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Having withdrawn from the stock market five years ago, Toys 'R' Us has filed for an initial public offering in the hope of raising $800 million. The toy store chain's performance will be a barometer to how well its owner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is proving itself to potential investors as the investment company prepares its own IPO for this summer.

CenturyTel Inc. will buy Qwest Communications International Inc. for $10.6 billion in an all-stock deal. CenturyTel, which will be renamed CenturyLink, is offering 0.1664 share of its stock for every Qwest share. CenturyTel will also assume $11.8 billion of Qwest's debt.

After failing to turn its business around, hand-held device maker Palm Inc. has hired investment bankers to explore strategic options for the company - including its possible sale. Palm's shares, which have lost 35% of their value in the past year, rose 88 cents on Monday to close at $6.04, giving the company a market capitalization of about $1 billion.

Dow Jones & Co. is expected to announce the sale of its stock-indexing business to exchange operator CME Group Inc. for a price greater than $600 million. CME would continue to use the Down Jones name in its investment-information products.

After weeks of resistance, Anheuser-Busch Cos. has agreed to be acquired by Belgian-Brazilian beverage giant InBev N.V. for $52 billion, $70 per share. Article discusses terms of the sale, executive changes at Anheuser, and Anheuser's management as a unit of InBev.

In a decision expected to affect all departments and ranks, Citigroup Inc. announces it will layoff 10% of its investment banking division's estimated 65,000 employees. Article discusses Citigroup's efforts to reorganize its labor force and international divisions to compensate for losses stemming from the international credit market crisis.

Aerospace company Finmeccanica SpA is negotiating the acquisition of New Jersey-based defense company DRS Technologies Inc. Article discusses European aerospace and defense companies' acquisitions and investments in the U.S., and DRS Technologies' stock value and financial standing.

Faced with either bankruptcy or a forced sale, investment bank Bear Stearns Cos. agrees to be sold to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. at the price of $2 a share in a deal worth around $236 million. Article discusses the ailing mortgage-backed securities sector and capital markets, and the Federal Reserve Board's efforts to lessen their impact on securities firms and investment banks.

Australia's Rio Tinto Ltd. is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement to buy Canada's aluminum company Alcan Inc. Alcan is currently staving off a hostile takeover bid from US-based Alcoa Inc. The agreement is expected to be an all-cash deal valued at approximately $37 bil, or nearly $100 per share. The deal would top Alcoa's bid of $27.94 bil.

Industry analysts say that French food company Group Danone S.A. could become a takeover target once it sells its cookie division to US-based Kraft Foods Inc., a deal valued at over $5 bil. However, the French government has identified Danone as a national champion, which could complicate bids from foreign companies.

Canada telecommunications firm BCE Inc. will be acquired by Madison Dearborn Partners, Providence Equity Partners Inc., and the investment unit of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in the largest private equity buyout ever. The deal, valued at $48.5 bil, includes the acquisition price of $32.6 bil plus $15.9 bil in minority interests, debt, and preferred equity.

TPG Capital LLC and Silver Lake have agreed to buy telecommunications equipment firm Avaya Inc. in a deal totaling approximately $8.2 bil. Shares will be sold for $17.50, representing a 28% premium.

U.S. telecommunications equipment company Avaya Inc. is currently talking with strategic bidders and private equity firms regarding the sale of all or part of the company, a sign that the industry may undergo another round of acquisitions and mergers. Avaya's market capitalization is valued at $6.18 bil.

General Electric Co. is close to reaching a deal to sell its plastics unit to Saudi Basic Industries Corp., a deal valued at $11 bil. Sales for the plastics unit reached $6.6 bil last year; Sabic revenue for 2006 reached $23.06 bil.

DaimlerChrysler AG is expected to sell to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management L.P. a controlling stake in its U.S.-based Chrysler Group unit. The deal would enable Daimler to eliminate $18 bil in health care and retirement liabilities; implications for automobile industry union labor is discussed.

