Major private equity and sovereign wealth funds on Thursday took tentative first steps to invest in Russia.

Australian surfwear company Billabong International is selling stock to existing shareholders to raise A$225 million.

U.S. buyout firm KKR & Co has put up for sale Bis Industries Ltd U. S. buyout firm KKR & Co has put up for sale Bis Industries Ltd, valued at around $1.

China will open up its public utilities to private investment as part of the current privatisation drive to bolster economic growth.

Chemicals maker Cabot Corp said it will buy activated carbon manufacturer Norit NV for $1.1 billion.

British private equity fund Charterhouse Capital Partners has approached Italian biomedical group Sorin (SORN.MI) about a possible takeover.

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

Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) (NYSE: OFC) announced the pricing of its public offering of 6,000,000 of its 7.375% Series L Cumulative Preferred Shares with a liquidation preference of $25.00 per share.

Embattled U.S. truck and engine maker Navistar International Corp drew a line in the sand with activist investors on Wednesday by adopting a poison pill aimed at keeping outsiders from gaining a stake of 15 percent or more.

Thiel starts Mithril Capital with $402 mln fund. With the founding of Mithril Capital Management, investor and Pay Pal co-founder Peter Thiel is setting his sights on another investment strategy: growth venture-capital.

JPMorgan amended its offer to shareholders of Technicolor. JPMorgan amended its offer to shareholders of Technicolor, the troubled French digital video specialist, to outpace a rival bid by private equity investor Vector Capital.

China's CITIC Securities has received regulatory approval to launch the country's first domestic buyout fund.

U.S. private equity firm Sun Capital Partners has appointed Morgan Stanley to sell DBApparel. U. S. private equity firm Sun Capital Partners has appointed Morgan Stanley to sell DBApparel, the maker of Wonderbra, Dim and Playtex lingerie, in a deal that could fetch more than 600 million euros ($761 million), French daily newspaper Les Echos said on Wednesday, citing unidentified sources.

SVB Financial Group's banking unit Silicon Valley Bank said it plans to lend $100 million to the Irish innovation sector.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp (NWSA.O) made a $2 billion takeover offer for Australia's Consolidated Media Holdings (CMJ.AX) on Wednesday.

KKR has reached a first close of $3 billion for its $6 billion Asian fund. KKR & Co LP is setting up its first deals team in Singapore as the U. S.

Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) (RIO.L) will spend $3.7 billion to boost its Australian output of iron ore. Rio Tinto (RIO. AX) (RIO. L) will spend $3. 7 billion to boost its Australian output of iron ore, its most profitable business, shrugging off forecasts of waning demand and a looming global supply glut as Chinese manufacturing slows.

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

The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) today announced a strategic agreement to enable global businesses to move money quickly and reliably across borders.

Barilla said on Tuesday it was looking to sell its only remaining German business. Barilla, the world's biggest pasta maker, said on Tuesday it was looking to sell its only remaining German business, bakery chain Lieken AG, as the company increases its focus on pasta and higher-margin food products.

Walgreen Co said it would buy a 45 percent stake in KKR & Co-backed Alliance Boots for $6.7 billion in a cash and stock deal.

jobs search engine Bright has secured $6 million in initial venture capital to kick off a service that analyzes job seekers and matches them with posted jobs across the Internet.

Kenyan investment firm Centum (ICDC.NR) posted a 40 percent drop in full year profit on Tuesday without issuing a profit warning beforehand as required by market rules, sending its shares tumbling.

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

Index Ventures said it raised a 350 million euro fund - about $441 million - to invest in seed and early-stage technology companies.

A Hong Kong investor will plough about 480 million pounds ($751 million) into a development in east London's Greenwich peninsula to take a majority stake in the 150-acre scheme.

News and developments in Asia private equity from Reuters News for the week ending June 15. News and developments in Asia private equity from Reuters News for the week ending June 15.

Global food and dairy companies are making another round of big bets on China's fast growing dairy sector.

British buyout group Melrose Plc is in talks to buy German utility-meter maker Elster Group SE in a deal worth $2.3 billion.

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