UPDATE 2-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

(Updates Barclays; Adds Vetnex, Franklin Offshore, others)

June 8 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 2000 GMT on Monday.

(For Reuters columns on deals, click on [DEALTALK/])

** Barclays Plc (BARC.L) is in talks to sell Barclays Global Investors (BGI), the British bank said, with U.S. fund manager BlackRock the frontrunner to land the asset manager for about $12 billion.

To read more, please double click on [ID:nL8414031]

** Validus Holdings Ltd (VR.N) said it sweetened its bid for IPC Holdings Ltd IPCR.O a second time, throwing in another 75 cents per share in cash in its efforts to wrestle IPC from a deal with rival Max Capital Group Ltd MXGL.O. [ID:nN0897356]

** ICICI Venture, the private equity unit of India's ICICI Bank (ICBK.BO), said it had signed a definitive deal to sell Vetnex Animal Health to a unit of Pfizer Inc (PFE.N). [ID:nBMA003086]

** British private equity firm 3i (III.L) has shelved a plan to sell its majority stake in unlisted Singapore oil services firm Franklin Offshore International after bids for the stake came in below expectations, two sources with knowledge of the deal told Reuters. [ID:nSIN489021]

** Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), the world's leading carrier by market value, is still keen on acquisitions in China and India, its CEO said, just weeks after indicating it had no plans to revive talks to take a stake in China Eastern (600115.SS). [ID:nSIN453870]

** Slovenia's largest fuel retailer, Petrol (PETG.LJ), soared almost 9 percent in early trading after local daily newspaper Delo reported the company could be taken over by a Russian oil major. [ID:nL8298328]

** Women's apparel retailer Talbots Inc (TLB.N) agreed on Monday to sell its J.Jill division to Golden Gate Capital for $75 million, just three years after buying it for $517 million. [ID:nN08480715]

** HealthTronics Inc HTRN.O, which provides urology-related services, said it agreed to acquire medical device maker Endocare Inc ENDO.O in a cash and stock deal worth about $16 million. [ID:nBNG462628]

** EcoSecurities Group Plc ECO.L rejected a counterbid from an EDF unit, sparking hopes of a bidding war for the UK-based carbon offset project developer. [ID:nBNG489930]

** Shares of China Eastern Airlines (600115.SS)(0670.HK) and smaller Shanghai Airlines 600591.SS were suspended on Monday after media said the two loss-making carriers were close to a merger deal. [ID:nHKG66148]

** Hutchison Whampoa (0013.HK) of Hong Kong has hired Amikam Cohen to find a buyer for its controlling stake in Partner Communications (PTNR.O), Israel's second-largest mobile phone operator, TheMarker financial newspaper said. [ID:nL8532438]

** Silvercorp Metals Inc (SVM.TO) offered to buy mineral resources company Klondex Mines Ltd (KDX.TO) for C$2.18 per share, or about C$70 million, ($62.2 million) in a stock deal to enhance its resource base and financial strength. [ID:nBNG198726]

** Austria's biggest utility, Verbund (VERB.VI), said it agreed to buy 13 hydro power plants for more than 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) that Germany's E.ON (EONGn.DE) was ordered to sell by the European Commission. [ID:nL8529560]

** Italy's Banca Intermobiliare (BIM) (BIM.MI) has received a counter-offer from MI.MO.SE SpA for its stake in real estate company IPI SpA AIMA.MI, BIM said. [ID:nL8544685]