French buy

Vivendi agreed to buy Vodafone’s 44 percent stake in French mobile- phone operator SFR for $11.3 billion, giving the buyer full control of its largest unit. The pur chase price includes 200 million euros ($285 mil lion) in SFR dividends paid to Vodafone, said free-spending Vivendi of France, which raked in $5.8 billion for its 20 per cent interest in General Electric-owned NBC Uni versal. That deal laid the groundwork for cable giant Comcast’s $30 bil lion takeover of NBCU.

Book deal

Publisher Random House, a unit of Ger many’s Bertelsmann, and videogame producer THQ will collaborate on an array of original works, in cluding novels, graphic novels and digital books, as well as online, console and mobile-phone games, WSJ. com reported yester day. Agoura Hills, Calif.- based THQ closed Friday down 2 percent, or 9 cents, to $4.47. It is off 26 percent year to date.

Aussie hit

Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said recent natural disasters will likely cost the economy about $9.4 billion after the government raised estimates on losses to the coal industry by 20 per cent. Reuters and Dow Jones