VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Mergers and acquisition deals announced so far this year have topped $3 trillion, the highest since 2007, helped by mega deals in the healthcare, energy and power sectors.

Botox maker Allergan Inc on Monday accepted a $66 billion takeover bid from Actavis Plc, ending a seven-month hostile pursuit by activist investor William Ackman and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

Japanese financial services provider Orix Corp (8591.T) said it would buy accounting software maker Yayoi Co from private equity firm MBK Partners for more than 80 billion yen ($691 million), as it tries to expand its customer base into smaller companies.

Actavis Plc (ACT.N) plans to approach Allergan Inc (AGN.N) again about a potential merger, as the Botox maker warms up to the possibility of a sale, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Swiss private bank Julius Baer is interested in acquiring Coutts International, a unit of Royal Bank of Scotland, but will not get into a bidding war for the venerable British bank's overseas arm, a Swiss paper reported on Sunday.

A family feud and employee revolt that tipped New England supermarket chain Market Basket into chaos ended late Wednesday with a deal to sell the company to its ousted CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas, according to a statement announcing the deal.

Microsoft's deal to acquire Nokia valued $7.2 billion have been set to close on Friday which is also in time for the company's target saying that the deal was expected to close during the first quarter of 2014.

Lighthouse Funds has purchased 12.5 percent in Bikaji Foods International in a deal valued INR90 million, reported Economic Times.

US smartphone giant Apple Inc. had been in discussion with Renesas Electronics to buy a controlling stake in the company, according to a source familiar with the matter said a Reuters report.

US-based private equity firm Vista Equity Partners has bought talent management-focused software-as-a-service provider PeopleAdmin Inc for an undisclosed amount, a statement about the acquisition said.

The $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR Inc by social media giant Facebook Inc has turned the interest of investors to virtual reality startups, Bloomberg News reported.

Cubility, the maker of MudCube, has been bought by funds advised by Triton from Energy Ventures for an undisclosed price tag, a statement about the acquisition said.

Palo Alto Networks, a cyber security firm based in Santa Clara, California, has bought Israel-based cyber security company Cyvera for a price tag of $200 million, TechCrunch reported.

California-based YouTube online video content network Maker Studios has been acquired by The Walt Disney Studios in a deal valued at $500 million, TechCrunch reported.

Gojee, a recipe-finding site, has been acquired by the XO Group for an undisclosed amount, after talks with other possible acquirers like Yahoo failed, TechCrunch reported.