crosslink Capital.

LRE also announces partnership with Samsung C&T Corporation Lincoln Renewable Energy (LRE), a leading developer of solar and wind projects, today held the official dedication ceremony for its 12.

Axonia Medical, an early stage company pioneering a revolutionary approach to repair and restore damaged peripheral and central nervous systems, has closed on $2.0 million in seed financing.

PYMNTS. com, the premier source of news, commentary and innovation in payments, is pleased to announce the launch of the 2012 PYMNTS. com Innovator Awards.

MedicAnimal.com, the UK’s leading online pet health retailer, has completed a £10 million Series C funding round.

This funding round was led by Myrian Capital, a venture and capital management firm chaired by Mike Mathile and affiliated with the Mathile family.

Calpers, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, will commit $500 million to a managed account overseen by Blackstone Group LP.

Largest fund of its kind raised in 5 yrs - industry body Capital International Private Equity Funds has closed a $3 billion global emerging markets private equity fund, the largest fund of its kind in five years.

General Electric Co (GE.N) could invest up to $1.5 billion to boost its presence in the software and data-analytics sector, including spending on hiring and small takeovers, a top executive said.

bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies. The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.

China's central bank plans to give $10 billion from its huge pile of foreign exchange reserves to a new entity to assist Chinese state firms invest abroad.

Mediabend Capital, the venture capital firm founded by entrepreneur Emanuele Della Valle, announces today the official launch of ElizabethStreet.com.

Venture Capital Access Program Created to Connect Diverse Entrepreneurs with Traditional Venture Capital Sources

Former HSN CEO Mark Bozek and co-founder Russell Nuce announce the launch of the new e-commerce platform EVINE.com. The site will sell exclusive products available only on EVINE.

Sufficient for CBD to generate A$35 million in revenue per quarter developing European solar projects

Enables on-the-go merchants to seamlessly accept credit cards with no extra hardware and to find new customers through social marketing.

Babson Capital Management LLC (Babson Capital) provided $6.0 million in mezzanine debt and made an equity co-investment of $1.5 million to support Fort Point Capital’s investment in Church Services LLC.

World Famous Business Guru and Author, Geoffrey Moore, Joins Michael Skok of North Bridge Ventures to share insights with Boston entrepreneurs

TerraEchos Inc. has closed on additional seed financing from True Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm.

Fourier transform makes the investment together with the current owners, CEO Goran Bredinger and Vice President Håkan Johannesson.

EveryMove Inc., an innovator in health rewards-based marketing and incentives, secured $2.6 million in Series A Financing

ZiLift, an Aberdeen, Scotland-based provider of artificial lift solutions for the oil and gas industry, has received a growth capital investment of £4 million (US$7 million).

cash-hungry companies are increasingly turning to an alternative form of financing known as crowdfunding.

Czech private equity group Penta Investments and Luxembourg-based Eastbridge Group will together hold 74 percent of Polish retailer Empik Media & Fashion after a public tender.