Motorola is in the early stages of looking into a potential sale of its $4.5 billion television set-top box and network equipment business, two sources tell Reuters. Suitors will include private equity firms and other communications equipment makers, one of the sources says.

In other M&A and capital markets news reported by Reuters and other media on Thursday:

British Airways and Iberia could announce a merger as early as Friday, Sky News reports, citing unidentified sources. Click here for the Reuters story.

China Central Huijin Investment Ltd., the domestic arm of China’s sovereign wealth fund, will inject capital into Export-Import Bank of China as soon as January, the official China Daily reports. Click here for the Reuters story.

Top shareholders of South Korea’s Hynix Semiconductor will restart the sale of a controlling stake in the world’s No.2 memory chip maker, valued at close to $3 billion, after the sole bidder pulls out.

The founders of Indian developer DLF will pay $495 million to buy out hedge fund D.E. Shaw’s minority stake in a property trust, the Economic Times reports.

Japanese shipping firm Nippon Yusen will likely raise about $1.7 billion in its first public share offering in 40 years, the Nikkei business daily reports.