Carlyle Group is preparing to launch a US real estate fund and hopes to raise as much as $4 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, writes Reuters. Rivals Blackstone Group, TPG Capital Management and KKR already have funds to tap into the real estate market. Blackstone has more than $54 billion of property assets under management.

Hertz Global Holdings‘ private equity investors Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Carlyle Group and Bank of America Merrill Lynch have sold off their remaining shares in the car rental agency for $1.24 billion, writes Reuters. CD&R, Carlyle and Bank of America Merrill Lynch sold 49.8 million shares for $24.96 each. Before the sales, CD&R and Carlyle were the second and third largest shareholders in Hertz, respectively, according to Thomson Reuters data.

London-based private equity fund Pamplona Capital Management is in talks to buy a majority stake in Turkish hospitals group Medical Park, writes Reuters. U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group acquired a 40 percent stake in Medical Park in 2009 for an undisclosed amount alongside businessmen Muharrem Usta and Haydar Sancak, who each own 30 percent.

The Carlyle Group has made a “significant” investment in Addison Lee. Financial terms weren’t announced. Addison Lee is a U.K. taxi company. The investment comes from Carlyle Europe Partners III L.P., a 5.4 billion Euro (US$7 billion) fund that makes mid and large cap investments. Reuters says the investment was in the region of 300 million pounds ($458.8 million).

(Reuters) – Private equity owners of Numericable have asked about 10 banks to pitch on a possible stock exchange listing this year that could value the French cable company at around 4 billion euros ($5.3 billion), three people with knowledge of the plan said. Numericable is owned by Cinven, Carlyle Group and Altice Group.

Japan’s Panasonic Corp has hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to sell a part of its healthcare unit in a deal that could raise as much as $1 billion writes Reuters. Merrill Lynch will begin providing information on the sale to potential bidders by May, including private equity funds Bain Capital and Carlyle Group, writes Reuters.

Susan Kasser has joined Neuberger Berman as an MD and head of private debt at Neuberger Berman Alternatives. Kasser joined Neuberger Berman in March and is based in New York. Most recently, Kasser was with the Carlyle Group, where she was a founding member of Carlyle Mezzanine Partners.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is nearing a deal to buy genetic testing equipment maker Life Technologies for close to $13 billion, writes Reuters. Life Technologies’ board chose Thermo Fisher over Sigma-Aldrich Corp, a maker of chemicals for research laboratories, and a private equity consortium consisting of Blackstone Group, Carlyle Group, KKR and Temasek Holdings, writes Reuters.

The New York City Retirement Systems, the $127 billion group of municipal pensions overseen by the city comptroller’s office, made an impressive $1.1 billion in commitments to five private equity funds in the first quarter, according to Stephanie Hoo, a senior press officer. According to sister magazine, Buyouts, the funds are managed by The Carlyle Group, Platinum Equity…

A major private equity firm, not based in the U.S., will likely join the ranks of seven large buyout shops that invest globally, says David Rubenstein, the Carlyle Group’s co-CEO and co-founder.