The UK’s Competition Commission has approved the merger between Global Radio and GMG Radio but only if divestments are made.

The US Department of Justice has approved a merger between Cinemark and Rave Holdings after the companies agreed to sell off cinemas in three states to calm concerns the deal would harm competition.

Actavis has announced plans to acquire specialty pharmaceutical company Warner Chilcott for US$8.5 billion. 

Canada’s Competition Bureau says it will appeal against a decision from the country’s specialist competition court after it dismissed a high-profile monopolisation case and suggested that bureau officials brought the challenge under the wrong section of Canada’s antitrust law.

Niko Hukkinen and Sari Rasinkangas Roschier

The European Commission has approved a joint venture between two of Europe’s largest soft-alloy aluminium extrusion suppliers, subject to conditions.

The complex structural fix that allowed AB-InBev to close its US$20 billion purchase of Grupo Modelo was fuelled by questions about whether the purchaser of the divested assets could survive in the beer market, a senior US Department of Justice official said yesterday.

The number of mergers requiring a second request and in-depth investigation from the US antitrust agencies dropped by more than 10 per cent between 2011 and 2012 on a nearly identical number of deals, according to merger statistics released this week.

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading has referred a completed merger between two leading cinema chains to the Competition Commission.

Paper company Georgia-Pacific has announced plans to buy Buckeye Technologies for US$1.5 billion.

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), an American crop company, is buying GrainCorp, an Australian grain processor, for A$3.4 billion.

Brazil’s Council for Economic Defence (CADE) has approved a merger between appliance chains Ponto Frio and Casas Bahia, creating the country’s largest retail company.

DG Comp has opened an in-depth investigation of Aegean Airlines’ proposed acquisition of rival Olympic Air – just 15 months after blocking a previous merger between the companies.

China’s Ministry of Commerce has approved Japanese trading house Marubeni’s US$5.6 billion takeover of US grain trader Gavilon with a hold-separate condition.