Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is considering launching a proxy fight at Yahoo, according to people who have spoken with Icahn.

Hewlett-Packard has struck a deal to buy Electronic Data Systems for $12.6 billion, seeking to boost its technology services business to better compete against market leader IBM.

European equities ended slightly lower on Tuesday, as signs of resilience in U.S. retail sales was not enough to eclipse inflation fears that hit UK stocks, while banks fell on renewed concerns over asset writedowns.

U.S. office supplies retailer Staples raised its hostile offer for Corporate Express by more than 10 percent, valuing its target at about 1.5 billion euros ($2.3 billion), and said the Dutch business products wholesaler was still refusing to talk.

Italy's Finmeccanica reached a $5.2 billion deal to buy DRS Technologies securing itself a bigger presence in the growing U.S. defence market which accounts for half the world's military spending.

Westpac Banking Corp agreed to pay $17.6 billion in shares for smaller rival St George Bank in a tie-up that will create Australia's largest bank by market value.

Finmeccanica, Europe's fourth-largest aerospace and defense company, has approached DRS Technologies, proposing a takeover bid of as much $5.41 billion, sources close to the matter told Reuters.

JPMorgan, acquiring rival investment bank Bear Stearns amid one of the worst market slumps ever, so far has extended jobs to about 6,000 out of Bear's nearly 14,000 employees, a person familiar with the situation said on Monday.

Shares of Clear Channel Communications surged on media reports that a revised deal has been reached to finance the radio and media company's buyout by Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital.

Deutsche Telekom looked set to complete plans to buy a stake worth nearly 3 billion euros ($4.6 billion) in Greece’s former phone monopoly.

Cablevision Systems sealed a $650 million deal to buy 97 percent of Newsday Media Group from Tribune, the companies said Monday, after Rupert Murdoch's News Corp withdrew its bid.

Italian aerospace and defence company Finmeccanica is close to making an offer of nearly 3.5 billion euros ($5.41 billion) for DRS Technologies, Il Sole 24 Ore business daily reported on Sunday.

India's Bharti Airtel is considering raising its offer to around $22.63 a share for control of mobile operator MTN Group, the Asian Wall Street Journal said on Monday.

Westpac Banking Corp, Australia's fourth-biggest lender, said it had entered talks on an all-share bid for St George Bank, which has a market value of $14 billion, to create Australia's largest home lending and wealth management provider