VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE) is in talks to buy smaller telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA), a deal that would combine the industry's two weakest players but could pose challenges in cutting costs and overcoming political opposition.

Kraft Foods Group Inc said on Thursday that its chief financial officer would leave her role and two other senior executives would depart from the company, marking the first major changes at the maker of Velveeta cheese and Oscar Mayer meats since its board chairman took over as chief executive in December.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) said on Wednesday it would shed "several hundred" U.S. commercial jobs and a similar number of research positions as it restructures operations in its biggest market, where drug sales are flagging.

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.

Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE) has opened a research and development (R&D) center in Beijing tasked with further tuning its Mercedes-Benz brand to wealthy Chinese tastes and closing the sales gap with Audi AG (NSUG.DE) and BMW AG (BMWG.DE).