Herbert Smith Freehills has advised UGL Limited (UGL) on the sale of its global property services business, DTZ, to a consortium comprising TPG Asia, Inc, PAG Asia Capital and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (together TPG and Partners) at an enterprise value of A$1.215 billion, announced today.

As previously disclosed, UGL has undertaken a process to evaluate third party interest received in DTZ to determine whether a potential sale of the business is in the best interests of shareholders. Following completion of this process, the Board has determined to enter into a binding sale agreement with TPG and Partners.

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The Priceline Group Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN) and OpenTable, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN) have announced a definitive agreement whereby The Priceline Group will acquire OpenTable for $103 per share in an all cash transaction valued at $2.6 billion. The transaction will be effected through a tender offer and is expected to close in the 3rd quarter of 2014, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. OpenTable will continue to be headquartered in San Francisco, CA and will operate as an independent business led by its current management team within The Priceline Group.

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Synairgen plc (LSE: SNG) has announced a global licence agreement with AstraZeneca for SNG001, a novel, inhaled interferon beta (IFN-beta) in clinical development for treating respiratory tract viral infections in patients with severe asthma and potentially other pulmonary diseases. SNG001 supports the immune system by correcting a deficiency which makes patients vulnerable to respiratory tract viral infections.

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Matheson is advising Perella Weinberg Partners LP on its role as financial adviser to US medical device maker Medtronic, Inc. on its $42.9 billion acquisition of Dublin-based Covidien plc. The Matheson team is led by corporate partners Patrick Spicer and George Brady as well as Tim Scanlon, head of Matheson’s Financial Institutions Group, and banking partner Libby Garvey.
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In its second large private equity high yield financing in the past month, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy advised the initial purchasers in a $300 million high-yield notes offering, the proceeds of which were used to finance the acquisition of Hearthside Food Solutions by affiliates of Goldman Sachs PIA and Vestar Capital Partners.  The notes offering closed on May 13, 2014 and the acquisition closed on June 2, 2014.

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Cravath represented the underwriters, led by Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank Securities and RBS, in connection with the US$2.5 billion registered senior debt offering of Express Scripts Holding Company, the largest pharmacy benefit management company in the United States. The transaction closed on June 5, 2014.

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Asia Oil Terminal Services (AOTS), advised by DLA Piper, has today signed construction contracts with supporting guarantees for the development of its project to construct South East Asia’s largest independent oil terminal facility. The facility will be constructed on the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia by China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Group Co. Ltd (CRCBEG).

AOTS is a Malaysian company involved in the development of large-scale oil infrastructure projects in South East Asia.

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The CMS Life Pension and Longevity Risk Team has advised Pension Insurance Corporation (“PIC”), the UK’s leading specialist pension risk insurer, on a £1.6bn pension buy-in transaction with the Trustees of the Total UK Pension Plan and the associated longevity reinsurance arrangements.

The deal is the second largest pensioner buy-in to have been completed in the UK market to date, and has been described as a “landmark transaction” for PIC.
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Cahill represented Barclays Bank as administrative agent and the lead arrangers in connection with the $265,000,000 Term B loan, and the $50,000,000 revolving asset based loan for Henniges Automotive Holdings, Inc., the holding company of Henniges Automotive, a vehicle sealing and anti-vibration solutions provider for the global automotive industry. Proceeds from the loans were used to refinance existing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.
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Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP advised First International Bank of Israel, Israel’s fifth largest banking group which is listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, on the sale of its UK banking subsidiary, FIBI (UK) PLC, to Tungsten Corporation plc. The fully UK authorised bank will be re-named Tungsten Bank.

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