VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Britain is ready to force the sale of Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman's recently acquired North Sea energy assets unless it receives unspecified assurances within the next week, Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said on Thursday.

German utility RWE (RWEG.DE) said on Friday that completion of the sale of its oil and gas unit DEA [RWEDE.UL] to Russian tycoon Mikhail Fridman was imminent, following a media report that it would be concluded on Monday.

Germany's economy ministry will approve the sale of utility RWE's (RWEG.DE) oil and gas unit DEA to a Russian investor despite tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis, two people familiar with the matter said.

BASF SE, the largest chemicals company in Germany, is working on a bid for RWE DEA AG. DEA is the oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) unit of German electric utilities company RWE AG.

A fund backed by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman's Alfa Group has bought 5 percent in UniCredit.

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