** Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Wednesday it agreed to buy Actavis Group for at least 4.25 billion euros ($5.60 billion), in a deal that cements its status as one of the world’s biggest suppliers of generic drugs.

** Fresenius said it plans to take over Rhoen-Klinikum for 3.1 billion euros ($4.09 billion), making the German healthcare conglomerate by far the largest private-sector operator of German hospitals.

** Suburban Propane Partners LP said it would buy Inergy LP’s retail propane operations for about $1.8 billion in a deal that will double its customer base and make it one of the top propane retailers in the United States.

** Qatar’s Mannai Corp and Egyptian investment bank EFG Hermes have taken control of Dubai’s Damas after their consortium’s $445 million offer was accepted by more than 75 percent of the jeweler’s shareholders.

** Europe’s largest drugs distributor Celesio said it will use options to buy the 49.9 percent of Brazil’s largest drugs distributor Panpharma it does not yet own for about 650 million reais ($345.64 million).

** Dutch bicycle maker Accell Group NV agreed to buy Britain’s Raleigh for about 76 million euros ($100 million), adding one of the most famous names in the UK bike industry to a portfolio that includes Dutch, German and French cycling favourites.

** Canada’s Barrick Gold, the world’s largest gold producer, sold its 20.37 percent stake in Russia’s Highland Gold to institutional investors for 79.5 million pounds ($128 million), Highland said on Thursday.

** Takaoka Electric MFG Co and Toko Electric Corp , two companies affiliated with Tokyo Electric Power Co , will merge their businesses under a new holding company around October, the Nikkeibusiness daily reported on Thursday.