British defense contractor BAE Systems PLC has agreed to acquire US firm Armor Holdings Inc. for approximately $88 per share, a deal totaling $4.1 bil. The agreement strengthens BAE's presence in the US and bolsters its military ground vehicles segment.

Germany's Deutsche Borse AG has bid $67.50 per share for International Securities Exchange Holdings Inc. in a deal totaling $2.8 bil. The offer constitutes one of the first bids by a Europe-based exchange operator to obtain a major American operator.

Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. have made a $5 bil bid for newspaper publisher Dow Jones and Company Inc., at $60 a share in cash or a mix of cash and stock. Indications as to whether the Bancroft family, who holds the majority voting power for Down Jones, would accept or reject the offer.

Essar Global Ltd. will acquire Minnesota Steel Industries LLC and Canadian steelmaker Algoma Steel Inc., in deals totaling $1.65 bil and $1.6 bil respectively. The acquisitions will bolster the Indian steel company's access to iron ore.

Executive vice president Romeo Kreinberg and senior advisor J. Pedro Reinhard were fired from their positions at Dow Chemical Co. after it was discovered that the two, without the authorization of the company's board of directors, had been in talks with Oman investors regarding a leveraged buyout. The discovery came from information provided by a source at J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.

Although Barclays PLC is in talks to acquire Dutch bank ABN AMRO Holding N.V., Citigroup Inc. is c onsidering a hostile takeover. The Barclays acquisition would be the largest bank deal in history, with ABN AMRO valued at $80 billion.

Investment firm Dubai Aerospace Enterprise is interested in acquiring aircraft maintenance companies Landmark Aviation and Standard Aero Holdings Inc. from U.S. firm Carlyle Group. The Dubai company plans to take measures to address U.S. security concerns.

The mystique of the life and times of Lazard Freres & Company L.L.C. of the United States has been revealed in 'The Last Tycoons' by William D. Cohan a former executive banker. The inside revelations are due in bookstores by April 17th. Reactions to preliminary galleys have jolted the banking firm and Wall Street.

In an effort to combat financial losses by its Chrysler division , DaimlerChrysler is exploring various possibilities including partnerships. The large automobile manufacturer has announced major restructuring involving a plant closure, production cuts, and layoffs in North America.

Siemens AG of Germany is to acquire UGS Corp. of the United States for $3.5 billion. The acquisition is part of a restructuring for the German electronics company. Siemens AG posted $1.2 billion in revenue and $241 million in operating profit for 2005.

Consolidation talks are underway in the airline industry, with the proposed merger of UAL Corp. with Continental Airlines Inc., and the proposed acquisition of Midwest Air Group Inc. by AirTran Holdings Inc.

EMI Group PLC of the United Kingdom is about to be acquired by Permira Advisors also of the United Kingdom. The music recording giant is the the third largest in the world by market share.

Novartis AG of Switzerland is in talks to divest subsidiary Gerber Products Co. of the United States to Nestle S.A. also of Switzerland. The approximate valuation of the baby foods manufacturer is $3 billion.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. of the United States is to purchase Mercantile Bankshares Corp. for $6 billion. The deal will grow PNC Financial Services Group Inc.'s market across the Atlantic seaboard. Share price offer is $47.24 per share.

Ipsco Steel Inc. of Canada is to purchase NS Group Inc. of the United States for $1.46 billion. The new company will focus on growth in the natural gas and petroleum industries. The share purchase price for the American steel tube maker was $66 per share.

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce S.A. of Brazil bid $17.6 billion to acquire Inco Ltd. of Canada. Developing countries are beginning to pay a larger role in major acquisitions in Europe and the United States. There is a bidding war for Inco Ltd.

Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex Inc. of the United States is to announce a merger with Applica Inc. also of the United States. The household appliance company acquisiton is expected to lower annual costs by $40 to $50 million.

Consolidations and megamergers are a major trend in business this year. Companies are ripe with credit and increased commodity prices looking for global markets in foreign acquisitions. Acquisitions worth $110 billion were sealed since last Friday alone, in a banner year so far.

Englehard Corp. of the United States has accepted an acquisition offer by BASF AG of Germany for $5 billion. The German chemical company share purchase offer is $39 per share to Englehard shareholders.

NYSE Group Inc. of the United States is rounding out a $10.1 billion acquisition bid for Euronext N.V. of the Netherlands. A rival acquisition interest, Deutsche Borse AG of Germany, has not been successful in its bid to be acquired by the United States operator.

Thermo Electron Corp. of the United States is to acquire Fisher Scientific International Inc. also of the United States for $10.6 billion. Thermo Electron Corp. is to offer two shares at a premium of seven percent in an all-stock deal.

Wachovia Corp. of the United States is to purchase Golden West Financial Corp. also of the United States for $26 billion. The bank is paying $81.07 share purchase price for the mortgage bank company.

Constellation Brands Inc. of the United States is to acquire Vincor International Inc. of Canada for approximately $1.27 billion ($1.09 billion United States). Shareprice for purchase of the winery is $36.50 per share.

Compagnie Financiere Alcatel of France and Lucent Technologies Inc. of the United States are in merger talks. Talks between the telecommunications giants are being spurred by greater competition from China.

AT&T Inc. of the United States is to purchase BellSouth Corp. also of the United States, assuming $22 billion in debt. The acquisition will make AT&T Corp. the largest telecommunications operator in the world, with a market capitalization of approximately $170 billion.

Companies from emerging markets, the Middle East and Asia, with huge financial resources are acquiring the jewels of European and American business in a trend the could alter the worldwide economic power balance in some industries. This year in the European Union alone, $9.3 billion in deals with companies from emerging markets have been announced.

Toshiba Corp. of Japan is to finalize acquisition of Westinghouse Electric Co. of the United States for $5.4 billion. Growing demand is expected for power utilities because of volatile pricing, environmental and cost concerns in other energy industries. The nuclear power concern is the subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels PLC.

Boston Scientific Corp. of the United States is to purchase Guidant Corp. also of the United States for $27 billion. The medical equipment conglomerate is to become the leading manufacturer of cardiac devices. Boston Scientific Corp.'s winning bid of $80 per share beat out rival Johnson and Johnson's bid of $71 per share.

The takeover battle for Guidant Corp. of the United States is heating up with Boston Scientific Corp. also of the United States, offering $27 billion. The medical equipment giant offered $80 per share or $9 per share ($3 billion) greater than Johnson & Johnson also of the United States.

Tommy Hilfiger Corp. of the United States is in final negotiations to be acquired by Apax Partners for greater than $1.5 billion or between $16.50 and $17 a share. The negotiations are not over and the two companies are still haggling over price. Mr. Hilfiger the companies founder will have a continuing role with the company.

Alberson's Inc. of the United States, close to a $9.6 billion buyout saw talks collapse last night and several potential buyers terminated all negotiations. The supermarkets shares were down more than three percent at the news and shareprice continued to fluctuate in today's trading.

Boston Scientific Corp. of the United States has bid $25 billion for Guidant Corp. also of the United States, threatening to cause a bidding war with Johnson & Johnson who previously had a lower-price acquisition deal with Guidant Corp. The medical equipment manufacturer Boston Scientific Corp. has a market valuation of $22.4 billion.

International mergers and acquisitions are soaring due to low worldwide interest rates and excess corporate revenue. Deal-making has not been this active since the 1990's Internet craze. Mergers and acquistions revenue totals are up to $2.3 trillion for the year to date.

Johson & Johnson of the United States is threatening to cancel an acquisition agreement with Guidant Corp. also of the United States if terms can't be renegotiated. Guidant Corp., the medical equipment company, is having problems with a product recall on defibrillators that could effect the longterm financial outlook of the company. The deal is valued at $25.4 billion.

Verenigde Nederlands Uitgeversbedrijven B.V. of the Netherlands is considering management strategies to win shareholder support for the acquisition of IMS Health Inc. Verenigde Nederlands Uitgeversbedrijven B.V. is the parent company of Nielsen television-ratings service.